$1000 bucks to spend on new rig

[Detale]

Sure there are only 50k of these here but I figured I'd give it 1 last hoorah
By this time next week I'll have 1000 bucks US to spend on the new rig I have decided on the Processor already and perhaps the Mobo too. I was actually looking at maybe getting a new case to spice things up a bit. ATM I have the antec 900
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-129-021-18.jpg


I'm looking fo something stylish yet keeps it nice and cool in there too. I havent seem anything that might keep it cooler than my antec now with 4 120mm fans going and a huge 200mm top fan but I figured I'd see if anyone had any suggestions. Im kind of coming out of the "case must be lit up" phase now so What kind of cases do you guys own suggest?

At a quick glance Im looking at these

NZXT LEXA-NP Black/ Silver (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146018)
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-146-018-15.jpg


Antec Performance One P180 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129154)

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-129-154-28.jpg

These are just preliminary pics and I am open to any suggestions you guys may have. Thanks again guys

[clocker]

What kind of cooling are you thinking of and does your hardware require anything special from it's enclosure?

[Zelucifer]

Probably overkill but this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119122 case is ridiculous. 1 front, 1 rear, and 4 side 120mm fans. With front, rear, side and top vents. It's a great case, but it's a full, not a mid-tower.

[Detale]

@ Clocker I'm gonna go for the X38 gigabyte board and prob gonna stay with my Blue Orb fan unless the Copper heatsinks on the board prevent me from using it. What other special needs do you mean?

Also I forgot to mention I am partial to cases that have the PSU on the bottom. I don't know why I just feel like it makes more sense.

@ Zelucifer Well I think thats a bit too pricey for a case but thanks it does look like a good one

[mr. nails]

i like my x38 mb so good choice. even though many argue and get teh p35 over the x38. meh, each is own. if ur not gonna oc then today's cpu's are fine for cooling... seeing how ur going intel. no real need for a fan on top of the case. front intakes are good to keep the hdd's cool, but 1 is only neccessary imo. rear exhausts are essential imo. whether the psu is mounted @ the top or bottom is user pref imo. side window fans in chassis are worthless now seeing how i have a dual slot vcard and some side window fans are to bulky and leave no room for todays's big cards. for videocards i prefer the dual slot cards over the single slot. when i play fps' i play @ 1900 rez. when i play rpg's i play @ much lower rez. so, as much as xfire or sli goes it's great, but only worth it if ur going 30' or higher on ur screen or just a benchmark junkie. back on chassis, well, i HATE mid size or smaller chassis. i want my pc to be able to have as much room as possible & by having the bigger chassis it gives ur hardware much more breathing room and air flow. that antec 900 seems nice, but just to crowded for me. lol, i still like lights! ;)

lol, after writing all that... what is ur question? grabbing urself a wolfdale?

[clocker]

@ Clocker I'm gonna go for the X38 gigabyte board and prob gonna stay with my Blue Orb fan unless the Copper heatsinks on the board prevent me from using it. What other special needs do you mean?

"Special needs" would include a gripload of hard drives or watercooling, to name a few.

Since you already have a relatively new case it would seem that aesthetics would be the only reason to swap it out and that's just too personal to call.

You can always disable the LEDs in your case fans to achieve the "blingless" look.

@Mr. Nails...excessive use of "IMO".
Five yard penalty, still second down.

[Detale]

Yeah I decided to go with
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037)

GIGABYTE GA-X38-DQ6 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128066)

After a post I had a week or so back and some VERY persuading links by Clocker.

Honestly it is mostly astetic but I figured I'd try for some function as well. I will have 5 internal Hdd's also ATM I have 3 SATA II and 1 IDE Also I have a Sata in the box that Iv been too lazy to put in the machine also I am going to get another or possibly get 2 more Disk drives so I can burn movies 4 at a time, Still undecided about the extras though.

[mr. nails]

@Mr. Nails...excessive use of "IMO".
Five yard penalty, still second down.

lol, yeah, i caught that too, but left it be.

[SkyW]

get the P182 not the p180, cable management much improved etc and looks better imo

[S!X]

@Detale, are you running any intake filters on your 900? Mine suck in so much dust! :frusty:

[Detale]

I keep meaning to get them but No and OH YEAH it's dusty in there as well as on the outside of the case I can usually wipe it off like dryer lint.

[Zelucifer]

Antec P182 is cheaper then the P180 right now. $60 or $90 depending on if the sale is dead. Promo code EMCACAHCC (probably requires signing up for the newegg mailing list to use) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16811129025

[Detale]

OK so I happened to check newegg today and they had the wolfdales in stock so I got it along with the Mother Board. I decided to keep my case as it's fine and still looks cool, maybe I'll mod it somewhat.

Also I was checking around Tiger and I think Im gonna mess with a Micro ATX system with some parts I have here. I think the cases are cute. I saw this one and will order it next week.

Ultra Black MicroFly Aluminum Micro ATX Tower (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1800612&sku=ULT33117)

http://images.tigerdirect.com/SkuImages/gallery/large/ULT33117_LR_2a.jpg

What sold me was this youtube video they have on the page

CC-XaMvTSMY

I have never built a "Mini Rig" like this before but I think I will use it as my "Download Computer"

I picked a cheap Micro board here

ECS 945GZT-M (v1.0) (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2849282&sku=S458-1268)

If anyone has any input on the board don't hesitate please. I just want to keep it under $50 because this is going to be a toy and if I like it I'll upgrade.

I already have some extra 1066 DDR2 Ram laying around and I will swap out my current E6400 Conroe 2.14 when I get the Wolfdale and use the old one with the "toy".

I do want to get a decent video card any suggestions for under $250would be cool too guys. ATM I'm looking at

EVGA GeForce 8800 GT (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3538922&sku=E145-8832)

http://images.tigerdirect.com/skuimages/large/EVGA-GeForce-8800-GT-E145-5.jpg


I don't play games but I do some video editing from time to time so I just want the best card for $250 and under :)

Thanks guys and I would love to hear what you think.

[orcutt989]

Dude why do you care how it looks? Get the cheapest ATX full tower case you can get, and then spend all of your money on the insides! Even go ATX Mid tower if you can. Newegg also has a pretty ugly (but who cares) micro atx case for $13.00+$15.99 Shipping - $10.00 Rebate = $19.00 Case! But you wouldnt be able to fit a high-end graphics card inside (You know those kind that are like a forearm!). You should be able to find a mid tower case at a computer store for around $25 bucks. Spend the money you saved on some ram or a better power supply.

[Detale]

Well I take pride in the aesthetics as well as the components inside.I am planning on getting the corsair 620 modular PSU and I have some crucial balistix 1066 sticks laying around too so I am pretty set that way. all I found on newegg was Shuttle cases and I dont like the way they look.