The Official PC building thread -3rd Edition

OMG rob!!! This case (HAF 932) is friggin MASSIVE! The specs dont do it any justice! Nothing could have prepared me (short of seeing it) for seeing it in person! I think im in love LOL.

 

Heres the first of a few pics to come. The one in the middle as im sure you guessed is the CM HAF 932! As you can see, it towers over my old case substantially! I used to think my last case was Large! Well...perhaps. If so, than the HAF is a freak!!! As you can see, the mess in my office/room needs to be cleaned ALOT first!

 

Is that a store bought Gateway I see? You are officially kicked out of the builders club...LOL My TT armor towers over most also and I'm glad It does for my uses. It stays in one spot as a home server and since my mobo has 2 NIC I keep 1 networked and the other with a crossover cable that I connect to any machines I bring home to repair. Using a KVM switch lets me control the other rig. Point being going big feels more like an investment in the digital age then just surfing on a normal desktop computer.

 

I always go for the biggest things LOL! Any larger would have killed my wallet LOL! NO! I did not buy the gateway. Its a damaged/inoperable system a buddy offed to me. Just something to tinker with when im bored. I now have 6 towers total(think I got enough computing power? LOL). 2 of which I havnt gotten to even look at. This room is a friggin disaster!!! So much so that its intimidating to even THINK about cleaning it LOL. I wont even open the Samsung monitor box til my desk is clean!

You have my word. I WILL NEVER buy an HP, Dell, Compaq, $ony, Gateway, and least of all, E-Machine!!! Though my HP 1.4 AMD Athlon is still going strong. Smoothest single core ive ever used. Though ive ownly used 3 other intel systems. So not much for comparison.

 

NOW NOW.... lol. He's not kicked out just "restricted" from posting in the building thread for one day... heheehe.

Never say NEVER, ask creaky about some Dell's that he has... IIRC he snagged some Core Duo's pretty cheap here a while back.

.....gm

 

Both my new AMD 7750 and my E6750 idle about 4-6C above ambient temp, and the E6750 was overclocked 1GHz. The 7750 x2 Idles at the same temps OC'd 500 MHz, in spite of being a 95w chip. I realize that some of that is because of it being a different case, with better ventilation, but I used MX-2 on both. Arctic Silver and Ceramique both work about the same. I haven't tried OCZ Freeze yet, but eventually I will.

I get arguments all the time about AS5 and Ceramique, claiming that because AS5 has better heat transfer with it's silver particles, that it's superior, but it doesn't quite work out that way. The particle size of the Ceramique is smaller,so you have more heat transfering particles in the same given space, so applied properly, there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between them. In fact the 22G syringe of the Ceramique is $10, and probably the best buy for the price! The only minor complaint I have with it, is if it's cold it gets quite stiff. 3-4 seconds in the microwave cures that! In spite of all the times I've used it, I still have a half a syringe left!

I've also tried every method know to man for applying it, and my personal method seems to work best. I just put about a 3/16" ball of it right in the center of the CPU, and lock down the cooler. The results never vary more than 1C, and when I do remove a cooler, the coverage is just about perfect! You know the temps I've gotten over the years, so it works very well with both Ceramique and MX-2!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

The mhz increase is practically irrelevant, the heat produced the chipset, the efficiency of the PC's case cooling and the voltage applied make far more of a difference.

 

LOL, dont worry. I wont knock any manufacturer that doesnt deserve it. I simply wont buy them because, building is both fun, and usually cheaper! Plus its catered to ones EXACT needs! WOW, when I put the tower up on the desk, I had to lean over quite a bit. The weight surprised me. I handle packages everyday substantially heavier though, so no biggie. I forgot that the fans were so big! They're the first of their size that ive had(230mm top and side). LOL it also comes with little wheel feet! I suppose it would need them if on a floor, or simply handled by the physically challenged!

 

Building a machine for small business use for my parents (MSword, web surfing, itunes, running a door lock software 24x7 for a keypad @ the front door of the building). Little to zero gaming.

This is my first build. Just wanna see if anyone sees any compatibility issues here. Not sure yet what the thermal compound is for(cooling unit to processor I guess). Already have an ATX form factor case and LCD monitor. Please mention anything I may be missing (like a cable that wouldn't be included in these packages). Video card was selected because of the dual DVI outputs which might be needed later for other purposes.

I am having to rush to get this done and can't afford to get it wrong. Thanks!

Parts list follows:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
Item #:N82E16835100007
$6.99

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817341010
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$99.99
$69.99

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5
Item #:N82E16820145184
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate
$44.99

POWERCOLOR AX3850 512MD3 Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Item #:N82E16814131096
-$5.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$71.99
$66.99

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Item #:N82E16822136010
-$30.00 Instant
$69.99
$39.99

Combo Item:
JetWay JHA04-LF AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813153129

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200 Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX
Item #: N82E16819103210
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
-$15.00 Combo
$154.98
$139.98

Grand Total: $368.93 - rebates = $317.93

 

Don't buy an HD3850, the HD4670 is its far superior replacement.

 

dru3692,
I have to question your choice of MB and Video card. Jetway is not known for being a very good brand, and neither is Powcolor. Here's some others for you to look at that cost less and are a better value for the money.

ASRock A780FullHD AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $56.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157149

MSI RX3850-T2D512E OC Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $66.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127339

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200 Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX - Retail $54.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210

These three items come to $178.97 ($203.59 w/Tax & Shipping)
Even with an AMD 7750 "Kuma" AM2+ CPU, the total would only be $183.97 $208.95 w/Tax & Shipping! it's also a much better chip! I have one and it's great! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300
They are also a much better value for your money. I would also re-consider the Power Supply! For a business machine, it's a bit of overkill and unnecessary expense. A Cooler Master or Thermaltake 450 to 500w would be a better choice for your purposes, for $50 or less!

Frankly, for casual gaming, the HD3200 On board graphics will be more than adequate! You really don't need a video card. If you are planning to use the stock CPU cooler, In one word "Don't"! Get an Arctic Cooling Freezer 64-Pro for $30! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125. It's what I use in mine and it is more than enough cooler to keep my 3.22GHz overclocked from 2.7GHz 7750 plenty cool!

Sammorris is also right about the video card, but the one I've listed is much better in Quality than the Powcolor! Far superior in cooling as well. BTW I see no mention of a case or CPU Cooler. Do you have them already?

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Sorry Russ but I'm with Sam on this one (thought you'd never hear that did you). The HD 4670 is just a better all around card. If you look on Newegg you'll note that MSI cards are always lower priced.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127415

 

I understood that, but you can't agree with someone before you disagree, and still be right. If Sam's recommendation was better than the original HD 3850 choice then why would he want to stay with his original choice to save less than $20? It makes no sense.

 

Sophocles,
I quite agree, but "his" choice was the HD3850, and I gave him what I consider to be the best, within his choice for the money! The 4760 is the better choice, but maybe his budget won't allow it! Since sam had already recommended the 4760, I just agreed with Sam, but still offered him a better 3850 for the same money! I wasn't disagreeing with anyone!

Respectfully,
Russ

 

Hmm! $20 isn't much of a budget breaker. Part of making a recommendation isn't improving on the OP's same original choice, but to improve on the overall choice without breaking the budget. I understood your point; I just figured it wasn't the right one given the circumstance.

 

I guess I could have worded it differently! LOL!! Right now $20 more is a lot for almost anyone on a budget, given the economy!

I know I sold the 460w Cooler Master PSU that came with my case, and bought the 500w Cooler master to replace it. A small step forward, but I've improved things, and it cost me nothing but a little time! Pinching Pennies yes, but very necessary given the times and the economy!

Russ

 

Things are rough for some, but not only is $20 hardly a budget breaker, but it's also a near future economic savings. You don't play games and I do sometimes, but Sam plays games often; apparently even when he should be studying or in bed sleeping. Nothing becomes obsolete faster than PC parts and the HD 3850 compared to similar priced 4000 series cards.