Gigabyte/Asus, G.Skill and PSU..opinions?

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mr728235

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Hello!

I've been looking into buying a new PC for the last couple of days and now I am looking for some opinions on what I came up with. I am unfamiliar with G.Skill and Gigabyte (have only really used Asus boards so far) so I am looking for some input on whether these brands are as good as some people say. Also, I have heard lots of good about the be quiet! PSUs, yet I am not sure whether this particular one is a good pick.

So, here's what I came up with:

CPU fan: Noctua NH-C12P - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608001

GPU: XFX GTS250 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150437

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103692

PSU: be quiet! Straight Power E7-CM 580W - http://www.be-quiet.net/be-quiet.net/index.php?StoryID=551&websiteLang=en

Case: Antec Three Hundred - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Mainboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128377&Tpk=GIGABYTE%20GA-MA790FXT-UD5P

alternatives I am considering:
Asus M4A79T Deluxe - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131363
Asus Crosshair III Formula - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131392

HDD: 2x Seagate ST3500418AS 500 GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395&Tpk=Seagate%20ST3500418AS%20500%20GB

RAM: G.Skill DIMM 4 GB DDR3-1333 Kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231215&Tpk=G.Skill%20DIMM%204%20GB%20DDR3-1333%20Kit

I am a mainstream user that occasionally plays some games. All I really need is a fast CPU and enough RAM and I'm happy. I will be using Linux in case that has any significance. Also, my resolution is 1920x1200.

Any input appreciated!
 
jsc

jsc

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PSU - not familiar with that brand. I will say that a Corsair 550 or an Antec 550 has more usable power.They are also my first two choices for PSU's.

And I prefer Gigabyte motherboards.
 
dndhatcher

dndhatcher

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The GTS 250 is an end of lifespan card that is currently overpriced. For about the same price you can get a 5770 which is faster, uses less power and has DX11 support for future games. The 5750 is about the same speed as the 250 but is cheaper, less power and DX11. Although for linux I dont know about the driver situation with the new graphics cards.

Go with the antec 300 illusion model. For $5 more you get two front fans installed.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

What are you using the computer for? For this amount of money you could probably get a nice i5/i7 system.
 
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mr728235

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Thanks for your replies!

Doing some more research on PSUs, I've found this one that seems to be quite good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020

I didn't know about the illusion model, thanks for the hint!

Regarding the GPU however, I would gladly buy an ATI card if it weren't for the amounts of problems that one can encounter when running Linux. So I am sort of forced to buy an NVIDIA card to be sure to avoid unnecessary problems, especially with wine. The GTS250 seems to be the only viable choice. The GTX260 costs about $30-40 more and I don't really need a GPU that strong for the games I play/the other stuff I do.
 
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mr728235

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Since I can't edit my previous post, here goes:

I mainly use my PC to watch videos and play games, games that don't really require much power, though. Other than that just the usual, plus compiling things from source, of course.
I have looked into i5/i7 systems but I figured I'd get away cheaper and better with a build like this. That and the fact that I prefer AMD to Intel due to their policies and such.
 
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mr728235

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Since I can't edit my previous post, here goes:

I mainly use my PC to watch videos and play games, games that don't really require much power, though. Other than that just the usual, plus compiling things from source, of course.
I have looked into i5/i7 systems but I figured I'd get away cheaper and better with a build like this. That and the fact that I prefer AMD to Intel due to their policies and such.
 
D

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^ +1

Also the GTS250 is basically a rebadged 9800GTX+ and like dndhatcher says is getting dated. So if you do not really need the GPU power just get one of those and save a few $$.
 
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mr728235

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Alright, Antec PSU and Gigabyte mainboard it is then, thanks!

Probably a good idea regarding the GPU. I really don't need much to run the games I play and I generally don't play on max settings anyway. (Too many details..far too annoying to focus!)

Any experience with G.Skill? A friend said their RAM is decent to good and several reviews seemed good but nothing really convinced me. I usually buy Corsair but they only have slower timings.
 
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mr728235

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Guess I'll be trying my luck with G.Skill then.

On another thought I am wondering about my case.
I have another system using an Antec 300 (the normal version with 2 fans) with stock fans which works fine but I am unsure whether it would suit this system. The fans are quiet enough for my taste but could still be a little quieter.
The real downside however is that the fan controls are manual switches inside the case. I didn't bother modding the case to make them lead outside the case/exchanging fans since there was no need there.

For this new system I think I should get something quieter with more fans (along the lines of the Antec 300 illusion edition) and fans that can be controlled by software. It should be a case without annoying window kits and lights, preferably metal of some sort. Price should be below $150.

Any suggestions?
 
dndhatcher

dndhatcher

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You could get an antec 300 black and buy a front fan without LED for it (one should be enough). The antec fans dont have motherboard plugs.

If you want a good airflow case designed to be quiet the antec p183 is a consideration. Quiet cases are more generally more expensive.
 
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mr728235

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Thanks for the suggestions of the p183! That one seems to suit my needs. I'll most likely be getting that and replacing all the fans with yet-to-be-determined quieter fans to get the best out of it. The only downside is probably the door which I'm not a fan of but apparently it helps keep the noise down people say.
 
Silmarunya

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be quiet! is a German brand. It's not too bad, it often appears on ranking on a similar level with Seasonic. Not as good as corsair, but still great.

It's a bit useless now, and I'd go with Corsair anyway, but I thought I'd enlighten you a bit :p
 
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mr728235

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Nope, not useless at all. Always interested in knowing such stuff, thanks!

Still a few days until I'm going to purchase my system, however I guess the Antec PSU would go nicely with the Antec case. Then again Corsair ones seem to have long cables which might be more convenient (or even necessary) in the p183.

I am still a bit uncertain regarding the RAM and the case, though the Antec p183 is the best one for me I've seen this far (and I've been looking at cases for hours today and yesterday).
But from what I can gather that G.Skill kit should be just fine for me anyway.
Lower timings than most others and cheaper as well.
 
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mr728235

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So, I am now wondering what kind of fans to get for the p183.
I want to replace the stock ones with quieter ones.
Any recommendations? Also, do you think it is worth getting 5 fans?
 
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