Help needed on a new build

[jayscott]

Hi all, I am building my fourth computer and since I have some very specific needs I thought I would seek the opinions of those on the forum with much more experience. so far I only have the case and some parts from a top of the line desktop I built three years ago. I will be using this PC as a personal video recorder and player of Hi Def and regular analog and digital TV shows. The requirements aI have are as follows:

1) it must be very quiet. Power supply, hard drives, case and processor fans etc.

2) it must have an Intel motherboard or other very dependable and trouble free board having Intel chipsets. ATX form factor.

3)it must have an intel processor/heatsink/fan that is cool running yet over 3.0 GHz.

4) it must have up to date motherboard features so I will not need to replace it for at least a few years.

The parts I have are:

A Zalman HD 160 silver case. (new).
An Intel D875PBZ motherboard with P4 3.0 processor and 1 gig of ddr400 sdram. (used)

I hesitate to use the 3.0 because currently it has an extremely loud whine from the processor fan which is irritating. I think the motherboard and processor are now a little dated, but I would very much appreciate any advice or suggestions. I really am just looking for a reliable powerful, quiet, and low maintenance PC that will handle my needs for the next 2 or three years.

Thanks for your help.

[Alaron]

Do you want to use the previous parts or is a whole new system an option?

What is your budget? And does that include the computer only or do you need any peripherals or OS?

[chuck4456]

You don't necessarily need the 3.0GHZ+ requirement. Depending on your budget, A C2D is currently the best option. Just about any C2D config is going to be up-to-date (no doubt) and remain so for quite a while.

[jayscott]

I would be glad to get a new MOBO and PSU if I could be certain that it would be top quality and also quiet and powerful. I went top of the line with the 3.0 processor in 2003 with a Thermaltake case, but never really liked the build because of the noise issue from the processor fan. Supposedly the Zalman HD 160 is super quiet and great for a HTPC.

I really would only consider Intel MOBO's or Asus with Intel chipsets.
For the power supply I have been leaning toward the Zalman 400W but will also consider other quiet dependable power supplies. For hard drives I have a couple 250G WD drives but from my own experience I think Maxtor may be just as good and slightly quieter. I woudl prefer the processor to be over 3 Ghz due to video editing and DVD rendering which require the processsing power.

[Alaron]

The Core 2 Duo has a new architecture compared to the older Pentium 4s. Clock speeds are no longer the sole determinant of power. The 1.86 Ghz E6300 will smoke a 3.0+Ghz P4. And it runs cooler and quieter. It is the way to go right now.

[Mr.Ferrari]

And I highly suggest a seasonic psu for quiet. Very well built, highly efficient and extremely quiet.

And for the hdd, I find seagate's the most quietest.

Also pick a ati card for those purposes due to their better video capabilities.

[glc]

For a C2D, the Asus P5B Deluxe is a good choice - it has a passive heatpipe Northbridge cooler. So does the P5W DH, but it's more expensive.

[David M]

Your's is obviously going to be an entertainment computer. Do you want a case more suitable for an entertainment center? Tower cases stick out like sore thumbs. Is the below type of case more suitable? Since these cases are meant for entertainment systems, they are designed to be quiet from the beginning. Entertainment center computers don't need all the high end components that require all the noisy cooling fans you find on a high end gaming computer. Make sure your fans are nothing less than 12cm in size....they have the highest airflow/noise ratio.

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products-lc13.htm

[newbuilder14]

^ Isn't that just like a 4U rackmount server?

[jayscott]

The Zalman HD 160 is a HTPC case similar to those suggested, not a tower. I am considering the Seasonic or Zalman power supply.

For the processor, I will need quite a bit of processor power to display the High def TV image without flicker or artifacts. How fast a dual core processor could I get before needing cooling fans that create extra noise. As long as the processing power is above that of the P4 3.0 I am used to I with less noise I will be happy.

I am not at all sure about the video card I need to display Hi Def TV on a computer monitor. For dispalying High Def TV to the Television the My Hd card will be used. Has anyone dispalyed HDTV on their monitor. Please advise.

Thanks for all the suggestions

[Mr.Ferrari]

Any one of those c2d's would do awesome as far as that goes. The cooling fan noise depends on how sensitive your ears are. Usually the stock heatsink is not that loud but to some it is.

My opinion is that it should be less noisey due to c2d being cooler. If your still not satisified you might wanna look into a aftermarket heatsink. Albiet you will void your warranty with intel.

[glc]

If you are going to buy a C2D and use an aftermarket heatsink, buy an OEM processor from a vendor that gives you a reasonable DOA warranty - at least 30 days, but I've seen up to a year offered.

[David M]

^ Isn't that just like a 4U rackmount server?

They do not mount on a rack. They are standalone and are very much like a receiver cabinet...yet made for mounting a motherboard, PSU etc internally.