First Build in 3 years, what do you think?

jajonez77

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Feb 9, 2007
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I have been out of the PC building game for quite awhile. My last build was a Athlon 2600+ system if that gives you any idea :)
I have read through numerous boards and coming to the point of finalizing my build. It is as follows:

Case: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

PSU: mushkin HP-580AP ATX12V / EPS12V 580W

RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) x 2 for 4GB total

Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965

Video: EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache x 2 for 500GB

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M

Media: SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write

Cooler: Scythe SCINF-1000 120mm CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink

Monitor: SCEPTRE x22wg-Gamer Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor

It will be a 75% gaming PC and used for productivity type stuff (word, excel) the rest of the time. I am thinking of doing a dual boot Vista/XP on the system. It will be moderate in the overclocking department. I have never over clocked before but I am going to try to learn. Budget is around 2200-2300. I was also going to go with RAID 0 but having read some things that it doesnt effect gaming FPS or load times I am now thinking against it. Let me know what you think.
 

akhilles

Splendid
Looks like you've been reading the forum & getting the right ideas. I can tell that you're very budget-conscious. You seek stability.
Heatsink Dimensions:
110 x 110 x 150mm
Weight:
Ninja 6heat pipes CPU cooler: 640 g
Included 120mm fan: 130g

Fan
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm
Noise Level: 20.94dBA
Air Flow: 49.58 CFM
Speed: 1,200rpm (±10%)
Bearing Type: Sleeve Bearing
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/026/scnj1100p.html

Combined Dimensions: 125 x 116 x 160mm
Weight: 960g

Fan
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm
Noise Level: 23.5dBA
Air Flow: 46.5CFM
Speed: 1,200rpm (±10%)
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/024/scinf1000.html

In a nutshell, the Scythe Ninja runs quieter & moves more air than the Infinity. It's your call.

Instead of running the 2 sataii in raid, may I suggest you get a Raptor 74gb for software & one 7200.10 for storage?

Your budget is pretty big, so I suggest you take a look at PCP&C PSUs. They're the best, IMO.

Are you sure you don't want to wait for this?

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=4563
 

NamelessMC

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The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro has been known to compete head to head with the Scythe Infinity and ThermalTake Big Typhoon in terms of quiet/coolness at load.

It goes for $24.99 at Chieftek
 

skyguy

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Excellent specs, you've certainly done your research.

The Mushkin PSU is ok, but with your budget you should really consider a Seasonic instead. Better quality and quieter.

The Ninja Plus is generally better reviewed than the Infinity. Plus you can put any 120mm fan on the Ninja if you wish to make it even quieter.....a Noctua 1200 RPM would work beautifully.


[sidebar hijack]
@ Akhilles: any ideas how much performance will suffer for the 320 meg version of the 8800GTS, when compared against the cost savings???
[/sidebar hijack]
 

jajonez77

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Feb 9, 2007
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I was looking for modular supply for the cooling and clean looking effects. Anyone have experience with Mushkin PSU? I see that Seasonic is also modular so I will look into those. I am thinking 600W should be plenty for this build. More is always better IMO. Spending $150.00 now and then $200.00 later because 600W wasn't enough would not be joyous.

As for the Video I was aware of that card coming around. From what I can gather it is going to be $299.99. That would be a $90.00 savings. I can't find any benchmarks out there yet for it. But, I have read that it is the exact same technology/PCB and such just with fewer chips (Obviously). Not sure that I can build a gaming system and then skimp on the Video.

How about the Case? Can anyone comment on that? Research said good things but there is no subsitute for real world experience.

Thanks all
 

jonrem

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Looks good. I'd reccommend the 320 GB baracudas b/c they're only about $10-15 more, but if you're within a tight budget the 250s are fine. (Ive gotten myself into trouble before with the "it's only a few dollars more" thinking in the past though, so take that how you may.) Also, do you plan on running Vista 64? The reason I ask is because it'll take a 64 bit os to truly utilize all that ram. I'd also reccommend the seasonic psu. I was looking at the Mushkin for my last build and wasn't bowled over by the reviews.
 

skyguy

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Seasonic has the M-series, which are modular. Take a look at those. My Seasonic is a DREAM, I'll never to switch to any other PSU.
 

deusex

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Again said, You've done your research well (My $2K build shares 4 same components)...

However, the GameXstream 600W by OCZ is an amazingly solid, quiet, and sleek PSU that runs stable as a rock...you can find it for a few dollars more on Newegg, or even less on ZipZoomFly.
 

cutthroat

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I've gotta agree with the rest of the guy's, you've thought this through well and have a very nice looking system there. I also agree about the OCZ GameXStream PSU. I don't own one yet, but I've been doing my research as well and it will be going in my next build (soon). I've read a lot of good reviews, many editor's choice. It's not modular, but that doesn't seem to matter for those who reviewed it, and personally I will use most of the cables anyways.
 

skyguy

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I used to own an OCZ GameXstream. Very good PSU, looks great, stable. I sold it and upgraded to my Seasonic simply because I wanted a silent build. The OCZ isn't loud, but it's not silent.....it's simply the same noise as every other PSU pretty much. Obviously Seasonics are silent.

I definitely agree with the OCZ suggestions. Great PSU at a very decent price. Looks good, nice blue LED fan in it. Long cables you can connect and easily hide. The cables are fully sleeved (not modular though), so if you spend a bit of effort hiding the cables then it's a great PSU.

OH, and if you really want modular, look into the Corsair brands.....they're basically rebadged Seasonic PSUs. Efficient, modular, quiet, not as expensive, quite highly reviewed at all the major places like Silent PC and JonnyGuru. EXCELLENT modular alternative.
 

jajonez77

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Good advice on the PSU Thanks to all.

The only concern that I have is getting a modular PSU with cables that are long enough given the case that I am using. Anyone have experience with the case and/or modular supplies that can advise on any issues on that front?

Thanks for the input thus far.
 

jajonez77

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Anyone at all have a full tower case and a modular power supply care to talk about issues or non issues that they have had?

I dont want to buy a modular PSU and then notice that the cables are too short.
 

skyguy

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My understanding is that modular cables aren't shorter than regular ones. BUT it depends on the brand you buy. OCZ have long cables, plain and simple. Corsair *might* have shorter ones, for example, but NOT because they're modular; rather, because it's a Corsair. See what I mean?

Your WORST case scenario is to have an Antec P180 with a PSU that has shorter cables. In which case the worst you would have to do is buy a cable extender. No big deal there. Honestly, it depends more on your motherboard. Mobos that have the 4-pin ATX power socket at the top left of the mobo will create the longest distance IF you have a PSU mounted in the bottom of your case. If you have a case that has the PSU mounted at the top (like most cases) then you'll be just fine......those power cables will reach anywhere no problem.

So most modular PSUs will work, and so will regular ones, especially if you have a case with a top-mounted PSU. Bottom-mounted case like the P180 is more of a challenge to hide the cables, but the cables reach everything no problem. Just a question of how clean your cable management is.