First time mATX would like some direction

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Dreaz

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
1,656
Hey, I've read some of the stickies and threads around here and compiled myself a SFF system.

Here's my situation. I go to school in Alaska and will be for the next 3 years or so. I'm a grad student and like to do some light gaming in my spare time. I enjoy games like Unreal, Counter strike, TF2, Battlefield, WoW, and dabble in a few other whathaveyous. I don't need all eye candy just smooth frames at 10x7 and 12x10 resolutions.

I'm looking for a light system to be able to carry in my luggage to and from Alaska and my hometown Chicago. I'm going light so I don't have to pay for shipping everytime I go home or come back.

I'm also looking for something on the cheap side, and I'm not afraid to overclock. That's why I've chosen the specific board and CPU. I wont get much, but I should be able to get 2,4ghz with 1:1 with this setup.

Couple questions.
The case alright? I'm unfamiliar with mATX cases.
Should I go AMD or would it become a heat issue?
Anything in general you might add?


Here is the wishlist:
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...ishListNumber=6372172&WishListTitle=MicroComp

and here are the parts if the link doesnt work:

APEVIA X-QPACK-NW-AL/420 Black/Silver Aluminum MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811144160

BIOSTAR I945G-M7 V2.X LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813138040

MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E OC GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814127286

Intel Dual-Core E2140 Allendale
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819116037

Transcend JETRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820208283

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148230

LITE-ON 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106079


I also don't ever plan to get Vista; therefore, no DX9 (for this system at least). If there's a faster older gen card that will play games in DX9 faster than the 8600 overclocked, please feel free to suggest it as long as its around the same price or cheaper. Also needs to fit in tthe case too =p

I think the setup is alright, but who knows. I also debated dropping 10 bucks and getting the E2160 for a 9 multi and then a possible 2,7ghz overclock. 300mhz worth it? I'm unsure. I dont even know it'll be able to reach that high on stock cooler, so might be a waste.

I know the DDR2 800 seems a waste on this board, but it's really cheap and comparable to DDR2-667 prices. Do you have any other suggestions for that price range and perhaps have better timings?

Ideally, I want to keep the system to no more than 600 dollars. I'm flexible for a bit more if there's reason enough.

Thanks,
Greg
 
The x1950GT is a much much faster card than the 8600GT in DX9 games and it's only $3 more:
Sapphire 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB PCI-E Video Card - $113

Also, if you do go with that Apevia case, ditch the PSU. It's a piece of shit PSU. I recommend getting this PSU:
XCLIO Goodpower 500W PSU - $50

Though it you want more quality in your PSU, I recommend this one as well since it's made by Enhance, a PSU maker known for making good PSUs:
XCLIO Stablepower 500W PSU - $70

Also, you can get the E2160 for only $5 more:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 CPU - $80

Also, ditch the IDE drive. You can get an SATA DVD burner for the same price:
Samsung SH-203B 20X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $32

Also you may also want to check out this case as well:
Ultra Microfly mATX Case - $75

As for the mobo, I recommend getting a G33 chipset mobo. It'll be compatible with Intel's new CPUs and I think it'll provide a much better OCing capability.

Also, if you're planning to OC, get a new HSF. Then again Alaska is pretty cold so that might work for you :)
 
If you want to OC I'd reccomend the P5K-VM or the DS2R for Intel chips. I favor the P5K-VM personally but thats just me. It doesnt have RAID but it does have a 1:1 divider.
 
Thanks for the help!

I'm gonna go take a look at all these suggestions and see where it leads.

I was hoping to get it all from one site to save on shipping since it'll all be shipped to alaska, but at first look that Microfly looks damn sexy.

I'll be back with a revision later to test the waters with.

Thanks again.
-Greg
 
Alright, I think I'm gonna go with the Asus board
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131187

and the 1950 Radeon. Also switched up for the SATA drive from samsung.

I considered the 2160 from that other site but after shipping it cost just as much as the newegg 2160 with shipping, so I just went 2160 from newegg.

I did think about aftermarket cooling. I'm gonna hold off on that for the time being for 2 reasons:
http://www.bigbruin.com/2006/imageview.php?item=microfly&file=pic83.jpg

doesn't look like they'll be much clearance after everything is installed; therefore, I'm going to wait till after all my stuff is in and then measure out the clearance.

And also, I live in Alaska =) I think I'll be able to work out cracking a window or something to that effect to decrease the ambient air temperature to cool the system.


Oh, and I'm gonna go for that Ultra Fly case with the 500W PSU recommended. I figured if anything, the PSU could be an investment to a future rig even if this rig wont pull nearly all that juice.
 
It literally takes 5 minutes to modify the hard-drive support rail so either an AC7 Pro or an AC74 Freezer Pro will fit. All you need is a simple hacksaw. It will cut through the aluminum like butter. You don't have to remove the whole side rail, just the inner portion where the oval cutout is.
 
That's it. I built my buddy a mATX gaming rig with that heat sink on the Gigabyte board and a Core2Duo and it fits just fine when you cut the rail support. That's the best bang for the buck heat sink you can buy.
 
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