LancerChronics on 19/5/2009 at 19:38
Okay here's what I've got so far:
-Phenom II X3 2.8 GHz
-Geforce GTX 285 1GB (ZOTAC)
-Coolermaster RC-690
-PCP&C 750 Watt Silencer
-Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P Motherboard (same as yours)
-WD Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB Hard drive
-Kingston Hyper-X T1 Series 4GB (same as yours)
-SilenX (#IXP-76-18) 120mm case fan (7 of them)
-SilenX (#IXP-52-11) 80mmx15mm case fan (1 of them)
Current Price Tag: $1088
My reasoning behind the WD Caviar black is that I do not plan on using RAID..probably ever. Single versions of the Barracuda you mentioned have many reviews of them being loud and making clicky noises. Since your using RAID 0, which increases performance, yours might not be running hard enough to do that anymore. So to be safe, I went with the WD.
Concerns: The SilenX 120mm fans I selected seem great, but they have a depth of 38mm rather than 25mm. Will this cause issues in the case? I plan on placing them in all slots except the one behind the motherboard, where the 80x15mm will go. I couldn't find the Xilencers on Newegg.
Please let me know if I am wrong about anything, or maybe misinterpreted something.
Now, I just need the disc drives, monitor, mouse, and keyboard. I don't think I'll need any extra cables.
bikerdude on 19/5/2009 at 20:25
Quote Posted by LancerChronics
-SilenX fans
My reasoning behind the WD Caviar black is that I do not plan on using RAID..probably ever.
Dont bother with the SilenX fans, they are over priced crap. The Xilence fans are quieter, and a 1/3 the price. Here is a link to place to buy in the US - (
http://www.overclock.net/watercoolingshop/301738-xilence-red-wing-120mm-fans.html)
I drive my ST3320613AS barracuda drives hard all the time - For example under a full defrag they are barley audible and even after 8hrs of operation they are barely luke warm. And something else thats cool about these drives, they are 2/3 the height of a 3.5" drive, which aids in cooling. Get 3 of them like I have and your system will fly,
Trust me on this, you will, thank me later.
If your gonna install Vista, Raid is much eaiser to setup, or Vista may even support the raid chip out of the box - like mine did. Also if you gonna have lots of storage have you thought about backup, or do you already have somthing in place..
LancerChronics on 19/5/2009 at 22:28
The difficulty of installing RAID is unknown to me, as I plan on actually purchasing the computer on or near the Windows 7 release. (Though if it's there's no defined date by August, I may as well get Vista.)
It is a shame the Xilence fans aren't on newegg, and the link in your link doesn't work for me. Maybe when I get back to civilization and have fast internet again... I will keep the 80mmx15mm Silenx fan, since Xilencer doesn't make one that thin, unless you know of another good brand.
bikerdude on 20/5/2009 at 10:45
Quote Posted by LancerChronics
* The difficulty of installing RAID is unknown to me,
* I plan on actually purchasing the computer on or near the Windows 7 release. (Though if it's there's no defined date by August, I may as well get Vista.)
* It is a shame the Xilence fans aren't on newegg, and the link in your link doesn't work for me. Maybe when I get back to civilization and have fast internet again...
* I will keep the 80mmx15mm Silenx fan, since Xilencer doesn't make one that thin, unless you know of another good brand
.
* Raid is the way to go untill SoldState drives become the norm, in terms of speed.
* Im sure its been stated that if anyone buy vista just before w7 launch, they will able to get a free/cheap upgrade to w7.
* Here is a link to Xilence's website - (
http://www.xilence-power.com/)
* Yes they do (its on a cooler, but Im sure you can buy the fan on its own) - (
http://www.xilence-lab.de/News-Details.22+M5e484c8d625.0.html?&L=1)
Hmm On Xilence's website 'NewEgg' are listed as one of their dealers, it might be worth dropping them an email (which I will do also)
.
LancerChronics on 20/5/2009 at 16:33
Shot them off an email. I wish they had the LED's in Purple or Green though.
Okay, so I'll fold on the RAID, but I have no clue what I'll need to make it work.
Searching brought up this:
Quote:
I'm running 4 x 320 Gb seagate in a RAID5 configuration.
They are housed in a Coolermaster 4-in-3 slot caddy, which includes a 120mm fan in front forcing air onto and past the drives (means you can fit 4 drives in a 3 bays) - the drives are fairly close together (obviously) but with the fan blowing on them, they are hardly even warm to touch.
Not sure on the benefit of RAID 5, I read a bit about them and it sounds like I'd be better off with 3 in RAID -0-, or 4 in RAID -10-(though I'd be left with only 640GB, rather than 960, still its 8 times more than I currently have).
So I guess I'll need a caddy, and an extra fan sounds like a good idea too....
Doing RAID will sap whatever extra I had in my $1200 budget, but I'll still have the $300 from my 1500 budget. So, not too bad.
Also, I read something about a "controller" and I suppose I'll probably need extra cables too.
As far as backup goes, I rarely keep anything on my computer that is important enough. Games can be reinstalled, Music Redownloaded. Pictures are kept on CD (to use up all my old 700mb CD-Ws) or Flash drive. All this considered, plus the extra hassle makes it seem pointless.
bikerdude on 20/5/2009 at 17:58
Quote Posted by LancerChronics
* Okay, so I'll fold on the RAID, but I have no clue what I'll need to make it work.
* Not sure on the benefit of RAID 5, I read a bit about them and it sounds like I'd be better off with 3 in RAID -0-, or 4 in RAID -10
* Doing RAID will sap whatever extra I had in my $1200 budget, but I'll still have the $300 from my 1500 budget. So, not too bad.
* Also, I read something about a "controller" and I suppose I'll probably need extra cables too.
* As far as backup goes, I rarely keep anything on my computer that is important enough. All this considered, plus the extra hassle makes it seem pointless.
* Setting up raid is easy, either get a computer mate to help or drop me a call and i`ll talk you through it.
* just use raid 0 (raid 5 & 10 are for redundency, we want outright speed)
* Dont get the Xilence fans for now the, just see how you get on with the fans that come with the case.
* You wont need a HDD cage/caddy, the CoolerMaster already hase one...!!! and the mobo will come with enough Sata cables for the HDD's.
* For backup you can re-use your old HDD, just install it in one of the spare HDD bays :D (I dont know why i didnt think of this earlier) :sweat:
LancerChronics on 21/5/2009 at 02:21
sounds, good, but i may just get the Xilence fans anyway. They don't cost that much. Hmm, this computer is shaping up to point where it may actually last a while.
My "backup" hard drive is in my laptop, and i plan to keep that whole for flights between Colorado and Florida (you know, when visiting the folks). I'll just keep the important stuff on my laptop for now.
Now to finish earning the money...
