Help Me To Build One Heck Of A System Please

[FlyingDutchman]

Hello guys (ladies).

I'm slowly going to buy/build a new rig for myself.
This one is just for the fun of it, as I already have a decent rig.

The new rig should be focused on:

* - (Almost) silent operation
* - Large disk capacity
* - Dependability


Originally posted by Items bought sofar


R101 PC Midi Tower 65 euro
Case (http://www.perfectsystems.nl/info.asp?Info=43247)
Case2 (http://3rsystem.co.kr/english/product/case/r101.asp)

PSU
AOpen 350 Watts 60 euro
PSU (http://www.perfectsystems.nl/info.asp?Info=40637)
PSU2 (http://www.aopen.nl/products/power/FSP350-60PN.htm)



Help me out please to make good choises, like what:

CPU
Motherboard
Memory
Disks ( I like Samsung disks )
DVD writer
DVD player (when needed, or should I just have the writer?)

I intend to keep this thread updated, so you can join me in my quest for 'perfect rig'.

[atiVidia]

kickass cooling system (http://www.asetek.com/webshopfolder/webshop/visvare.asp?lagerid=250&bodyid=110&bodynummer=1&liste=&side=)

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by atiVidia@17 March 2004 - 01:13
kickass cooling system (http://www.asetek.com/webshopfolder/webshop/visvare.asp?lagerid=250&bodyid=110&bodynummer=1&liste=&side=)
LOL AtiVidia,

I appreciate your fast response, but did you see the price?
And can you promise me it will operate silently?

[hi_what_is_up!]

If you really want a quiet pc your gonna have to open teh wallet wider and get a Lian-li case or whatever its spelled. Get the Zalman cpu fan cooler its kick ass, and supposedly quiet.

[atiVidia]

adjust it to run at LOW power and it will still keep ur chip at 30°c at full load at VERY tolerable sound levels (near silent, god bless the fridge! :lol:)

[bigdawgfoxx]

Watercooling will be the way to go for silent...

[atiVidia]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@16 March 2004 - 21:41
Watercooling will be the way to go for silent...
noo00OO

for silent performance, you MUST use vapochill at its lowest setting!!!!!


also, if you want true silent performance (for about 10 minutes), make a L-Nitro Benchster

[bigdawgfoxx]

I know watercooling isnt completely silent...but he said that stuff was too exspensive

and frankly...who wouldnt :blink: haha

[Virtualbody1234]

Watercooling isn't the only solution for silent PCs.

Use large fans at low RPMs.

Also check out Antec power supplies (True series). They have very slow fans that automatically speed up if the temps rise.

Seagate currently makes to quietest drives on the market.

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@17 March 2004 - 04:45
Watercooling isn't the only solution for silent PCs.

Use large fans at low RPMs.

Also check out Antec power supplies (True series). They have very slow fans that automatically speed up if the temps rise.

Seagate currently makes to quietest drives on the market.
The case I mentioned (bought) comes with an integated fan controller and 3 thermal probes.
It is already equipped with 2 120mm fans (1 in, 1 out)

The AOpen PSU has a thermally controlled 120mm fan.


The Zalman 7000A (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnps7000a-cu.htm) has an large fan too, and should be able to provide ample cooling power.
The big 'plus' of an air-cooled rig is that it is almost maintenance-free.

One of the best ways to silence drives is suspending them in rubber bands.
Seagates are good. Samsungs are at least in the same league, and come with an acoustic management system + 3 years warranty. I don't care much 'boat warranty, but to me this is a sign the manufacturer believes he won't lose much money by offering a 3 year warranty.

Of course I prefer a board with a passively cooled northbridge, and i would guess I can get by with a fanless graphics card. Zalman also offers a heatpipe for graphics cards.

I'm not a n00b when it comes to 'silent computing' , but kinda lost track of current products, and current possibilities.

[tesco]

here is what i would buy if i had the money, you can check out the prices for your country on an online website.

cpu: AMD Athlon 64 FX-51 or an AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (if it out yet, otherwise 3200+)
motherboard: A Gigabyte, Asus or Abit board with the Nforce 3 chipset.
RAM: 2 512mb pc3500 or pc4000 ram chips with whatever the best kind of support for 64bit chips is.
Video card: ATI Radeon 9800oXT or an Nvidia 5950 ULTRA
Hard Drive: A pair of 10,000RPM Sata Samsung OR seagate disks, atleast 100gb.
Optical Drives: A DVD-writer, whatever the fastest speed is, and an optional DVD-rom drive. (personally i wouldnt buy one)
you might need a better power supply, i recomend a 450watt or higher if you were to buy one.

[Virtualbody1234]

I have installed quite a few Seagate (Barracuda 7200.7 Plus) drives and they are so quiet that there is no need to mount them on rubber as you can't hear them. They also have a 3 year warranty.

http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsa...081,580,00.html (http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/marketing/detail/0,1081,580,00.html)

[bigdawgfoxx]

Seagate rocks.

I was running a virus check...and sitting next to my comp studying...what is that noise you hear when you open progs and stuff? Is that ur HDD? Its kinda like a grind or something

[tesco]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@17 March 2004 - 21:39
Seagate rocks.

I was running a virus check...and sitting next to my comp studying...what is that noise you hear when you open progs and stuff? Is that ur HDD? Its kinda like a grind or something
yeah its the hard drive. it makes that noise form the head inside shooting around, im not sure if its just becuase its moving fast or if it is banging on somehting.

[lynx]

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@18 March 2004 - 01:59
im not sure if its just becuase its moving fast or if it is banging on somehting.
:frusty:

[Virtualbody1234]

Originally posted by lynx+17 March 2004 - 21:33--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (lynx @ 17 March 2004 - 21:33)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-ROSSCO_2004@18 March 2004 - 01:59
im not sure if its just becuase its moving fast or if it is banging on somehting.
:frusty: [/b][/quote]
:lol: :lol:

[scottwile]

how much money are you thinking of spending?

B) B) B)

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by scottwile@18 March 2004 - 16:52
how much money are you thinking of spending?

B) B) B)
Mmmm,

a reasonable amount. :blink:

Let&#39;s say 1300 euros (monitor excluded)

EDIT: changed the amount from 1000 to 1300



Case 65 &#40;bought&#41;
PSU 60 &#40;bought&#41;
RAM 120
Board 140
harddisks 440
DVD writer 130
Graphics card 80
CPU 200
---------+
1235


You see how easy it is to stretch &#39;reasonable&#39; from 1000 to 1300 ? :ph34r:

[BigBoo]

€80 for a graphics card? are you mad?

[kaiweiler]

:lol: :lol: :lol:
80 won&#39;t get you a very good card at all
boost that up to 1500 lol

[Virtualbody1234]

Why so much for harddisks?

[adamp2p]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@18 March 2004 - 18:55
Why so much for harddisks?
Yeah, what is up with 400 euros for hard drives? Let&#39;s say you want a super hardcore performance setup, okay, and you go all out and buy two WD Raptor drive and stick them in a RAID. That would cost you all of &#036;300 euros max.

:01:

[james_bond_rulez]

nothing would beat some friends working at the kickass hardware store....... :)

get it all for only 1 dollar.... :lol:

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by BigBoo+19 March 2004 - 01:41--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (BigBoo &#064; 19 March 2004 - 01:41)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>€80 for a graphics card? are you mad?[/b]

Originally posted by kaiweiler@19 March 2004 - 02:01
:lol:&nbsp; :lol:&nbsp; :lol:
80 won&#39;t get you a very good card at all
boost that up to 1500 lol

I&#39;m running a 55 Euro card now, and I&#39;m not complaining.
Hardly play any games, apart from some Risk, Warcraft or Catan.

Besides, one of the easiest upgrades when I&#39;m bothered by its performance is the graphics card.


Originally posted by adamp2p@19 March 2004 - 06:55
<!--QuoteBegin-Virtualbody1234@18 March 2004 - 18:55
Why so much for harddisks?
Yeah, what is up with 400 euros for hard drives? Let&#39;s say you want a super hardcore performance setup, okay, and you go all out and buy two WD Raptor drive and stick them in a RAID. That would cost you all of &#036;300 euros max.

:01:[/quote]

2 internal Sata 160-Gigs, and 2 external 160-Gigs for Ghost images and backups.
External as those disks don&#39;t produce sound or heat when disconnected. :rolleyes:

Might change the internals to 1 x 80 Gigs (single platter) for OS + 1 x 160 Gigs for data. Having the swap-file on a USB ram-key might be a good idea too.
Or define a RAM-disk on startup and have the swap-file on that one.
The single platter disk will be more quiet and produce less heat than a 160G disk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, I&#39;m trying to have a thread here where I learn from your insights and choices, and others can learn why I chose certain components.
I set out my goals: Silence, Speed(AMD64), Capacity, Dependability; now I have to find out how to fill in that picture.

I want to be able to look back in 2 years, and say "It wasn&#39;t a stupid move to build that rig."
In 2 years time any new PC will be more powerfull than this one. It has been like this for the last 20 years. What remained more or less constant: A new PC would cost you about 1500 euro, or &#036; 1500. Everything else has multiplied over the years: Speed, Capacity, computing power.

[Virtualbody1234]

Well, I wouldn&#39;t build with 64 bit yet.


Having the swap-file on a USB ram-key might be a good idea too.
Or define a RAM-disk on startup and have the swap-file on that one.
Why not add more RAM and do away with the swapfile?

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@19 March 2004 - 11:39
Well, I wouldn&#39;t build with 64 bit yet.


Having the swap-file on a USB ram-key might be a good idea too.
Or define a RAM-disk on startup and have the swap-file on that one.
Why not add more RAM and do away with the swapfile?

Doesn&#39;t Windows insist on having a swapfile?

I know you can define it on having a fixed size, and you can set to size to zero.
Setting the size to zero would probably disable the swapfile mechanism.


What happens when you do?
Performance wise?
more frequent lockups? :unsure:


Well the AMD64 is the reason for the whole excersice.
I have a decent rig now (AMD2400+/512MB RAM/1x120G + 1x 160G)
It just that I would love to build around the AMD64. A bit of &#39;geekness&#39;. :)

I think you&#39;re right, when money is tight another should go for a Barton.

[JunkBarMan]

I just want to say for the record that I like your way of thinking FlyingDutchman. You have a badass system and your still making another one. Just one question, what does your wife/girlfriend think of this whole spendature? or are you just a youngin? :D

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by JunkBarMan@20 March 2004 - 01:00
I just want to say for the record that I like your way of thinking FlyingDutchman. You have a badass system and your still making another one. Just one question, what does your wife/girlfriend think of this whole spendature? or are you just a youngin?&nbsp; :D

The wife?

You don&#39;t think she asks my opinion on what I think of her buying clothes, shoes and stuff huh :angry:

:D :lol:

No, It&#39;s so much easier to select & buy when you have time to wait. And I don&#39;t want to do without a PC like Funky C. had to do.
Besides, when the new rig is finished, the current one will still be easy to sell, and it can earn it&#39;s living in the meantime by "folding some more proteins" untill it&#39;s sold. I really need to kick Lamsey&#39;s *ss.
Some spend their money and time on cars or sports. I spend it on PCs.


And no, not a youngster anymore. 50+

[FlyingDutchman]

The story continues.

I decided to go for socket 754, based on prices and availability of parts.
Based on the reviews I choose the MSI K8T Neo FIS2R (http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=496) board
As any CPU is being degraded by new and faster CPU&#39;s in the coming months I&#39;ll buy the AMD64 3000+, and it will be cooled by the Zalman 7000A (http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnps7000a-cu.htm) (the soupbowl)




Prices in Euro

Estimated +/- Price paid
--------- ----- ----------
Case 65 0 65 3R Systems Design R101
PSU 60 0 60 AO350-12APNF
RAM 120 94 214 2 x 512 MB Corsair PC4000 TwinX
Board 140 - 4 136 MSI K8T Neo FIS2R &#40;socket 754&#41;
harddisks 440
DVD writer 130
Graphics card 80 67 147 MSI FX5200 &#40;128MB&#41;
CPU 200
CPUcooler 43 43 Zalman CNPS 7000 A-CU
Floppy drive
&nbsp; ------ + ----- + ------- +
&nbsp; 1235 200 665



The RAM (http://www.corsairmemory.com/corsair/products/specs/twinx1024-4000.pdf) was more expensive than estimated as I doubled the amount to 1 Gig.
It still might be that the website carried the wrong price as this is very fast and
expensive memory usually. We&#39;ll have to wait and see if the shop will send me the RAM for this price.

The graphics card (http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=459) is a model with a TV-tuner included, and it is passively cooled.

The Zalman cooler will have the fan removed, and be ducted to the 120mm case fan.
I have to guess here, but I think that fan can provide enough cooling when running @ 6 volts.

[DWk]

You shoulda got a better vid card with that rig ;)

[bigdawgfoxx]

One heck of a system with a FX5200? And &#036;147 for it...

what bout the HDDs

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

me personally, i would go with a Radeon 9800 vid card, i dont know what to say about athlons, as i use Intel, Stay away from ultra PSUs and get an enermax. i use maxtor drives, and even my 120gb drive is silent and i have it in a vantec drive cooler and it runs at 36C max (even less when my tornado fans are on full, but thats not quiet) Cheiftec also makes nice cases. i just bought one and my only problem with it is the case reverberates sometimes when my TDK VeloCD burner runs, so i put dynamat on the inside panels and fixed that problem (TDK VeloCD burners sound like jet engines when they burn discs). Definitly get an ASUS board.

of course if your wealthy, you could get this (http://www.go-l.com/news/product_news/2004/index.htm#anchorathlon64)

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@28 March 2004 - 21:34
One heck of a system with a FX5200? And &#036;147 for it...

what bout the HDDs
I&#39;m on a "GeForce2 MX 400" now, and I don&#39;t feel restricted by it.
Not everyone is a gamer.

The MSI FX5200 is the "Personal Cinema" edition. There is a TV tuner in it so you can watch TV on the PC, and use the PC as a TV-recorder. I think that might come in handy.

Nothing decided on the hard disks yet.
Probably 1 external 160 Gig IDE for backups, and 2 or 3 7200 rpm 160 Gig SATA Samsungs.

Question: The NEC 2500, is it a good DVD-writer?

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

why get external drives? that seems to be a waste of money. get internals and a case big enough to hold em all. heat wont be an issue if you got it all laid out properly, and youll save a shitload of money. if it portability you want, just get vantec swapdrives for your 5.25 bays like this one (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-122-004&depa=0). i have one and they are pretty nice.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Well one hell of a system wont seem like one when you look at specs with a shity vcard, nor will it benchmark high.

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

hey dawg, he said he wasnt a gamer, so i dont think he cares about benchmarks as much as we do. :)