The year's half over...

[samm]

got a tt myself (tsunami). its ok, though it doesn't look as good as on the pictures, since the front leds are not dispersing their light as shown there. plus, the front intake fan sometimes causes the case to resonate, which could easily be cured by decoupling (?) it from the case by some rubber washers.

tt is a known brand, can't go really wrong. also, antec might be worth a look. google for some reviews if you like the looks of a case.

 

btw, are you going to buy a phenom when they come out? the bar

Edited September 11, 2007 by samm

[Cantousent]

I'm probably going to get a quad. I'll have my initial system specs up for review before I purchase anything. By that time, there might be new developments.

[mkreku]

I still think the Antec Performance P182 is the best looking case out there.

 

http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID=09182#

 

 

It even comes in a new Stainless steel finish!

 

http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID=09183

[Cantousent]

Yeah. It's pretty. It also comes with three 120mm fans, two top and one bottom. I think the PSU at the bottom is strange, off the cuff, but it doesn't really bug me. It's under $200 (barely) so it fits my price range on the case (again, barely).

 

I've read that it's actually tough to work inside the case, but the quality looks quite good. It's only a bit more expensive than the Thermaltake. I'll have to think about it.

[mkreku]

Yeah, it's quite a hassle working with the P180. Because the PSU is located in its own "wind tunnel" below the actual computer case, you get lower case temperatures so it's perfect for air cooled overclocking. But it also means you have to have a PSU with long cables and you have to pull them through this tiny hole just in front of one of the fans. If you don't do it properly, the cables connect with the fan and either stops it or makes it sound like a plane crashing..

 

Once you've done the annoying installing though, you have a case that's something extra. The entire case stands on these soft rubber feet to reduce sound. The case itself is built out of three different layers of plastic and metal to reduce sound. It's really sturdy. Everything on the inside is fastened using these soft rubber thingies to reduce sound. The built in fans are adjustable from low to medium to high and if you put them on low they're inaudible. I bought an extra silent PSU (Cooltek 600W) and a huge, silent CPU cooler. The only thing that screams in my box is my GPU (ATI Radeon X1950XTX) but that's only when it's under full load.

 

I also happen to think it looks very cool But I've never been much for the "MORE SHINING DIODES AND PLEXI GLASS WINDOWS EVERYWHERE!!" fashion.

[Gfted1]

Its beautiful but I think the stainless steel one would drive my crazy with fingerprints and smudges. Yeah, Im anal like that.

[mkreku]

Its beautiful but I think the stainless steel one would drive my crazy with fingerprints and smudges. Yeah, Im anal like that.

I've been feverishly polishing my girlfriend's new case (Piano black.. shiny!) ever since I bought it for her. You're not anal.. unless I am too

[Slowtrain]

Good Lord, Cant just buy the freaking thing already.

 

It took me a little over a day to research, buy, and build my new system. And its awesome. You guys spend way to much time pondering this stuff.

[Cantousent]

You know, it's funny. My video card bit it on my desktop. I installed an 8600 on it, since the wife is getting the old system anyhow. In the meantime, my sister decided she wanted a new system. She had a budget of $1k. I suggested the build, which includes an 8800 evga video, 2 gigs of ocz memory, a core 2 duo, and a seasonic psu. After taxes and shipping, it came out to $1,080. So, I did buy the system. I just didn't buy MINE yet. :D

[Leferd]

Your sister's build looks very similar to my own. Substitute OCZ for Corsair and the 8600 for an 8800gts. I would also recommend a seasonic power supply. Its cord is definitely long enough for the Antec p180 series.

 

I have an unorthodox way of building a rig. I start with the peripherals first.

 

Keyboard: IBM Model M

Mousepad: Ratzpad

Mouse: Logitech G5

Speakers: Cambridge Soundworks -Soundworks 2.1

Monitor: Samsung 215tw 21.5" 1680x1050

 

I got those components and put them in storage months before my machine was assembled.

[Cantousent]

No, the Sis has an 8800gts. I bought an 8600 to replace the one in this system.

[Cantousent]

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail $149.99

 

 

Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM $189.99

 

 

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $529.99

 

 

Sony NEC Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM $17.99

 

 

GeIL Value Series 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX24GB6400DCKA - Retail $239.99

 

 

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $184.99

 

 

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6700 - Retail $549.99

 

 

Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM $139.99

 

 

ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan with Heatsink - Retail $53.99

 

The grand total is $2,240.87.

 

A couple of notes:

 

I had the devil's own time with my Asus video card. Actually, that would be two, since I had to RMA one right away. Anyhow, that was cutting edge at the time. I've decided to go with a more established 8800 rather than getting the 8900. I also went with the evga brand this time.

 

My last build had an Asus motherboard, with which I have had luck in the past. I decided to go for mkreku's recommendation and take the abit. It was highly rated and there seemed to be some cooling problems with the comparable evga motherboards, and the evga brand is more expensive at any rate.

 

As always, now that I've established my build, I'm more than happy to take advice or listen to commentary. My last build, other than the cursed video, which finally died and I replaced, has been great. I'm hoping to avoid the video conundrum this time around. So, comments?

 

Also, my budget this time around is $2,500. I will not go over that amount for any reason whatsoever.

[mkreku]

Just to be annoying: Plextor makes great DVD-burners. But you really only need them if you need 96%+ flawless recordings (like we do where I work). A bit pricey but high quality.

[samm]

your hd seems a bit expensive, beinga sataI and "only" 150GB... also, ddr2 800 (bandwidth 12 gb/sec in dual-channel) on an intel system with an fsb of 1333 (bandwidth 10.6 gb/sec) is unnecessary. ddr2 667 (bandwidth equal to the one offered by the fsb) would be enough.

just some thoughts...

[Spider]

That's because it's a Raptor. So yes, it's expensive, but if you can afford it it's totally worth it.

 

Although isn't Raptor X the gamer edition with the clear cover? Which means they charge extra for something that only makes it look prettier? The regular edition is identical except for that and somewhat cheaper (although these days the difference is neglible afaik, at launch it was something like $50).

[Cantousent]

The difference in the Plextor isn't that much in price, but I don't really need that level of quality, either. Anyhow, it wasn't a bother, mkreku. I finally went with your motherboard.

 

I took Bok's advice on the evga.

 

I went with the memory because it wasn't a huge difference and I like Geil and OCZ and I wanted 2gig modules. Plus, the Motherboard is rated for DDR2 800, and I don't know what the bottom end is in terms of memory.

 

Finally, the difference in price between the Raptor and the Raptor X is $5, and the Raptor X was higher rated on various sites.

 

This is a done deal. Turns out we need to get the wife's old system to her folks in two weeks, so I bought the list I posted earlier. As always, snappy snappy pics.

[Bokishi]

Yeah dude, Raptor X ftw! Make sure you get a case that can show it off, like the Stacker 830.

[Cantousent]

This just occured to me. Will XP be able to see the whole 4 gigs of memory?

[Spider]

64bits XP yes

[Cantousent]

Okay, next question. Will 64 bit XP be able to play my games?

[Spider]

The games I've seen installed on it have worked. I don't have 64 bit XP myself so I can't say for sure. But it should be ok with most I think. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will fin in the details soon.

[Cantousent]

Well, XP pro supports 4 gigs, and I don't see the need to go for Vista just yet. I think this will do the trick. Now I'm just waiting for all the stuff to arrive so I can build the rig. Then I'll have to clean up all the excess crap in my harddrive and give it to my wife, who will have to clean up all the extraneous gunk in her hard drive and give that to her folks.

[Bokishi]

Of course you want Vista Eldar, it's got teh DX10

[Cantousent]

If New Egg shipped any faster, it would be here before I ordered it.

[Gfted1]

Yeah, NewEgg has always been on their "A" game whenever I order from them. Very good with RMA's too.