Build planning begins

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14 Nov 2003
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367
Hi

I have not built a system for a while and I am starting the long planning process I usually use

I wll be visiting review sites and starting a few different threads in the forums before I decide what I am doing

This thread is to detail my main requirements and see if there are any items that should be top of my list


My previous build was pretty successful but there were few glitches I want to iron out this time.


My main set of requirements are that I want something fast that will handle video and still image editing and crunch numbers like comression and encryption without noticeable fuss. I am not a PC gamer so 3D game capability is of little consequence to me. I do fancy being able to watch a 3D Blu-Ray on it though with the active glasses (not sure if this very different from 3d games requirements.)
I like to dabble in a little overclocking but nothing too extreme so some decent results with air cooling is all I require (There is enough water in my reef tank to keep me busy enough with pipes and pumps)
The other major requirement is that the system must be as near silent as possible

I had an Antec case previously that had plastic panels with some sound deadening, it was quite effective but I found the panels never really fitted very well ad it was a pain to close up securely, also the plastic flap on the front broke off quite quickly with the result that the box looked ugly.

The Graphics card was ok but I used to get scree freezes from time to time and the motherboard really didn't allow me to overclock easily and I gave that up as a bad idea quite quickly too.

I was impressed with the Samsung drives, the Arctic cooler and the amber fans for silence and the system was very quiet indeed, The dvd drive was also very quiet too.

so I open the floor to the good people at ocuk for suggestions.

Of note:
I have only ever used Intel cpus and they have never let me down
I have used Nvidia and ATi GPUs and have had nothing but trouble with ATi and never a problem with Nvidia
There will have to be very convincing arguments to make me change on these two things.

what should I be looking at ?
4 core or 6 core.
which cpu is known to give the best stable oc results without need for extreme cooling

what are the latest choices in silent cooling

what is a good silent gpu that I can watch 3d movies with but not necessarily do gaming

are Samsungs still the best for silence (other than going solid state of course)

PSUs with nice big controllable fans

Are the ambers still the best case fans


so many questions dont need to answer them all at once ...
 
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did I ask too many questions?
or was my post to long?

thought some might offer some favourite bits of kit that I can look at the reviews for

there is so much to choose from it is hard to know where to start

nev
 
Hi there,

First thing I should ask is if you could weight your usage - both time and importance- (e.g. 80% image editing, 20% 3D Blu Rays), how would you do it?

Then may I ask, do you have an approximate budget in mind?

If you are doing a lot of number crunching then you should strongly consider an amd phenom ii hex core. however, if you are determined to stick with intel then an i7 like the 950 would be a good choice.

as for playing 3d blu-ray - how do you plan to display them? do you have/plan to buy a 3dtv, a 3d capable projector or a 120hz monitor? in terms of hardware required - something like this passively cooled 5570 would be a good bet. also, what do you want to do with the sound output? do you have a sound system or do you need a new one?

as for quiet cooling, i suggest you go for a Thermalright HR-02 CPU cooler and run it with the i7 or AMD Hex core passively. As for case cooling, I suggest something like the fractal design r3, with 3 extra fans installed and a fan controller like this ensuring they are running very quiet. with the psu you could go with a fanless Seasonic, but it would cost more than £120 - if you want to pay less the new Antec PSUs are nice and quiet (though it does have a fan). For the HDD, I suggest you use an SSD (silent- no moving parts) and something like a Samsung F2 (5400RPM - very quiet) as a storage drive.
 
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I'm interested to see where this Build goes good luck :)

Rustyy.

You're interested......I'm fascinated ;)

I've been trying to get this sort of info for a while so I'm tagging along too.
Pleased I didn't put my order through this evening, sorry last night.

Some very interesting bits of kit being uncovered.....more please.
 
Hi guys,

An update to my post above, with the 3D Blu Ray playing high on the priority list I would suggest instead going for an Nvidia GT 240 graphics card (instead of the AMD 5570), as with current drivers and PowerDVD software it is confirmed to work with Blu Ray 3D. Most of the GT 240 cards are passive, but I do believe that Inno3D and ASUS have made a passive versions of this card. Unfortunately they are not available on OCUK - so you would need to hunt them down.

In terms of Blu-ray drive, I strongly suggest going for this one. Great price for these specs.

As for Blu Ray software, the samsung drive above comes with PowerDVD 8 - however you will be wanting PowerDVD 10 Ultra to play 3D Blu-Ray. Fortunately, if you install the included v8 software you will get the option for a reduced price upgrade (around £40 I believe) so I certainly suggest going for this.

In terms of case fans, I usually swear by the noctuas, but looking at recent tests I am swaying towards the Sharkoon 1000. Fractal Design fans are also supposed to be good and very quiet.
 
Sorry for the delay here guys.
This is on hold for the moment as my laptop broke down and I had t blow the budget on a new one. i7 mac book pro. Sweeet! But no cash for the desktop for a little while.
I will dip in to see if there are new suggestions from time to time then let you all know when I am ready to start placing orders for toys.

Nev
 
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