The 14th BDay Build

[gvblake22]

The Seasonic power supplies are very quiet. But in all honesty, I don't think I've tested a power supply that wasn't nearly silent...

As for your build advice, could pin down a budget for us?

[jabagawee]

$1500.

I could convince my dad that the monitor's just another TV in my room for my SNES or something. XD So take the monitor outta my budget.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by jabagawee

$1500.

I could convince my dad that the monitor's just another TV in my room for my SNES or something. XD So take the monitor outta my budget.

Cool, I'll see what I can piece together on Newegg for ya!

BTW, I have that 24" Gateway LCD and it is very nice!

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

The system you spec'd out was very good. Just change the video card company to eVGA.

For a cheaper PSU, take a look at Fortron (the products priced in the $60+, trust me).

[gvblake22]

Ok, what do you think about this...

Hardware

• Intel E6420 Core 2 Duo processor ~$189
• GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) motherboard ~$100
• G-Skill 2x1GB DDR2-800 CAS 4 RAM ~$95
• EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB video card ~$350
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB hard drive ~$70
• SeaSonic M12 SS-500HM 500 watt PSU ~$130
• Antec P182 case ~$170
• SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner (Model SH-S183L) ~$39

Peripherals

• Logitech G15 Keyboard ~$72
• Logitech G5 Mouse ~$46

Cooling and Accessories (because there was an emphasis on quiet operation)

• ZALMAN ZM-MFC1 Fan Controller ~$30
• Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme CPU cooler ~$65
• Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm fan for CPU cooler ~$15
• Thermalright HR-03 Plus VGA Cooler ~$55
• ZALMAN ZM-OP1 80mmx15mm cooling fan (for HR-03) ~$9

______________________
Subtotal ~$1439
Shipping ~$49
______________________
TOTAL ~ $1489
($1459 after $30 mail in rebate on 8800GTS)

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I chose the Samsung burner because I have two of them (one the SATA model and the other a PATA model) and they are amazingly quiet. I have also had a brief conversation with someone who owned both the Lite-On drive as well as the Samsung drive (both SATA) and they agreed the Samsung was much quieter. You could also save more money by going with a more modest keyboard if you wanted.

[jabagawee]

All these fans....How do you install them all and where?

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by jabagawee

All these fans....How do you install them all and where?

I guess it depends on which fan you are talking about. The two I listed above attach directly to the heatsinks. The P182 should come with case fans already installed. Then you can connect them all to that Zalman Fan Controller I also posted above and you can manually adjust the speed of each fan individually to suit your preference of noise level and cooling performance. It's really quite simple, just post up in here if you have any problems getting it all set up and we'll be more than happy to help talk you through your build! :wavey: