£400 Budget Approx

ADP1 · 6 Apr 2014 at 00:15

Although one of the mini cases looks appealing, maybe it would be better to stick with the Gigabyte board with a taller case. I am not finding many positive reviews for the ASRock or Asus boards regarding linux compatibility unfortunately.

ADP1 · 6 Apr 2014 at 02:52

OK, so in the end I went for the N200 case and the Gigabyte B85M-HD3.

Just wondering.. I just found out that the Gigabyte B85M-HD3 only has one "sys_fan" connection on the board to plug a fan into. The N200 comes with two case fans fitted, so where should I plug in the second fan into if there is no space for it on the motherboard?

Thanks

tamzzy · 6 Apr 2014 at 08:59

sorry, shoulda added:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Akasa AK-FY320 3 Pin Fan cable splitter (AK-FY320) £1.99
Total : £4.97 (includes shipping : £2.48).

ADP1 · 7 Apr 2014 at 17:21

tamzzy said:
sorry, shoulda added:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Akasa AK-FY320 3 Pin Fan cable splitter (AK-FY320) £1.99
Total : £4.97 (includes shipping : £2.48).

Thanks. Everything is now purchased. If I wanted to purchase a different heatsink to keep the cpu cooler and help it to last longer, which one would you recommend? and would it be fairly easy to remove the existing thermal paste?

tamzzy · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:06

dont really think you'd need an aftermarket heatsink. the cpu cannot be overclocked

ADP1 · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:26

tamzzy said:
dont really think you'd need an aftermarket heatsink. the cpu cannot be overclocked

And finally.... would it be worth removing the stock thermal paste and applying some Arctic thermal paste in its place? (while still using the stock heatsink). I have read that some people notice reduced temps after doing this. Any reduced heat over a long period would prolong the life of the cpu is my thinking.

tamzzy · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:28

not worth it. not heard of many (or any) cpus that have failed

ADP1 · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:48

tamzzy said:
not worth it. not heard of many (or any) cpus that have failed

thanks. I also thought that maybe this would mean the fan would need to fire up less, meaning a quieter pc. Their current pc in their lounge is really loud, so for this one, I'm hoping for as quiet as possible.

tamzzy · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:51

the intel cpu cooler is actually reasonably quiet (at stock speeds)
i suggest you guys try it out first.
we'll always be here to advise if you think it doesnt cut the mustard =)

ADP1 · 7 Apr 2014 at 18:54

Ok, will do. Thanks for the advice. All the parts arrive tomorrow, so I will start putting it all together then.

Just trying to cover all possible bases

First build, but it looks like everything should be quite straight forward.

tamzzy · 7 Apr 2014 at 19:14

ADP1 · 8 Apr 2014 at 16:33

Regarding the monitor. I was just thinking about this today.

I am planning to buy a Dell P2214H, which is 22 inch, 1920x1080.

Will the Intel 4400 run this monitor ok? or will I be needing a graphics card?

tamzzy · 8 Apr 2014 at 17:06

it'll run okay. no(t much) games though

ADP1 · 8 Apr 2014 at 17:47

If I was to buy a graphics card for them, just to be safe, so they can make use of the monitor more, watching HD videos etc, which would you recommend?

7770?

tamzzy · 8 Apr 2014 at 17:59

the integrated gpu will be fine for day-to-day tasks like that (eg watching hd vids, skype).
just not for gaming,
so i'd probably say, i wouldn't recommend a gpu currently...see how you get on first =x
why spend money needlessly eh? (sorry, sensible head on ;p )

ADP1 · 8 Apr 2014 at 18:11

tamzzy said:
the integrated gpu will be fine for day-to-day tasks like that (eg watching hd vids, skype).
just not for gaming,
so i'd probably say, i wouldn't recommend a gpu currently...see how you get on first =x
why spend money needlessly eh? (sorry, sensible head on ;p )

Ok, thanks. I just thought because of the high resolution of the monitor, the onboard graphics might struggle. Sounds like it might be ok. Will give it a test.

ADP1 · 10 Apr 2014 at 15:45

Everything is now setup. Just one problem with the N200 case.
Firstly, the screw holes for where the SSD goes were not in line so there was no way to screw the SSD in place.

Thought there was a problem with the front LED's, but I had wired it up incorrectly.

ADP1 · 10 Apr 2014 at 16:49

I tried both places to install the SSD (at the bottom and in the tray above) but both had the same problem, the screw holes on the case were slightly too high, meaning I couldn't secure the SSD in place. I have ordered a needle file, so when that arrives it should be a simple fix, by just filing out the bottom part of the screw holes and then screwing the SSD in place in the larger holes.

The install was straight forward apart from that. The most annoying part it probably trying to work out how to keep all the cables organised and out of the way as much as possible.

Thanks for all our help.

tamzzy · 10 Apr 2014 at 19:39

ADP1 said:
I tried both places to install the SSD (at the bottom and in the tray above) but both had the same problem, the screw holes on the case were slightly too high, meaning I couldn't secure the SSD in place. I have ordered a needle file, so when that arrives it should be a simple fix, by just filing out the bottom part of the screw holes and then screwing the SSD in place in the larger holes.

The install was straight forward apart from that. The most annoying part it probably trying to work out how to keep all the cables organised and out of the way as much as possible.

Thanks for all our help.

just tape the ssd anywhere. it has no moving parts so it wont matter how/where it's placed

and post some pics lol ;p

ADP1 · 17 Apr 2014 at 19:31

How do I post a pic here?