The (new) Official PC building thread!

Hi Greensman,
It's a good case and impressively big so it's easy to work with and get the parts installed and wires routed.
It's aluminum so it doesn't weigh that much.
The bar below the power supply is removable. That makes it easy to get the PSU and the motherboard in and out.
It comes with both a mesh and a clear side panel.
It has a blue projector LED on the front that spells out "Gigabyte 3D Aurora" on whatever it happens to be sitting on, woohoo!
The hdd and drives all have clip thingies that make them easy to install.
3 120MM fans and with the mesh side installed case cooling is excellent.
The brushed aluminum finish makes for a classy look.
The side panel comes off without to much fuss.

I don't like the tooless card holder device. It won't hold my GTS cards properly. It's removable, which I did.
The rear ports are resessed and the front panel ports are hard to get to with the front door closed if it's sitting on the floor. That's not really a problem, it's just something you notice when connecting things.

Cheers,
Frank

 

Hmm, I have the same issue with the card holder for my NZXT Lexa and my X1900XT. Unfortunately mine's not removable.
I don't care that much though, it's a beautiful case imo. I simply can't bring myself to consider any other case now. If I built another PC I'd probably just get the red-themed Blackline version and have two.

 

Hey frank I built my computer for LESS than 500 lol. Of course it could use more ram, and a nicer video card, but thats not TOO much money. I would say it's decent enough, it plays games fine, even though not exactly on max!

 

Hi abuzar1,
Well like I said my opinions are always subject to change. lol. Here is my "reasoning"...
When the OS becomes ~25% of the cost of the build, it means that not enough money is left for good hardware. Certainly not a C2D build. If the OS is not included then $500.00 is reasonable. I have to compare what I build with what can be bought, and new PCs come with the OS.
So I guess it comes down to the OS and if one should include it in the price. I think it should be, I know that most of the time, in the lists I see here, it isn't. I don't know why.
Cheers,
Frank

 

@fasfrank
Most people already have an O/S...or (XP All)...or (8 in 1)...I include one if they are talking about Vista...or they ask for one...

 

Barely anybody seems to mention if they have an OS already, I assume not unless they say otherwise, simply because they'll be won over more to building the system themselves. Sound like trickery? Not really, they're getting a far better quality PC that way, and believe you me, some people need a lot of persuading.

 

I just want to check on something for the following specs:


Intel Core 2 E6850 @ 3.0ghz
2gb 800mhz DDR 2 Ram
Intel G33 Motherboard
512mb 128bit GDDR3 eVGA Geforce 8600GTS
320gb Segate S-ATA II
Sony Dual Layer Burner

Do i really need a 750W power Supply if not would a 500W one do because instead of buying the 750W one i would just buy the Antec SONATA II with the 500W Earth Powersupply instead of the silverstone 750W and Antec 900 Case????

 

If you're happy to settle for that case, the 500W Earthwatts would probably suffice, but why not just keep the case you like and buy a lower rated power supply, like a Corsair HX 520W or Thermaltake Purepower 500W?

 

I want a quad-core, but I want well balanced system as well. I was thinking on going with a ASUS P5N-E SLI mobo with a Q6600, but it seems that the video cards available range widely. I've never experienced the benefits of SLI and don't know what to expect or not to expect. I don't want a extremely high-end system, but I also don't want cheap, so I'm trying to determine a happy medium for all of this on the video card. I like games and would like the ability to play the fancy games of the future without any hiccups. Any recommendations?

 

I mean it looks like at this point I can get two 8500 GT's (They have DX10 support) for about half the cost of a 8800 GTS. This is the ballpark I'm in, any clues?

 

8500GT card suck balls, BIG TIME. Seriously they're slower than the old 7600GS.
Get a single 8600GTS instead, and you'll do much better, get a single X1950 Pro and you'll do better still.

 

What about this DX10 compatibility? I know there's really no games out there that support this besides Halo 2 for PC (which actually has a patch for DX9), but can the x1950 pro still support DX10 games even though its configured for dx9?

I'm not opposed to getting an 8800 GTS, I'm just trying to see if its worth the extra $$ or if I can make some sort of SLI configuration.

 

There aren't any Directx10 rendering features in halo 2 to my knowledge.
The 8800GTS is definitely worth the extra money. SLI is rarely cost-effective I find.

 

Something that sam and I agree on. I've done 2 SLi rigs and wish that I would have purchased a much BETTER gpu. jm2c on the deal...

....gm

 

SLI is for rich people who want two 8800 Ultras in their thermoelectric cooled case. Not exactly for the average man like you and me(I hope you aren't an average man and are extremely rich, in that case can you send me some money?).

 

Remember sam saying that the Antec 900 was overused? Well thats why I was looking for other cases and came across these Raidmax ones. What do you guys think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156058

 

Raidmax cases, if to your taste, are distinctive, but they're cheaply made, so don't expect the same sort of quality as the Antec 900.
Why not check out some of NZXT's offerings?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146035
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025
Just a few examples there.

 

I really like the first one. I might actually get that! Does it come with the red lights? It's my favortie colour lol.

 

Don't know about the red lights but I"m sure that you can buy some RED LED fans for it.

btw I've built with the SILVER case similar to the ONE you like abuzur and thought it was a little flimsy. The "legs" aren't built very well and the front was "difficult" to deal with. jm2c on the case.

....gm

edit:
Here's one to look at....CM mystique..... I think that Mort81 uses this case and the reviews are great and it looks like a VERY functional case.

Here's another one that I like...CM Centurion 5 I look at function before pretty. LOL. that's just me...

btw I have the CM Elite 330 and it's a great case. Inexpensive and very functional....

 

Thanks for the help, I'll look into it more when I get home. BTW my name is Abuzar