EDIT: MUST PURCHASE IN 30 MINUTES. EXTREMELY URGENT.

[xthekidx]

go for the 690 case plus the PCP&C PSU, it will be better quality.

Don't get seagate drives, stick with the WD FALS

That cooler is good, This one is just about the same performance wise and cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Don't get that ram, you are paying too much for it. Look at these modules, same price and much better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

Unless you live close to a Microcenter store, you can't get that processor, its available for instore pickup only .

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Uh, yeah...there's a reason I said "(If you put in the KS store, only items in stock are returned when you search, but it isn't a querystring, so I can't link to it)".

Since I've never built a computer, my friend is going to help me. He's the one that lives near the KS store, and he just happens to be coming to visit this weekend. So, he's going to pick up whatever parts I tell him, and bring them up. If I need to order anything for the main build online, it won't be here Friday, in time for a Saturday build. I'm not sure when the next time this opportunity will present itself - so it would be completely fabulous for everything needed to actually get the build going to come from MicroCenter.

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Ok, I have to place this order tomorrow and I'm still not feeling locked in. I'm kind of starting to freak out. >_>

$70 - Cooler Master RC 690 Mid-Tower
$72 - PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$230 (MC) - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Is there a card that I can save money on but that would still be good? That MicroCenter sells at a good price?

$250 (MC) - ASUS P6T X58 1366 ATX Motherboard (NON-DELUXE) Is this something I can swap out for cheaper without losing quality?

$96 (MC) HIS IceQ Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 PCIe 2.0 Graphics Card I'm thinking the DDR3 card is the better option here? Plus, it is the 4670 over the 4650?
OR
$95 (MC) Diamond Multimedia Viper Radeon HD 4650 1024MB GDDR2 PCIe Graphics Card
OR
$96 (MC) Visiontek Radeon HD 4650 512MB GDDR2 PCIe Graphics Card

$30 (MC) Xigmatek 120mm 3-Heat Pipe Universal CPU Cooler

$10 (MC) Arctic Silver Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Silver Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound - 3.5 gram tube

It is so hard for me to avoid the Barracuda's. They are so cheap! $90 for the 1TB and $110 for the 1.5TB. Why am I avoiding the Barracudas?
$140 (MC) Caviar Black 1TB 7,200RPM Serial ATA-300 Hard Drive
I will probably do something like 120gb partition for the OS? I don't know if I should create a 3rd partition for the the swap file.

$170 (NE) OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory: Price includes overnight shipping.
OR
$164 (MC) XMS3 6GB DDR3-1600 (PC-12800) CL9 DIMM Memory Kit (Three 2GB Memory Modules)
*Really looking for opinions here. I guess I missed these at MicroCenter when I was looking earlier, or they just got more stock in. I see the timings are different - is that something I'd notice?

Really hoping to get some feedback on this. All responses appreciated.

 

[Akebono 98]

No need to freak out... it's a piece of cake.

Case: You wanted a quiet case, get the Antec P182 if the Sileo 500 is not available.

PSU: +1 on the Silencer 500. I myself would prefer the Silencer 610 for more margin, or the red Silencer 750 from Newegg because it's the better deal.

CPU: i7 920 is the correct one, I don't understand your comment in bold.

Mobo: Stick with P6T non-deluxe at this stage, though I would still prefer the Deluxe V2 (which is available at NCIXUS.com)

Video Card: Definitely get the HIS IceQ 4670--it has better dual slot cooling.

Cooler: I would prefer the Mugen 2 over the Xigmatek--frostytech be damned. The Xigmatek was originally designed for LGA 775.

Thermal Paste: Use MX-2 for simplicity. Arctic Silver 5 may give you a problem if you're inexperienced. Since you need to buy from Microcenter, just be careful and remember: less is more, don't let it squirt out all over the place. If you can substitute, I believe that OCZ Freeze (a comparable to MX-2) is available at Microcenter, which I would prefer over Arctic Silver 5 in this particular case.

HDD: Avoid the Barracudas because they could give you a gigantic headache, especially for a WORK rig. They are cheap for a reason; don't say we didn't warn you. The 1TB Caviar Black that you linked is the correct drive--the part number is different because it is the retail version. Buy 1 Caviar Black for now and just build your rig with that. Once it's up and running, then plug in your old drives as DATA drives and consolidate your data onto your new drive and use the old ones as backup drives.

Partitioning: On the 1TB drive, here's an *ultra-conservative* partitioning scheme:

C: 15GB for OS
D: 10GB for Swap File
E: 50GB for apps (or whatever more you need)
F: remainder for data


RAM: Definitely OCZ Platinum for sure over the Corsairs you linked. Those particular Corsairs are lame. I see that my favorite Mushkins are out of stock again at Newegg.


Just a general point to finish off. I realize that your friend is coming up to help you this weekend. However, this is a serious long-term work rig--you shouldn't rush these. It's a much bigger headache if you get it wrong.

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

The reviews on the P182 and Sileo 500 make me nervous. And they don't necessarily say they are quiet. Are you speaking from personal experience?

There was not meant to be a comment on the i7, it was meant for the mobo.

What is the reasoning behind the Barracuda hate? The pressure to get one is mainly from my friend getting stuff from MicroCenter for me.

Sigh, now I'm just all jumbled up. I'll have to do some NewEgg pricing in a bit when I have more time. I mean, this ultimately is just going to be my home pc that I don't game on. It shouldn't be difficult.

 

[xthekidx]

The hate on barracuda is because their current firmware is a failure waiting to happen. those drives fail all the time, more than any other drive. WD is the most reliable and the fastest drives on the market which is why we recommend them so highly. If you HDD fails, you lose everything and many people would argue its the most important part of your system, and definitely not something to go cheap on.

As far as the mobo goes, I wouldn't go any cheaper than that one you have, you end up sacrificing features if you do. You could go for the Gigabyte x58 UD3R, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[xthekidx]

The P182 is a quality built case and one of the quieter ones out there. No Case is going to be sound proof, but if you want to make your PC as quiet as possible you can buy noise dampening foam to go on the inside walls of the case which helps. The NZXT Hush case comes with this and is very quiet, but it may be smaller than you want, some of the larger heatsinks have trouble fitting inside of it.

Foam:
http://www.acousticpc.com/damptek.html

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

I am now leaning towards the Antec P182. My only concern is that it doesn't have the eSATA port. I was thinking about getting the RocketFish external closure (it is also a media card reader iirc) and using that to copy stuff from old hard drives and then using it for regular external backups. Is it possible/cheap to use one of the external drive bays for this?

MicroCenter does have an open box Antec P182 that says "missing everything". Do people recommend this?

PCP&C 750w red from NewEgg is good - $90 after a mail-in rebate.

I'm going to stick with the non-deluxe p6t I think. I don't need 2 lan connections, I may not use raid, and I don't know if I'll overclock.

Since it looks like I can still save money with overnight shipping on a few select items from NewEgg, should I go with POWERCOLOR AX4670 1GBK3-P Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ($65) or MSI R4670-2D1G/D3 Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ($74)? The PowerColor one has S-Video out and is cheaper?

Ok, back to the Mugen2 for $50.

OCZ Technology Freeze Extreme Thermal Conductivity Compound 3 grams for $7 based on your suggestion.

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK $150 from NewEgg.



So, what I'm looking at now is this:

MICRO CENTER:
$120 - Antec P182
$230 - i7 920
$250 - Asus P6T Non-Deluxe
$50 - Scythe Mugen 2
$175 - Vista Ultimate 64-bit OEM
$80 - Microsoft Office 2007 Pro
TOTAL: $905

NEWEGG:
$130 - WD1TB Caviar Black (FALS)
$110 - PCP&C 750w (red)
$7 - Arctic Cooling MX-2
$150 - OCZ Platinum 6gb DDR3 1600
$89 - POWERCOLOR AX4670 1GBK3-P Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card Supported Video Card
$50 - overnight shipping
TOTAL: $535-$20-$20

LATER: $530 (Monitor, TV Tuner, Keyboard/Mouse, DVD Burner, Printer/Scanner, Copier)

GRAND TOTAL: $1970-$40 = $1930

NEWEGG SAYS ORDER BY NOON PST FOR A NOMINAL FEE FOR SAME DAY SHIPPING, BUT NOT GUARANTEED. WHAT IS THE FEE? CAN I COUNT ON THIS?

 

[xthekidx]

Don't get the Open Box case.

No idea what the fee is, but just go to checkout and see what your grand total comes to before you hit the submit button

 

[Proximon]

As I recall it's ten bucks. It's for rush processing, you still pay the standard amount for rush shipping.

 

[Akebono 98]

Great advice from xthekidx above, and hope your order went in smoothly.

If you finalize the build that you last spec'd, you will be very happy.

In case you didn't think that the P182 case was quiet enough, you could ask the folks at silentpcreview.com: link.

If you want to have an e-SATA port on a non-e-SATA case, then you can always buy a bracket that mounts an e-SATA port on one of the expansion slot openings on the back of your case, like this one: link. This bracket has a cable that attaches to one of the SATA connectors on the mobo. Presto--instant e-SATA. The only drawback is that the port is on the back and not the front. I don't believe that the P6T mobo comes with this bracket, unfortunately.

Don't ever buy an open box product that is "missing everything". Maybe the case itself is missing too... :lol:

I'd have gone with the Powercolor video card as well--in addition to your two points mentioned, it's also got a bigger cooler too.

Good luck with your build this weekend and hope that it all comes together well for you.

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Thanks for your reply. I was kinda freaking out this afternoon in case you didn't notice.

Yeah, I read a couple different articles on the SPCR site this morning - that was what sent me to the P182 decision.

According to the specs, the P6T has "eSATA = 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s". I didn't even think of looking at that. So really, this along with this, would be perfect?

Yeah, not getting the open box case.

I did end up going with the PowerColor card.

I can't wait to have it up and running.

 

[Akebono 98]

I'm not always able to access the forums during the daytime, unfortunately (I'm a bus driver )--and xthekidx and Proximon did a great job during the interim.

Yes, regarding the drive enclosure & SATA cable. You'll have to decide which of your old drives to put in the enclosure.

Actually, you're right and I missed this earlier but the mobo itself has an e-SATA port on the rear I/O panel, so you don't even need that bracket that I suggested earlier. Just plug the drive cable into the rear port.

Good luck.

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Wow, the installation instructions for the Mugen 2 are kinda sketchy. Just need to get that figure out and it will be time to hit the power switch.

 

[Akebono 98]

You'll notice that the i7 chip is slightly rectangular, so the heatsink can only go on in one way (look at the base of the heatsink--it's rectangular too). However, you can mount the fan on any one of the four sides, as you wish.

The Antec P182 case has both top and rear fans, so it doesn't really matter which way you mount the fan, but just put the heatsink fan on either the side where the RAM is, or where the video card is (not the sides where the case fans are). The fan blows INTO the heatsink.

In case you wanted to know the i7 processor core alignment, have a look at this reference from Arctic Silver and note the note at the bottom right corner: link.

Since you're using MX-2 with a non-direct touch heatsink, it doesn't matter too much which method of thermal paste application you use--take your pick. "One grain of uncooked rice in the middle" is probably good enough.

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

The build mostly went well. Getting the power supply in was quite a challenge. I didn't realize that the cooler fan involved screwing things from under the motherboard - we left that until last. Oops. Unplugging everything from the motherboard to do it again was fun.

A few problems installing Vista have come up. At first, the Vista installer told me that my primary drive might fail soon and I should install Vista on another drive. Rebooted to go into bios, and a S.M.A.R.T. error came up saying the primary drive was bad and to backup and replace. Oof. Searched that, found out the bios was set to see the SATA as IDE, and that I should change it to raid even though I'm not running in raid. Did that, rebooted. No S.M.A.R.T. error, and Vista didn't warn me about a failing hard drive. The setup ran through quickly, rebooted itself, and is now hanging on "Completing Installation". It's been there for about an hour. Oof. Guess it is back to searching.

I think I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[xthekidx]

Lets see some pictures!!

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Not until I have it fully running!

 

[WantsToUpgrade]

Alright, I've got everything up with default BIOS settings (except for setting the SATA drives as AHCI (I think?) per the problems above. ASUS Probe II says both my CPU and MB are running at 36C. This seems on the high side to me, but perhaps I'm thinking wrong?

For someone whose BIOS modifications are summed up by setting the system clock and the boot priority and wouldn't know where to begin, can anyone recommend a guide for optimizing BIOS settings? I'm guessing there isn't, but I can hope, can't I?

 

[xthekidx]

The i7 runs hot, 36C is acceptable temperature.

 

[Akebono 98]

After you set the system clock and boot priority, optimizing your BIOS settings is called "overclocking" :lol:

Regarding your HDD, since you are not using your new Caviar Black drive in RAID or in a server, it is acceptable to set the "Configure SATA as" option in BIOS to "IDE". But you can't change it once everything is installed and setup.

Try using this tool to test your HDD for problems: WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic.

The mobo utility might not be the best temperature reader. Try:

HW Monitor

Real Temp

If you feel that you have a temperature problem, remember that you are using the P182 case, which is not in the same league as the HAF 932. And since you mentioned an installation wrinkle with your heatsink, go back and double-check your installation (thermal paste OK, heatsink mounted firmly, no loose bolts, etc.)


I'd love to see pics too!