An ORSM PC Build

Jeeepers · 11-01-2008, 03:31 PM

The time has come to work towards replacing my pc. It is a P4 3.2ghz, Nvidia 6600GT, 2 gig ram. Performs ok, but it's getting on a bit. It's socket 478 and AGP LOL. So I thought long and hard, and decided to pass on Adelaide and I bargained with the Minister of Finance for this project. It will be a PC that will play not only my current games, but a few future ones as well.

So the hunt began for some components that would be as new as possible, and yet not carry the current price tag. 1st purchase was a new Mobo, a Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6. A board that supports everything I need, all the way to the recently released 45nm based processors. These retail for around $300 plus, and I got mine for $207 (30days old). Next was ram, and as this mobo only supports DDR3, it was going to cost. I found a 2gig kit of Kingston HyperX DDR3 1375mhz for $400. Normally $600 plus.

The progress so far.

BLKPHN · 11-01-2008, 05:05 PM

wow is that a model for a new block of flats.. Looks amazing Kev well done......

Jeeepers · 11-01-2008, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLKPHN

wow is that a model for a new block of flats.. Looks amazing Kev well done......

Hehehe.. Looks that way doesn't it? Early days yet, and I'm leaving the processor to last. That way I can get the fastest possible, for hopefully the least as possible. At this stage I'm leaning towards an Intel E8400 3ghz. At least until the Quad core units come down from the clouds in price.

BRADMAN · 14-01-2008, 04:57 PM

im not an intel guy but its still looking good so far..

if you looking to put a reasonable graphics card or you do go down the quad core path make sure you spend good money on the PSU, make sure its a 4phase (4 seperate power circuits)
the one i would recommend is Zalman ZM850-HP. its a 6 phase unit 850w unit. which is overkill for a quad...but if you add a decent graphics card you will need it.

ive got its little sister the 750w unit and can give it nothing but the best results.
they are quiet, reliable & good efficiency
brad

Jeeepers · 14-01-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRADMAN

im not an intel guy but its still looking good so far..

if you looking to put a reasonable graphics card or you do go down the quad core path make sure you spend good money on the PSU, make sure its a 4phase (4 seperate power circuits)
the one i would recommend is Zalman ZM850-HP. its a 6 phase unit 850w unit. which is overkill for a quad...but if you add a decent graphics card you will need it.

ive got its little sister the 750w unit and can give it nothing but the best results.
they are quiet, reliable & good efficiency
brad

Good advice thank you. I was going to get an 800watt psu, but haven't settled on a brand as yet. Graphics card arrived today from the states. A BFG 8800 GTS OC 512meg. Pics will be up tomorrow.

WOLF · 14-01-2008, 09:22 PM

I reckon you should paint it narooma blue

Jeeepers · 14-01-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR8Rob

I reckon you should paint it narooma blue

Hyuk hyuk hyuk.... What's this I see in your sig? Selling her?

Jeeepers · 14-01-2008, 10:35 PM

The Graphics Card is ticked on my list, and this is what I went for. A factory overcocked BFG Tech Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS. 512meg of GDDR3 woohoo.

I noticed the size of this compared to my ageing 6600GT, wow it takes up some real estate. I am now deciding on a case style. I would like to go desktop rather than tower, but what would be the difference in cooling efficiency? Mobo horizontal, or vertical? The best result will decide the case style.

BRADMAN · 15-01-2008, 10:58 AM

nice card, should see some great quality AA and stable frame rates.
best cooling will be from a tower.
the graphics card design (2nd bay) is as a heat extractor so that case size can be reduced slightly (will be noisey under heavy load but meh quality over noise

)

case design will depend on the following....
amount of drives , amount of hdd's , hdd speeds , cards , cpu type (dual/quad)

just a tip, dont use molex converters on high performance cards it will cook the power supply...all good PSUs will come with 1 or 2 dedicated high current video card power plugs

brad

Jeeepers · 15-01-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRADMAN

nice card, should see some great quality AA and stable frame rates.
best cooling will be from a tower.
the graphics card design (2nd bay) is as a heat extractor so that case size can be reduced slightly (will be noisey under heavy load but meh quality over noise

)

case design will depend on the following....
amount of drives , amount of hdd's , hdd speeds , cards , cpu type (dual/quad)

just a tip, dont use molex converters on high performance cards it will cook the power supply...all good PSUs will come with 1 or 2 dedicated high current video card power plugs

brad

Ok, so I will stay with a tower then. Drive count will be two 400gb drives in a raid 0 config, and one 200gb in basic sata mode for temp storage and stuff. One pioneer 212 sata DVD, and one Pioneer Blu ray player.

Card count will be the above graphics card, and a pci-e version of Creative Labs X-Fi sound card. I am looking at psu's with modular looms and at least 4 x 12v rails.

DJL351 · 15-01-2008, 11:45 AM

I am using an Antec 900 case.

DJL351 · 15-01-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJL351

I am using an Antec 900 case.

Drats - I missed the edit lock. :(

Link

Loads of bays and fans. Plus room for more fans.

D

Jeeepers · 15-01-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJL351

Drats - I missed the edit lock. :(

Link

Loads of bays and fans. Plus room for more fans.

D

Hehehe You get that. That's an impressive case. What are the noise levels like?

**Professor Farnsworth** · 15-01-2008, 12:15 PM

mate you're out of luck, i just sold my desktop system 3 weeks ago. It was a core 2 duo running at 3.2ghz, had 4gig ram and an 8800gtx, sold it for $600! The video card alone cost me nearly $1000... man i love pc depreciation, it's worse than Falcons.

Jeeepers · 15-01-2008, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrcrackers

mate you're out of luck, i just sold my desktop system 3 weeks ago. It was a core 2 duo running at 3.2ghz, had 4gig ram and an 8800gtx, sold it for $600! The video card alone cost me nearly $1000... man i love pc depreciation, it's worse than Falcons.

I am not out of luck, with a missed deal like that. It proves my luck is still with me, just all bad.

However depreciation won't be affecting me that much, I will get 4 years outa this one. Like my current one. I'll make sure of it. :evil3:

DJL351 · 15-01-2008, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ORSMT

Hehehe You get that. That's an impressive case. What are the noise levels like?

All fans have three settings. (Low- Medium-High)

I have mine set on Medium and think they are faily quiet compared to the misses machine sitting next door. (1 1/2 feet away)

On high, there is some noise. Mainly from the 220mm on the top.

My machine is a;

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6000+
Asus Mainboard - M2N32-SLI Premium
4Gb DDR2 - 4x Corsair XMS2 1GB
2x 7600GT Video cards
2x 500Gb SataII + 370Gb SataII + 420Gb SataII +300Gb Sata
Pioneer 212 Sata DVD-Burner

I find the CPU Fan I added makes more noise than the rest of the gear.
(Asus Silent Knight CPU Cooler)

D

Jeeepers · 15-01-2008, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJL351

All fans have three settings. (Low- Medium-High)

I have mine set on Medium and think they are faily quiet compared to the misses machine sitting next door. (1 1/2 feet away)

On high, there is some noise. Mainly from the 220mm on the top.

My machine is a;

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6000+
Asus Mainboard - M2N32-SLI Premium
4Gb DDR2 - 4x Corsair XMS2 1GB
2x 7600GT Video cards
2x 500Gb SataII + 370Gb SataII + 420Gb SataII +300Gb Sata
Pioneer 212 Sata DVD-Burner

I find the CPU Fan I added makes more noise than the rest of the gear.
(Asus Silent Knight CPU Cooler)

D

Thank you for your input. Looks like the Antec 900 is the winning case so far.

DJL351 · 15-01-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ORSMT

Thank you for your input. Looks like the Antec 900 is the winning case so far.

There is a little video "review" at the bottom of the link.

Jeeepers · 16-01-2008, 12:39 AM

Have decided to go with a Coolermaster Mystique 632S in Black without psu. Price was right. Has been ordered.

-Durable and sturdy cold rolled steel
-Meshed front panel design provides the superior airflow and maximum cooling performance.
-Screw-less design for easy assembly
-Built-in washable front air filter
-120mm fans in the front and rear to give your PC the best ventilation while maintain silent cooling solution.
-Rear retaining holes for liquid cooling kits
-Gear-driven dual bay doors

Mystique 632S

JAKHMR · 22-01-2008, 08:52 PM

Geezus Kev, you certainly dont do things by half.
man I thought your car was shmick!

Redrum · 22-01-2008, 09:27 PM

Kev, you into gaming? That is a pretty schmick set up you have going!

Jeeepers · 22-01-2008, 09:31 PM

Hehehe, thanks guys. Yeah Jason, don't mind a game or two. Also looking at a PhysX card too. But I'd like to get a little feedback on them first.

lukey · 22-01-2008, 09:33 PM

That motherboard looks awesome. I got a P35-S3 myself. Way better than my old Asus, that was a piece of crap motherboard.

auMatt · 22-01-2008, 10:17 PM

Ill stick with my PS3 and PS2 and use my pc for Tools

I cant be stuffed upgrading every 2 weeks to be able to play the next you beaut game, rather just stick the game in and play.

But I do like my pc. This is my current setup http://computers.degabrielle.info/ nothing great but does the job.

Matt

BRADMAN · 29-01-2008, 11:04 AM

just be carefull with the physX cards.
ive been watching them for a while now...and still there is not enough games on the market that use the technology yet.
as cpus get quicker and also multiply the need for them is disappearing.
to be honest i wouldnt bother just yet.

brad

Jeeepers · 29-01-2008, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRADMAN

just be carefull with the physX cards.
ive been watching them for a while now...and still there is not enough games on the market that use the technology yet.
as cpus get quicker and also multiply the need for them is disappearing.
to be honest i wouldnt bother just yet.

brad

You may be right there, I was going to leave that one until very last. If at all. I will see how the system runs and plays before bothering anyway. They actually remind of the first 3dfx cards, when you had to piggy back one with your existing svga card. Ahhh the days of GL Quake.

Jeeepers · 15-02-2008, 12:19 PM

Picked up my case today without PSU. It's a Cooler Master Mystique in black. It features a screwless design for all drives and card slots. Has 2 large case fans, and plugged cutouts for water cooling. The front of the case features a gear driven fascia which opens to expose the drive bays. I have installed the Mobo, ram and graphics card so far. The progress has slowed due to the upcoming shows the club is attending. But hopefully it will be up and running soon.

BLKPHN · 15-02-2008, 04:00 PM

well its look like my typhoon big black and shinny!! top stuff mate

Jeeepers · 15-02-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLKPHN

well its look like my typhoon big black and shinny!! top stuff mate

Ahhh!!! But I know which one I'd rather have.

BLKPHN · 15-02-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ORSMT

Ahhh!!! But I know which one I'd rather have.

yeah a new computer is a much better huh