Help with my First Desktop

jsmile25

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Hi,

I'm preparing to build my first desktop and I would love if you could take a look at what I have in mind.

Here are the details and please let me know what you think.

Purpose: NOT for gaming, but for multimedia purposes (watching HD, encoding, etc) and thus I want this system to be as QUIET as possible

I would like my desktop to last at least three years, with minimal upgrade.
I will NOT be overclocking this system.

I would like to spend $1200 and under
I prefer a graphics card that has HDMI out

I've done some research and Below is the parts I have chosen (in Canadian dollars)

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP $170.00
Intel E6850 $175.00
Western Digital Caviar GP 1000GB $273.99
HIS Radeon HD 3850 ICEQ3 Turbo 512MB $235.00
Anitec Sonata III Case $106.00

Would a P35 Motherboard work with a Graphics Card that supports PCIe 2.0?
I can't seem to decide on which memory I would like, any suggestions?

Any ideas on what fans I should get?

thanks!
 

Newf

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The graphics card will work fine in any mobo with a PCI-E x16 slot.
You can get a 512MB 3850 for around $200.
You can also save $$ with a $150 500GB Caviar GP (-AACS). It's new but google it and it's available.
DDR2-667 value ram will work fine since you will not overclock. I'd get 800 anyway since it's so cheap now-a-days... Look up memory compatability at your chosen motherboard's website. They will tell you what works.
 

akhilles

Splendid
You don't need that GPU. It's not quiet at all. If you really want a quiet computer, you look for passive cooling with minimum active cooling. Passive means heatsinks whereas active means fans.

For a HTPC, I suggest a passively cooled geforce 8500 or 8600:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=GeForce%208500&bop=And&Order=PRICE

You don't need PCI-E 2.0 which increases the bandwidth. Only X38 supports that. Don't waste your money on it. The P5K-E is a fine board.

As for case fans, the Sonata comes with 1 rear 120mm fan. It's fine for a stock pc, just like most every OEM pc such as Dell, HP, Compaq, etc. There's another fan in the power supply. The Sonata is a great choice cuz all you have to do to clean it is slide the dust filter down from the bottom front & either wipe it with a cloth or blow it with airduster or hair dryer on low setting.
 

Joe_The_Dragon

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you can get a non WIFI board and buy a pci WIFI card with saved cash as the on board one is usb.
 

jsmile25

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I'm looking for a GPU that has an HDMI connections which carries both audio and video so I can connect it to my HDTV .

Are either 3850 or 2600XT passively cooled? or does any specific manufacturers provide a passively cooled card? thanks
 

shadowduck

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If you buy a retail processor it will come with a heatsink. It would help you to scrape off the included thermal material and use some Arctic Silver 5 instead though.

You can save $73 by getting 2x 500GB drives instead 1 1TB drive, and you could RAID them for a extra speed benefit. Encoding will benefit from RAID.

Have you looked at Q6600 quad core? One or two years out- most software will be multi threaded and having 2 extra cores will be a nice benefit.

I know you said you were not overclocking, but it really pain free to overclock and Intel's CPUs O/C so well, and it will help your encoding times.
 

jsmile25

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I'm also looking at 20/22"LCD monitors, what should i be looking for?

This is what the prices for CPUs are listed at: in Canadian Dollars

Intel Core 2 Quad = $250
Intel E6750 - $175
Intel E6850 - $270

Which would make for the best deal?
 

shadowduck

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Q6600 for sure, at least I think so.

20-22" monitors almost all of them are going to be widescreen and run at 1680x1050 resolution. Make sure the monitor has DVI output.
This monitor is a good one: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX19043(ME).aspx
 
Maybe you should consider a motherboard with built-in HDMI. You said no gaming, so onboard video would suffice as long as you choose an adequate CPU. For AMD, check out AMD 690G or Nvidia 7x50 chipsets. For Intel, check out Intel G35 or Nvidia 7xx0 chipsets.

Just throwing onboard options out there.
 

rubix_1011

Contributing Writer
Moderator
I'm looking for a GPU that has an HDMI connections which carries both audio and video so I can connect it to my HDTV .

It was mentioned above, but worth restating. DVI is the same as HDMI, just video w/o the audio. You can get a good cable from Newegg or other online vendor for about 1/4 the cost as a retail store.
 

HamRadio

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for a 32 bit operating system (which is limited to 3GB) get 2GB. if you get a 64 bit operating system you can get as much as your motherboard can accept (usually 8MB).

Memory is cheap now. Take advantage of that. Get Vista 64 bit and get 4 GB.

most people who say they do not plan to overclock have not read the sticky note in the overclock forum. they do not realize it just changing a few numbers in the bios and running a few programs overnight to make sure the changes are stable. however, overclocking generates heat which necessitates cooling which means fans which means added noise.

for me, for a quiet HTPC, I would still get a Q6600 and mild overclock it. I would also get scythe fans for the case. They come in D, E, and F flavors where D is the quietest but moves the least amount of air, E moves more air and is slightly louder, and F moves even more air and is even louder. Replacing all the case fans with D or E and using silicone anti-vibration fan connectors to mount them to the case would be good. also mounting the hard drive with silicone or rubber grommets is good. Lastly, a fan controller such as the Zalman MFC2 would be good. Here is a good review of it:
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/other_misc/Zalman_ZM-MFC2/index.html
and here is a good website that talks about building silent PCs:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/section5.html
 

jsmile25

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What is the advantage of 64bit over 32bit Vista for an HTPC?

I read in early articles that many drivers don't support 64bit vista. is that still true today?
 
I'd get a Q6600 and an 8500GT.

Also check out the 750 GB WD (WD7500AAKS), it's faster than the 500GB and that will help a lot with encoding. The Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB is much faster in benchmarks than the WD and Seagate 1 TB disks, at least in reading/writing large files, but it's new and I'm not sure yet how reliable it is.

Vista drivers need to pass testing on 64bit too before they get certified. I think 64bit Vista is just as risky as 32bit Vista, not more. If you want guaranteed compatibility with older apps and devices get XP Pro 32bit. If you want Vista you might as well get the 64bit version. It will allow you to use 4 GB of RAM or even more.
 

jsmile25

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Are there certain manufacturers or certain GPUs that are Passively cooled AND have an HDMI output that combines video AND audio
 

jsmile25

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The case that I plan to buy: the Antec Sonata III already comes with a 500W power supply. Do I still need to buy a separate power supply? Is the stock on reliable enough or should I replace with with a better one.?
 
For some good info and advice on quiet components, go to www.silentpcreview.com

Antec makes some good quiet cases, and decent power supplies. Any of their current combo's should be ok.

If you want to get a separate case and psu, I can recommend the Antec Solo. Alternatively the sonata designer 500 is the same case in white(a sharp looking case)with a 500w psu. The sonata plus 550 is the solo case with a 550w psu in black. Look around for deals on antec, they often have good rebates on cases. I have found some good deals at techonweb.com

A oem cooler is a good idea, particularly one with a slow turning 120mm fan. It will keep your cpu cooler, and be quieter than stock.

If you can wait a bit, I expect the affordable penryns to launch in a month or so. Not only will they be better price/performers, but the 45nm technology will make them cooler and therefore quieter. Otherwise, look for a E6750 which will be cooler than a Q6600.

Spend any extra $ on getting a good monitor. It will outlast your pc. Particularly look for a wide viewing angle. cheaper monitors will grey out if you look at them from a 160 degree angle. Better ones will have a 178 degree spec, both horizontal and vertical. good luck---
 

jsmile25

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When you say affordable, what do you mean: what kind of prices will they be out with? Should I wait a month for 45nm processors or take advantage of the after Christmas deals?
 
There's this rumor about a Quad called Q9450 at $316, similar to Q6700 but with new multimedia instructions and at 45nm. Lots of people are waiting for that. It was supposed to be out in January, but it might take longer.