Help with new pc I hope to get soon

[Knuckles 904]

Hopefully my car accident lawsuit will reach it's conclusion soon and I'll receive a settlement within the next few months. Been a long time coming-accident was Feb '05. So I plan on splurging big time on a new pc and I have several questions I hope everyone can help me out with. Remember I'm not that savvy around pc's so try to respond in a way that I'll understand (in other words dumb it down as much as you can lol)

 

The rig will be purposely built for gaming. And want it to be top of the line or close to it with it easily being upgradeable.

 

k...so here are all my questions (for now)

 

1) Other than quad/dual core and processor speed...what is the biggest factor when determining what motherboard to get?

 

2) Is there really any difference between ATI and Nvidia or is it more just personal preference?

 

3) I've seen some rigs for sale with 8 gig and even 12 gig RAM...Will I really be able to use all that RAM or will there be limitations like XP (XP only can use 3 or 3.5gig right?) ?

 

4) Is liquid cooling a lot better than air cooling and is it worth it?

 

5) On HDD's is there a noticeable difference b/t 7200 and 10,000 RPM's ?

 

7) Is it more important to have more RAM with average latency (think that is what it's called) or average RAM with low latency?

 

8)I've seen some 'gaming ethernet cards' around...as I'm concerned with lag playing on-line games...will these really help (kind of important since this card would occupy a pci slot)

 

9)I'm assuming whatever OS I decide on won't really affect my gaming on-line...am I right on this?

 

10) Does SLI or Crossfire dramatically improve gaming or would I be fine with just one high end GFX card ?

 

11) Is it really that hard to build your own system from scratch? I'm worried about driver issues and loading OS and other random incompatibilities. Also I kind of like PC manufacturer's warranties. Just worried I might be over my head building my own rig.

 

12) Any things I should watch out for? Like I heard phyx cards aren't worth it and any manufacturer's with bad support or products that fail often?

 

13) Or should I just go to Alienware and by the best rig I can afford

[Silearth 6]

I won't be able to answer many of your questions; I was at my peak in the days of VLB vs PCI.

 

I can tell you that building your own system is easy enough but can turn into the biggest nightmare. There are parts that should work together but won't do to some problem or another. Back in the day, many BIOS updates would 'Fix problems with Western Digital <insert model number here> Back in the day, Seagate drives were complete and utter garbage.

 

What I always do is pick what I want and then start reading reviews, both professional and user. I google specific motherboards to find articles like "Jetway HAO7-ultra blue screen after installing....."

 

Research is the key. But also take into account your frustration level. If you are the type that will throw drives across the room(I have) or break something if the comp doesn't work then you may want to buy a system.

 

I've built several boxes in my day and I have yet to have one work perfectly on the first try.

[stubbie 21]

Here goes:

First off, remember this......what ever you get today will not be as good as what you can get tomorrow.

Take a deep breath and just get what looks good at the moment.

 

Disclaimer; the following is just my own personal opinion and I do not profess to know anything about computers

 

1) Other than quad/dual core and processor speed...what is the biggest factor when determining what motherboard to get?

Just make sure its a well respected brand and that all your bits and pieces are compatible with it.

 

2) Is there really any difference between ATI and Nvidia or is it more just personal preference?

There is a lot of personal preference out there. Basically both cards are equally good. Some games do work better on one brand than the other but the differences are minimal.

The drivers can make all the difference.

 

3) I've seen some rigs for sale with 8 gig and even 12 gig RAM...Will I really be able to use all that RAM or will there be limitations like XP (XP only can use 3 or 3.5gig right?) ?

64 bit OS will recognise more than the 3gig limitation of 32 bit systems. More RAM is actually good these days as many games are utilising it. I would get 8gig as its very cheap atm.

 

4) Is liquid cooling a lot better than air cooling and is it worth it?

If you intend to overclock then it might be worth looking at. Otherwise I think its overkill. A well designed gaming case with a couple of high quality fans will be fine.

 

5) On HDD's is there a noticeable difference b/t 7200 and 10,000 RPM's

No......not in regards to gaming. The CPU, GPU and RAM have much more influence on gaming performance.

 

6) wheres six? I'm sure there should be a 6 here......lets see....counting fingers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, yep.....there's a 6th finger.

 

7) Is it more important to have more RAM with average latency (think that is what it's called) or average RAM with low latency?

Low latency is supposed to be faster but in practice I haven't noticed it.

In my previous pc I had normal latency RAM. I exchanged it for some low latency RAM and according to some benchmarking I did there was no benefit to be had.

Get a well known brand (I recommend Corsair). Like I said though, RAM is dirt cheap atm. Just get what your budget can afford.

Make sure you can run the RAM in dual channel...there is a big improvement in that.

 

8)I've seen some 'gaming ethernet cards' around...as I'm concerned with lag playing on-line games...will these really help (kind of important since this card would occupy a pci slot)

Don't know anything about these. But I would think that any lag issue is more due to your ISP and the game servers rather than your internet card.

 

9)I'm assuming whatever OS I decide on won't really affect my gaming on-line...am I right on this?

Wrong. The OS is very important and will greatly affect your gaming experience.

What matters here is the driver support. My personal opinion is that XP is still the best platform for gaming due to its vast driver support. However its biggest drawback is that it doesn't support DirectX 10

 

10) Does SLI or Crossfire dramatically improve gaming or would I be fine with just one high end GFX card ?

From what I have seen it greatly depends on the game. Some games (such as Sacred 2) simply don't work better with SLI or Crossfire. I think its a coding thing.

I would suggest you get one of the latest high end graphic cards (go for one with 1gig of RAM) and just have the option on the motherboard to go either SLI or Crossfire if you later want to.

 

11) Is it really that hard to build your own system from scratch? I'm worried about driver issues and loading OS and other random incompatibilities. Also I kind of like PC manufacturer's warranties. Just worried I might be over my head building my own rig.

I have built my last two pc's and its a lot easier than you may think.

BUT

don't attempt it unless you are 100% sure on the compatibility of all your hardware. Do a lot of google research and it helps if you have a mate close by that knows computers.

Murphys law is expecially relevant when it comes to building computers.

 

12) Any things I should watch out for? Like I heard phyx cards aren't worth it and any manufacturer's with bad support or products that fail often?

There are a million things to watch out for. Especially for dummies like me.

For instance did you know that the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio card is not really an X-Fi but a revamped older technology Audigy card?

Its little things like that that can catch you out.

one other thing.......get the best PSU you can afford. It is often overlooked but it is a very important (if not the most important) component in a pc.

Make sure you have enough wattage and good amps on the 12Volt rail. Very important for the latest graphic cards.

 

13) Or should I just go to Alienware and by the best rig I can afford

That's probably the best and less stressful option

 

I now return you to your current program and will let the more knowledgeable folks reply.

Edited March 7, 2009 by stubbie

[gial 2]

I'll only tackle the ones I can answer with reasonable accuracy:

 

1. I chose my motherboard for the "northbridge" chipset. That is the memory bus interface, and usually includes the on board graphics. I wanted an nVidia set, and AMD, so selected accordingly. Other considerations were also ram and ram speed supported, and of course AMD v Intel. Another thing I liked about my motherboard is the space around the ram slots. Some are packed really tightly. Mine has some air space. Btw, I bought an Asus M3N-HT Deluxe with the nVidia 790a northbridge, supporting up to 8Gb ram. There is also ATX v BTX v uATX form factor consideration.

 

2. For me, I think it was a personal preference. Funny though, I strongly prefer AMD to Intel, but also nVidia to ATI, which is part of AMD now.

 

3. If you want to use more than 4 Gb of ram, you need a 64 bit OS.

 

4. I seriously doubt you'll see a difference with liquid cooling unless you overclock the system. My graphics card -- an Nvidia 9800 GT -- is easily the hottest component. CPU is rated to 60C, but stays around 42 when gaming. Graphics runs around 45 during normal use, and right on 55-60 when playing Sacred 2. Drops 5 degress in about 20 seconds when I quit.

 

6. Of course. (hehe - there is no 6)

 

7. More ram means less swapping. Saves hundreds of milliseconds. Faster ram saves a few nanoseconds.

 

8. Heard of them, don't know what they are/do.

 

9. Unless it doesn't support the game. And again, 64 vs. 32 bit could be a big issue.

 

10. SLI can make a big difference, but you can really only SLI high end cards anyway. One seems enough for me. I'm topping 60 fps (according to fraps) almost all the time with 1 9800 GT.

 

11. I was really daunted, but did not like the packages I found. It took me almost 2 days to get brave enough to power up the first time. Installing the cpu was scariest -- it is supposed to be 'zif' (zero insertion force) but I had to push harder than expected. Use an anti static setup and you should be fine if you have any technical knowledge at all. All said and done, it was a fun, learning experience. I'm normally a software guy.

 

12. Newer nVidia cards run physx with their 'cuda technology, as I understand it. There is maybe a valid application for SLI.

 

13. If you so decide. You didn't mention power supply, case nor UPS. Those should be selected carefully as well. I am convinced I have no heat because of the case setup -- many fans and teh power supply at the bottom rather than the top.

 

My setup:

Asus M3N-HT motherboard

AMD Phenom II x4 940 @ 3.0 GHz

8 Gb OCZ Reaper DDR2 1066 (PCI 8500)

Western Digital Caviar 640 Gb 7200 rpm SATA

EVGA 9800 GT w/ 512 Mb DDR3 ram

LG DVD +/-

NZXT Tempest mid tower ATX case

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 PS

CyberPower 1350AVR UPS

Vista Ultimate 64 bit

Logitech KB and mouse (pretty vanilla)

Samsung SyncMaster 214T flatscreen monitor (1600 x 1200 max)

[Schot 407]

For the motherboard I would say the number one thing to watch out for these days is DDR3 RAM Memory compatibility. DDR3 is the latest greatest thing in RAM type and it's a worthy improvement over DDR2 so I've read. Prices are much higher so you could either buy a DDR3 motherboard and put out the money right away for DDR3 or you could find a motherboard that supports both DDR2 and DDR3 like I did. My motherboard is the MSI P35 platinum Combo One other thing is if you plan to have SLI or Crossfire then you must choose which before you buy a motherboard. A mother board can be only one or the other. As far as ATI or Nvidea being the best? Ha! Good luck on that one. ^^ It depends on the time of year. They are pretty much in an eternal neck and neck race. Though in regards to Sacred 2 Nvidea has more support from the Sacred 2 Devs.

[Silearth 6]

I went back and forth over the DDR2 vs DDR3 thing. I don't know about the Intel camp but it seems that anything over DDR800 came with disclaimers in the AMD world. Something about ram running at lower speeds unless paired with the right processor.

 

If you overlook it's lack of DDR3 support, the board I chose:Jetway HA07-ultra may be worth a look. It has integrated 3300 graphics with built in DDR3 memory. Only 128 megs though. I paired that up with 512 megs of my system ram and can happily play the Crysis demo at medium settings. Also threw the demos for Devil May Cry 4 and Sacred 2 at it and they both ran great. Was also playing need for speed prostreet on this rig.

 

The board is ready for AM3 cpu's. I went with the lowly Athlon 64 X2 5000 to save a bit of cash, but I could have gone all out with the 3.0 Ghz high watt quad cores.

 

And let's not forget that it is just so cool looking. Black PCB with a big honking heat pipe wrapping around the CPU.

 

Did I mention that it has two X16 PCIe slots for some Crossfire action? Or you can put in one and go hybrid.

[Timotheus 416]

1) Other than quad/dual core and processor speed...what is the biggest factor when determining what motherboard to get?

Do you want to spend big money and get the latest of the latest? (s1366, being core-i7 ready, with DDR3) That would make a quite expensive choice though.

And the brand of your CPU of choice... Intel (s775/s1366) or AMD (AM2+/AM3), that's what affects the choices the most.

 

2) Is there really any difference between ATI and Nvidia or is it more just personal preference?

Go ATI. Best bang for your buck. But yeah, there's user pref. And take a look at point 12.

 

3) I've seen some rigs for sale with 8 gig and even 12 gig RAM...Will I really be able to use all that RAM or will there be limitations like XP (XP only can use 3 or 3.5gig right?) ?

32-bit operating systems are limited to about 3.5GB. 64-bit operating systems are not limited.

But anyway, anything above 6GB really is overkill. Unless you're like Schot and need 2 photoshops, 2 sacred sessions and fraps running.

 

4) Is liquid cooling a lot better than air cooling and is it worth it?

Better, yes. Worth it: up to you. A lot more labour-intensive though, since you need to refill, clean it, etc.

 

5) On HDD's is there a noticeable difference b/t 7200 and 10,000 RPM's ?

The diff is quite noticeable. RAID0 setups with 2 7200RPM disks can be fast as well, though. And they don't run that hot.

 

7) Is it more important to have more RAM with average latency (think that is what it's called) or average RAM with low latency?

Latency is not really that important. Go for a fair amount of ram at decent speeds.

 

8)I've seen some 'gaming ethernet cards' around...as I'm concerned with lag playing on-line games...will these really help (kind of important since this card would occupy a pci slot)

NO.

 

9)I'm assuming whatever OS I decide on won't really affect my gaming on-line...am I right on this?

Depends. Vista-only games, etc... Also, there's DX10 and DX11 to 'worry' about.

 

10) Does SLI or Crossfire dramatically improve gaming or would I be fine with just one high end GFX card ?

High end card would be it for me. The price/performance ratio of SLI/CF against a high end card usually is better in the latter case.

 

11) Is it really that hard to build your own system from scratch? I'm worried about driver issues and loading OS and other random incompatibilities. Also I kind of like PC manufacturer's warranties. Just worried I might be over my head building my own rig.

I put my current system toghether myself, not that hard. But it's quite scary the first time. If you're not comfortable doing it, just buy your parts online and let a shop put it together.

 

12) Any things I should watch out for? Like I heard phyx cards aren't worth it and any manufacturer's with bad support or products that fail often?

PhysX cards are a no go. For eyecandy in Sacred 2, you need a high-end Nvidia card (for the physX in the upcoming patch, which will only benefit Nvidia owners AFAIK).

Bad support? None, really. Just stick to well known brands and you'll be fine. Oh, avoid Seagate harddrives! There are a lot of issues with those lately.

 

13) Or should I just go to Alienware and by the best rig I can afford

No they're overpriced

 

My 2cts

[Knuckles 904]

Thx for all the responses so far, I really appreciate it Still digesting all the info.

 

That Ethernet Card I referred to can be found here http://www.killernic.com/

 

Now that I know liquid cooling has to be refilled/cleaned I've decided I'll go with Air Cooling. So I guess I need recommendations on PC case and amount of fans needed. The size of the case isn't a big consideration.

 

Also I have no idea where question #6 went lol.

 

Couple more q's

 

14) Monitor size and refresh rate. I don't really need a huge monitor-but will want one with high resolution/refresh rate. Is it worth getting a refresh higher than 60hz (thought I read the human eye cannot detect refresh rates higher than that)

 

15) I know several peeps have G15 keyboards or Nostramo (spelling?) Are they really that much better than an average keyboard?

 

16) I had a 5.1 spkr system on my old system and a 2.1 on rig I have now. I never noticed a huge difference. So I'm thinking maybe I'll go with on-board sound and save a pci-e slot. Will on-board sound present more difficulties with compatibility with games? I'm worried about not being able to upgrade at a later date. If I do go with a sound card is there another manufacturer beside Creative and how good are they?

 

17) Any other components I haven't mentioned (like power supplies) that I should know about?

 

18) If I decide to build my own. Do you have any recommendations for sites to look at like Newegg ?

Edited March 8, 2009 by Knuckles

[Timotheus 416]

Killer Gaming Nic review conclusions:

 

All in all, the Killer NIC is a must have if you’re going to build a high-end gaming rig. As far as simply adding it to boost performance, you might be better served with a faster video card or CPU, as the Killer NIC on an old Pentium 4 was no match for a high end Intel Core 2 Duo for raw frame rate. Still, it did beat out the newer computer on ping times in some games, so it might be a worthwhile investment if slashing a few milliseconds off your ping time is what you need to get the most out of your game! Not to mention it looks great, with its stylized K heatsink. Make sure you put this in a computer with a view!

 

All said and done the Killer NIC and Killer K1 have the making to be a good product if, and only if, Bigfoot Netowrks is able to get a bigger performance improvement with them. For a price tag of $180-$250 the vast majority of gamers would be better off upgrading their graphcis card, processor or adding additional memory that will help improve gaming performance by more than a couple percent here and there. If you really want to improve you ping time take the price of the $250 Killer NIC and upgrade your DSL or cable line to the next level up! The $250 Killer NIC will free up $20.83 a month for a year, which might just be enough to get a faster internet package!

 

Legit Bottom Line: The benchmarks show that the Killer NIC and Killer K1 were able to lower ping times and improve frame rates, but none of our testers could tell when the card was or wasn't installed in our test system.

 

The Bottom Line

 

The Killer NIC does exactly what it is advertised to do. It will lower your pings and very likely give you marginally better framerates in real world gaming scenarios. The Killer NIC is not for everyone as it is extremely expensive in this day and age of “free” onboard NICs. There are very likely other upgrades you can make to your computer for the same investment that will give you more in return.

 

Some gamers will see a benefit while others do not. Hardcore deathmatchers are likely to feel the Killer NIC advantages while the middle-of-the road player will not be fine tuned enough to benefit from the experience. Certainly though, the hardcore online gamer is exactly who this product is targeted at. The World of Warcarft advantages we witnessed were impressive to say the least as the Killer NIC imparted real gaming benefits and advantages. I see a lot of WoW players giving the Killer NIC a try and liking it. We suggest you make sure and research the impacts that the Killer NIC might have in your favorite games before purchasing as the Killer NIC presents clear benefits in some games, but not in others.

 

While the Killer NIC's $280 sticker price has shocked many and generated a degree of skepticism, the card can have a rather dramatic performance impact on some games. Dropping $300 to switch between one generation of graphics card and the next will generally get you a lot less than a 10% fps gain. The Killer NIC can have an even bigger impact in particular situations, which makes it a relatively reasonable investment in terms of the general cost/performance equation in high-end PC gaming.

 

All in all, the reviews all suggest that this card should only be used in really high-end systems, since a normal system would benefit far more of another CPU or GPU.

The difference in ping is there, but there are a lot more factors that are influencing gaming experience, only when those are ruled out, you should look at a gamer nic.

 

On to your other quenstions:

 

 

14) Monitor size and refresh rate. I don't really need a huge monitor-but will want one with high resolution/refresh rate. Is it worth getting a refresh higher than 60hz (thought I read the human eye cannot detect refresh rates higher than that)

60 is fine, that's mostly a minimum AFAIK. High res + low response time is far more important.

 

15) I know several peeps have G15 keyboards or Nostramo (spelling?) Are they really that much better than an average keyboard?

Depends on user experience

 

16) I had a 5.1 spkr system on my old system and a 2.1 on rig I have now. I never noticed a huge difference. So I'm thinking maybe I'll go with on-board sound and save a pci-e slot. Will on-board sound present more difficulties with compatibility with games? I'm worried about not being able to upgrade at a later date. If I do go with a sound card is there another manufacturer beside Creative and how good are they?

Auzentech. They have licensed the use of the X-Fi chip from Creative and have very good support. Also, their cards are suited for home theatre use as well. My card of choice would be the X-Fi Prelude.

 

17) Any other components I haven't mentioned (like power supplies) that I should know about?

Power supplies: I'll help you out with that one just post the parts you want and I'll find you a good PSU. It can be pretty hard to explain what you need and all.

Solid 12v rails with high amps are the way to go, not extreme wattages.

 

18) If I decide to build my own. Do you have any recommendations for sites to look at like Newegg ?

I don't know others in the US, so can't really help you there. Just so you know: you can have Newegg build the pc for you.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Timotheus

[fleet 42]

Find a local computer shop (not a big box store) and tell them you want a top-of-the-line gaming rig. They will discuss the requirements with you, give you options on the individual components, and (this is the best part) warraty and LOCAL service when something goes wrong.

Try to find a shop that has been in business for a while, and ALWAYS check with the Better Business Bureau when you are looking to spend big bucks.

Edited March 8, 2009 by fleet

[Timotheus 416]

Find a local computer shop (not a big box store) and tell them you want a top-of-the-line gaming rig. They will discuss the requirements with you, give you options on the individual components, and (this is the best part) warraty and LOCAL service when something goes wrong.

Try to find a shop that has been in business for a while, and ALWAYS check with the Better Business Bureau when you are looking to spend big bucks.

 

Though on a lot of occasions, local shops are far more expensive than webshops are. And usually webshops can have support that would be as good as a local one. Just do some research on that.

[gial 2]

18. Bought mine from Newegg. Fairly hassle free, although the first graphics card appeared to ba an open box and not new. I had to send it back anyway, so no biggie.

 

In my opinion, a local shop is going to add cost without much benefit -- the parts are all warranted by their manufacturers, so you are just potentially getting simplified (but not faster) servicing should something go wrong.

 

14. I think you want a screen refresh faster than 60Hz. All good monitirs provide that now, it will be a function of your video card capabilities what refresh you get at your deired resolution. Frankly, I don't think you can get one that slow anymore.

 

15. Never had one of either. I understand the G15 can show stats such as temp in a display. Might be nice, but not necessary.

 

17. If you are thinking of ever doing SLI/Crossfire, make sure the ps has ample power for multiple cards. Also, high end cards draw their own power -- be nice to have the right connectors built in (there are 6 and 8 pin varieties).

[stubbie 21]

15) I know several peeps have G15 keyboards or Nostramo (spelling?) Are they really that much better than an average keyboard?

 

I have the second version of the G15 and also I have the G9 mouse.

 

I find the lettering on the keys to be a bit small on the G15 for my failing eyesight.

People complained that the second version had only 6 configurable keys (though you get a total of 18 by using the "Mode" keys) but I find that to be more than enough. It also allows the keyboard to be a lot smaller.

I love the LCD display. Not for its game support but for the ability to show my CPU and RAM usage.

I don't use any of the media keys so no comment on them. The ability to turn off/on the windoze button is very nice.

This is the only gaming keyboard I have ever used but there is no way I would settle for a standard keyboard after using it. The ability to configure the keys (including making complex macros) is brilliant.

I like the design of the keyboard as well (though I do hate any of those ergonomic type twisty keyboards anyway

Coupled with the G9 mouse and you are set for any games (the G9 mouse is just brilliant)

[Knuckles 904]

again thx for the help though a few things I'm confused on

 

There is also ATX v BTX v uATX form factor consideration.

I have no idea what any of this means

 

Intel (s775/s1366) or AMD (AM2+/AM3)

I think I'm leaning toward an Nvidia gfx card-does that have any bearing on which motherboard I should get?

[Timotheus 416]

(m)ATX vs (m)BTX:

 

ATX is the standard form factor these days. A full ATX motherboard will have 7 PCIe/PCI slots. A mATX as you can see in the picture only has 4 PCIe/PCI slots.

Generally, mATX and ATX will fit in the same case, but there are smaller cases especially for mATX motherboards.

 

BTX is a form factor Dell uses in it's pc's, it's the mirrored opposite of ATX. Also, it's not standard and the supply of BTX motherboards and cases is extremely limited.

 

 

Nvidia: do you plan on going SLI? In that case you need a chipset on your motherboard that supports SLI: which would mean an Nvidia or Intel chipset.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Timotheus

[Knuckles 904]

cool that clears up my confusion on motherboards...still undecided on whether I'll go SLI or single Nvidia gfx but I'll definitely want the option to add another gfx card later if needed. Now is this chipset you're referring to not the same thing as the processor:)

[Silearth 6]

cool that clears up my confusion on motherboards...still undecided on whether I'll go SLI or single Nvidia gfx but I'll definitely want the option to add another gfx card later if needed. Now is this chipset you're referring to not the same thing as the processor:)

 

The best way I can explain it is the CPU is the brains of your computer. The chipset is what runs the motherboard, linking the CPU to the the other components.

Click

[Knuckles 904]

Been looking at mobo's and all seem to be mATX (have max 4 pci slots) The couple 'Full ATX' mobo's that I saw had 7 slots but also needed two cpu's and seem more server based. Am I safe in assuming basically most personal pc's are using mATX ? Can't see me needing more than 4 slots anyways. Read some more on cooling and definitely staying away from liquid cooling....too many horror stories out there. So I think I'll get a case with a 120mm intake fan placed low on front and 120mm outake fan placed high on rear. Seems to be the best arrangement.

 

Still think I'll need help on choosing mobo when I get closer to ordering. Couldn't make sense out of half the specs listed on them. And I'll be taking you up on the offer about selecting PSU also.

 

One of my biggest concerns is keeping all the components cool. But I also don't want 2-3 fans spinning at max speed either. I would like for it to be as quiet as possible.

[Silearth 6]

I had the same issue when looking for my motherboard. Everything seemed to be mATX. I don't know about other sites, but at newegg you can search for boards that meet certain criteria. One of the options is size.

 

Back in the old days, everything was an add-in card; serial ports, printer ports, drive controllers. With todays motherboards everything is already integrated into the board. My last computer was only using the AGP slot. My new box is not using any.

 

The only problem I can see with those tiny motherboards is that they can become quite cramped. Imagine breaking off a capacitor or something trying to install your CPU. But it really boils down to the design of the manufacturer--even some of the larger boards have unfortunate designs.

 

As for the noise volume--In my last box, I repaced the fan inside my powersuppy(stupid thing to do) with a expensive high flow model. I also put one in the case. When those bad boys were going full speed it was like a jet engine.

 

The case I'm using has a total of 4, not counting the giant blue glowing fan in the PSU. It's actually not that loud.

 

You can buy noise dampening sheets for the inside of the case. Not sure how well they work, though.

Edited March 9, 2009 by Silearth

[gial 2]

My case has 6 case fans - 2 intake on the front, 2 exhaust on the top, another exhaust on the back and another intake on the side. Plus the cpu fan and the power supply fan. It is a lot quiter than my old box. The power supply in that was obnoxiously loud.

 

Bigger, slower fans are much quieter. And the cpu (intel v amd) will determine which motherboard you decide upon. They are not picn-compatible with each other.

[Silearth 6]

My case has 6 case fans - 2 intake on the front, 2 exhaust on the top, another exhaust on the back and another intake on the side. Plus the cpu fan and the power supply fan. It is a lot quiter than my old box. The power supply in that was obnoxiously loud.

 

Bigger, slower fans are much quieter. And the cpu (intel v amd) will determine which motherboard you decide upon. They are not picn-compatible with each other.

 

Which case is that? Would like to see it.

[stubbie 21]

For the pc case I have bought a Antec Nine Hundred

 

I swear by this case for both cooling and noise.

Before this case I had a Antec Sonata that I had bought because it was supposed to be quiet and it was. I used manual control for all the fans and it was pretty quiet.

But I had to increase the fans speeds at times to keep the temperatures down.

 

However the 900 beats it hands down. The beauty is the massive 200mm top mounted fan. It runs very slow and quiet but extracts the air from the top of the pc...where the heat can build up.

The standard setup comes with 2x120mm at the front and one at the back. I also fitted one to the side of the case.

So all up I have 4 fans going but I can hardly hear anything!

The fans come with a 3 speed switch and I have them all set to low. We have just gone through summer here and I never had to change from the low setting.

And an added bonus...it looks cool with all the blue lcd's

[Zinsho 0]

Stubbie, it's a lovely case however it does have one problem...

 

It's NOT fun for installing new hardware, especially hard drives. They fit in, but there's almost no space to work with in there because of the cage layout.

[stubbie 21]

It's NOT fun for installing new hardware, especially hard drives. They fit in, but there's almost no space to work with in there because of the cage layout.

 

I admit there wasn't much space but I didn't have a problem installing two hard drives in those bays.

If I was someone that wanted to change over hard drives a lot then I would find it annoying but I tend to install them and then forget about them.

 

I didn't have a problem installing other hardware including a HD4870 (which is a BIG card) as well as a separate audio card.

Trying to make all the cables tidy was a bit hard but I suspect that's the way it is with a lot of cases these days with the newer PSU's with all their cables.

At least a lot of the cables can be hidden behind the motherboard due to the 900's case design.

The only problem I really had was installing the cpu cooling fan on the motherboard but that purely a stupid mounting design by Intel.

Edited March 9, 2009 by stubbie

[Silearth 6]

I have to admit that the 900 was one of my first choices. The cost was the deciding factor for me. Just couldn't come up with the extra cash.

 

I noticed that it's now $30 off at Newegg.