First Time Build Also -- Advice Appreciated

[dukster77]

I'd swear the last poster was reading my mind somehow -- here's my shopping list -- all advice or comments appreciated.

CASE: Antec P180 Case

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz 2MB CPU (prob 6300 or 6600 since I read last post)

CPU COOLER: Zalman CNPS 7000-ALCU for P4

MOBO: Asus P5B Deluxe/WIFI-AP Motherboard

RAM: 2GB ( two 1GB ) PC-5300 Kingston

HDD: Western Digital Quiet 320GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA 2 Hard Drive (2 – for Mirroring RAID)

PSU: Nexus 500W NX5000 Power Supply

GRAPHICS CARD: XFX 7600GS 256 Meg 2 DVI PCIE (Fanless)

DVD/CD: Samsung Quiet LightScribe 18X DVDRW

Have Monitor, Floppy, Card Reader, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Etc.

Focus for this machine is -- faster than my current rig (not hard to do), quiet, some PC gaming (nothing online -- but I'd like to run Caesar IV), digital sound file uploading (from CF format), and light digital video work (tweaking home movies).

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Mr.Ferrari]

Your retail box does come with a heatsink fan assembly for your processor. By not using it you do void your warranty.

Swap that ram out for some Corsair DDR2 667 Valueselect.

Swap that hard drive out for a Seagate 7200.10 series.

Try to push for a 7600GT, if not its ok, but go with eVGA or BFG for brand.

Go for a retail lite-on dvdrw.

[dukster77]

Thanks, Mr. Ferrari -- Especially about the warranty on the Processor, something I did not know.

I had considered Corsair RAM -- I know this particular MOBO is picky about RAM -- what are the advantages of this choice, though, over the Kingston -- speed? heat? quality?

I also appreciate the advice about dvdcd, and will take it.

I do have some questions about your two other suggestions -- one of my primary concerns with building this is that I want a quiet machine -- I spend about 16 hours a day at my computer in my work -- more if I stay up late to play (don't ask me when I sleep, and no, I'm not a teenager.)

I chose the CPU Cooler, Graphics Card, and Hard Drives for quietness -- they were recommended at several Quiet PC sites. Will the Seagate 7200 series give me the same quietude as the Western Digital drives? Are the 7600GT Video cards that you suggested quiet? And finally, do you have any experience with the standard CPU cooler (retail box) for my processor in terms of noise?

Thanks if you take the time to read and respond, and much thanks again for your original response.

[glc]

The retail CPU fan is fairly quiet. You can always replace it later if it's too noisy for you.

Unless you are overclocking, the Corsair VS 667 ram seems to be the best match for the P965 chipset. Corsair has an excellent reputation for compatibility, reliability, and customer service.

The 7200.10's seem to be very quiet drives - but I won't knock Western Digitals. I wouldn't bother with RAID though - a better backup strategy is an external drive and software. I'd go ahead and get 2 drives, but put one in an Apricorn EZ-Bus DTS-EKIT housing. It connects either eSATA or USB, and comes with an OEM version of Acronis True Image.

If you want a fanless video card, that's fine - but see if there are other brands in that price range. XFX is not *terrible* but there are better.

Now - the power supply. I don't know what kind of reputation Nexus units have. The P180 case needs a PSU with extra long cables due to the PSU mounting location. Antec recommends you use one of theirs - I think the Neo HE is their quiet unit? I also hear that the Seasonic S12-500 has long cables and is a very quiet unit.

Take a look at the Antec Sonata II case - it's supposed to be very quiet and it comes with a decent 450w power supply.

[Tin]

The P180 is a nice case, but very difficult to work with because of the layout. The Antec Neo Power units are theoretically the perfect fit for it, but the Seasonic S12 and ePower units will work. I have an ePower in mine, and it fits perfectly. Whichever PSU you pick should have a short housing on it, since the fan in the lower compartment on the case will interfere with the longer units.