[Ashura]

Okay, planning to create a dedicated gaming box separate from my file server for weekend use. Here's what I'm thinking:



I would bring over the 5850 and 160GB drive from the file server.

I need tips on a case and HSF for this thing. Right now I have the Lian Li PC-32B sitting on top of a file cabinet next to my desk. I'd like for the gaming box to sit on top of it so a small low profile case with enough room to fit the 5850 + low profile HSF would be best, but I don't know which ones. I know I don't want anything anywhere near as big as the Lian Li. I also know that I won't be needing room for hard drives, the plan is to eventually get an SSD and I can mount both it and the Scorpio on one of these things: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/94...3c12s906#blank

Noise is definitely an issue, I can be a fanatic when it comes to silence which is why I'm getting the Nexus PSU over cheaper options. The 5850 will be getting an Accelero Twin Turbo so that's covered. There will be no overclocking on this thing so I don't need the greatest cooler for the CPU, just something that is low-profile, quiet and provides adequate cooling.

Thoughts/recommendations on the build in its entirety and the case/HSF issue?

[Bobnova]

Power supply wise, that's a lot to pay for a 430w psu, i'd get a corsair in that same price range, personally. Corsair PSUs are reputed to be very quiet, i know i can't hear mine at all. Only time i've ever heard it is when the intake fan on my case died and things started getting toasty.
Depending on how much you're wanting to OC, the HSF off a 125/140w phenom might do you just fine, they're pretty solid really.

You shouldn't need a network card unless you want to have two network ports for some reason, the board should have one built in.

As a gaming box, unless you're playing GTA4 you'll almost certainly get better performance with a high clocked dual core with L3 cache then a L3-free quad. GTA4 pretty much requires a quad however.

[Evilsizer]

this psu is just as quiet
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003
so is this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139008

what about this case, the airflow thru it is nice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146055

with this hs
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=23829
in that case, all you should need are just the case fans installed. i would still go with a larger hs for better temps. plus that is one or two less fans you need to buy.

[Ashura]

Originally Posted by Bobnova

Power supply wise, that's a lot to pay for a 430w psu, i'd get a corsair in that same price range, personally. Corsair PSUs are reputed to be very quiet, i know i can't hear mine at all. Only time i've ever heard it is when the intake fan on my case died and things started getting toasty.
Depending on how much you're wanting to OC, the HSF off a 125/140w phenom might do you just fine, they're pretty solid really.

You shouldn't need a network card unless you want to have two network ports for some reason, the board should have one built in.

As a gaming box, unless you're playing GTA4 you'll almost certainly get better performance with a high clocked dual core with L3 cache then a L3-free quad. GTA4 pretty much requires a quad however.

Thanks for the input Bobnova. To answer your points:

I had a Corsair PSU prior to getting the Nexus in my file server and the difference is night and day. While the Corsair was quiet, the Nexus is dead silent. It could be that I got a dud, but since I know both from personal experience and from the raving review over at SPCR how quiet the Nexus is, it's definitely my only choice for PSU. (like I said, I'm a bit of a silence nut ).

Getting the network card because I hear jumbo frame support sucks with Realtek NICs and I have jumbo frames enabled with both my file server and my laptop with significant increases in performance.

The stock HSF for my AMD X2 240 was maddeningly loud though, so I worry about any stock AMD heatsinks. How quiet are the 125/140W phenom HSFs?

And for the CPU point, so your suggestion is a higher clocked dual core like this one? I have no interest in GTA4.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Ashura]

Originally Posted by Evilsizer

this psu is just as quiet
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003
so is this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139008

what about this case, the airflow thru it is nice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146055

with this hs
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=23829
in that case, all you should need are just the case fans installed. i would still go with a larger hs for better temps. plus that is one or two less fans you need to buy.

Thanks!

I had that Corsair PSU and, like I mentioned earlier, it was too loud for my tastes compared to the Nexus. I should've mentioned in the OP that the PSU is the one thing I won't compromise on!

The HSF definitely looks good so I'm putting it on my list. For a case, I'm looking for something smaller if that's even possible with a large GFX card and full ATX mobo. Preferably not a tower and more like a HTPC case.

[Evilsizer]

well what about this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119195
it has been one i considered for a different setup. though i really like the Nmedia pc 5000B and the LL 32B. if you went with the CM case you would need to change the hsf. to possibly one of these three
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=24251
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=24718
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=20313

or what about going with a water kit?
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cwch50-1~7CSMC09L.htm
cant get much LP or quiet then that, imo.

[Ashura]

Okay, that case looks kind of beautiful.

I just have to take some measurements and make sure the 5850 will fit (another plus of the Nexus is that's short for a PSU). If it does, then that case and the Arctic Cooling or Nexus HSF you linked to would be perfect!

[Evilsizer]

^^ caught me editing that post...

[EarthDog]

Im surprised something is more quiet than a corsair honestly. At least enough to say its a "night and day" difference. I have a 750TX sitting next to me now, outside the case and cant hear it. I also owned 620 and 520HX and couldnt hear those, period. That aside, Im not sure who even makes Nexus PSU's. So my concern would be the quality of the PSU in the first place (even though its somehow $80 for 430W). Maybe jump up a bit in wattage on the corsair side to keep loads low and the fan lower as well as it increases with temps. Cost will be in the ballpark if you get 550VX. I do believe you are compromising in QUALITY and frankly pricing.

[Ashura]

Don't get me wrong, Corsair PSUs are great and relatively quiet compared to almost everything else on the market. That's why it was my first choice when putting together my file server. After quieting down every single other component though (this was before I put the 5850 in there), I could definitely hear the PSU above everything else to the point where it became a major distraction for me. If as close to silence as you can get is what you're after, trust me when I say there's a difference between Nexus vs the Corsair... enough of a difference to make me feel like the extra cash for the Nexus is worth it. From SPCR's review:

It is the quietest fan-cooled PSU we've yet tested, by a 2-3 decibel margin, the closest being the Enermax Modu 82+ 425W at around 13 dBA, the Seasonic M12D-850W at 14 dBA and the Antec Signature 650 at 15 dBA. At such vanishingly quiet levels, this is no mean feat.

As far as the quality of the PSU itself goes, I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about what makes a good power supply. All I can do is point you to the review and have you judge for yourself: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article922-page7.html

[EarthDog]

It wasnt a raving review per say, but not bad at all. Not terribly efficient though. Everything was within spec which it should be. Im sure it will be fine for your needs.

[Ashura]

Okay, so it seems to me that my order modifications should be:

1. Purchase this dual-core instead of the quad-core: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

2. Get this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119195

As far as the HSF: I wasn't paying attention before Evilsizer but unfortunately it turns out that all of the low profile heatsinks you linked to are only Intel compatible. Nexus has released an AMD compatible variant of the one you linked to though, version R2, but from what I gather it was only recently released and isn't widely available. But since it doesn't require a backplate, I figure I can suffer through the stock heatsink for a week or two till the Nexus is in stock wherever and then just pop that in as soon as I get it.

Looks like I'm about done. Any other thoughts or recommendations?

[chevro1et]

Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro rev2 may be an option for your cooling needs, and nice and quiet too.

[Bobnova]

I'd probably go for a thermaltake big typhoon. It's fairly short, but still cools quite well.

[chevro1et]

Originally Posted by Bobnova

I'd probably go for a thermaltake big typhoon. It's fairly short, but still cools quite well.

Not exactly known for its low levels of noise pollution, which seems to be a pretty high priority for the OP. Good cooler though.

[Bobnova]

There are two versions, a VX with a high speed noisy fan, and a normal with a slow quiet fan, can't hear mine at all.
The faster fan cools better of course, but it's supposed to be a lot noiser. I'd probably replace it with a quiet fan.

[Ashura]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I decided to pick the AC Freezer since newegg has it in stock and this way I can get everything from one place.

Also, I've made some revisions (ignore all that free junk newegg tossed in there ):



1. I've been completely satisfied with the AMD Regor 240 in my file server when it comes to the games I've played so far (Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum), and my max resolution is 1680x1050 so I don't expect it to ever hamper my gaming experience when paired with the 5850. For that reason I've picked the same CPU for this build.

2. Swapped out the mobo for the same one in my file server because a. I have no plans to overclock and don't need a decent mobo b. it's working just fine now c. since it's the same hardware, I can just pop the 160GB drive from the file server into the gaming box with no installation hassle.

That brings my total cost to ~$400 shipped. Any problems with my reductions?

EDIT: Agh, now that the mobo is Micro ATX, I have the option for smaller cases. If the measurements will fit a 5850 w/ Accelero Twin Turbo, something like this could be really nice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163112

But that brings up the issue of picking a new heatsink since there's apparently only 82mm clearance. Have to take another look at the HTPC sinks posted above.

Okay, scratch all that stuff about a smaller case. I'm going to drive myself crazy trying to adjust everything for that so I'll stick with the Cooler Master.

[jgv115]

With such a new and powerful graphics card I would go for a better CPU.

Something in the Phenom II X4 range. Maybe something like the 940/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471

You also have 4 cores with an unlocked multiplier.

JUst my opinion.

[Ashura]

What would the actual difference be in practice when it comes to gaming (aside from GTA4)? Would 3x the cost really give a worthwhile performance difference? The 240 seems to do well enough for the most part at my resolution in this review: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...X2_240/10.htmlb

Although with the X3 710 being only $40 more... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=x3%20710

[EarthDog]

It certainly doesnt yield 3x the cost for 3x the performance, but look at those same graphs and see how much better it is b/c of hte CPU, even at higher resolutions...... its up to you how much you want/can spend. Athlon is not a performance type chip.

X3 710 looks to be a winner to me as far as price and gaming performance.