Building a new pc, would you change anything?

[Kanchi]

Case: Antec SLK3000B EU
PSU: Enermax Noisetaker EG425AX-VE(G) SFMA (420W)
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Winchester
Cooler: Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu
Video: Leadtek Geforce PX6800GT-TDH PCI-E
Sound: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
Memory: Corsair 2x512MB DDR SDRAM PC3200 CL2.5 Value
HD1: WD Raptor 740GD
HD2: Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB
Diskdrive: Sony 3,5'' Diskdrive 1.44Mb Zwart
Mouse: Logitech MX510 Optical Mouse
And I already have a NEC ND3500 which I'll use as dvd player & burner

I'll be using it mainly for games & 3dsmax, photoshop, levelediting etc.
Also, I'd like it to be as quiet as possible without sacrificing power (or burning it down)
I'm not really planning to go the SLI way, but I do want PCI-E.

I considered going for 2GB ram but decided it's to expensive for now, I read something about the nforce boards only allowing 2 ramslots @ 400mhz and adding more would automatically set them back to 333mhz. Does this happen with all ram or is it possible to have 4 slots @ 400 with certain ram?

Would this setup als work with 370W? How about if I do decide to go the SLI way?

I think the case comes with one 120mm fan standard, would I need to add one or is this cool enough?

Sorry for asking so many questions at once

 

[pelikan]

Very nice set up there. Its rare than I see a config where I wouldn't change much. The only thing I would swap is an XP-120 heatsink for the Zalman- that is if you are overclocking. I prefer the Fortron Blue Storm 500W over the Enermax 420W. Its quiet and very high quality. Plus it would handle SLI with no problems.

A 370W psu might power it with one video card, but it depends on the brand. If you go SLI then I don't think so.

I would add a front 120mm fan. The stock antec fan runs about 1500 rpm so you'll want to match that.

The one issue you will have if you want silence is a loud 6800GT. For that I would get an Arctic Cooling Silencer rev. 5.

 

[Regs]

If you can wait a few weeks ASUS will bring out their A8V-E. Which is a 939 with PCI-E but no SLI. I'm guessing it would be a lot cheaper.

 

[Kanchi]

Thanks for replying!
Pelikan: I don't think I'll be doing any overclocking and the xp-120 is a bit more expensive + needs a separate fan right? Think it will be much quieter?
I don't think we get fortron's over here, at least not the one you mentioned, I picked this one since the noisetakers score pretty high on silentpcreview.com
Guess I'll add a fan then
The GT is a problem :/ I haven't really thought about getting different cooling for it but I guess it's an idea, how much difference does it make? I noticed it still has a fan.. It probably voids warranty right?

Regs: I can't really wait that long, I need it for a new project. Then again, just about everything on my list seems to be on short supply so by the time I get everything together it might be here

 

[blackinches]

the 6800gt pci-e seem to be somewhat available like at monarch zzf or even chumbo. but they do cost more than the agp versions. the motherboards are also available at zzf and newegg for the chaintech or the msi nforce4 boards non sli boards.

 

[Chosonman]

If you're looking to add another Graphics card later you should get a higher wattage PSU. Otherwise you might want to think about getting a non-SLI Nforce4 motherboard. The only advantage SLI will give you is better FPS in games and that's if you use 2 graphics cards.

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: Kanchi
Pelikan: I don't think I'll be doing any overclocking and the xp-120 is a bit more expensive + needs a separate fan right? Think it will be much quieter?

In that case the zalman will be fine.

The GT is a problem :/ I haven't really thought about getting different cooling for it but I guess it's an idea, how much difference does it make? I noticed it still has a fan.. It probably voids warranty right?

Yes it voids the warranty. You could get the card and see how it sounds. For people who like quiet computers, the 6800GT is very loud. If you want to change the cooler then you could make sure the card works well by using it for a couple of weeks, as failure is most likely early on. Then switch to the Arctic Cooling Silencer rev. 5. Its quiet.

 

[daniel49]

the audigy 2 zs..........Creative software keeps getting worse and causes more headaches then carter has pills if you can find a good alternative buy something else

 

[Kanchi]

blackinches: I'm from the Netherlands so I'm checking out local shops

Chosonman: I just checked the requirements on the asus site and it should do 2x 6800gt with 400W?

pelikan: Sounds like a plan. How much trouble would installing the new cooler be? I couldn't find anything like an installation guide and I don't have much experience with assembling. I'll probably get a local store to put the pc together, maybe ican get them to install the vga cooler too. (+I'll get warranty like that ...)

daniel49: I have to agree that Creative is often a source of headaches, but for games there doesn't realy seem to be a good alternative.

 

[Ike0069]

Just try the Onboard sound. If you don't like it, then buy a sound card.
I think my Onboard sound is just fine.

 

[yoshimbo]

The only problem I would have is the motherboard. I've had problems with the VIA chipsets in the past, so I really push for the nForce 4 chipset

 

[pelikan]

Originally posted by: Kanchi

pelikan: Sounds like a plan. How much trouble would installing the new cooler be? I couldn't find anything like an installation guide and I don't have much experience with assembling. I'll probably get a local store to put the pc together, maybe ican get them to install the vga cooler too. (+I'll get warranty like that ...)

The AC Silencer is simple to assemble, but having to apply thermal paste to the gpu core and all the ram chips is kind of a pain.

 

[Kanchi]

Ike0069: yeah or maybe I'll use the sb live 5.1 I have in this system, I don't realy know how much better the audigy is other than that it support latest eax etc. It has been a pain in this system, often the cause of crashing games etc. so I was hoping things would be sorted out by now but I guess they haven't?

yoshimbo: Err, this is a nforce4 mobo right?

pelikan: the whole do it right with thermal paste, not use to much pressure etc or it will burn your house down deal is one of the reasons I don't actualy put my systems together myself (other reasons being warranty & laziness). But it's an option worth knowing about if the noise is just to much.

 

[Streckfus]

I considered going for 2GB ram but decided it's to expensive for now, I read something about the nforce boards only allowing 2 ramslots @ 400mhz and adding more would automatically set them back to 333mhz. Does this happen with all ram or is it possible to have 4 slots @ 400 with certain ram?

I'm also getting the A8N-SLI Deluxe and I plan on getting using 2GB of Corsair Value Select RAM - 512x4 at Dual Channel.

Any word on the RAM issue? Should I be getting 2 1GB sticks instead of filling up all 4 DIMM slots?

 

[Kanchi]

*bump*

 

[Appledrop]

i'd change the mouse, if you can, get a Razer Diamondback -it is fantastic to use, so smooth, so accurate . 1600 DPI and a great feel, i recommend it highly!

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Kanchi
Building a new pc, would you change anything?

yes

 

[Kanchi]

Azzy64: I think the lights on it would piss me off after a while but maybe
Blain: Great, that's all I needed to know