Suggestions for my fall upgrade (around $1k)

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flobadon

Weaksauce
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Aug 14, 2004
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Hello all, I have decided that it is time to upgrade my main rig again. Before I take the plunge, I'd like to see if there were any components in my list that might have better/cheaper alternatives. I plan on using this system mostly for encoding/decoding audio, burning CDs and DVDs, moderate gaming, folding (it'll be on 24/7), schoolwork, etc. I plan on spending about $1,000 on it, and I'm taking the plunge sometime in mid to late August.

Here are the components I already have:
1GB PC3200 Mushkin DDR RAM
NEC ND3520A CD/DVD DL Writer
Seagate 7200.8 250GB SATA HD
Sound Blaster Audigy LS
LaCie 19" CRT
Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 speakers
APC 350VA battery backup

Obviously those components require no critique -- I'm stuck with them now! Now on to the stuff I've yet to purchase:

Enclosure: Lian Li PC60b Plus here
Mainboard: DFI LANparty UT nF4 Ultra-D s939 here
Vid Card: Sapphire Radeon X800XL 256MB PCI-e x16 here
Power Supply: Antec NeoPower 480W Modular PSU here
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego (Retail) here
Optical: Plextor Premium 52x CD writer here
Heatsink: Zalman CNPS7700-ALCU here

Here is the link to the NewEgg Wishlist showing the entire thing. Total was $1,026.94 (last time I checked).

The things I am still really shaky on would be the case, video card, and the power supply. Reasons:

Case: I didn't plan on buying a new case initially, and never owned a Lian Li, and have never heard any testimony on how quiet these cases are. The computer is going in my bedroom and as I said before will be on all the time, and I am a light sleeper. Is there something quieter for less out there that isn't too flashy? I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to cases.

VidCard: I don't play games that much, and have been considering just going with a 6600GT or x700-based card to lower the price of the build.

PSU: I like the NeoPower because of its active PFC, but have heard modular power supplies can be less reliable because of the "breaks" in the wires. Was also considering the Antec TruePowerII 550W (no PFC) here

Let me know what you think. And remember, I have a month or so before I purcase, so if there is anything new coming out I should be waiting for, lemme know!

Thanks for any help in advance! :cool:
 
Yes, it looks good, although if you don't play games too often then a 6600GT would be good if you wanted to lower the price a bit. Usually ~$150.
 
You may also will want to see how the prices for 6800GT's will change with the 7 series comming out and all.
 
I'm weighing the differences between these two cards at the moment:

BFGTech 6600GT - $212

Sapphire X800XL - $289

It looks like the biggest sacrifices I'd be making moving to a 6600GT would be a downgrade to 128bit memory versus 256bit, eight versus sixteen pixel pipelines, and perhaps some other stuff I'm not seeing. Benchmarks show the 6600GT playing most modern games at comfortable framerates, but my primary concern right now is getting the most performance I can afford right now so I don't have to upgrade anytime soon. Since I am still within budget, I think I will be sticking with the X800XL.
 
flobadon said:
:
BFGTech 6600GT - $212

Sapphire X800XL - $289
Click to expand...

Either go with a BFG 6800GT or go with the X800XL IMO

And to save money, get a 3200+ Venice, paired with that DFI mobo you have choosen you can OC that thing nicely...The only thing you will lose switching from a 3700+ San Diego to a 3200+ Venice (besides the Ghz :rolleyes: ) is the 1MB of cache which like I've said before isn't a big deal IMO....You should be able to OC it to 3700+ speeds no prob, if not higher......Just seems like the smarter move to me, plus OCing is tons of fun :D and get an Thermalright XP-90 heatsink instead of the Zalman....Enjoy that Lian-Li case bro, those cases are fuckin awesome as hell....Also let me know how that Antec NeoPower Modular PSU works out for yea, I've been eyeing that thing for awhile now but cant really find any good feed back on it.....Good luck with your build bro :D
 
The PC-60bplus is not a bad case at all. However, it does have four case fans and if you're really adverse to the noise, you may want to grab a fan controller for them. But if you're looking for another lian-li, don't look too much into the non-plus pc-60s or pc-61 as the 120mm front intake fan is replaced by two smaller (louder) fans.

As for PSU's, you really can't go wrong with an Antec, but I really like the PC P&C models, especially the Silencer sets.

And I agree with the poster above, I'd downgrade the cpu to a 3000+, 3200+ or 3500+ and just overclock the thing. You can save a whole bunch of cash and still end up with the same speeds.

Edit: spend the few extra dollars to get the cu version of the zalman, it's that much better.
 
Excellent input guys. I will be reading up a little more on the Venice core CPUs, as well as the Thermalright HS and the Cu version of the Zalman tonight. I will definitely be overclocking, so buying a slower processor does not bother me at all. I am also now eyeing the PCP&C Silencer 470 as an alternative to the NeoPower.

As for the Lian Li PC60 Plus, that is indeed why I selected it over the non-plus versions. I had a case with four 80mm fans and it drove me crazy.

Thanks again!
 
Another suggestion for the case could be to replace the 2 80mm fans with vantec stealths or something of the like. And another heatsink (not widely available in the US, only from tigerdirect) is the Titan Vanessa L or S type.

The PC P&C Silencer is what I've got though I can't really say how well it's running since I'm still waiting on my video card :(
 
If I had to upgrade, I would go dual core for some reason...
 
Hmm, wouldn't an X2 help for all that encoding type thing? A 4200+ might be worth your money. If not I'd get a 3200+.

I would get a XP-90 over any Zalman. With an XP-90 you can use a controller to change the fan speed. And you can pick your fan.

6600GTs are more like $150. You can get a X800XL.. never mind. There used to be a X800XL (Or was it xt? Probably not) on monarchcomputer.com for $250. I just searched there and couldn't find it. I'd get the 6600GT over a X800XL for $300

I wouldn't get the PC P&C as they tend to be expensive. Look at a Seasonic S12 500. $120-130 and VERY quiet. INSANE tolerancing too.
 
Given that I do a lot of encoding/decoding of music files in FLAC and MP3 format as well as burn DVDs/CDs, a dual core processor would be nice. I'm waiting to see what the word is on the new low-end X2 that is allegedly being released in August. I sadly cannot afford the 4400+ I'd like to get. :( We will see what happens.

I think I'm going to buy the Thermalright XP90 - anybody have any fan suggestions? Obviously the more air it moves the better, but it also has to be as quiet as possible. I was kind of looking at the Thermaltake SilentCat 90mm fan, which is allegedly a pretty quiet fan, something like 52cfm/21dbA, not too shabby.

I'm also liking the Lian Li V1000B now. It's quite a bit more than the PC60 Plus, but I'm really liking the fact that it separates the drives and PSU from the rest of the components.

The PCP&C Silencer series aren't really too terribly expensive. The TurboCool 510 is around $180 to $200, but the silencers are usually $100 or less. Trinistand -- once you get your vidcard let me know how you like your Silencer.

Thanks again, guys.
 
After some thinking and reading some reviews, it looks like I'm going to go with a Venice core CPU, probably a 3200+. The extra L2 cache just doesn't seem worth the ~10% boost at almost double the price. It will hold me over quite nicely until I absolutely must have a dual core rig in a year or so. I also compromised on the vid card and went with an X800 versus the X800XL, which will still be more than enough given the fact that I play computer games only occasionally.

Here is the new list of things to order:

Chassis - Lian-Li PC-V1000B (here)
Motherboard - DFI LANparty UT nF4 Ultra-D (here)
Power Supply - Antec NeoPower 480 (here)
Heatsink - Thermalright XP-90 (here) + Thermaltake SilentCat 9cm fan (here)
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice (here)
Graphics - Powercolor Radeon X800 256MB PCI-e (here)
Optical Plextor Premium CD Writer (here)
 
Still haven't received my video card yet (darn EPP). But in terms of controlling your fan speeds, the Zalman can do that as well (the 7700cu comes with a controller and I already purchased a 4-fan controller for the case as well). But the main thing I worry about is if the fan fails on the Zalman as it seems the whole unit would need to be replaced.
 
noooooooo. Don't get a TT fan! They misreport their decibel rating. Go with a panaflo.

Just search newegg for "panaflo 92" and pick either the mid-level 12v M1A or the high-speed one (should be 38mm think or so, as opposed to the 25mm M1A).

other than that, good choices!
 
Hmm, interesting. I suppose I should trust my better judgement when it comes to buying Tt products. I've never really been happy with their stuff.

I'll look into Panaflo fans. I have a few, but no 92mm fans, all 80mm L1As IIRC.

I'm selling some of my old equipment to my sister when she goes off to college, so I will have some more money in my budget. I think I will end up buying a BBA X800XT and adding on a Western Digital Raptor to the build. I also think I am now opting to use the Antec p180 as an enclosure since it's slightly cheaper and among other things I like the drive mounting system it offers better than the Lian-Li. Oh yeah, and downgrading to an A64 3000+ for now. I'd like the dual core or SanDiego now, but I can wait a while.

Also, I went ahead and put in an order for a Seasonic S12 500W PSU and the Thermalright XP90. They will be here tomorrow. There will be some sleeving to be done to the PSU as well.

Does anybody have any comments on Akasa Paxmate or similar sound matting? Does it make a huge difference?
 
"Also, I went ahead and put in an order for a Seasonic S12 500W PSU and the Thermalright XP90. They will be here tomorrow. There will be some sleeving to be done to the PSU as well"

sweeeet. Great choices there.

Also glad that you are getting a 3000+, that's what I'm getting. Vid upgrade AND a raptor, nice :). Be sure to get the 74gb raptor as the 36gb ones are much slower than the 74.

I think the 92mm panaflo will be about double the Tt. But we are only talking about $7 here, so no reason to shortchange yourself, eh?
 
An excellent looking list. If you want a nice minimalist case, the Antec P160 is pretty nice, as is the Antec Super Lanboy. I bought the latter not long ago, even though I'm not planning on taking the computer to any LAN parties anytime soon, and I'm incredibly happy with it. I can actually hear the optical drive spinning and hard drive clicking now! (Mind you, I had a 60mm Delta fan previously, so that has a lot to do with it.) When I'm in bed--about 10 feet from the computer--I can barely tell that it's on.

Of course, a Lian-Li is a great case too. But if you're looking to move money around to maximize your investment, a cheaper case might be a sound decision.
 
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