Building a $1600 Rig for a friend

A

Ashton

Geek Trainee
Okay, my friend is getting a new rig and they couldn't avoid my expertise. I'm about to order all the parts, but first I'm open to comments to see what I can change. This would be for Gaming and as an All-rounder. I'm aiming for extreme reliability and very low noise level, I will not be overclocking this.

Case: Antec Three Hundred, $105 + $20 for 2x12cm fans
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Similar cooling as 900 (which I have) but much cheaper, I'm also buying an extra 2 12cm fans for $20. All cooling in this computer will silent, or close to it.
http://tinyurl.com/c3he9l

Power Supply: Coolermaster Extremepower 650W, $99
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Cheap but good power supply, I have the 550W version. Should be more than enough.
http://tinyurl.com/aaouk4

Motherboard: Asus P5Q-SE, $160
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http://tinyurl.com/cckacz

Graphics Card: Sapphire HD4850
Sapphire_Radeon_HD_4850_Kit.jpg

Decided to get a 4850.
http://tinyurl.com/cuk5o7

Processor: Core 2 Duo E7400, 2.80 GHz, $193
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No point getting the E8500 it's +$110 for another 350mhz
http://tinyurl.com/bnhshk

Operating System: Windows XP Corporate (Upgrade later to Windows 7)

Memory: Transcend 4GB DDR2-800, $50
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I thought this was a suitable amount, without having all this lack of compatibility for 64-bit.
http://tinyurl.com/as4f72

Hard Drive: Samsung 1TB SATA II 7200RPM 32MB Cache, $159
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From my experience with Hard Drives Samsung are the best and quietest.
http://tinyurl.com/cccek6

Optical Drives: 2x Liteon 20x DVD Dual Layer, $64
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Decided to get liteon drives.
http://tinyurl.com/d6ptf4

CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS7700 Copper, $47
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I own this 12cm heatsink cooler, it's freaking awesome!
http://tinyurl.com/c7sczv


Monitor: Benq T2200HD 1920x1080 21.5" 5ms 10000:1 Black, $227
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I have this monitor, and I think they'll love it aswell.
http://tinyurl.com/as5voz

Mouse + Keyboard: Microsoft Wired Desktop 500, $30
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Seems the most suitable
http://tinyurl.com/dl5f6g

Logitech S21 2.1 Speakers, $44
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Overkill Speakers aren't really required
http://tinyurl.com/alefpv

TV Tuner
I need a good Digital PCI or PCIEx1 HD tv tuner

Joystick: Logitech Attack3, $29
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Seems good because he mostly plays flight simulator X, if you've ever played it you'll know fsx is unplayable without a joystick.
http://tinyurl.com/armrh5

TV Tuner: Leadtek Winfast DTV2000S
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Well reviewed tuner
http://tinyurl.com/cwu8xq

Subtotal $1,532.95 + $57.20 Shipping
Total $1,590.15
 
If you want to have as less noise production as possible, you might need to take a look at the Sileo 500 case. This one has active sound damping by using isolating materials.
 
lol I think the joystick would be fine, the pro is $50 in aus(don't even need that many buttons!!).

Made some revisions and I'm about to order everything, I'll take heaps of photos for you guys.

I'm not aiming for overkill silence, but economical silence. The total 'silence' budget is $110 if you add up all the extra cooling parts.

As far as I'm concerned the loudest part will be the hard drive, I got the 500GB model of it and it aint very loud!
 
I've changed the graphics card to a 9800GTX+ (galaxy), it's silent at idle so i ditched the zalman cooler and saved money
 
Ashton said:
Can I get away with a lower wattage?
:: UMART ONLINE ::
Click to expand...
My thoughts on power supplies...Related to the negative effects of heat on the computer.

Manufacturers test their PSU's at a set temperature...from this their rating is determined... for most this No. is 25 degrees Celsius...which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving.

Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25 Degree Celsius testing temperature...coupled with the fact that computers tend to run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature... In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F... your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F.

So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit.

In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating at...under powered...adds more heat to the equation.

The above has not taken into account...the issue of high quality vs poor quality units...Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC. During this conversion, some power is lost as heat. The efficiency level of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with.

Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components.

The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise.

For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link.
Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum

PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W...Quality...PSU.
 
thanks... I am going to upgrade to a thermaltake toughpower 600W instead... the 12v rails are 18amps each, a total of 36amps for the 9800GTX+.
 
yeah, I decided to go with the antec earthwatts 650W, which was the best value noise level and efficiency, and it would be plenty.
 
Yay built. Haven't installed windows yet, and the TV Tuner and fans still haven't arrived.
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Yeah I've improved the cable management since this pic
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The powersupply is messy, I had no idea the motherboard was only micro atx, and I'm VERY lucky I managed to install the cpu cooler, which is about 3mm from the top fan, 5mm above the first ram module, and the 4850 seems very hot and noisier than I expected. Everything going fine so far...
 
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