Building 2 new systems, need advice please

[ijv]

First off I'd like to say hi [first post, dont mean to intrude].
In about 2 weeks time I am planning on getting the things i need to build 2 system, one for myself [amd] , and one for my boyfriend[intel] who doesnt happen to know much about pcs so is relying on me to build him one...
I must point out however that right now i live in the south of Thailand so not everything is available to me, so i will try to build what I can.

Note, i shall not be overclocking anything.

SYSTEM 1:
M/B: ASUS Crosshair if that isnt avaialble yet [which im sure its not] then M2N32-SLI Deluxe wifi
CPU: highest available here is AMD X2 4600+ (AM2)
Mem: CORSAIR xms2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
GFX: Leadtek WinFast PX7950 GX2 TDH
HDD1: WD Raptor 74gb
HDD2: 320gb Seagate Barracuda
PSU: Enermax Liberty 620 watt
Case: Thermaltake's Shark ATX Black series

I already own the power supply and case, now since the temperature here is always warm and it's not going to be in an air conditioned room, im going to need to water-cool it. never done that before so... I have no idea what to get for that, some help would be much apreciated.

SYSTEM 2 [i've never built an intel system, so any advice are welcomed].
M/B: ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe [any suggestions welcomed]
CPU: Intel Conroe E6600
Mem: CORSAIR xms2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
GFX: Leadtek WinFast PX7950 GX2 TDH
HDD: 2x 80gb Western Digital Caviar [raid 0]
HDD: Western Digital Caviar 400gb
PSU: Enermax Liberty 620 watt
Case: COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Silver [go figure...]

please comment as I dont know everything there is to know, i've only build a few amd systems in the past.

 

[Scout]

Good selections... should be fun to build both rigs!

One thought on water cooling - when you install a water block on your CPU, you no longer have the CPU fan blowing across all those cool looking little radiators on these boards. That could lead to problems unless you install secondary fans. Something to keep in mind.

If you're not overclocking, I would think you could stay with air, even in a warm room.

 

[Giraffe]

i agree with the person above me that even in a hot place the stock cooling should be ok.

i think u would be better off getting 2 intel core2duo setups but its your choise. the e6600>x2-4600+

620 is overkill for the psu but if u already have both off them then they will be fine.

otherwise they r 2 impressive systems 8)


1 more question...
can i have 1 of the comps :?:

 

[WR2]

Are you currently running a watercooled system?
If not (and if your friends with high performance systems dont need exotic cooling) its possible you can get by without water cooling as both the new systems will be less thermally stressed than some older systems (especially Pentium4 Prescotts).

You can certainly test the systems you build without water cooling and see how they perform. If they're stable you can skip the exotic cooling solution. Be sure you have good airflow through the case. You may need to leave the Shark's front door open to get best airflow into the case from the front 120mm fan (which you should already have). Stacker 830 may also need the case front panel open for max air cooling.

Its possible you may need to add some GPU cooling capability (such as Ram heat sinks maybe) before you need to worry about the CPU cooling.

If you do run into problems you can add water cooling later.
This article reviews a bunch of water cooling systems: Water-Cooling : 16 Systems Reviewed!

 

[melarcky]

well they seem really nice.. but i personaly would keep the E6600 intel system for myself because it is the better one... and give the other to your bf.. beacue he doesnt understand about pc's ( or thats what you said) and you can take advantage of it.. what do you guys plan on using them for? games,video editing?

 

[sepuko]

I conclude that you still haven't got any CPUs or mobos so my advice will be-ditch amd, biuld 2 intel ones with the E6600. I will be the best choice since you have the money for it. Ditch the raptor also. It won't be faster than two 16mb cache sata2 hdds in raid0. Once again, you don't really want to biuld an AMD system with the tech they offer right now. Go for conroe. And, since you're not going for sli, get the "P5B 965 deluxe wifi" etc. from ASUS. It offers raid 10 which i like a lot.

 

[ijv]

I would definitely much rather stick with air, never was intrigued by watercooling. I considered it after speaking with someone who has a few high end systems that has been living here for a long time who just told me it would be the best thing to do. So im just wondering if im not taking a risk not taking his advice [then again maybe he's just trying to sell me something].
The average temp here is about 80ºF to 95ºF (27ºC to 36ºC) [in the hottest season], but they're going to be in a non air conditioned room plus the insulation sucks in there, you think that'll be alright?
I just recently finished building my HTPC with the old stuff i had in the case [a8n sli deluxe, athlon64 3200+, Gf 6600] and that seems to run at a good temp but then again its not on as often as the new pcs will be... so i really dont know.

Like WR2 said, i might just try with the usual air cooling and see from then on. You mentioned that i could add GPU cooling, got any links or suggestions? No idea how to place those either, ill have to look around and find some guides.

Also what would be a good CPU fan to get?

Sepuko: I was really thinking about getting the intel setup for myself as well but can any one tell me which is better for upgradability [say in a year perhaps?] I heard the AM3 cpus will fit in the AM2 socket but are AM3 going to be something actually capable of competing with whatever intel will have then?
I'm not going to have a Raid setup on my system, that's why im going with the raptor. By the way, what's the raid 10 like?

 

[sepuko]

Your worries about AM3 are for something that will happen a loooong time in the future and there is absolutely no guarantee that the AM3 generation will be better than conroe. Get the intel setup for both of you. RAID10 is a RAID1 between two RAID0 setups. You need 4 hdds for it but it has the best performace plus the safety of data. No raptor can compete with that. Get four 250 gb sata2 16mb cache hdds for each pc. You won't believe your eyes. 500GBs of fast and secure storage. Sounds good.

 

[ijv]

Ah raid10, sorry, i say raid 0+1, i considered that, but doesnt the raid 0 have more chances of giving up? as in being corrupt? i just usually use 1 drive for os+aps then another big drive for storage + an external drive for back up every now and then... not a good idea?

 

[WR2]

I think the upgradeability path of C2D and AM2 are pretty much equal in the next 24 months or so. The C2D seems to hold out a performance advantage because of its overclocking headroom. But for all practical purposes either system is an excellent choice.

Because of the dual PCB design of the 7950 X2 Im not sure the usual VGA cooling tricks; passive RAM heatsinks (Thermaltake Copper BGA Memory Heatsink for ATI & nVidia Cards), active cooling (Zalman ZM-VF900-Cu Graphics Card Cooler or extra case fan (AzenX Blitztorm System Slot Cooler) will work well with that card. Its the narrow dead space between the 2 PCBs that might be the problem area.
Just getting enough airflow going through the case and back out in the right pattern should do the trick even if its a hot day. It's the heat exchange thats important. Try powering up and running your system first when its cooler out for the burn in period.

I think you can hold off ordering any extra cooling hardware till you have the basic system up and running and seeing if you do have any problems. Then you can measure clearances and look for options once you know what will fit in the case or the area around the video card. As for the Stacker 830 case Id say maybe get another 120mm fan just to be on the safe side. You can always use an external fan with the case cover off to keep running while you look for cooling hardware.

You might take a peek over in the Overclockers forum to see what they're saying about HSF. Anything they like is bound to meet your needs. Although I think the stock HSF will be OK as long as you get a fair amout of air moving in and out of the cases.