New build - is this ok?

calibra

calibra

calibra

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Hi,

I'm about to build a new PC for the first time in a few years. I've done a fair amount of research but I'm still worried I may have dropped a clanger somewhere. Can you guys take a look at this and see if you think I'm using anything that may be incompatible?

I'm a developer who often has a lot of big programs open at any one time (Visual Studio, SQL Server, Photoshop). I also want a large amount of screen real estate, so much so that I'm thinking of buying 2 dell 3008wpf to give me a 5120x1600 desktop. I plan to do a bit of gaming too although I'm not a hardcore gamer...

My main requirements are (in order)...

1. Fast
2. Lots of screen space
3. Ability for good multitasking.
4. Quiet - I hate loud PC's. Also I don't really like case bling like side windows and led's
5. Lots of storage (for downloads)

So after some research this is what I have come up with...

Case
--------
Antec P183 - good price and by all accounts very decent cooling and very quiet. I've read some articles where some people have also coated the inside with acoustic material and also removed the top fan and stuffed it with acoustic material to further deaden sound. However I'm aware that this case is a bit cramped compared to gaming cases like the Antec 1200, and won't have as good airflow.

Overclocked Bundle from Overclockers
------------------------------------
1 X Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz overclocked up to 4.00GHz!
1 X Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
1 X Patriot Viper 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600MHz) Low Latency Tri-Channel
1 X Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366)
1 X Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g)

Worries : Will this cooler fit in the case? Will the case be cool enough to cope with a highly overlocked chip or do I really need to go for a gaming case?

Drives
------------
Patriot TorqX 128Mb SSD - expensive I know but fast
2 x Samsung Spinpoint 1.5TB. Quiet and large

PSU
-------------
Zalman ZM770-XT - I gather this is very quiet but should be able to cope with anything I throw at it


Graphics Card.
---------------
Sapphire HD4890 2GB Vapor-X - I gather this is the quietest HD4890 out there.

Worries : This is the bit I'm least unsure about. It seems to have a single dual-link DVI port, plus a display port AND a HDMI port. If I want to run 2 monitors at 2560x1600 will this allow me to do it? can I use the dual link DVI into one monitor and the HDMI or diplay port into another and then have a desktop running across both monitors?

Could I change the cooler on this for a quieter one if it's still too loud?

This is all going to be a significant outlay for me, so really I'm looking for confirmation that I'm not being an idiot and that the system will all hang together nicely and be fast and quiet.

Cheers

Rich
 

95thrifles

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Hi, re the case, have you looked at the p193? It's a bigger version of the 183, not sure about the cooler fitting, but you won't get much quieter without going passive, if you want quiet storage drives look at the western digital caviar greens, rest looks good
 

Tolmekian

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Build looks great, maybe look at the corsair h50 for the cooler, should be better then the noctua although the noctua is already a great piece of kit.
 

calibra

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95thrifles said:
Hi, re the case, have you looked at the p193? It's a bigger version of the 183, not sure about the cooler fitting, but you won't get much quieter without going passive, if you want quiet storage drives look at the western digital caviar greens, rest looks good
Click to expand...

Thanks all for your replies...

I was looking at the P193 originally but I think the side fan on it limits the headroom for a cooler. They've gone out of their way on the specs of a P193 to give you the headroom for a cooler (and then they say "you dont need a big cooler because the case is so cool anyway").

They don't mention cooler headroom on any other case than the P193 so I'm guessing that's because it's quite possible to select a cooler that's too big.

Thanks everyone for the tip on the gfx - I didn't realise ATI has a new series out this week. Are they going to be the new top of the range - better than the 4890?
 

spitzoid

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calibra said:
Thanks everyone for the tip on the gfx - I didn't realise ATI has a new series out this week. Are they going to be the new top of the range - better than the 4890?
Click to expand...

Yes, better.

No-one really knows the actual launch date yet. ATI are doing some sort of media-launch on the 10th but people will probably have to wait until the end of the month/beginning of Oct for the retail launch. Should know more on the 10th though so keep an ear to the ground!

I would still wait despite the uncertainty....
 
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D1ngd0ng

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I was looking at the P193 originally but I think the side fan on it limits the headroom for a cooler. They've gone out of their way on the specs of a P193 to give you the headroom for a cooler (and then they say "you dont need a big cooler because the case is so cool anyway").
Click to expand...

If you look at the pics of the 193 you will see that the side fan mount sticks out so as not to encroach on a large hsf like the noctua. I have a 1200 and cannot fit a side fan in with the noctua cooler. Something to be aware of with the vapor x coolers too is that they exhaust hot air into as well as out of the case so a side fan blowing out rather than in might be beneficial (which you would get with the 193) and 2g card is overkill as the chip isn't fast enough to take full advantage of extra memory other than that rock on. If you want quiet then buying a gpu with a water block ready installed might be the way to go
 

Temi_D

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Cant really fault the set up, are you sure the patriot is 128MB and not 128GB?:D Personally, I'd advice against the HAF because its a massive dust magnet
 

calibra

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D1ngd0ng said:
If you want quiet then buying a gpu with a water block ready installed might be the way to go
Click to expand...

Apologies for the stupid question - If I buy a graphics card with a water block ready installed, is that it? Nothing else in the case is water cooled - no radiator etc? The water block just replaces the gpu fan and therefore is silent?

Even though I'm spending a lot of money I'm avoiding a liquid cooling system because I simply don't know enough about it, and I'm sure that if I did set one up and something went wrong, it would be a nightmare to sort out.

However, if what I think you are saying is correct, then I can buy a gfx card with a water block on it, or I could buy a noisy card and replace the fan with a waterblock, and they just work standalone?

Sounds a bit too good to be true...
 

Tolmekian

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calibra said:
Apologies for the stupid question - If I buy a graphics card with a water block ready installed, is that it? Nothing else in the case is water cooled - no radiator etc? The water block just replaces the gpu fan and therefore is silent?

Even though I'm spending a lot of money I'm avoiding a liquid cooling system because I simply don't know enough about it, and I'm sure that if I did set one up and something went wrong, it would be a nightmare to sort out.

However, if what I think you are saying is correct, then I can buy a gfx card with a water block on it, or I could buy a noisy card and replace the fan with a waterblock, and they just work standalone?

Sounds a bit too good to be true...
Click to expand...

Because it is too good to be true :p You would still need a loop with a radiator, pump, tubing, etc. to cool the waterblock.
 
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