anyone familiar with the Antec P190 case?

[redneckpoet]

Howdy, I'm getting ready to build a new machine and would appreciate it if someone could confirm my assumption about the p190 case. It states that it will accept upto an extended atx mobo, I plan on using a micro atx mobo and that should work right?
I don't want to spend 400-500 hundred on a case that may not work for my board.

Thanks,

Wayne

[glc]

Yes, a micro ATX board will work in any ATX case. The mounting points are standardized, there's just less of them with a micro board. The slot and I/O locations are also standardized.

[redneckpoet]

Sweet, thats what I thought, but my mind didn't want to wrap around it. lol.

What do y'all think of the the components I'm putting into this case? So far I've got an
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 processor
Intel Desktop Board DG33TL Media Series
2gb corsair pc6400 memory, another 2gb on the way (back ordered)
Sony 18x dvd burner ata
Vista home premium

I haven't decided on a hard drive yet, but I'm thinking a 250gb WD raptor for my OS and apps and a seagate barracuda 1TB for storage both sata of course
I'm not sure about the video card, I may run with onboard for now but would like to put a nice card in there. I'm think either nvidia 8600 chipset or ati 2900?

whatcha think any ideas suggestions?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by redneckpoet I haven't decided on a hard drive yet, but I'm thinking a 250gb WD raptor for my OS and apps and a seagate barracuda 1TB for storage both sata of course

The WD Raptors don't come in a 250GB size, 150GB is the largest right now.

Cricket

[redneckpoet]

yeah, your right, only 150gb raptors.

[glc]

Before you buy an Intel board, you should be aware of the following:

1. That board only has 3 expansion slots - one PCI-Ex16, one PCI-Ex1, and one legacy PCI.
2. It does not have a floppy controller.
3. It has zero legacy ports - no serial, parallel, or PS/2.
4. It cannot be overclocked.

If you can live with all that, it's a good board. If you want more flexibility, get an Asus board with the G33 chipset such as the P5K-V. That one is even full size ATX.

[redneckpoet]

yeah, I'm aware of that and that is fine for me. considering the deal I'm getting on it as a retail salesman, its gonna be great for me.

[glc]

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=189176

Same deal?

[redneckpoet]

yeah, although I got the premium bundle that was 249 with the q6700 core 2 quad cpu

[piasabird]

I think the P190 is kind of overkill in the power supply department, but maybe you like a 1,200 watt power supply. That is how it was set up at www.newegg.com.

Intel makes some integrated boards with DVI if you plan on using a Flat Panel. They also make some Video cards that just add a DVI connector to the integrated graphics:

http://www.directron.com/dq35jo.html
http://www.directron.com/pegasusadd2.html

I think the DQ35JO is dual monitor capable.
These add2 integrated DVI add-ons are only guarnteed for Intel Motherboards with integrated Graphics. But they are suppose to use very few watts. Like 2.1 Watts.

Just some things to consider.

[redneckpoet]

yeah, I figured 1200 watts was overkill too, but I like the case and the way it is designed in term of airflow, cable management and ease of access. I've always liked the quality of Antec, too. The dual power supply part intrigues me, but I doubt it will make much difference for my needs. I do plan on doing some video work and imaging work, like photoshop. For video its mainly gonna be converting vids I have for my zune or to stream to my xbox 360. I figure I'll use the 64 bit version of vista, as I've found it to be stable on my two current desktops.

I'll worry about software, more or less after its built. As for the video card, I'd love to hear what you would recomend. I doubt I'll do much, if any gaming on it. Mostly just some video work here and there. I probably won't get the video card right away due to finances, but shortly after a few more paychecks. lol. I've had good luck with ati lately. I've got a x1950 and x1800 in my other two desktops. Haven't seen much of what Nvidia has to offer right now, but still researching those options. lol.

By the way, I haven't seen any pci ex 1 cards anywhere, what type of expansion cards are available for the form factor right now?

Thanks for all the input so far.

[piasabird]

If you are going to output video to your TV then just make sure the video card supports the kind of cables you want. Most of the new stuff is HDTV, and sometimes you may want a HDMI video cable. You dont want analog if you have HDTV at home.

I think I might get a standard 8600GT with S-video TV Out. That would be a good low-end video card capable of playing older games. Some models may come with HDMI instead of S-video TV Out. It runs around $100.00 or a little higher.

[piasabird]

Someone else may have a recommendation on a video card for Video. I would recommend an EVGA 8600GT with HDTV support, Retail with Software in the box. That has a price of about $100.00 or a little more. There may be some other models for less. A $50.00 video card may be available that will do the job. Depends if you want HDTV or not.

You may also want a DVD palyer that is Dual Layer and writes in all the DVD formats. Lite-On is a good brand.