feedback on my new build specs please

[pretzellogic]

Hey everyone,

I'm just getting ready to build my first rig and excited to order everything and get going because my current system is really on it's last legs, but before doing so just want to make sure my choices are compatible and sane :-) Not super concerned with price but want to keep it roughly in the 1200-1400 range.

I will be using the system for some audio and video editing and transcoding, and just general non-intensive stuff (browsing, email, ...) but I want it to be very quick and very quiet and reasonably expandable for future growth. Probably will not be overclocking but might try and play with it a bit - not a priority currently though. Oh yeah, I also have a keyboard and mouse (touch pad actually and will be getting a new monitor and speakers separately later).

Here's what I've got so far. How does it sound? Will it all work together nicely for my purposes? This system comes to about $1250 from Newegg. (I hope I formatted everything ok)

GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5 AM3 AMD 790FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128415

(Is this a quality mobo in your opinion?)

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103727

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

(One question here. Will I see a noticeable speed difference if the RAM runs at DDR3 1333 as opposed to DDR3 1600? The mobo only supports 1333 w/o overclocking.)

CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139012

(I know it's more power than I need, but wanted some headroom for extra drives and cards in the future.)

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

(Everyone seems to love this case.)

EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130435

(I had a hard time choosing a video card but want something that will run two monitors via dual-link DVI ports up to at least 1920x1200 resolution. Not something too big though that won't fit in the case or cause problems blocking PCI slots, etc..)

Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV425-S2BD/64GB 2.5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139133

(Plan is to use the SSD for the OS and main apps and the WD HD for the bulk of data.)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284

SAMSUNG 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 4X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24x DVD Burner - Bulk LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151193

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders


Thanks for your comments!

[glc]

If you are going to use a SSD, I'd stick with an Intel X25. I'd use a LG, Lite-On, Asus, or Sony burner. I'd also use an ATI card for that kind of work, a Nvidia is more of a gaming card. You can buy the 1333 version of that ram for the same price.

[pretzellogic]

Thanks for your comments glc.

So, based on bunch of research the getting recommendations from a few sources the last few days I've decided to change up my choice of components a bit. Note that there are a lot of conflicting reports and opinions so if I didn't take your suggestion it doesn't mean I didn't see it, but that perhaps I got conflicting suggestions from other sources and I had to somehow put all the information I had together to try and come to what I think is a good choice.

I think this will hopefully be a good mix for me and have some comments and questions inserted below to make any final tweaks before ordering.

Please feel free to add your comments, and thanks for that. I really do appreciate and consider everyone's input!!

Also, if the integrated audio for the mobo is crappy, I might want to add an audio card, so just want to make sure that would fit in the board okay after the graphics card is already in there and taking up space.

Here's the list...


ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131402

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103727

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - $105 (x2 for 8GB total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel body / Plastic + Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119216

SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151088

ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise Blue LED CPU Cooler - $62
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118046
QUESTION - will this Zalman definitely fit into the case on the CPU so I can close the case completely?

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM - $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007
QUESTION - I've gathered I need the AS5 to attach the Zalman to the CPU, right?

SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102858
QUESTION - will this board fit no problem into this case and will it obscure other ports/slots on the mobo?

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136296
(Intend to use this as the OS and main app HD.)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319
(Intend to use this HD for data.)

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer LightScribe Support - $32
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106335

SAMSUNG 2443BWT Matte Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height& Pivot Adjustments 300 cd/m2 DC 20000:1(1000:1) w/ HDCP Support - $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001323
(Want a monitor capable of 1920x1200 res and Samsung and this one seem to get great reviews. Plus, want pivot and swivel adjustments.)

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116758

[glc]

That's a full size motherboard and the video card is going to block one PCI-Ex1 slot. You have 4 more usable slots. The case is plenty big for the cooler and video card. I don't know if the Zalman comes with compound, so it wouldn't hurt to get the tube of AS.

The only thing I question is the use of a Velociraptor. It's not much faster than a Black - so I'd use a 500gb Black for the OS drive, or a X25 SSD as I already mentioned. I'd also go with a bigger data drive - at least 1tb.

If you are not going to be gaming, that video card is a lot more than you need. You can also get good power supplies for considerably less than that Seasonic, it's excellent but more than you need.

[pretzellogic]

Good to know the Zalman and ATI will fit fine.

I opted out of the SSD because I learned they get much slower as they fill up and will die after a limited number or writes, which seems all flash-type drives suffer from. That really wouldn't be good for the OS drive, and of course a regular HD drive can fail too, but at least it's much cheaper to replace per GB than an SSD.

You may be right that the Raptor is not a significant speed increase from the WD so I will probably pass on the Raptor. I don't need a ton of space initially so will probably go with a smaller drive at first and I can always add more drives over time as my needs increase and the prices drop.

Do you know if the WD black drive is particular loud or not?

I will look into a 500W version of the Seasonic, but that model sounds really awesome so I'm hoping something comparable exists in a lower wattage.

Thanks for your comments.

[glc]

A Black is going to be a lot quieter than a Raptor.

You can look at Antec and Corsair PSU's - they are also high quality, and a lot of them are actually made by Seasonic.

[pretzellogic]

Ok, I changed things up a bit... what do you think about this glc? (Still undecided about the SSD drive)

So, keeping in mind my main goals of good performance and quiet computing, how does this setup look? Which component(s) would potentially be the noisiest?

This rig would be slightly more expensive than I originally wanted to spend, but given that I use my computer a ton, it will be worth it in the long run if it meets my needs and expectations.


Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115225

I got convinced the Intel (i7) was the way to go for close to the same price as the AMD Phenom II but with a 30% performance increase.

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $310
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131614

It was between ASUS and Gigabyte and the Gigabyte (ie. GA-X58A-UD3R) board is cheaper, but the ASUS seem to be getting more consistently solid reviews and don't seem to suffer from the squealing noise some Gigabyte users complain of. Plus, it might be nice to have a couple of USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s ports, even if compatible devices don't come around for a while. I like how this board supports DDR3-1600 without overclocking too. Don't know if the Realtek ALC889 audio chip will be sufficient for my audio needs.

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137

Was told the 690 II was more than I needed.

G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231335

Slightly faster timings than some other similar chips for about the same price.

CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835181010

According to some this is the best cooling system w/o going w/traditional cooling. Seems like a good idea and I guess this means I wouldn't need thermal paste either.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

Supposedly much better performance and quieter than the WD Caviar black drives. Nice price too.

ECS N9500GT-512MUL-F GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814134080

Was told this should be sufficient for my needs - basically (up to) 2 dual-link DVI attached monitors running 1920x1200; HD video.

SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151088

I know this is probably overkill, but I love that every reviewer says it's super quiet and the fan only comes on if the ambient temp requires it, which is rare unless massive overclocking. Still looking into suitable less wattage / lower price models that will be as awesomely quiet and well-rated.

ASUS DRW-241ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24x DVD Burner - $24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204

Apparently ASUS is quieter than LiteOn? Strangely, Newegg only had on ASUS DVD burner model.

Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate - $8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820223103

Good to have a card reader.

SAMSUNG 2443BWT Matte Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height& Pivot Adjustments 300 cd/m2 DC 20000:1(1000:1) w/ HDCP Support - $400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001323

Still undecided about the monitor, though this one looks pretty awesome. A friend recommended I check out the Samsung P2770HD which has an integrated HDTV Tuner, but (a) I get the feeling the 1920x1200 resolution will give me the additional screen space I want, which the P2770HD doesn't support. Also, not sure I really need a TV tuner.


Thanks for your input!

[Hufigyed]

I would go back to the WD Black if I were you, Samsung drives don't have a very good reputation. Both I've had have failed. The warranty on the Samsung is also 2 years less than the WD. There is a reason for that.

I have a WD Black now and it works great, it's quick for a 7200rpm and it's not that loud at all.

[Khalil]

If you going Intel I recommend going with the P55 chip set instead of the X58 specially if you are building for the first time.
The video card you chose is ECS, that is a big mistake. ECS makes the worst hardware in the computer industry, I would stick to glc's advice and get an ATI card, either and Asus or a Diamond.
Samsung Hard Drives and Optical Drives are pretty worthless, you want to stick to Western Digital for sure.
Great power supply choice, not sure why you need a CPU cooler, the Intels come with good coolers already

[glc]

Asus P7P55D-E motherboard.
i5-750 or i7-860 CPU.
One or two 2x2gb kits of DDR3-1333 or DDR3-1600 ram, you don't need fast timings, get 1.5 volt ram.
ATI video card - Asus, Diamond, or HIS.
Use the stock cooler, if you must use aftermarket, you DO need compound.
WD Black.

[pretzellogic]

hey glc, sounds pretty good.

just a question re: these two CPUs... they are both nearly the same price

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103692

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215

The AMD runs at 3.4GHz, has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 140W and L3 cache of 6MB.

The Intel runs at 2.66GHz, has a TDP of 95W and L3 cache of 8MB.

Which will run cooler? Which will run quieter? Which will run faster? Finally, would I notice any significant speed different for my applications (needs as stated above)?

Thanks a lot!

[leosdaddy2008]

if you go with AMD get the 125w 965. Also you won't see really a noticeable difference. I personally went with AMD because of the unlocked multiplier. Easier to overclock. If you would compare clock for clock the intel cpu there would be faster. If you will be running any heavy threaded apps you might want to look at the i7 860. It has hyper threading.

[pretzellogic]

Here is what I'm considering now. Based on all comments and reviews I think it's a pretty good price/performance balance.

I've decided to skip an SSD drive for now, tempting as they are. Might get one down the road as the storage size increases and technology gets better (and cheaper). Also, skipping a cooler for now and will rely on the stock sink and fan as I don't plan to overclock and assume I can add one at a later date if I do decide to overclock. There also seems to be quite a lot of divergent opinions on the WD black vs the Samsung Spinpoint, however, seems enough people are pleased with the performance and low noise of the Spinpoint that I'm willing to go with it. I realize the 650W Seasonic is much more wattage than this system needs, but it will allow for lots of growth and could presumably be used for a future system I might build. Plus, the thing is supposed to be dead silent and just an excellent unit, so I'm willing to pay a bit of a premium since the PSU is such an important component. The HIS HD5670 got decent reviews and everyone seems to say it runs very quiet, which is nice. I would've preferred 2 DVI ports, but 1 will probably be enough, and I can use the VGA or HDMI port to run a 2nd monitor if I go that route. Also, I have an external HD to do backups to.

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750
ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
HIS H567Q512 Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) IceQ 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
SAMSUNG 2443BWT Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height& Pivot Adjustments
Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

total - just about $1450 (including 24" monitor)

I guess my only questions at this point are:

+ Do I need to worry about the power connection(s) of the video card in terms of compatibility, or the size of the card for that motherboard?

+ Can I definitely add a cooler at a later date if I decide to overclock?

+ oh yeah, and do you see any compatibility issues with this build?

[glc]

1. Nope.
2. Yep.
3. Nope.

However:

people are pleased with the performance and low noise of the Spinpoint

I'll give you that, but I won't touch a Samsung hard drive or optical drive. I've been in this business for 15 years, and I've seen quite a few dead Samsung drives. They make great monitors and televisions, but their drives leave something to be desired from a reliability standpoint.

[pretzellogic]

Cool.
Two additional things...

1. Am I making a mistake getting a 5670 vs a 5770 card?

The two things that were making lean toward the 5670 is that reviews are saying it's super quiet, as some say the 5770 can get rather loud under load, and the fact that the 5770 looks like a pretty big card. I'm assuming the 5770 should still fit on the ASUS board in the CoolerMaster case (690) I picked though, right?

Is it the case that the 5670 won't fully support great video at 1920x1200 on a big screen (24"-27") ???

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103103
DIAMOND 5770PE51GT Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Video Card - $170
(I was told Diamond, HIS or Asus are good video card makers)

versus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161319
HIS H567Q512 Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) IceQ 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $90

Also, since it seems like I might get sucked into overclocking ;-) ... if I get this cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=corsair%20h50
CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler - $80
which several people have said is an excellent choice, then do I understand correctly that no thermal paste is necessary?

I'm still wavering between the Spinpoint drive and the WD Black. Decisions, decisions...
Thanks!

[pretzellogic]

Oh yeah, I also wanted to ask what you all recommend for burn in and testing the components? I would like to do an extensive test of all components first before installing the OS and my apps so I can quickly identify and return any fault parts so I'm sure to to do within the allowed return/replacement time-frame.

I'm guess there are certain bootable CDs you guys use for this purpose?

[glc]

The 5770 will fit fine, but it's major overkill if you aren't gaming. You could even get the job done with a 5450. If you want QUIET, get one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131339

[ryuk999]

You could try this to start. This is typically recommended for problems with builds though.
Having problems with a new build? Try this.

[pretzellogic]

THX. Also, for the setup I've suggested, should I get one or more case fans for more air flow / cooling, or is that not necessary?

[ryuk999]

No, it looks like a very cooled case as is. Unless your going to overclock it.

[pretzellogic]

Ok. And if I do overclock it, how many extra fans should be installed and could you please recommend any specific makes/models?

[ryuk999]

I don't have an exact answer for you because I don't own that case or have used it. If it were an extreme overclock, then I'd guess adding one fan over the CPU. Or you could try to remount the fan from the front to directly over the CPU.

As for a "mild" overclock I would imagine you'd be fine, there are 3 fans that come with the case that are pretty good.

[glc]

The stock cooling in that case is fine for just about anything.

[pretzellogic]

Well, looks like this is the build.

A couple of notes. Since speed and low noise are the two top priorities I decided I just had to get an SSD drive. So, I'm going with only that for now (Intel 80GB) and will use my external USB HD for extra data and backups and maybe get another internal HD in a few months, if needed. I don't anticipated needing a ton of space though.

I also don't have a need for amazing graphics power, just to be able to power 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 HD nicely.

I also don't think I'll overclock, at least not initially, so I've gathered this means I don't need any extra cooling devices or fans. I will add a cooler later if I decide to overclock and realize this means removing the motherboard to install it, which is fine.


This rig should be super quiet and fairly speedy, right?


Cooler Master CM 690 II Advance ATX Mid-Tower Case (RC-692-KKN2) $99.99
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $23.99
HIS H567Q512 Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) IceQ 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $89.99
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card $34.99
SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $159.99
Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5 $14.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL $104.99
ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $154.99
ASUS USB-BT21 USB 2.0 Mini Bluetooth Dongle $0.00
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 $199.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders $139.99
Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5 $224.99

Subtotal: $1,325


Any final comments before I pull the trigger? :-)

[ryuk999]

Drop this...
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card $34.99
You can alwasy add it in later if your not satisfied with the on board sound.

Also you could save $15 by going with this...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-634-_-Product
All I could see that your paying for is a IEEE 1394, 1 x Sata II, slightly different audio chip (not that it's still good), and a single PCI-e 2.0 x16 that runs at x4 if you use it as sli/crossfire (is what it sounds like). So to me, it seems like your paying $15 to basically run 2 video cards, but if that's what you want to do in the future then go for it, as for the rest of the components it seems pretty negligible.

[pretzellogic]

Yeah, you're right. Also thinking about changing out the CoolerMaster case for an Antec P180 for better silencing. Reading reviews now...

[glc]

I'm going with only that for now (Intel 80GB) and will use my external USB HD for extra data and backups

I don't think that's terribly wise. Get something like a 500gb WD Green for your data and mount it internally.

[pretzellogic]

Yes glc. I realized that just going with a SSD, though very appealing, is probably not the best decision. I'll fill it up and then have to move stuff around, etc.. and doesn't sound like it's that much faster on writes anyway from say a Caviar. Plus, the SSD prices will probably drop a lot in the coming 1-2 years. If I could find a nice SSD-PCI solution that would be nice, but not too many are on the market yet, and the ones that I did find are very expensive. So, going back to the Caviar Black.

Just trying to settle on a case, then I should be sorted. Kind of between the Antec 180, 183, 300, or Cooler Master 690. What do you think?

[glc]

Those are all high quality cases, but I'm partial to the RC690. I like the mesh construction and the cable management system. However, that may not be the best solution for silence.