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On February 02 2012 10:01 Womwomwom wrote:
Both need directed airflow to get some cooling performance. If you need directed airflow, you want a closed case to prevent noise leakage since you are using fans to direct airflow.
If you thought the P193 was quiet, then you'll definitely find the new Antec Solo II to be inaudible. Most OCD people would find the P193 to be insufferably loud.
In part I suppose my impression was because of only mounting noctua fans. But if it's insufferably loud, why recommend it? I mean, why only those two? Well, I suppose the Solo II makes sense because of the minimalism (only 1 bundled fan to remove) and noise reduction, but aren't there lots of cases for that? Reviewers main concern with Solo II was that despite not having that many features it was still quite expensive, steering into middle class with a budget case.
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On February 02 2012 05:59 skyR wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 05:54 oo_xerox wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I have 2 questions, first, im kinda dumb apparently since i didnt quite understand what you guys were explaining about PSUs, so if i buy something like this:
MICRO I5 2500K , BOARD INTEL DZ68DB , Nvidia 560ti
What should i look for in PSU?
And the other question is if its OK to stick with the intel z68 or go for 30 bucks more with an Asus one.
Thanks for the help :3 A quality ~500w unit such as a Rosewill Capstone 450. Don't know what's available to you in Cuba... Intel boards aren't made for overclocking so you want to avoid their P67 and Z68 motherboards as there are better options.
ok so i go for the Asus? the most common board here is the Z68, i mean in terms of price quality, very few are h55/h57 and most come in kits with relatively shitty CPUs
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On February 02 2012 11:11 oo_xerox wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On February 02 2012 05:59 skyR wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 05:54 oo_xerox wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I have 2 questions, first, im kinda dumb apparently since i didnt quite understand what you guys were explaining about PSUs, so if i buy something like this:
MICRO I5 2500K , BOARD INTEL DZ68DB , Nvidia 560ti
What should i look for in PSU?
And the other question is if its OK to stick with the intel z68 or go for 30 bucks more with an Asus one.
Thanks for the help :3 A quality ~500w unit such as a Rosewill Capstone 450. Don't know what's available to you in Cuba... Intel boards aren't made for overclocking so you want to avoid their P67 and Z68 motherboards as there are better options. ok so i go for the Asus? the most common board here is the Z68, i mean in terms of price quality, very few are h55/h57 and most come in kits with relatively shitty CPUs
H55 and H57 is LGA1156, they're for Lynnfield and Clarkdale so they won't work with Sandybridge which requires a LGA1155 motherboard. If ASUS is the only P67 / Z68 option available to you besides Intel than yes you should get ASUS.
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On February 02 2012 11:11 oo_xerox wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 05:59 skyR wrote:On February 02 2012 05:54 oo_xerox wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I have 2 questions, first, im kinda dumb apparently since i didnt quite understand what you guys were explaining about PSUs, so if i buy something like this:
MICRO I5 2500K , BOARD INTEL DZ68DB , Nvidia 560ti
What should i look for in PSU?
And the other question is if its OK to stick with the intel z68 or go for 30 bucks more with an Asus one.
Thanks for the help :3 A quality ~500w unit such as a Rosewill Capstone 450. Don't know what's available to you in Cuba... Intel boards aren't made for overclocking so you want to avoid their P67 and Z68 motherboards as there are better options. ok so i go for the Asus? the most common board here is the Z68, i mean in terms of price quality, very few are h55/h57 and most come in kits with relatively shitty CPUs
you probably won't need the functions of z68 (ALERT over a p67 specifically), but yeah, the asus z68 pro gen 3 is not a bad motherboard by any means and anyone here would probably recommend it. If you don't want to spend those extra bucks however, the asrock z68 pro gen 3 is a fine budget alternative too.
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5930 Posts
On February 02 2012 10:19 Shauni wrote:Show nested quote +On February 02 2012 10:01 Womwomwom wrote:
Both need directed airflow to get some cooling performance. If you need directed airflow, you want a closed case to prevent noise leakage since you are using fans to direct airflow.
If you thought the P193 was quiet, then you'll definitely find the new Antec Solo II to be inaudible. Most OCD people would find the P193 to be insufferably loud. In part I suppose my impression was because of only mounting noctua fans. But if it's insufferably loud, why recommend it? I mean, why only those two? Well, I suppose the Solo II makes sense because of the minimalism (only 1 bundled fan to remove) and noise reduction, but aren't there lots of cases for that? Reviewers main concern with Solo II was that despite not having that many features it was still quite expensive, steering into middle class with a budget case.
Because there are other cases in the Performance One series. Namely the P180/P182/P183. The P193 with stock fans are not quiet and the case isn't really suited for quiet computing due to the huge dual 140mm fan mounts and huge 200mm side fan that solely exist to leak sound out. Other silent computing cases like the NZXT H2 has serious issues with airflow and cases like the Fractal Design R3 are more suited for builds that need flexibility.
The aim of the game of quiet computing is:
- Decrease noise produced by components. This is done through slowing fans and soft mounting everything that moves.
- Ensure all noise does not have a direct route to the user. This means using side vent intakes and blocking top exhaust vents*.
- Controlling how airflow enters and leaves the case
- Using extremely thick and heavy materials to absorb internal noise.
The features the Antec Solo II has are the single best hard disk mounts in the business, 1mm thick side steel panels + polycarbonate sheets, indirect air intakes, and an exposed top PSU vent for passive PSUs. All of those are infinitely more useful features than most silent cases profess to offer. The fan on the Antec Solo II is very good anyway so there isn't much point to removing it - it even comes soft mounted for you. The case itself is quite expensive but inline with how much quiet computing cases cost.
Similarly, the Antec P183 is one of the quietest cases for very similar reasons. Indirect air intakes, extremely thick materials used for the build, and the bottom PSU compartment helps block any PSU noise from leaking to the top layer. Block the top vent*, put the computer far enough from you, and you probably won't really notice the noise even if it has tons of hard drives.
*This is also why the bottom -> top air cooling machines like those Silverstones are not fantastic for very, very quiet computing. They're fantastic for keeping high powered systems reletively quiet, which is why gamers love them, but not great for low powered systems because you will hear everything that happens in there.
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Actually it was a P183 i built, I didn't bother double-checking since I thought they were similar enough. They looked similar on the exterior but whatever.
I don't like PWM controllers that Antec usually have on their fans so I prefer to remove it...
So anyway, if I go for a Antec Solo II, what I should do is:
1. Buy 3 500 rpm slipstream 120mm fans.
2. Front intake, bottom exhaust (up), rear exhaust
With the previously mentioned passive cooling for a 2500k, 6850 and PSU, how sufficient/efficient is that? I mean, if you're going to rely on chassis fans, are those 3 slots for antec solo enough. It feels kind of primitive, like my current Sonata II.
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5930 Posts
It should be sufficent. To put it into perspective, I ran a reference HD5850 running at 27% fan speed + stock i5-750 cooled with a Noctua U12P in the Australian summer (35-40 degrees celcius)...I did this with 700RPM Noctua front and rear fans. I know quite a few people running HD5870s passively in Antec NSK3480s so I think the Antec Solo II can handle a passive HD6850.
Some of the greatest cases are very primative. Many people still use the Chieftec Dragon because they can't find anything better to replace it with.
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I don't understand? What's wrong with just buying a 2x4gb kit? Ripjaws heatspreader should clear most heatsinks and the P8P67 has 4 DIMM slots.
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On February 02 2012 17:51 skyR wrote:I don't understand? What's wrong with just buying a 2x4gb kit? Ripjaws heatspreader should clear most heatsinks and the P8P67 has 4 DIMM slots.
I guess I should have explained myself. It was late at night and I was planning on ordering a 8gb kit. Instead I purchased the 4gb kit. Which 8gb G.Skill kit should i go with? I'm not very knowledgeable with the frequency terminology regarding ram, so I don't want to mess up my motherboard.
Thanks!
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You should order a kit of the same frequency, timings, and voltage as your existing kit. If you have a 2x2gb kit rated for 1600MHz cas9 @ 1.5v than you should order a 2x4gb kit rated for 1600MHz cas9 @ 1.5v.
If you haven't opened the kit, you can just return it for a full refund. If it hasn't shipped yet than you can just call NCIX and have them cancel the order.
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On February 02 2012 17:58 skyR wrote:
You should order a kit of the same frequency, timings, and voltage as your existing kit. If you have a 2x2gb kit rated for 1600MHz cas9 @ 1.5v than you should order a 2x4gb kit rated for 1600MHz cas9 @ 1.5v.
If you haven't opened the kit, you can just return it for a full refund. If it hasn't shipped yet than you can just call NCIX and have them cancel the order.
Alright, I guess i'll just buy the extra ram. Thanks.
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Is there a significant advantage to waiting on ivy bridge for desktops? I know its main gains are graphics and power consumption (at least i think) and so I was wondering how important it would be to wait, or if it should make a significant difference (in terms of pure processing power)
Edit: I think I've read that it's around 20%? Curious if y'all consider that worth a wait
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On February 03 2012 07:54 Alryk wrote:
Is there a significant advantage to waiting on ivy bridge for desktops? I know its main gains are graphics and power consumption (at least i think) and so I was wondering how important it would be to wait, or if it should make a significant difference (in terms of pure processing power)
Edit: I think I've read that it's around 20%? Curious if y'all consider that worth a wait
Depends what you need the computer for now, what you need it for in the future, how often you like to upgrade, and what you're using right now. e.g. If somehow you're currently on Pentium 4, I'd upgrade ASAP.
20% improvement in performance (not performance/power) is a very optimistic prediction of overall CPU performance improvement for just a die shrink / tweaking update, as opposed to a new architecture. Expect significantly less than that.
Again, it really depends on context. If you don't do a lot of things that would benefit from the extra CPU speed, it's not really a big deal. Most people don't.
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On February 03 2012 08:13 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On February 03 2012 07:54 Alryk wrote:
Is there a significant advantage to waiting on ivy bridge for desktops? I know its main gains are graphics and power consumption (at least i think) and so I was wondering how important it would be to wait, or if it should make a significant difference (in terms of pure processing power)
Edit: I think I've read that it's around 20%? Curious if y'all consider that worth a wait Depends what you need the computer for now, what you need it for in the future, how often you like to upgrade, and what you're using right now. e.g. If somehow you're currently on Pentium 4, I'd upgrade ASAP. 20% improvement in performance (not performance/power) is a very optimistic prediction of overall CPU performance improvement for just a die shrink / tweaking update, as opposed to a new architecture. Expect significantly less than that. Again, it really depends on context. If you don't do a lot of things that would benefit from the extra CPU speed, it's not really a big deal. Most people don't.
Alright, thanks. My high school is starting up our annual computer building and I'm actually helping advise people this year (primarily because I've stalked the tl forums ^^) and I was curious if there was a reason to say wait, but it doesn't appear to be.
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Hi all. Im building a PC as early as Monday, 2/6 or as late as Friday the 10th. The earlier the better. Im posting this and have done my little research on my phone. Ive built a computer in the past but ended up with an overpriced, suboptimal machine.
Ive made a wish list on newegg with 10 things I need. I have a keyboard, mouse, and speakers already. But I do have to include an OS and monitor, so I know my budget is going to have to sstretch. Im currently at 851, but I.need to bring this down as much as possible without sacrificing much performance.
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=18588132
Im aiming to play SC2 anc D3 on.max settings with a well playable Skyrim as well.
Thanks in advance
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Wishlists must be made public for others to see.
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Hello, I am back, and thanks to putting in a lot of overtime, I have accumulated about $700 extra in cash. I have filled in the questionnaire again to take into account my increased budget. Also, I shopped around Newegg and put together a build for critique. See below for the build.
What is your budget?
$700 to $800, and if I put in enough overtime, maybe $900. The latter limit is easier to meet if I delay my purchase two paychecks from now, i.e. one month.
What is your resolution?
I found a good deal on a 1600x900 monitor, so I guess that's going to be my resolution.
What are you using it for?
Mostly gaming, a little streaming, and a little dabbling in programming.
What is your upgrade cycle?
Long. I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I want a PC that will last me for some time, even if I have to lower the settings on newer games. I at least want to run Starcraft 2 maxed.
When do you plan on building it?
In two weeks.
Do you plan on overclocking?
No. I want my computer to last, and overclocking shortens the components' lifespans.
Do you need an Operating System?
I've been told that I can reuse my system builder OEM Windows 7, so I guess that's no.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
No.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Newegg.
Eternal Dalek's Newbie Build (Please Critique):
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AZDX 500GB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Acer S200HLAbd Black 20" 5ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor
MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply
2 Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
Total Inlcuding Shipping: $713.99.
Stuff I Can Reuse:
DVD-RW Drive
DVD-ROM Drive
Old Hard Disk
Wireless Mouse
Wired PS/2 Keyboard
Wired Headset
What do you think?
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On February 03 2012 09:53 Eternal Dalek wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hello, I am back, and thanks to putting in a lot of overtime, I have accumulated about $700 extra in cash. I have filled in the questionnaire again to take into account my increased budget. Also, I shopped around Newegg and put together a build for critique. See below for the build. What is your budget? $700 to $800, and if I put in enough overtime, maybe $900. The latter limit is easier to meet if I delay my purchase two paychecks from now, i.e. one month. What is your resolution? I found a good deal on a 1600x900 monitor, so I guess that's going to be my resolution. What are you using it for? Mostly gaming, a little streaming, and a little dabbling in programming. What is your upgrade cycle? Long. I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I want a PC that will last me for some time, even if I have to lower the settings on newer games. I at least want to run Starcraft 2 maxed. When do you plan on building it? In two weeks. Do you plan on overclocking? No. I want my computer to last, and overclocking shortens the components' lifespans. Do you need an Operating System? I've been told that I can reuse my system builder OEM Windows 7, so I guess that's no. Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? No. Where are you buying your parts from? Newegg. Eternal Dalek's Newbie Build (Please Critique): Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer CaseWestern Digital Caviar Green WD5000AZDX 500GB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Acer S200HLAbd Black 20" 5ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply 2 Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120Total Inlcuding Shipping: $713.99. Stuff I Can Reuse: DVD-RW Drive DVD-ROM Drive Old Hard Disk Wireless Mouse Wired PS/2 Keyboard Wired Headset What do you think?
Western Digital Caviar Green drives are not 7200 RPM drives, they're slower drives meant for storage purposes only. As your primary and only drive, you want a 7200 RPM HDD such as a Western Digital Caviar Blue: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 or another 7200 RPM HDD such as a Seagate Barracuda: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767
HAF912 is better than the Three Hundred at the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
GTX 550 Ti is not good. A Radeon HD6770 performs about the same as a GTX 550 Ti but costs less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121474
Rosewill Stallion is not good. Get a Corsair CX430V2 instead for $5 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
I don't know why you would buy two 2x2gb kits. If you want 8gb of memory, just buy a 2x4gb kit... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148476
Z68 is primarily for overclockers. Getting a Z68 with a non-K suffix processor is sort of stupid. Any H61 or H67 motherboard is fine such as the Asrock H61M-VS for $55: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157241 , H67 just adds SATA 6Gbps so if you have plans on adding an SSD later than you probably want a H67 board instead.
And you want a quad core for streaming (eg. core i5 2300).
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EPT
