[cyberspacegenie]

I'm planning to build a new system (this will be the first time). I'm based in Tokyo, where it gets hot and humid in the summer. Currently the parts parts I'm looking at:

Case: Antec P150
MoBO: P5B Deluxe or p5B
RAM: Corsair Twin2x2048-6400 (XMS2)
HDD: Samsung HD321KJ (SATA)
Video: Asus EN8500GT Silent HTD/256M (Passive)
Processor: Core 2 Duo E6600
DVD Drive: Asus DRW-1814BLT (SATA)

I'm trying to build a quiet system but I'm on a budget. The system is mainly for design stuff (photoshop, quark), office functions, music and to a limited extent games.

I know corsair comes highly recommended but I have come across a couple of alternatives that work out significantly cheaper.

PQI ddr2-800 1gb cl5 240pin (QD2800-1GB) x 2
Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 Dual Channel Kit (PC2-6400/1GB x 2)

Has anyone any experience with these. Someone said to me that PQI has got some very good reviews, but I haven't managed to find any. Is it any good?

Also I'm trying to decide between the P5B and P5B Deluxe motherboards. I heard that the cooling, RAID, and sound on the P5B deluxe is better. And also it has firewire, which is useful for me but not essential. I'm not planning a RAID set-up at the mo, but not sure about the future. I have no plans to overclock, as I"m not a big gamer so I'm not sure how much benefit there is for me doing this - any advice in that respect is also appreciated.

Many thanks.

[Wolfeymole]

Hello Cyberspace

Welcome to TCF

Alex, our resident Technical expert should be online before long if you would care to bear with us for a short while.

[alex]

Case: Antec P150 - Superb choice, not least because you've gone for a passive heatsink on the gpu. The P150 has a good airflow setup.
MoBO: P5B Deluxe or p5B - Either, the P5B-E has less bells and whistles. See my comments below.
RAM: Corsair Twin2x2048-6400 (XMS2) - Good choice of ram, but I'd only recommend 4gb if using Vista, even then 2GB will suffice considering your stated usage as the applications you quote are more dependent on a good cpu than ram bandwidth. CL4 or CL5?
HDD: Samsung HD321KJ (SATA) - Decent hdd, 166gb/platter, decent access times.
Video: Asus EN8500GT Silent HTD/256M (Passive) - As a non gamer, an 8*** series gpu is the way to go due to its compatability with DX10 but just don't expect decent frame rates at anything above 1280x1024 OR with any level of detail. What games software would you be playing using this card?
Processor: Core 2 Duo E6600 - Good choice.
DVD Drive: Asus DRW-1814BLT (SATA) - Good choice.

I'm trying to build a quiet system but I'm on a budget. The system is mainly for design stuff (photoshop, quark), office functions, music and to a limited extent games.

I know corsair comes highly recommended but I have come across a couple of alternatives that work out significantly cheaper.

PQI ddr2-800 1gb cl5 240pin (QD2800-1GB) x 2
Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 Dual Channel Kit (PC2-6400/1GB x 2)

Has anyone any experience with these. Someone said to me that PQI has got some very good reviews, but I haven't managed to find any. Is it any good? - Having not had any personal experience of PQI ram I can only suggest to go by the reviews, and if it's also significantly cheaper, then to purchase. One assurance you can take away with you though (upon reading up on the PQI website) is that any ram dimm's purchased come with a (limited- misuse,abuse etc not covered) lifetime warranty. Something not all ram manufacturers offer.

Also I'm trying to decide between the P5B and P5B Deluxe motherboards. I heard that the cooling, RAID, and sound on the P5B deluxe is better. And also it has firewire (correct, but so does the standard P5B), which is useful for me but not essential. I'm not planning a RAID set-up at the mo, but not sure about the future. I have no plans to overclock, as I"m not a big gamer so I'm not sure how much benefit there is for me doing this - any advice in that respect is also appreciated. - I wouldn't recommend raid 0 (stripe), if thats the way you're thinking of going, because if one drive fails then you've lost everything on both. Raid 1 (mirror) is a good idea as its an automatic backup. But you could always purchase an external for backup's. You've also got windows built in backup features and unless you get a catastrophic drive failure that's all you'll really need.

Regardless of what i've said above the P5B-E differs from the deluxe (I'm assuming you mean the wi-fi version of the deluxe) in that it doesn't have all that copper/heatpipe VRM cooling. It does still have the same P965 Northbridge and ICH8R Southbridge as the Deluxe.

You don't get the 8 phase power circuitry, (but so what), no wifi. But there is a Raid controller on the board. There's a gigabit Lan port, 8-channel HD audio (with optical and S/PDIF outputs). The back panel has analogue audio outputs as well as Firewire and 4 USB2 ports.

You've obviously put a lot of thought into this spec Cyber, so well done firstly. My only concern, since you quoted gaming as one aspect, is the gpu. I'd strongly suggest a better card, especially since Vista needs more resources across the system, gpu included, to function. I'd even hazard the 8500 will struggle with Vista's Aero feature.

As you havn't quoted an OS i'm assuming Vista is the one you're going for.

[XCalibre]

I see that the P5B Deluxe is optimized for Kingston® HyperX® PC2-8500 modules. I don't know how much they are but I would recommend you go that route is their in your budget. Performance would be great improved at that clock speeds. It's also configured for ATI's crossfire. ATI's new HD2900 range (Radeon HD2900XT) is less pricey than NVIDIA plus their cards deliver equal performance (not matching the 8800GTX) but will be more than sufficient for your uses.

[alex]

Originally Posted by XCalibre

I see that the P5B Deluxe is optimized for Kingston® HyperX® PC2-8500 modules. I don't know how much they are but I would recommend you go that route is their in your budget. Performance would be great improved at that clock speeds. It's also configured for ATI's crossfire. ATI's new HD2900 range (Radeon HD2900XT) is less pricey than NVIDIA plus their cards deliver equal performance (not matching the 8800GTX) but will be more than sufficient for your uses.

Fair points all X, but Kingston HyperX 8500 is tremendously expensive, even for 8500 ram. I believe 2x 1GB dimms will set you back around £330. Considering Cyber stated a 'tight budget' I'm not so sure he would want this ram. Also, for the spec'd usage, 1066mhz ram is overkill to be frank.

I've heard (and read) a lot of rumours that ATI's 29** series gpu's are already suffering (in this context) from stock shortages. Still, as with any rumour, any foundation of fact may not be forthcoming.

[cyberspacegenie]

Thanks Alex and Xcalibre for the comments - very much appreciated. Just a couple more considerations. I forgot to mention that I currently live in Tokyo so in summer there is an issue with heat and humidity (the pc is in a room without aircon).

Cooling is therefore an issue. As such I was considering the P5B Deluxe because of the better cooling - is it worth the difference? I haven't seen the P5B-E here, only the P5B-E Plus and to be there is not much difference in price between this and the P5B Deluxe. After further consideration I think its unlikely I will use Raid as I have an external LaCie D2 drive that I use for only backup, so perhaps it makes Raid a little redundant for me.

In terms of O/S unless I get a deal on Vista I'll most likely continue using XP pro for now and maybe upgrade at a later stage.

Regarding temp again - is it worth changing the Heat sink fan that comes with the E6600 processor? Both in terms of temperature and noise. If so any recommendations here. I was looking at the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.

In of GPU I don't think I'll be doing much in terms of game play for the next 6 months anyway as I'll be trying to set-up a new business (hence lots of design and web work). Games I tend to play things like Warcraft and even than not so often. Can you recommend a good passively cooled gpu that wont break the bank?

I think I may go for the PQI Ram as it is about one third cheaper than the Corsair on special offer. In terms of RAM maybe I wrote it down wrong but my intention was 2GB. The PQI is CL5. Not sure about the Corsair - what does CL4/CL5 mean? Like I said this is my first time!

In terms of HDD I have seagate Barracuda 7200.10 at the mo, but i`m selling the old cpu (Shuttle SN41G, Athlon XP 2600) so wont be keeping this (I upgraded to this drive about 6 months ago). I heard that the Samsung is quieter and runs cooler than the seagate so thats why I decided to make a change.

Overall is there anything else that I should be aware of/consider overall as a first time builder?

Finally is the NeoHe 430 PSU ok for this set-up or is it better to get the Antec Solo and a more powerful PSU? One of the reasons I chose the P150 was because of the included PSU. Thanks in advance.

[alex]

Thanks Alex and Xcalibre for the comments - very much appreciated. Just a couple more considerations. I forgot to mention that I currently live in Tokyo so in summer there is an issue with heat and humidity (the pc is in a room without aircon). I wouldnt worry at all about cooling, especially considering the case you're going to purchase. Core2's are good to work at 60c. I would (as you've said below) not use the stock hsf (heatsink/fan) that comes with the cpu. The AC Freezer 7 is an awesome hsf, especially considering the price. It's the one I use and the one i recommend to anyone looking for a hsf. It also runs rather quiet even at 2000rpm and over. Lastly, it's also very light, one of the few 3rd party hsf's that don't exceed the weight limit for motherboards.

Cooling is therefore an issue. As such I was considering the P5B Deluxe because of the better cooling - is it worth the difference? I haven't seen the P5B-E here, only the P5B-E Plus and to be there is not much difference in price between this and the P5B Deluxe. After further consideration I think its unlikely I will use Raid as I have an external LaCie D2 drive that I use for only backup, so perhaps it makes Raid a little redundant for me.

In terms of O/S unless I get a deal on Vista I'll most likely continue using XP pro for now and maybe upgrade at a later stage.

Regarding temp again - is it worth changing the Heat sink fan that comes with the E6600 processor? Both in terms of temperature and noise. If so any recommendations here. I was looking at the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. See above.

In of GPU I don't think I'll be doing much in terms of game play for the next 6 months anyway as I'll be trying to set-up a new business (hence lots of design and web work). Games I tend to play things like Warcraft and even than not so often. Can you recommend a good passively cooled gpu that wont break the bank? As you've stated you'll more than likely be going vista, i'd recommend a DX10 card (to save an upgrade later on) Why not go 8600? not much more expensive than the 8500, but twice the shaders. It shouldn't break the bank. The hsf on the card is also rather quiet, i wouldn't think it would be any louder than the cpu hsf (or the case fans). So no need to go passive because don't forget your system will only be as quiet (keeping it simple) as the quietest fan. If you do want a passive gpu, personally, i don't know of any DX10 cards (maybe someone else does) that are passively cooled. But for a DX9 card that's passively cooled, i'd be looking at Gigabyte's 7600gt, I know this to run at 52c at peak, which ain't half bad.

I think I may go for the PQI Ram as it is about one third cheaper than the Corsair on special offer. In terms of RAM maybe I wrote it down wrong but my intention was 2GB. The PQI is CL5. Not sure about the Corsair - what does CL4/CL5 mean? Like I said this is my first time! the term 'CL' refers to the latency of the ram. Simply put this is the number of clock cycles before the ram will send more data. So CL5 means that the ram has to wait 5 clock cycles, and CL4 means 4 clock cycles.

In terms of HDD I have seagate Barracuda 7200.10 at the mo, but i`m selling the old cpu (Shuttle SN41G, Athlon XP 2600) so wont be keeping this (I upgraded to this drive about 6 months ago). I heard that the Samsung is quieter and runs cooler than the seagate so thats why I decided to make a change. Samsungs are generally quick drives, but like you say, are more known for being quiet and running cool. I have one myself. Highly recommended.

Overall is there anything else that I should be aware of/consider overall as a first time builder?

Finally is the NeoHe 430 PSU ok for this set-up or is it better to get the Antec Solo and a more powerful PSU? One of the reasons I chose the P150 was because of the included PSU. Thanks in advance. Bottom line: The psu is the most important component (How many times have i said that now Wolfie?) in a pc. If it was my money? Bin the psu, its generic so probably won't be very efficient, will run loud and isn't modular (meaning you'll probably have a load of cables that you're not using to tidy away). I'd look at Enermax's Liberty 400w or (preferably) 500w. Awesome psu.

[mcbee]

Cyber I totally agree with Alex on the AC Freezer7. I replaced the stock hsf on my E6600 with the AC Freezer7 and the CPU temperature dropped by almost 10 degrees. It runs at less than1000rpm nearly all the time.

[cyberspacegenie]

Originally Posted by alex

Finally is the NeoHe 430 PSU ok for this set-up or is it better to get the Antec Solo and a more powerful PSU? One of the reasons I chose the P150 was because of the included PSU. Thanks in advance. Bottom line: The psu is the most important component (How many times have i said that now Wolfie?) in a pc. If it was my money? Bin the psu, its generic so probably won't be very efficient, will run loud and isn't modular (meaning you'll probably have a load of cables that you're not using to tidy away). I'd look at Enermax's Liberty 400w or (preferably) 500w. Awesome psu.

Were you talking about PSUs in general or specifically about the NeoHE 430? As far I understand the NeoHE 430 is modular, quiet and quite efficient - did I get that wrong?

[alex]

Erm.....oops. :(

There's me looking at the wrong psu.

Apologies Cyber.

Nope, Antec's are generally decent psu's. Stick with it and save some money in the process.