Can soemone review this build for problems/improvments?

[Hatchetman240]

UPDATED as I get feedback from users

Case XCLIO ATX Full Tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811103008
ABIT AB9 Pro MOBO (removed based on feedback)
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128012
E6300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
x2 Raptors, RAID 0 config (removed based on feedback)
Hitachi 500 gig storage drive (removed based on feedback)
Baracudda 500 gig 7200.10 x2 RAID0 (added based on feedback) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148136
x-fi soundcard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102189
OCZ 700w PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817341002
2gb patriot 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220144
EVGA 8800GTS 320mb http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130038

Im cooling with liquid (for dead silence as this is in my room) and still researching the best setup there.

 

[PCKid777]

Looks like a nice setup...except I'd recommend getting more of an enthusiast MB to match; IMO, buy an ASUS, Gigabyte, or maybe even an MSI board. I recommend the Nvidia 600 series.

Also, do you intend to overclock? Otherwiswe, the E6300 is great for everyday tasks, but to match your setup, I'd recommend a slightly higher model.

IMHO, taking in the price/perfomance ratio, Raptor drives are overpriced. A setup with standard 7200 RPM SATA HDDs in RAID 0 can offer more storage and almost similar perforamce.

Otherwise, it looks like an awesome setup.

 

[Hatchetman240]

Yeah, I was drawn to it because of the overclocking reviews on it, but the thing has no SLI support. Even though none of the games I play support SLI, they may in the future. Any specific model Mobo you would suggest? I also thought about not using raptors, but I figured the size on the RAID0 driveset wouldnt matter, and I would end up spending only a few bucks more to crank out truely e-peen enhancing numbers with raptors.

 

[PCKid777]

Take these ideas with a grain of salt. I'm slightly bias to ASUS, so ya... but here are a couple you could look at.

ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142
This looks like a great deal for future Sli and has decent reviews. Only thing is, it's very picky about the RAM and may not work with Patriot...

ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131070

I suggest using Newegg's Advanced Search features and sorting by reviews and price....

EDIT:

Looks good for the price: MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082

 

[rammedstein]

personally i think the abit board is fine, if i did change mobo i would go for the msi 975x platinum power up, i think it is a very good OC board and of good build quality, also good layout and lots of features.

 

[akhilles]

Totally seconded.

 

[skyguy]

That Abit motherboard is the WORST layout I have EVER seen, bar none. Take a closer look at the blowup pictures on the Egg. Take a look at the IDE header. What NOOB would put it there?!? Seriously. Good luck finding a cable that will reach your optical.

Now look at the SATA connectors at the interior of the board. Who was asleep when they came up with that one? Not to mention the spaghetti mess of wires this will all create....how would you EVER do some decent cable management? It'll be a MESS!!!

And just in case you still weren't sure, look at the proximity of the DIMM slots to the alignment of the PCI-e......put in an 8800 and you can't install/remove your RAM....WITHOUT first removing the graphics card!!!

Sorry, Abit was asleep on this one.

Oh, and just for good measure in case you STILL aren't convinced:
-there are boards that overclock just as well or better
-there are boards with MUCH better layout
-there are boards that are cheaper

So why even go near this one? There is absolutely no rational reason for ever getting this board, unless someone gives it to you for free.

Off the top of my head, here are just a few better boards:
-Gigabyte 965P-DS3 (or S3)
-Biostar 965PT
-MSI Neo-F
-ASUS P5B-e
-MSI P6N-SLI
-ASUS P5N-E SLI
-MSI 975 Platinum

Shall I continue??

 

[lmimmfn]

i you want the cheapest 680i board go for the p5N32-E SLI( not the hybrid, but full 680 as per striker )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131073R

 

[yellowjacket]

This is what I'd do:

-Swap the mobo for the Gigabyte DS3 (if you don't plan on going SLI) or an EVGA 680i (if you want SLI)

-Lose one raptor and use that money to buy the 640mb GTS

-Switch the 500gb hitachi hd with a 500gb seagate 7200.10

 

[Hatchetman240]

Alright, first off yes I intend to overclock, hece my desire for liquid cooling (which I will take suggestions for as well)

second I lost the raptors and the hitachi and picked up two barracuda 7200.10 500GB which I will run in RAID0

third I replaced my board with the gigabyte P965-DS3 because it was recommended twice in this thread (I think) and specifically named in the C2D overclock guide as a good one to use.

I considered the advice about the next higher graphics card, but I think there is a premium being paid for that card because it is the newest, and I would do better to just upgrade my card in a couple of years anyway.

 

[emp]

Don't worry so much over SLI, by the time you need to change that 8800GTS there will be better cards that will outdo the 8800GTS on SLi

 

[Hatchetman240]

yup, that's how I feel, none of my games are built to truely support it anyway.

 

[emp]

One thing that I'd do differently is lose the raptors, get cheaper dual 500Gig 7200RPM drives for RAID 0, and finally upgrade that CPU to either E6600 or E6400.

 

[Hatchetman240]

I plan to overclock the processor as far as it will go and from the benchmarks I have seen the e6300 is so close to the others at top OC that the higher end chips are barely worth the money. Is this not, in fact, the case?

 

[skyguy]

Sorta. You can hit 3.4ghz on a 6300 if you have good cooling and RAM. And even if it can't hit 3.6 like a 6600, is the extra 200 mhz worth all the extra money, when in fact you won't notice any real world difference in performance for that extra 200 mhz??

I thought not


Save your $$, get the 6300 and OC the snot out of it. Just make sure you got good cooling and good RAM.

 

[lmimmfn]

ive boughtthe following to hit 3.4( im still waiting on a mobo replacement ) but its what i scouted on the intraweb and the cheapest
1. P5N32-E SLI
2. Scythe mine CPU cooler
3. 2 Gigs of Corsair Twin XMS2 4-4-4-12 latency ram, its recommended also on the asus site for that mobo

Maybe you can get a 3.4Ghz OC cheaper but thats the best of my knowledge

 

[rammedstein]

i porobably wouldn't go for the scythe mine, its quite annoying/difficult to install, sure its a great cooler but i don't think it is worth the hassle, @OP, that system is perfect, now you just need to decide on how your going to do your WC setup.

 

[proof]

Liquid cooling is definately not silent. For silent get a CoolerMaster Gemini and Noctua fans. MUCH quieter than liquid. The best setup for liquid is always DIY though. For speed maybe get a 36GB Raptor and put your OS on it and use the 'Cudas for storage in a RAID 1?

 

[skyguy]

Setup looks good so far! RAM is fine, mobo is great, not a big fan of that HSF though. I guess 3.4 is entirely possible, depending on your CPU. 6400 should hit that, 6600 will for sure, 6300 might be a stretch.

 

[MU_Engineer]

My two cents:

You want to have a silent PC and overclock the snot out of it. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. Silent PCs run on low-wattage chips, frequently either Pentium Ms/Core Duos/Core 2 Duos in mobile-on-desktop Socket 479/M uATX motherboards or Turion 64 MTs in socket 754 uATX boards. Some folks also use VIA C3s in an ITX motherboard and run those units fanless. You can also get a low-wattage CPU like an Athlon 64 X2 3600+ or Core 2 Duo E6300 and undervolt it to reduce heat. The name of the game is MINIMIZE HEAT so that slow-moving, low-CFM fans can remove the heat. Overclocking is all about extracting the most performance from your parts and it makes significant heat. The fans or water cooling setups required for a good OC are not very quiet.

The two are diametrically opposed and you need to decide what matters more to you- maximum quiet or maximum power. Then we'll come back and find you some parts.

 

[skyguy]

Actually I beg to differ. Loudly. Pun intended

Check my sig. Highly OC'd, VERY quiet, and quite cool on air.

Performance (OC) and quiet is indeed very possible. But it takes very careful selection of components, some extra $$, and patience. Difficult, yes. Impossible, hardly.

 

[dsidious]

What exactly does "Zalman 9500 modded" mean, please? What did you do to the poor thing?

 

[Hatchetman240]

Then I must retreat to my final bastion of defense for my water cooling plan... Deep down, I'm a technophile who gets paid enough to waste my money on things that look THAT COOL. Sad I wont achieve silence with the water setup, but I was looking at the following:

Swiftech: Apogee GT
Dangerden : Mag 2 pump, GPU block, Black ice radiator, reservior

all half inch. Is it the pump or the radiator most of the noise comes from?

 

[proof]

CPU Block: Stinger V8
GPU Block: AquaComputer AquagraFX
Resevoir: AquaCompuer AquaBay
Radiator: Xoxide Heater Core
Pump: Swiftech MCP655

Noise:
1) Pump
2) Radiator
3) Water Blocks

 

[skyguy]

Dsidious, it means I used a quieter fan and better airflow fan. I did this:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article284-page1.html

MUCH quieter now, variable speed too


Hatchet, might wanna go through the forums at Silent PC Review and Xtremesystems......they specialize in Silent and Cooling, respectively:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=21&sid=3dbece897e9547585e6648e8cded3811

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70