Introduction:
It's been 4 years since my last new computer and it is time for me to
move on to my next new computer, as always it must be a budget rig,
dead-quiet, friendly priced and a good overclocker. I like it simple, I like it
clean and I really like it cheap, BUT with out the lose of quality or using
over-hyped and overpriced components, no two ways about it. Naturally, if
there is no good alternative, the price range per component can be
expanded, to get the right part.
Why this topic:
I'd like to hear your opinion, it is a lot of money for me and perhaps
someone can point me to a better and/or a cheaper alternative
component. And perhaps I made a combination that will make me rip my
hairs out and waste my time trying to figure out what the hell is going on...
But also this search took me weeks (and probably will take some more)
and I want to share what I have found. When the rig is complete, I'll try to
post some overclocking results and how the noise is (this will be totally
personal and completely based on what and when I find something noisy)
...here.
Budget:
Around €600 (EUR) or $815 (USD), fyi, Euro's because I reside in the
Netherlands (better known as Holland to some, or most likely best known
for is famous soft-drug policy). I already have a monitor, printer, mouse,
keyboard and all additional stuff. So just a working case actually.
To sum it up:
Quiet, good quality, overclockable and no more than €600. It is a lot to
ask, but I'm confident it is possible.
---------------THE COMPONENTS:---------------
CASE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: apple-like or elegant & sober design, no grills, no leds, no
spoilers, no goofy & spacey curves. Just a straight and simple case.
Frontsided audio and USB ports.
Akasa AK-ZEN-01-WH Zen White Case - No PSU:
bigger picture
Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
Price: €42,-
my thoughts: I like this case, though I am not sure about the clear
plastic at the front cover. In black it looks ugly, so I prefer the white
version. Other cases are more beautiful in my eyes, like the Asus TM-211,
but the quality is questionable (I own a black one for my girls' PC...nice,
but not great and not great for airflow).
MOTHERBOARD
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Well, I don't know much about mainboards, but I have a few
wishes; at least 6+ USB ports, no noisy fans, good overclocking
capabilities when paired with the CPU, no known bugs, deficiencies...
Gigabyte GA-P965-DS3
another bigger picture
Review 1, Review 2
Price: €83,-
my thoughts: I've read good things about this motherboard when it is
used to overclock a Intel C2D CPU. As it is one of the cheapest
motherboards to get my hands on and together with the abundance of
good reviews, I like this board and I feel confident buying it.
I do hope that sticker on the PCI-slots will go off easy...hate to have to rub any glue residue off that mobo...I might ruin it.
CPU other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: easy to overclock without tons of fans or water to cool it down, so easy to cool.
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
Price: €99,-
my thoughts: what more to say, it is supposedly the budget king among the overclockers chips... I think it will rock
CPU COOLING other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: QUIET and plenty of cooling when overclocking the E4300.
Sunbeamtech Tuniq Tower 120
Price: €37,-
Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
Review 4, Review 5,
my thoughts:Hope it runs cool and quiet.
VIDEOCARD other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Here it is getting difficult for me. The choice of this product
depands on many aspects. The main use of this platform will be used for
Photoshop, Illustrator and Solidworks and for a little R&R: viewing movies
and playing games: First Person Shooters like Call of Duty 2 (4 when it
comes out), Real Time Strategy: Like Supreme Commander and whatnot.
Point of View 7600 GT
Price: €91,-
my thoughts: I have a Gigabyte 9700 Pro now. It S U C K S with
Solidworks 2006 and up, which is really messed up. I need it to function
properly, but I also want to view movies and play FPS and RTS games.
Mind boggling, since I can't find any confirmation if this videocard will
really work with Solidworks. I do not want to buy a Certified graphics
card. They are expensive and I do not want to buy second hand. I am not
making my life easier with this, am I?
here's a nice overview at Tomshardware
MEMORY other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Here it is getting difficult for me again. I've been reading a lot
of this subject regarding overclocking an Intel E4300 CPU core. But I'm
getting mixed reports: you can do the same trick with an PC2-5300,
instead of the advised and recommended PC2-6400. Confusing. My only
demand would be 2 Gb and that the mobo recognizes the ram on first boot.
A-DATA Vitesta Extreme Edition 2x2048 Gb (AD2800E001GOU)
Price: €91,-
my thoughts:
Used chipsets for this memory: (see also this nice site for an overview of used chips)
ProMOS Brainpower PCB
Micron D9GMH (B6-3) Brainpower PCB
Micron D9GCT (B6-37E) Brainpower PCB
I'm hoping for the Microns.
Actually, what I also want to know (besides the 5300 vs. 6400), do I
really need PC2-6400 to get a E4300 to 3.2 Ghz? I can also buy a
Twinmos Twister PC2-6400 with the elpida chipset. But I can't find any
user experiences or reviews for this product.
POWERSUPPLY other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: I don't know, mixed reports as well...when I use power supply
calculators I won't be needing more than 330 watt with the above
components, but I find to hard to make a decision. I now have a Tagan
380 PSU, I seleceted this one, but unfortunately someone pointed me to
the fact that it is ATX 1.3 factor, which makes it not the best option for this
rig. What do you think? I dont want leds or any of that. Just a quiet PSU
that wont blow its hot air on the CPU cooler.
Cooler Master RS-430
Price: €41,-
my thoughts: well, none, can't find ANY reviews regarding this specific product. Viewing the fan position, I'll be busy drilling holes in that Akasa Zen case. Perhaps not the best option after all.
DVD-WRITER other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: QUIET...I just have had too many CD and DVD writers that
sounded like tornado's when spinning CD/DVD's playing music or watching
movies...my recent buy, the Pioneer DVR-111D was said to be among the
quietest. It isn't. [/i]
Samsung SH-S183A
Price: €29,-
my thoughts: I haven't had time to look more into this subject, because
it is low on my priority list. I will update this part soon, as well add a small
S-ATA HDD for my OS. A dutch user wrote a tiny review saying it was
quiet silent...thats all I'm basing this choice on.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, my budget is limited. I am now at a total sum of:
€513,- plus 11% transportation costs = €570,- which I think is nice.
It's been 4 years since my last new computer and it is time for me to
move on to my next new computer, as always it must be a budget rig,
dead-quiet, friendly priced and a good overclocker. I like it simple, I like it
clean and I really like it cheap, BUT with out the lose of quality or using
over-hyped and overpriced components, no two ways about it. Naturally, if
there is no good alternative, the price range per component can be
expanded, to get the right part.
Why this topic:
I'd like to hear your opinion, it is a lot of money for me and perhaps
someone can point me to a better and/or a cheaper alternative
component. And perhaps I made a combination that will make me rip my
hairs out and waste my time trying to figure out what the hell is going on...
But also this search took me weeks (and probably will take some more)
and I want to share what I have found. When the rig is complete, I'll try to
post some overclocking results and how the noise is (this will be totally
personal and completely based on what and when I find something noisy)
...here.
Budget:
Around €600 (EUR) or $815 (USD), fyi, Euro's because I reside in the
Netherlands (better known as Holland to some, or most likely best known
for is famous soft-drug policy). I already have a monitor, printer, mouse,
keyboard and all additional stuff. So just a working case actually.
To sum it up:
Quiet, good quality, overclockable and no more than €600. It is a lot to
ask, but I'm confident it is possible.
---------------THE COMPONENTS:---------------
CASE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: apple-like or elegant & sober design, no grills, no leds, no
spoilers, no goofy & spacey curves. Just a straight and simple case.
Frontsided audio and USB ports.
Akasa AK-ZEN-01-WH Zen White Case - No PSU:
bigger picture
Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
Price: €42,-
my thoughts: I like this case, though I am not sure about the clear
plastic at the front cover. In black it looks ugly, so I prefer the white
version. Other cases are more beautiful in my eyes, like the Asus TM-211,
but the quality is questionable (I own a black one for my girls' PC...nice,
but not great and not great for airflow).
MOTHERBOARD
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Well, I don't know much about mainboards, but I have a few
wishes; at least 6+ USB ports, no noisy fans, good overclocking
capabilities when paired with the CPU, no known bugs, deficiencies...
Gigabyte GA-P965-DS3
another bigger picture
Review 1, Review 2
Price: €83,-
my thoughts: I've read good things about this motherboard when it is
used to overclock a Intel C2D CPU. As it is one of the cheapest
motherboards to get my hands on and together with the abundance of
good reviews, I like this board and I feel confident buying it.
I do hope that sticker on the PCI-slots will go off easy...hate to have to rub any glue residue off that mobo...I might ruin it.
CPU other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: easy to overclock without tons of fans or water to cool it down, so easy to cool.
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
Price: €99,-
my thoughts: what more to say, it is supposedly the budget king among the overclockers chips... I think it will rock
CPU COOLING other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: QUIET and plenty of cooling when overclocking the E4300.
Sunbeamtech Tuniq Tower 120
Price: €37,-
Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
Review 4, Review 5,
my thoughts:Hope it runs cool and quiet.
VIDEOCARD other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Here it is getting difficult for me. The choice of this product
depands on many aspects. The main use of this platform will be used for
Photoshop, Illustrator and Solidworks and for a little R&R: viewing movies
and playing games: First Person Shooters like Call of Duty 2 (4 when it
comes out), Real Time Strategy: Like Supreme Commander and whatnot.
Point of View 7600 GT
Price: €91,-
my thoughts: I have a Gigabyte 9700 Pro now. It S U C K S with
Solidworks 2006 and up, which is really messed up. I need it to function
properly, but I also want to view movies and play FPS and RTS games.
Mind boggling, since I can't find any confirmation if this videocard will
really work with Solidworks. I do not want to buy a Certified graphics
card. They are expensive and I do not want to buy second hand. I am not
making my life easier with this, am I?
here's a nice overview at Tomshardware
MEMORY other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: Here it is getting difficult for me again. I've been reading a lot
of this subject regarding overclocking an Intel E4300 CPU core. But I'm
getting mixed reports: you can do the same trick with an PC2-5300,
instead of the advised and recommended PC2-6400. Confusing. My only
demand would be 2 Gb and that the mobo recognizes the ram on first boot.
A-DATA Vitesta Extreme Edition 2x2048 Gb (AD2800E001GOU)
Price: €91,-
my thoughts:
Used chipsets for this memory: (see also this nice site for an overview of used chips)
ProMOS Brainpower PCB
Micron D9GMH (B6-3) Brainpower PCB
Micron D9GCT (B6-37E) Brainpower PCB
I'm hoping for the Microns.
Actually, what I also want to know (besides the 5300 vs. 6400), do I
really need PC2-6400 to get a E4300 to 3.2 Ghz? I can also buy a
Twinmos Twister PC2-6400 with the elpida chipset. But I can't find any
user experiences or reviews for this product.
POWERSUPPLY other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: I don't know, mixed reports as well...when I use power supply
calculators I won't be needing more than 330 watt with the above
components, but I find to hard to make a decision. I now have a Tagan
380 PSU, I seleceted this one, but unfortunately someone pointed me to
the fact that it is ATX 1.3 factor, which makes it not the best option for this
rig. What do you think? I dont want leds or any of that. Just a quiet PSU
that wont blow its hot air on the CPU cooler.
Cooler Master RS-430
Price: €41,-
my thoughts: well, none, can't find ANY reviews regarding this specific product. Viewing the fan position, I'll be busy drilling holes in that Akasa Zen case. Perhaps not the best option after all.
DVD-WRITER other options
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demands: QUIET...I just have had too many CD and DVD writers that
sounded like tornado's when spinning CD/DVD's playing music or watching
movies...my recent buy, the Pioneer DVR-111D was said to be among the
quietest. It isn't. [/i]
Samsung SH-S183A
Price: €29,-
my thoughts: I haven't had time to look more into this subject, because
it is low on my priority list. I will update this part soon, as well add a small
S-ATA HDD for my OS. A dutch user wrote a tiny review saying it was
quiet silent...thats all I'm basing this choice on.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, my budget is limited. I am now at a total sum of:
€513,- plus 11% transportation costs = €570,- which I think is nice.
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