First stab at computer building
- Thread starter cliaru
- Start date
The Antec 900 (and its Thermaltake cousin) are fairly quiet cases. I recommend also checking out this site for case alternatives and other quiet components. Acousticpc.com is a good resource for all sorts of quiet and quieting components.
Just having quiet fans is only a part of a quiet PC.
Irishwhistle
New Member
Something like this sounds about right:
CPU: Core2 Quad If you wanted even more power you could go with an i7, but that'd get pretty pricey, but for recording the Core2 Quad should be just fine, if you were doing a lot of heavy midi work it might be worth using an i7 though.
Mobo: ASUS P5Q What you're looking for when you buy a motherboard is quality, features, and performance. ASUS and Gigabyte are probably the best brands. MSI and EVGA are also said to be good, although I haven't had any experience with them.
RAM: 2X G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB)
PSU: Corsair 750W You're looking for wattage, amps, and a good name. 750W should be just about right for this build, with 60A on the +12V rail, the amperage is adequate, and Corsair is the best name when it comes to PSUs. And it's ESSENTIAL to have a good, quality PSU running your system, or system might be toast.
GPU: MSI 9600GT Good brand, good chipset, and will run what you want just fine.
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Very popular case, if you want it bigger (which probably isn't necessary) you could go with the Antec Twelve Hundred
HDDs: Seagate 250GB for basic stuff (OS and that sorta thing.)
Western Digital 1TB for file storage.
ODD: Samsung DVD/CD burner
Grand Total = $960
So you've got room for addition so you could look into water cooling and a SSD for your OS.
CPU: Core2 Quad If you wanted even more power you could go with an i7, but that'd get pretty pricey, but for recording the Core2 Quad should be just fine, if you were doing a lot of heavy midi work it might be worth using an i7 though.
Mobo: ASUS P5Q What you're looking for when you buy a motherboard is quality, features, and performance. ASUS and Gigabyte are probably the best brands. MSI and EVGA are also said to be good, although I haven't had any experience with them.
RAM: 2X G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB)
PSU: Corsair 750W You're looking for wattage, amps, and a good name. 750W should be just about right for this build, with 60A on the +12V rail, the amperage is adequate, and Corsair is the best name when it comes to PSUs. And it's ESSENTIAL to have a good, quality PSU running your system, or system might be toast.
GPU: MSI 9600GT Good brand, good chipset, and will run what you want just fine.
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Very popular case, if you want it bigger (which probably isn't necessary) you could go with the Antec Twelve Hundred
HDDs: Seagate 250GB for basic stuff (OS and that sorta thing.)
Western Digital 1TB for file storage.
ODD: Samsung DVD/CD burner
Grand Total = $960
So you've got room for addition so you could look into water cooling and a SSD for your OS.
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Zatharus, thank you for the link. I never even heard of that site before. I think I'm gonna go with Antec Nine Hundred.
Irishwhistle, I'm glad you created the cheaper build for me because I was considering a build with a Quad, and the build looks perfect. I have a couple questions though. How is the Intel Core2 Q9400S Yorkfield 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Quad-Core Processor - Retail different from
Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail? To me, they both have the same processing power but one is $120 more than the other. Is there a difference that is worth the money? Also, what part is responsible for having a Firewire port? Because having one would be very convenient.
Thanks for all the advice!
Irishwhistle, I'm glad you created the cheaper build for me because I was considering a build with a Quad, and the build looks perfect. I have a couple questions though. How is the Intel Core2 Q9400S Yorkfield 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Quad-Core Processor - Retail different from
Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail? To me, they both have the same processing power but one is $120 more than the other. Is there a difference that is worth the money? Also, what part is responsible for having a Firewire port? Because having one would be very convenient.
Thanks for all the advice!
My pleasure cliaru. I have used them several times in the past.
Look at the TDP wattage on those two. The Q9400S is 65W TDP vs. the Q9400 at 95W TDP. As for whether or not the price difference is worth it, that depends both on how much heat dissipation noise (fans and such) and power consumption you want to deal with. The 65W chip will be lower on both.
For Firewire ports, you can initially look to the motherboard. I would agree, having a Firewire port for audio work it not only convenient, but a must in some cases (audio interfaces, better external storage). If your motherboard does not have one, you can purchase add-in PCI cards for Firewire. I would also suggest looking into eSATA ports as well for better external HD connectivity than USB and Firewire 400/800.
dubesinhower
New Member
when i put my build together, i kept noise reduction in mind. although irishwhistles build is cheaper, you are getting much more processing power in my build WITH noise reduction.
edit: my build also allows for you to increase your computer knowledge as well. if you do decide to keep the pc in the closet, you can dwell into overclocking opportunities in many areas. ive heard the mobo in my build is rock solid, and with that cooler, you should have no problem with ocing.
edit: my build also allows for you to increase your computer knowledge as well. if you do decide to keep the pc in the closet, you can dwell into overclocking opportunities in many areas. ive heard the mobo in my build is rock solid, and with that cooler, you should have no problem with ocing.
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Bodaggit23
Active Member
Please post a link to these 4Gig sticks of RAM.
How about these: http://crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT51272BB1067
Or these: http://crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT51272BB1339
*Bonus* Or even these: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT102472BB1067
Also, here is a bit of fun information: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/samsung-ddr3-dram-4gb-32gb,6933.html
dubesinhower
New Member
How about these: http://crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT51272BB1067
Or these: http://crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT51272BB1339
*Bonus* Or even these: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT3KIT102472BB1067
Also, here is a bit of fun information: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/samsung-ddr3-dram-4gb-32gb,6933.html
omg lol. OP, do you have 10 grand to spend on your pc? i predict 48 gigs of ram in your future...
Oh, it will come down...
There was a time when 4GB of ram (8x512MB) was right around $30K if I remember correctly. That was also back in the day when a 20GB hard drive was considered a bottomless pit. Today, I can fill one in seconds... Ah, nostalgia...
Edit: BTW - yes, there are motherboards out there (consumer models, mind you) that will even support 32-48GB of RAM.
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dubesinhower
New Member
zath, you should participate in my outrageous computer building contest in the off topic computer forum. lols.
now back on topic.
now back on topic.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I am having a hard time deciding between the two builds. One of my friends actually told me that the build by Irishwhistle has enough power for my purposes (as I am a newbie in the area ). Plus, I will be able to add in more powerful parts in later if I needed them.
However, a little part of me can't resist the power of the build suggested by dubesinhower. I think the main difference between those will be ultimately the motherboard, as it'll be the difference between the quad and the i7, and (I believe) the size of the memory will depend on it also. Unfortanately, I am not really comfortable choosing a motherboard by myself. I have a question about the motherboard dubesinhower had suggested (Asus P6T6 Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail). My simple question is, why is it so expensive compared to other motherboards? I don't think I will be overclocking (I don't really know what it is) the computer, so I'm not sure if I will be needing such an expensive motherboard. If I was to tone that motherboard down a little, I will be able to make a slightly less expensive build, and everyone will be happy.
). Plus, I will be able to add in more powerful parts in later if I needed them. However, a little part of me can't resist the power of the build suggested by dubesinhower. I think the main difference between those will be ultimately the motherboard, as it'll be the difference between the quad and the i7, and (I believe) the size of the memory will depend on it also. Unfortanately, I am not really comfortable choosing a motherboard by myself. I have a question about the motherboard dubesinhower had suggested (Asus P6T6 Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail). My simple question is, why is it so expensive compared to other motherboards? I don't think I will be overclocking (I don't really know what it is) the computer, so I'm not sure if I will be needing such an expensive motherboard. If I was to tone that motherboard down a little, I will be able to make a slightly less expensive build, and everyone will be happy
.Aye...sounds interesting. What is it called?
Go with the i7 for future expandability/compatibility. Go with the Core 2 for budget. Intel is moving to the i7 platform. It is newer and thus also much more expensive right now. A current Core 2 system will last you for several years though (give or take).
The Asus motherboard dubesinhower suggested is rather high priced comparatively mainly because it is an i7 board that supports full bandwidth 3-way SLI (x16 speeds on three ports in a special config.) AND this board also has an on board SAS (serial attached SCSI) controller. Not many motherboards out there have that configuration - especially the on board SAS. It is a high end (enthusiast) motherboard.
Wow, that's a lot of things that I don't understand...
I am quite certain, however, that I will not be using that as this will be just used for recording (Plus my friend suggested that I don't get such high-end gear). Between budget and expandability I would choose the latter, so I will probably go with the i7. I was actually considering this EVGA motherboard (I'm trying to keep the cost of the motherboard under $300). Could anyone make suggestions?Thank you!
Irishwhistle
New Member
No need for a card... the Antec Nine Hundred has a firewire port built into the front.
Wow, that's a lot of things that I don't understand...
Thank you!
That's a good option for you. I would agree with keeping the motherboard cost under $300.
Plus this motherboard does have Firewire 400 on-board (IEEE 1394a).Now, you can go even lower as well. MSI makes a pretty decent motherboard - check this one out.
It does not matter whether or not the case has ports available on it. A case alone will not add the ability to use Firewire. Support for it comes from the motherboard or an add-in card. If the motherboard does not have support for Firewire built-in, you will have to purchase a separate PCI card. You could then run the interface cables from the front panel port to the PCI card in that instance.
Irishwhistle
New Member
That's a good option for you. I would agree with keeping the motherboard cost under $300.
Now, you can go even lower as well. MSI makes a pretty decent motherboard - check this one out.
It does not matter whether or not the case has ports available on it. A case alone will not add the ability to use Firewire. Support for it comes from the motherboard or an add-in card. If the motherboard does not have support for Firewire built-in, you will have to purchase a separate PCI card. You could then run the interface cables from the front panel port to the PCI card in that instance.
Oh, irght... I'm sorry, guess I wasn't thinking.
Anyway, you probably should just get a motherboard with a firewire port built in.
That does look pretty good. I'm gonna have to look into both the options. We're almost there yay!
One minor thing is the graphics card. I'm always used to getting the best one available, but now it's different. I just need to use two monitors simultaneously, and I don't really need much power from it. I'm just worried about the compatibility of the cards (I don't know if some cards fit certain motherboards and not others!). Can you tell me what I should look for or do they all fit in any motherboard?Thanks!
dubesinhower
New Member
the video card in my build is actually fanless. most high end video cards come with fans and heatspreaders, hence the reason most new cards take up two slots. the card in my build has no fans, but one large heatsink to dissipate heat. depending on whether or not your keeping your pc in the closet, and also whether or not you go with a cheaper mobo, you can easily get a beefier card for a little more money. imho, the one in my build is perfect for 80 dollars lol.
edit: most high end cards now use the pci-express 16x slot. youd have to look hard to find a motherboard without one nowadays.
edit: most high end cards now use the pci-express 16x slot. youd have to look hard to find a motherboard without one nowadays.
dubesinhower
New Member
actually, most mobos nowadays have slots for the case addons such as usb and firewire. he probably wont need to buy an addon card. unless he wants more than one.