Homebuilt Systems

[cbstutzman]

This is the PC I want to build. If anyone has any ideas for improvements or any warnings they wish to share I would love to hear them.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
EVGA 01G-P3-N897-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SSC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (x2)
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N
EDIMAX EW-7728In 32bit PCI Wireless 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI Card

Like I said please advise or just tell me what you think.

 

[firetatoo]

some reasaon you think you need 3 pci-e slots for the one card?
nice mobo, dont get me wrong; but it seems like paying for crap you dont need.

 

[royalcrown]

Why would you go pata on the dvd ? GO sata, you can run sata in ide mode and it works fine.

 

[sailer]

I agree with RC. Unless the DVD is one you already own, buy a SATA DVD drive.

Something else to think about, unless you intend to get an SLI setup, you might well be better off with either a single card P35 or getting a a X38 or X48 mobo. There are fewer problems with these than the 780i mobos.

Other than that, your build looks good.

 

[Zorg]

I agree with RC. Unless the DVD is one you already own, buy a SATA DVD drive.

Agreed.

Something else to think about, unless you intend to get an SLI setup, you might well be better off with either a single card P35 or getting a a X38 or X48 mobo. There are fewer problems with these than the 780i mobos.

Big time agree on this. I see more people complaining about these Nvidia mobos, and most have one card.

 

[halcyon]

Does the Antec 900 really look good to you? Even if it does, its loud as hell. Why not an Antec 300 or CoolerMaster CM690? Too plain?

Sailer's right. Go X38/48...I doubt you'll regret the overclockability they bring.

 

[kad]

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

I would stay away from nForce chipset motherboards
X38 or better X48 mobos have less problems
True will loose SLI but again it doesn't worth
SLI still have lot of problrms

 

[pcgamer12]

-1 on the E8500. A E8400 will be just as good and save you a lot of money. I also would suggest you get a EVGA 750i FTW motherboard.

 

[pcgamer12]

If you are getting a 9800GX, why pay extra for a X38 or X48 motherboard? Just get a GA-P35-DS3L and be done with it. Nuff said.

 

[sailer]

Does the Antec 900 really look good to you? Even if it does, its loud as hell. Why not an Antec 300 or CoolerMaster CM690? Too plain?

Do you mean to say that the Antec 900 is loud? Mine is so quiet that I wouldn't know its on at all if I wasn't using it. When I first fired it up, it was so quiet that I thought it hadn't started at all. Admittedly, I do run the fans on low, but that's all I need to keep everything nice and cool.

 

[Cuddles]

Antec 900 is one of the best Cases I have ever owned. It can sound like a Jet Aircraft on steroids if you run all the fans on high but you don't. You can run them on low and be just fine. The sound level then drops to a very quiet purr. It's also a very rugged Case with a simple straight forward design that makes installing and uninstalling Hardware a breeze. It also has tons of room allowing you to do just about anything you want.

 

[jsc]

Does the Antec 900 really look good to you? Even if it does, its loud as hell. Why not an Antec 300 or CoolerMaster CM690? Too plain?

I have an EP35-DS3P, Q6600, and TRUE OC'd to 3.6 GHz in an Antec 900 case. Agreed, with all the fans set to High, it sounds like a vacuum cleaner setting on the desk. I noticed that fan speed has not effect on CPU or motherboard temps, so I keep the fans set to Low. I have 3 HD's in the lower bay. HD temps are around 30 C.

The two things that I wish it had are some kind of air filters, and a removeable motherboard tray. Other than that, I really ike mine. In fact, I liked it well enough to take the trouble to bring one to Saudi Arabia, when I was home on my last vacation. No one sells them here.

Except for the air filters, I'm not sure the Antec 300's are that great of a value, once you buy a couple of fans for them.