Suggestions, help?

[Lokan]

Hi,

I currently have two rigs, very similar in parts, both of which need some new parts. Namely, I want new cases for these machines and I want them to be able to handle all the parts and still remain relatively cool.

I currently have:

AMD Athlon XP 1800+
Epox 8K7A (pretty positive of model number, been about a year since I bought it. KT266a DDR support)
512 (going to 1024) DDR Ram (266mhz)
GeForce 4 Ti4600
Lite-on 40x burner
Samsung 52x CD Rom
NetGear FA310 NIC
Audigy 2 SoundBlaster
Floppah drive (3.5)
1 40 gig WD HD
1 15 gig WD HD

Ok, so there's the low down.

I'm now looking for a case with a 400w Power supply which is housed in a "Designer" case. My fiancee wants her computer to "look and run cool".

I currently run w/o a side on my case because if I put it on the temp goes to about 55~60 celcius and w/o it the hottest it goes is 45. Any case which keeps it near 50ish would be sufficient. Not to sure of the cost but would like to keep it as low as possible and under $200. Also, I'm very into "bang for the buck" type deals

Any sites which coudl be recommended would be greatly appreciated. Ohhhh, also, if you could recommend a fan that is cool AND quiet for the Athlon 1800 XP chip I would greatly appreciate that as well!!

Thanks again and hope to see the responses soon.

 

[ChrisADuffy]

400w Antec at Newegg

Chenming with windows and colors@Newegg

My favorite@Newegg.

Chieftecs@Newegg

There are lots of very nice choices at Newegg. Also check Directron but I side with Newegg at this time.

 

[Lokan]

Thanks! Some of these look very nice and I've had nothing but good experiences w/ Newegg.

Any recommendations for case fans that are quiet for the red chenming that you mentioned? I'm considering that particular one after reviewing what they had (like the red w/ tan drive look).

Also, and recommendation for a quiet yet cool CPU fan for my Athlon XP chip?

 

[mechBgon]

Get five of these NMB dual-ball ultra-quiet fans for $11 (yes, $11 for five fans) and as many adapters as you'll need to power them all, and you're set. Not ultra-powerful fans, but that chassis is equipped with free-breathing vents and will not need crazy cooling setups. I would get a good-quality PSU, maybe an Antec TruePower 380 or 430 to help future-proof it a bit. Look where we've gone with computers in the last 3 years...

 

[mechBgon]

Alternately, if they come back in stock (it's up and down) there is a good buy on the Antec SLK3700AMB here. $49 for the case, a 120mm rear exhaust fan and a full-on dual-fan Antec SL350 power supply. You can add an additional 120mm fan up front. Considering the PSU alone sells for $45 to $50, that seems like a good deal. Last time it was OOS, it came back within about a week.

 

[Lokan]

Nice deal for some quiet case fans, thanks!

Now all I need is for the case to be in stock and a fan for the CPUs.. thanks again and please keep the suggestions coming!!

 

[mechBgon]

The Thermalright SK-7 is priced well at svc too, I bought one recently. I wouldn't suggest the NMB fan for that position unless you don't plan to overclock AND don't mind the CPU getting a bit hot. If the Panaflo L1A's come back into stock at svc, that would be one place where you'd be better off with the L1A for sure. I tested my SK-7 with the NMB, the L1A and also the YS Tech adjustable-rpm 80mm, which is what I'm using at the moment.

 

[Lokan]

After testing all three, how were the results? Overall case noise? Individual CPU fan noise? Acceptable? I'm using a Volcano 7cu+ (or close to it) which runs, if I'm remembering correctly, at around 7~10k rpms. The problem is that it's noisy as all hell because of that, which is why I'm looking for a fan to keep the CPU cool yet be quiet. Thanks for all your help too.

 

[mechBgon]

Results

My 1600+ was not letting me get away with my 1.4@1.75GHz overclock using the NMB, and in the long run it didn't prove stable using even the L1A. I think my CPU might be getting slightly weak, so at this point I've backed down to stock voltage and stock clockspeed, and cranked the YS Tech adjustable fan down to a pretty quiet noise level.

The lowest speed on the YS Tech is really low, so that could be a hidden danger. 10cfm isn't much airflow...

 

[Lokan]

Is there a site where I can purchase a quiet fan and sink which is all set and ready to attach to a CPU? My current sink+fan came pre assembled. What it appears that you're showing me is a fan and sink (the fan, ys tech, sink thermalright), am I wrong on this?

If the only way to get quiet fans for my CPU is to assemble them, then It will be my first time doing so (not that I mind, just always weary of trying to do what's been done already for me).

Thanks again, and I appreciate the results thread, has really helped me out.

 

[Lokan]

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=35-110-007-07.JPG/35-110-007-08.JPG/35-110-007-06.JPG

VANTEC AeroFlow VA4-C7040. For AMD socket A 462 and Intel 370/FC-PGA/FC-PGA2. Retail.

Was wondering if you have any experiences with this fan? From the reviews I read it seems to be quiet and efficient, plus simple to assemble. Newegg is out until the 22nd but that's not too bad. It's even fairly inexpensive and maintenence free (no adjusting the speed, etc).