New Vista Gaming Machine

[comp615]

Although it's still a ways off, I am starting planning on my shiny new gaming rig. It's been quite a few years since I've made a compy for myself and I think after building so many for others it's time for a reward. Although this is by no means a complete or final list, I just wanted some input on the parts I do have at hand (few as they are), and wondering what you would recommend for some of the new next-gen things:

Case: TT VE2000BWS - Built-in Watercooling, roomy, sexy, top mounted ports, whats not to love?

PSU: Antec NeoHE 550w - Efficent and powerful...go Antec

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700/E6600 - ATM I like 6600, but price will come down with time, and the 6700 might be in the sweetspot soon

Mobo: ASUS mobo of some type...I don't really like the current 975/965 ones, and I expect new chipsets soon!

CD1: DVD/RW dual layer - Any standerd DVD DL burner, although Bluray and such might be out....$100+ isn't worth it yet

CD2: Just a nice DVD-ROM drive

RAM: 2GB Dual-Channel Corsair Xpert/other - Although Xpert has that nice LCD, maybe some normal sticks would help price-wise

Sound: Audigy X-FI Xtreme- It's on sale at new egg for <200$

Video: Not even gonna bother picking something out yet....wait for those DX10 cards

Floppy: Floppy - FLP4LIFE!!!

Mods: UV...and lots of it


There it is .... lemmie know what you think! Lots to fill in and speculate on

[jayb1234]

Yup, by the time vista gets here the Intel quad core processors should be out. I have seen some articles that say the Core 2 Dou boards will be capable of handling them, but who knows whether or not Intel will come out with a new chipset or two by then that will have support for whatever the next generation after quad core is.

[Mr.Ferrari]

First off, Do not do not go with any kinda of premade watercooling kit, ESPECIALLY thermaltakes.
If you want the case its fine but get the one without the watercooling. If you want to go watercooling do it right and do it custom, but first build your pc. If your more interested in water if you give me a budget I can help you out.
If you have a very comfortable budget in the case area, I suggest you look into one of the lian li's.

One more thing. I would suggest it not be a good thing to use the top hdd mounts. I mean just think about it, your psu is going to be right next to them, I would be kinda relectant to risk my data like that. And if you have a powersupply with a top mounted 120mm fan, it will have a hard time suckig in air through those hdd's. Once again something to think about

You are aware, by the time dx10 is out and im guessing thats when you plan to build, technology will have drastically changed and you will be picking very different components?

Mobo:
Is there a *reason* why you dont like 975/965? Next few chipsets will be the following:
Intel Nforce 570/590: Only reason to hold out for these is if you want to run sli/quad sli.
Ati RD600: Very promising chipset, supposed to really pioneer in the area of overclocking.
Intel 985: Not really sure if this will even be OUT by the end of this year.
None of these chipsets will be drastically different from current offerings. Like I said, Is there a reason why your not happy with the current chipsets?

CPU: Not knowing when exactly you plan this build, I will suggest one thing, if your planning on late this year/early next year, might I suggest you look into intel's new Quad Core Kentsfield?

Ram: Is there a reason why you want the xperts? If your looking at overclocking and are stuck with corsair, I suggest you look at the 8500UL's . Otherwise there is really no other reason to go with them just because of the lcd's.

For hardrives same reason as above, things will have drastically changed, But raptor's will still be around, can never go wrong with one of them as main OS/games drive.

Bling is fun, but gets annoying fast, just warnin ya.

[comp615]

Heh knew I was forgetting something...updated the hard drives.

I suppose watercooling would be nice to do myself, I have read a lot on it and was getting the premade kit just because of the simplicity, but 150$ ish would be great for a watercooling solution...I would like it to include VGA cooling too.

The CPU and Chipset I didn't put too much into...I assumed something new would be out at the time and that I'd look then. I do know that things change rapidly and I am stuck between getting one sometime early this school year and simply waiting another few months for vista and new hardware...

RAM: I am leaning towards not the xperts...but the lcd is cool, I jsut think it's overkill...so prolly something like the 8500's would be my choice unless I decide I really need the lcd :-P

Thanks for the help on the watercooling

[blue60007]

I would just hold off on the watercooling. Try the stock cooling first, and see if you feel you *really* need it. I think the first quad cores will be Exteme Editions, which would totally blow your budget. You'll probably end up revising your list at least once if you don't buy within the next month or so.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Ok on the water. Now this is what I had suggested someone else, You probally wont be using the same parts, but I did give a summary on each thing so you can read up on that:

Originally Posted by Mr.Ferrari Although those temps are perfectly normal. Watercooling is a great venture if you have the time and money. Silence is also a big trait. One thing though. Cooling dual cards might not be possible with 300. But I will try to make as decent of one as possible and stay under 400. 300 should bring about a very decent setup. This is what Id suggest. CPU block- Many many blocks are available. But the two classes of blocks are impingent and non impingent. Impingent have are more restrictive to flow. Commonly using jets, pins, little tunnels and the such. Reason is. The heat is transfered to the copper area and the idea is to get as much heat out of that area as possibe, made more effective by making obstacles so more heat is carried out with the water. These blocks severely restrict the flow of water coming in. But offer better cooling capacity. If paired up with a weak pump, will give you negative effects. But once paired up with the right pump, these truely shine. The others being non impingent. Usually have little to no restriction with the water coming in. Maybye a straight smooth tunnel or two. Or some big wide pins. These are great for loops with low pump pressure. But offer less performance. Main manufacturers are Dangerden, Swiftech, Aquaxtreme, Silverprop. And also some more exotic ones such as little river (also reffered to from the owners name, Cathar) and Ek, also known as Eddy _Ek blocks. The one I would suggest for your setup would be this: Aquaxtreme MP-05 SP LE Make sure you add the 1.00 extra delrin midplate. Its a sturdier compound and is well worth the 1 buck. $76.00 Gpu blocks- Usually a little smaller and more compact then the cpu blocks. There are 3 main manufacturers of these, Eddy_Ek, Dangerden, Swiftech, Aquaxtreme. And there are 2 main types of blocks. Full cover And just gpu. Full cover are made to cover the whole card. These arent any better with temps then the normal blocks, and cooling of the memory doesnt reallyhelp with overclocks, but are very popular for asthetics. Otherwise in the normal gpu area all three of the main blocks are neck to neck with each other. Its usually best policy to go with the one that will Give the least amount of pressure drop (or restriction) One I would suggest is this: Dangerden Maze4 $44.95 each X 2, one for each of your cards. Radiator- The radiator is the heart of your watercooling system. It is what will actually cool down the water. There are 4 main manufacturers of these. HW Labs, Swiftech, Cooltek, and Thermochill. In order from lowest performing cheapest to highest performing most expensive. Now three main types of radiator: Single or 120mm: A small 120mm radiator. Designed for small loops of just the cpu. Fits 1 120mm fan. Double or 240mm: These are the most recommended, usually used for cpu and gpu loops. Fit 2 120mm fans. Triple or 360mm: Fit a total of 3 120mm fans. Best of the best, if you can fit on in your case go for it. Fit 3 120mm fans. Ok now the only limiting factor is how big of one you can put in your case. Sometimes ppl have to drill holes to get theres to fit. Internal mounting one of these can be hard. And I really cant make a final suggestion untilyou either show me a pic of your case or give me a link. But if you cant fit on inside your case and want a simple solution, I suggest this: Swiftech's Rad box Heres how it works: http://swiftnets.com/products/MCB-120.asp And the radiator I suggest is: Swiftech MCR 320 $49.99 I would really suggest nothing less, great radiator for the price. Pumps- Pretty obvious. Without one, your parts would be useless. This is what makes the water flow. Too many brands to name. 2 most important things you should look for is head and flow. Pump that I would suggest is: Swiftech MCP 655 $74.99 Great little pump for the price, excellent head and flowrate. Reservoir/T-line- Basically where your water gets filled up from and where its stored. Resevoir is exactly what its name applies. A little tank filled with water. Alot of resevoirs are designed to go in your 5 1/4'' drive bay or just stand somewhere in you case. T-line is just a t- fitting with a few inch tube hanging from it. For ease of use I suggest you stick with the resevoir. And the one I suggest is this: Swiftech mcres micro $19.95 and these are the only guys I know who have it in stock, everbody is out. Tubing- Well this is where your water will travel through. Two of the most popular manufacturers are McMaster and Tygon. Tygon is actually 4x more expensive. Due to its slightly tighter kink radius. But to many, mcmaster is the way to go. @ .49 a foot its a steal compared to tygon, and is just as good. McMaster 1/2id 3/4od $.75 a foot and I suggest atleast get 10ft. @ $7.50 Btw I forgot to mention this but there are two main barb sizes used with watercooling (barbs=the things in which water enters through in your rad, waterblocks, pump, res) For best performance always choose 1/2'' inner dimension (id) and 3/4' od(outerdimension) Clamps- You need to make sure those tubes dont fall off. I suggest breeze hose clamps $.39 for one. Youll need 12. $4.32. Just put them around the hose and tighten. Dont overtighten. Just until you feel the hose slightly bulging around the clamp. Do not overtighten is KEY. Fans- Your radiator is geared toward silence. The fans I suggest are: Best quiet fans out there- Yate Loon $3.99 ea. Youll need a total of 3. Last but not least. Coolant and Additives. The only coolant you should ever use or ever need is Distilled water. And ONLY distilled water. Additives- Additives serve to purpose of anti corrosion and anti algae. Corrosion is especially a issue when mixing metals. But I have comprised a all copper loop so you shouldnt be in too much a need of that. If you want a clear setup I would suggest plain distilled water plus a few drops of iodine to kill the nasties. Otherwise some other popular additives are antifreeze such as Zerex. Add 5 to 10 percent per loop. Around 1 or 2 capfuls. If you want a nice blue color I suggest Pentosin . Use 5 to 10 percent concentration with distilled water. I would also be safe and add 2 to 4 drops of iodine above that if your going that route. Another popular one is Swiftech's Hydrx Gives a nice green color. If you go this route dont add any iodine. And dont use this whole bottle for 1 litre of distilled water like swiftech says. It will destroy and clog your blocks. I would use half or 1/3 the suggested amount. Guides: For a indepth guide I would look at this by maxxxracer: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=54331 Skip to part 2 and 3 for installtion of your system. Watercooled Case gallery: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ad.php?t=34877 So you can get a idea as to where to place everything and mount everything. (Skip to the end and go back, so you can see the latest stuff ) *cracks fingers* If you have any further questions feel free to ask. Good luck if you decide to go on with this. Total is ~335 not including rad box. If this is still too much, Ill see where I can cut down, I left some room for it .

The reason why I or anyone with knowledge of wc would never suggest kits is due to their poor poor quality, low performance, and unreliability. Your paying 150, but 1/3 of the price you can get a top of the line air cooler that will equal or beat it, and itll probally last 5x longer. Blocks in these kits break, components corrode, pumps leak/fail.
Its best to always go custom and get it done right.
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For cpu/vga cooling its really pushing it to keep it at 150, but heres my list and you can see if the price is worth it:

Cpu block:
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=153
$40

GPU/VGA block:
http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCW60-V...r-pr-3252.html
Swiftech MCW60 with ramsinks. Your card, whenever released will need ramsinks, this is right now the best bang/buck. Keep in mind your card when released might need change in mounting.
$60
Radiator:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/swmcqposerab.html
$40
Pump:
http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCP655-...p-pr-2982.html $70
Resevoir:
http://jab-tech.com/Swiftech-MCRES-Micro-pr-3093.html
$15
Tubing & Fittings, Fans, Clamps, Additives/Coolant: See what I said above in the quote.

And also, reading my quote above, youll need to find a proper place for this radiator, if you dont have a place in your case, or are not willing to fire up the hole/jig saw, I suggest the Swiftech radbox which I linked to in the quote.
Btw, youll need 2 fans for your radiator, as its a dual.

If this is still too expensive for you, I did leave a little bit of flexibility, I can downgrade some stuff, without too much of a hurt to quality, if you so desire.
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*note: That guide I linked in the quote, is well, a bit "xtreme", and very very very full proof, so dont worry about the indepth cleaning and stuff such as putting a filter in your loop. Just use common sense and youll be alll good.
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One more thing to keep in mind, when vista comes out it will be coming with with a few bugs as will dx10, keep in mind also, by the time games start using the true potential of dx10, your video card will be considered underpowered.

[comp615]

I know that with the case cooling and the extremely low temperatures of the Dore 2 duo I may not need water-cooling, but it's kind of a point of interest for me. I mean A) It cools better and scilences the GPU too. B) Its like an experiment for me to delve into watercooling before attempting it for customers (even though they may not need it either) and C) it's schweeet with UV coolent and all that tubing cleanly placed....a sure hit at the next LAN party

[Mr.Ferrari]

Originally Posted by comp615 I know that with the case cooling and the extremely low temperatures of the Dore 2 duo I may not need water-cooling, but it's kind of a point of interest for me. I mean A) It cools better and scilences the GPU too. B) Its like an experiment for me to delve into watercooling before attempting it for customers (even though they may not need it either) and C) it's schweeet with UV coolent and all that tubing cleanly placed....a sure hit at the next LAN party

Good luck with it dude . And remember to check out the guide I linked to in the end of the quote.