I just bought all this new stuff... Did I do good?

[adonlude]

So after lots of reasearch I just purchased my new system. I can probably make changes for the next 24hrs so I just wanted to post it up and get some feedback incase there is something drastic I missed. Otherwise I think ill have a pretty sweet machine. Definately an upgrade from my socket 478 P4 3GHz, PC-400 RAM, X850XTPE. There is $120 worth of rebates not included in here by the way:

1 DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #11917 GIFT
Item #: COM $-49.99
Item(s) shipped from CA Tracking Number:
1 eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130072
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $659.99
1 eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188009
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy $269.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6700 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115002
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $509.99
1 UBISOFT Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter - OEM
Item #: N82E16800992001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $49.99
1 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129021
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $139.99
1 COOLMAX CUG-700B ATX 12V( V.2.2) 700W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817159058
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $169.99
1 OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P800R22GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227139
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $249.99
1 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136003
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $99.99
1 Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $229.99
1 PLEXTOR 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With White bezel,AUTOSTRATEGY,PoweRec,10X DVD+R DL Write Black SATA Model PX-755SA - Retail
Item #: N82E16827249006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $105.99

Tax: $176.60
Shipping: $37.16
Total: $2,649.67

 

[mad-dog]

A CD/ROM and Floppy Drive would be a nice addition.
Does the case come withm fans because your gonna need a few to cool that hot-blooded machine down.
IMHo the 6700 is overkill, i like nothing smaller than the 6400 and nothing bigger than the 6600,
then again it depends on the application and how much money you got to spend.
Other than that you did excellent...kudos

 

[adonlude]

Well I have the DVD drive that will do CD burning and I also have an old cd burner and an old DVD rom drive I can throw in there. I have never really used the second drive in my old computer though.

I dont want a disk drive in this one, I never use it. Flash drives are king now and the disk drive would always just buzz on startup... annoying.

I agree completely that the E6700 is a waste of money and I would normally buy the E6600 but in my case I have a retired life long Intel family member who heard I was excited about building a system with a low end Conroe chip and offered to help fund me with $500 towards a high end chip (he is happy to give money back to Intel). So I could basically have a free E6700 or pay $500 for the X6800... I am spending enough already so I took the free E6700.

Cooling wont be an issue. If you lookup the Antec 900 case you will see that it has 4 120mm fans. A review I read said that this thing kept his test system cooler than when it was on an open air test bed.

 

[qwertycopter]

Cooling wont be an issue. If you lookup the Antec 900 case you will see that it has 4 120mm fans. A review I read said that this thing kept his test system cooler than when it was on an open air test bed.

This is probably one of the best cooled cases available. Two 120mm intake fans in the front (one in front of HDD cage). One 120mm exhuast fan in the back. One massive 200mm exhaust fan on the top. The PSU is mounted on the bottom of the case. The entire front bezel is perforated for even more airflow. Side has lots of perforations and another spot for another 120mm fan. Wow!

Now the bad:
No air filters. This thing will pick up dust so fast you will need to clean it every 2 weeks.

No sound dampening. You really can't expect sound dampening in a case with so many holes. This will be a loud case.. most of the fan noise can not be blocked.

If that stuff doesn't bother you, then go for this case. It's the best. If you need a quiet system, look into the Antec P180b... it's got good cooling and sound dampening.

 

[gsusInAPixel]

If you need a quiet system, look into the Antec P180b... it's got good cooling and sound dampening.

Will the 8800gtx fit in the P180b since it's 11" long? I cant remember where but somewhere in these forums someone was complining it wouldnt fit in his P180b

 

[qwertycopter]

Well I guess it might depend on the location of your PCI-E slot. I think if it isn't the top-most slot and you removed ths 3.5" external drive bay, any over-hang would have room to fit.

 

[sailer]

Most people would ask before they ordered if they weren't sure of what they're getting. Good looking setup overall, but I think I'd raise the psu to 750 wt, maybe even 850 wt so as to allow for future expansion. Some people (myself included) still use the old floppy drives, but if you don't anymore, then its ok.

Since the Plexor handles both DVD's and CD's, you don't need a second CD burner. I know I rarely use two CD/DVD drives at the same time, so its almost a waste of money getting two of the things.

 

[mad-dog]

Some people (myself included) still use the old floppy drives, but if you don't anymore, then its ok.

Amen, and the're great for BIOS flashing as well.

 

[thericeman]

I bought the Antec case not sure what to really expect. It has turned out to be a superb case. Even the bling bling with the LED fans, which I normally dislike, is tastefully done and not garish or annoying at all.

I added a 120mm Antec fan for the side intake mount. All intake fans and the 200mm exhaust are set at low. The rear 120mm exhaust is set to high. I also replaced the OEM cooler with a Zalman 9500. The rig is quiet, there is only a soft whisper of fan noise, so no worries about it being a loud case.

The cooling is phenomenal. With my E6600 OC'd to 1.33GHz/2.99GHz FSB/CPU, my mainboard runs at 30C idle and 32C under load, with the CPU at 18/19C idle and 32C-34C under load.

The big downer is that there is no mainboard tray, so make sure that if you install any huge, funky coolers like the Zalman, you do so prior to installing the mainboard, or you'll have to unscrew and pop off the top lid to get enough room to work in. As a previous poster mentioned, you will find yourself having to maintain the case more due to the dust issue. Make sure you keep a can of air and some swifter pads handy to clean the interior and exterior every week or two.

Enjoy your new system!

 

[fatcat]

Now the bad:
No air filters. This thing will pick up dust so fast you will need to clean it every 2 weeks.

Took the word right out of my mouth. It's true that with 2 frontal 120mm fan this case will suck up dust like crazy. I haven't check it thourougly, but I am pretty sure strainer could be added somewhere behind or in front of those fans.(in front would be better).

I have a Thermaltake armor with one 120mm frontal fan and all the meshing in the front bezel sports some air filters behind it and they get rather dirty.

I must admit though, it's a pretty nice case. The computer shop next to my house has one on display and it sure looks tempting

 

[angry_ducky]

It looks good, aside from the Coolmax PSU.

 

[LeonRa]

Some people (myself included) still use the old floppy drives, but if you don't anymore, then its ok.

Amen, and the're great for BIOS flashing as well.


I couldn't agree more. Most of the people think that they are a thing of the past, but belive me, you will probably need it sooner or later.

 

[adonlude]

It looks good, aside from the Coolmax PSU.

Whats wrong with the modular Coolmax 700W? In my research I never came across anything bad about it. I feel that 700W would be enough if I plan do eventually do 8800 SLI. The 8800 power requirements were lower than expected and I also read an article where they tested 8800 SLI on the OCZ 700W supply with n[/quote]o problems.

Some people (myself included) still use the old floppy drives, but if you don't anymore, then its ok.

Hmm, I guess I didn't really think about that. Oh well, when I need one ill just grab the spare change under my couch and head down to Compusa and pick one up. Do they make SATA floppy drives? haha.

 

[croc]

I would've got a seagate 7200.10 320 GB drive instead of the WD, just for the 5 yr warranty... But that's just me.