Help finalise my spec please!

Pixelated Ape

Pixelated Ape

Pixelated Ape

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8 Dec 2006
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3
I've been out of the scene for a good few years and have decided it's time to dive back in. This system will mainly be used for gaming and browsing, but will also be used as a 'back-end' to a couple of Xboxes running 'Xbox Media Center' and for streaming HD video to a Xbox 360 once I decide the time is right for Vista. I already have a nice 1650x1080 monitor and a mouse, keyboard, speakers etc.

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard - OEM
2 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200KS SATA-II 16MB Cache [Going to be run in RAID 0]
Samsung SH-W183 18x18 DVD±RW Serial ATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black
Antec TruePower Trio 650W PSU
Noctua NF-S12 800RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin
Noctua NF-R8 80mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin


Does anything there stand out as a bad choice? Any better choices in a similar price bracket?

Is that soundcard worthwhile? I remember onboard sound -used- to be awful... Has anything changed there? Will I see a difference in gaming performance between that and the onboard sound? The PC will be hooked up to a mid-range 2 channel stereo system. The media centre stuff will -only- be piping files to other rooms where dedicated AV gear does all of the work, so no need for a fancy card for that.

I've heard the stock fans on the PC-7 can be pretty loud, hence those Noctuas. Worth the extra few quid?

Any advice will be -hugely- appreciated... I've tried to do my research but things have moved on so far since I last specced a machine it's terrifying!
 
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You might get a Corsair or Seasonic PSU, but there isn't a lot in it tbh - Antec are good. You probably don't need a separate sound card, and get a Tuniq Tower, Scythe Ninja or Noctua to cool that CPU.

Switch to Seagate HDs to quieten that system down.

Otherwise pretty good. :cool:
 
As above.

Drop the soundcard, get a Scythe Ninja, Seagate/Samsung drives, Corsair PSU.

Looking very nice.
 
Thanks for the comments!

I'll drop the soundcard for now and put the money into a nice CPU cooler. Looking at the frankly -insane- overclocks people have been getting out of the C2D and DS3 I was tempted even before you guys suggested it.

Might switch over to the Akasa Eclipse to give myself a bit more breathing room, too, as all those extra drive bays are tempting.

I've gone over to Seagate drives. Since I'll constantly be running two at once the noise reduction is worth a couple more quid!

Had picked the Antec PSU purely because of good experiences with the original Sonata back in the day. I'll look at switching it for a Corsair one, then!

Cheers!
 
The Corsairs are by far the best on the market atm. Also, check out the Antec P180 case as well as the Akasa. Really really nice, quiet, and bloody HUGE.
 
Looks like a great spec that. Stick with the Antec, I have a Trio 550W and its superb. There is absolutely no reason to change it to a Corsair. Tuniq Tower or Noctua NH-U12F for a decent CPU cooler. I would recommend the Noctua though.
 
masslac said:
The Corsairs are by far the best on the market atm. Also, check out the Antec P180 case as well as the Akasa. Really really nice, quiet, and bloody HUGE.
Click to expand...
That was one of the cases on my shortlist, but the more I look at the Eclipse the more I fall in love with the thing. It's a big ugly beast, that's for sure, but it manages to make that endearing! The fact that it breaks down to practically just the chassis really sold it.

mishima said:
Looks like a great spec that. Stick with the Antec, I have a Trio 550W and its superb. There is absolutely no reason to change it to a Corsair. Tuniq Tower or Noctua NH-U12F for a decent CPU cooler. I would recommend the Noctua though.
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I think I will stick with the Antec. A million people could tell me to go for the Corsair, but my old Sonata I that's been chugging away faultlessly 24/7 since release has given me a soft spot for Antec. The price is right, too.

I'm drawn toward the Tuniq Tower myself, if only because it comes with it's own fan controller that will (hopefully!) fit the front PCI of the Eclipse. Being able to go from 'hurricane mode' to whisper quiet fairly easily appeals.


Unless there are any more tweaks to be made it's looking like the final spec will be:
Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
Tuniq Tower 120 CPU Cooler
Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Samsung SH-W183 18x18 DVD±RW Serial ATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
Akasa Eclipse 62 Aluminium Case - No PSU
Antec TruePower Trio 650W PSU
2 x Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan - 3 Pin
Click to expand...
Big thanks to everyone who's offered advice. It's good to know I've not specced myself a complete turkey. Thanks fellas.
 
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