Which one should I pick?! (Buying Tommorrow!)

[k-]

First of all...
My rig is going to be a E6600 and a 8800GTS
It will be used for LAN time to time and I do want the computer to be silent. As well, gaming, MIDI work and multitasking.

so for the case
I have a choise between a P150 w/ NEO 420 for $144 and a P180 for $140
Which one would you prefer?

for the PSU
1. NEO HE 550 Modular for $123 CAD
2. ZALMAN ZM 600W Modular $133 CAD
3. Mushkin HP-550 Modular $88 CAD

Which one can handle the rig with ease and which one would you recommend?

Thankzz

 

[apt403]

I would get the P180, and for the psu i think if i had to choose betwee nthose 3 i would go for the Zalman, most power of the bunch, decent quality, and its, well, thats about it. you might want to look into OCZ's GameXStream line of psu's, i know the 600w version will power an 8800gts.

 

[k-]

I saw 2 reviews that said that the Zalman ZM 600w is 100% same as the OCZ GameXtreme 700w but just labeled as a 600W since they are both made by FSP

The only difference is that Zalman is mondular and have a better cooling solution.

So, I might just pick Zalman although I still think NEO HEO 550 is the highest quality of all

 

[AwsmGy]

I agree with apt, but you may want to consider a power supply with some more juice. The 8800's are power hogs.

 

[WR2]

NEO HEO 550

The Neo HE's are made by Seasonic. So you know its probably a safe choice. All of those PSU have the power to handle a 8800GTX, let alone the GTS.
Mushkin PSU is made by Topower.

 

[gondo]

I would go for the P180 for sure. It has the PSU on the bottom which I like. If your going high end why not go for something different and good. The new Antec 900 series is a nice gaming case as well.

As for the PSu any would do good. Antec is a safe choice as they have the best warranty and solid reputation. Too bad they don't make high power modular drives. OCZ makes a very nice modular drive, but according to one reply here the Zalman is the same. I'd go either, I'm a hudge Zalman cooling fan and a huge OCZ memory fan so I'd trust either's power supplies. both Zalman and OCZ have terrific warranty and customer service.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

The only power supplies that are worth anything are those from PC Power & Cooling. Prove it otherwise.

 

[k-]

Antec 900 looks horrible compared to P180B / P150 to me haha.

Okay so I decided to get a P180 case but still picky about the PSU.

Do you think I can get by with a Mushkin HP-550 for $88 and save my self about $50 from Zalman ZM-600HP ??

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

I just got the Artec 900 and mostly wishing I hadn't.

 

[k-]

I just got the Artec 900 and mostly wishing I hadn't.

P180 it is.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

I didn't like the P180 either. Some electronics store had several cases on disaply and I had a chance to spend about 30 minutes with it. Nope. Didn't like it at all.

I haven't started the new build in the 900 yet, but this is going to be the first case I have had that I will need to mod in order to hide the cables. Maybe I am wrong about it; it could still be a good case for my needs.

As for the power supply, I would advise calling them directly because they have a larger selection than a lot of these online dealers show. For instance, Newegg.com was only showing the 1000W PS's from them.

I ended up getting the Silencer 750 quad. It has 4 PCI-E and 15 drive connectors and is 8800 GTX SLI rated. It comes in a copper finish, but can be ordered in black. The cost is $199 USD, but it could be the last PS you will need. I ended-up calling them directly. The ordering process took all of 3 minutes.

That PS is going to run an E6300, 1x PX-755SA, 2 GBs PC2-8500 RAM, 1x floppy, 4x WD Caviar 250 GBs RE HDD's, and the 4 case fans. I doubt if I will even tax it at 50%!

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

You're 100% correct! When purchasing a new power supply, one needs to look beyond one's current needs and think about the future.

If one were to get a PS that just met the current requirements, well, when the newer, faster, more power-hungry video cards come out (like the 8800 series), one would be up the proverbial shit creek.

A solid PS purchase now should last several builds. SPEND THE MONEY ON THE BEST PS!!

 

[k-]

But the thing is I live in Canada and the only places im looking at are...

www.canadacomputers.com
www.directcanada.com



whats so bad about P180?

I want to get it in black but my monitor's white...

** I probably won't upgrade for a long time

 

[k-]

I was going to get that PSU but here...
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/402/8
If you read the last page of this review it says that

The Zalman ZM600HP is 100% same as the GameXtreme 700w except that Zalman PSU has a better cooling solution.

As well the ZM600HP is modular which is what i want

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/home/

I don't know if you canucks have the same voltage as we yanks, but I think the PS's auto-switch, sp there shouldn't be a problem.

I think the reason I didn't like the 180 had seomthing to do with the way the interior was laid-out. If memory serves me correctly, it would get very cramped in there very fast, plus the exterior wasn't setup like I would have liked.

Whichever case I went with had very specific dimensional requirements because of where it was going to go, else I might have gone with the Stacker 830 (the SLI green version).

Here is a link to a very good case that I really liked, but didn't get b/c it didn't have a side window (and I am not wanting to have to cut one out). That link also has some of the BEST case reviews I have ever seen.

 

[mordenkhai]

First to the OP , Sorry I promise Im not trying to hijack this thread =)

I haven't started the new build in the 900 yet, but this is going to be the first case I have had that I will need to mod in order to hide the cables. Maybe I am wrong about it; it could still be a good case for my needs.

Is it the way the wiring will "look" that bothers you or do you think there might be an airflow/cooling issue due to wiring? I am getting ready to make my first real build in like 12 years and that was the case I think I like the most. I have heard of people saying its tough to wire to look nice, but not sure if its just looks. I am hoping to squeeze an 8800GTX into it.

 

[big_tuna]

i dont know if they ship to canada or not but i like this psu
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4653878
it powered two 7800 gtx cards in sli before i got my 8800 gts plus 3 hd's 2dvd drives and 2 fans and a floppy,of course not all at 1 time i guess. oh i forgot to mention i had the cpu and cards overclocked , i think thats more of a strain on psu also.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Read this post on how to mod the case to look pretty good.

Read this one to see how bad it can look.

The GTX will fit if you remove the interior fan holder on the drive cage. I removed one whole drive cage and moved its fan to the side panel. I had to do this because I am installing a removable drive cage, floppy, ODD, and the break-out box for an X-Fi sound card, and this case doesn't have a dedicated spot for a floppy.

Also be advised you may have to jury rig power cables and the SATA cables as the guy in the first link has done.

Otherwise, I think airflow will still be terrific with intake fans in the side panel and one in the HDD bay, and exhaust fans in the rear and top.

 

[k-]

i dont know if they ship to canada or not but i like this psu
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4653878
it powered two 7800 gtx cards in sli before i got my 8800 gts plus 3 hd's 2dvd drives and 2 fans and a floppy,of course not all at 1 time i guess. oh i forgot to mention i had the cpu and cards overclocked , i think thats more of a strain on psu also.

yeh... that was on my list of the PSU's i picked if you looked at my original post...

 

[big_tuna]

i did , i just recommended it as good psu and was linking to the deal. im not sure about canada to us conversion what it cost or if it ships to canada or not. i think i had to pay like $99 after rebate when i got it

 

[chogo]

I'd recommend an Antec Solo case instead as it doesn't come with a PS for about CAN$100 and it is basically the same as the P150 case.

Another CDN site to check out is www.ncix.com and they are supposed to price match other sites such as directcanada (which is usually a little bit cheaper). They also have user comments/questions within the product description.

I'd go with the Zalman for the extra watts if it is indeed the same as the OCZ GameXStream 700W because it is better to have the extra power capacity.

 

[k-]

Thankz, I want to keep the case white as my monitor is white. haha

and yeh I pretty much picked all the parts as of now.

thnkz all.

E6600 $370
P5B $147
OCZ 2GB XTC 667mhz $200
eVGA 8800GTS $500
Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200.10 8MB 11MS $90
Antec P180 $140
Zalman ZM600-HP PSU $133
Pioneer Black DVD-RW $37
Samsung CD-RW $20
$1637 CAD