Forbidden Donut

What are you using it for?

What are you planning on using it for?

It's pretty good. Won't be able to run Crysis at full, but can handle almost anything.

On a side note, I have that video card (2 for SLI). Works well... too bad I didn't realize that SLI doesn't support multiple monitors. It's a pretty good graphics card.

Pretty decent specs. Two questions, though, besides what has already been asked: Why Vista, and why quad core?

From what I've seen Quad core is becoming the new standard (not much more expansive than dual core). Vista is running well now-a-days, and he has the specs to support it.

I want a computer that will be able to run SCII and DIII mainly (Preferably, maxed settings). That video card doesn't support multi-screen? I've been using Vista for a long time now and don't have any issues with it, with that in mind if I can find a computer that is cheaper because it doesn't come with an OS that's fine with me as my father has an MSDN license so I get all that stuff for free.

Why don't you simply spec out the exact same computer in parts? I know you didn't want to spec one out yourself because you would get carried away, but if you literally go piece for piece with this machine and scrap the OS, you very well might come out a decent amount cheaper.

I can never find cases I like. /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

But the main reason is that I'm not up to date with the finer points of the new technology and where the price/performance happy-area is at. Since I haven't been paying much attention to any of it it's hard to jump right in and understand what specifications I need on a motherboard and how to build up from there. I could spend 4 hours on newegg bouncing from piece to piece to figure out which ones are for each other but I could be looking at the kind of stuff I don't want.

How much do the cases really matter though?

Just get that same case, like court said.

And that computer lists all of its parts in the specs tab. It shouldn't require too much searching.

if you parted that out it would be around the same price as it is put together. It would be nice if you could bump the video card, hard drive, and power supply up a notch.

I came up with a little something and I thought it could be legit. Got a bigger HD, better sound card, better optical drive, and bigger power supply all for $589. I figured you had your own mouse and keyboard already so I didn't look them up. You save about $30 and have some better shit. I'm sure some other people could find better but it took me about 15 minutes to throw something together. I was a little unsure about a couple of things though. Not sure whether to go WD or Seagate on the HD nd not sure about power supply. I don't know enough about them to make good decisions so I just picked the ones that seemed the best priced. Here's what I came up with.

MOBO
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - $119.00 → $104.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...5%20ATX%20Intel

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115017

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822148288

Memory
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $54.99 → $24.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145184

Video Card
EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - $69.99 → $49.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130378

Power Supply
Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply - $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817182030

Case
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811119068

Optical Drive
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe – $28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827151173

Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16829102002

TOTAL = $589


Just a heads up though, I saw a couple reviews about the i7 core a little while ago and saw a couple videos on them. It looks AMAZING. I would highly suggest splurging a bit and keeping that computer for the next 7-8 years because it looks like it will last. I don't know much about computers though so people please edit my suggestions.

A computer for 7-8 years? What planet are you on? /ohmy.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":o" border="0" alt="ohmy.gif" />

I recommend a Seagate over Western Digital, but they are both good choices. I like what you found after a really click glance, though. Of note, Melissa just received that same dvd player sans the lightscribe crap. It looks nice and runs quiet.

I guess 7-8 years was a bit of an exaggeration but I think it could last at least 5 if not more. And this is all relative to gaming. I have a 9 year-old HP computer that my dad bought when I was in 4th grade that still works great for surfing the web, doing homework, or occasionally playing Starcraft.

Thanks GnS! Couple things though. How's onboard audio doing these days? My receiver (Sweet tubeamp from the 80s) obviously isn't surround so I could skip the soundcard if onboard stuff does quality stereo. Oh, come to think of it I think I just got a new soundcard a few months ago... maybe?

I recently purchased a 500gig WD drive so I can skip that as well. One of my big qualms with cases is my house doesn't have AC and gets quite warm during the summer so it needs to have decent ventilation, my old case as some people might remember is a bit of a beast with seven 120mm fans and lots of open space inside and worked quite well.

Is a 550W PSU going to last me if I end up upgrading things along the years? I think I'm running a 420W now and see a lot of people going with the 750Ws.

Onboard sound is decent these days, but it is hardly comparable to a solid 7.1 system. But like you said, you can't really utilize surround sound, so you probably won't need it. If you ever decide to get a decent sound system, just upgrade your sound card then.

Coolmaster cases are designed specifically for maximum cooling, as their name would suggest. However, if you are really concerned about heat generation, the case he found is probably not a good idea. The design is actually pretty awesome for good airflow -- CPU heat is directed immediately out of the case, a large 120mm fan at the back of the case would suck a huge amount of air out of the back as an 80mm fan in the front would pull in cool air from outside and the two would create a good current. The side vent would help keep the PCI cars cool as well, and if you could probably just drill some holes to turn it into another fan slow entirely. But your old case is a full tower and you have massive amounts of cooling in it (I don't think 7 120mm fans will accomplish anything more than a good airflow design, but that's your thing). This case is only a mid tower and obviously doesn't have anywhere close the amount of fans you're used to. I recommend staying with coolmaster, but perhaps you could look at a large, more expensive model that would give you more airflow options.

Power supplies aren't really that expensive, and the higher wattage you go the warmer they'll run. If you're really concerned about heat, don't get a really high wattage power supply until you need it.

A good cheap case

plus I would go with the new LGA1366 socket type and the i7 core. They seem to run faster at lower operating frequencies, and they overclock better than any of the popular LGA775 chips.

I don't think this case will fulfill his needs. It is definitely a good cheap case, but he's mentioned that he has significant heat issues already. The coolmaster case already listed would work better in that regard, and even then he might want something with more cooling capacity.

The Antec three hundred, nine hundred, and twelve hundred cases are known for their superior cooling capabilities. By the looks of it that cooler master case doesn't even compete with the Antec cases I have listed. I believe a fan on the top is a must for good cooling since heat rises that is probably the greatest place to have a fan which all the antec cases have (200mm fans except for the three hundred has a 140mm fan) and that cooler master case does not have. The only really good cooling thing about that cooler master case is the side air duct because it is located right where the processor is, but your processor probably won't make the most heat, your video card will. The side fans for the antec cases are located where the video card will be located. not to mention the number of fans that go into the case, the three hundred and nine hundred both have 5 fans as a mid tower and the twelve hundred has 7 fans as a full tower. I really do not see how you can think that cooler master case can compare to the antec case I have listed.

I seen all of these cases in use. I have the twelve hundred, I built a friends computer with the three hundred, and I have a friend who uses the nine hundred. We all live in dorms where there is no A/C and it is hot as shit at the beginning of the fall semester and the end of the spring semester. These cases are terrific for cooling as you can see with all the new egg reviews.

You didn't post the nine hundred or the twelve hundred, so whatever their specs may be is entirely irrelevant.

The fan on the top of the case is definitely necessary when the cooling for the rest of the case is so mediocre, as is the case with the antec 300. In general a top fan will never hurt, but it is best to augment a case that already provides a solid air flow.

The things that cause the most heat in the case are the hard drives, power supply, cpu, and graphics card. By putting the power supply at the bottom of the case, you're making all of the interior heat from the power supply rise up through the entire case. The hard drives in the front of the case will have to rely exclusively on standard vents to cool off -- a horrible solution especially if you plan to do any raid setup or simply have many hard drives. The CPU fan is more than capable of cooling off the CPU without the help of anything else, yet it's just going to be blowing warm air into the case rather than adopting a simple tube of plastic that stops a massive amount of the heat from the CPU from ever entering the case at large. The 120mm and 140mm fans will create cross ventilation across about 1/4 of the case. That's hardly an efficient use of the only two fans in the case, especially given that they're so large.

The coolmaster, on the other hand, creates a solid airflow with a large exhaust fan in the back and an 80mm in the front to push denser, cooler air over the hard drives and pull expanded, heated air out the back. In the meantime, the warm CPU exhaust is directed immediately out of the case, and the power supply excess heat can best dissipate through the more efficient aluminum case. The only thing that generates heat without an immediate place to release it is the graphics card, but it has two different ways of leaving the case quickly. Cooler air from the outside is going to be pulled through the side air vent which will help cool the air around the card, and any excess heat will float up and out of the back of the case. It's not the greatest design; I specifically told Erling that it probably wouldn't be cool enough for his needs (your antec 1200 would), but it is a much better thought out case than the antec 300 in terms of cooling.

Antec Review

This is a well written article on both the 300 and the 1200. It compares the temperatures of the cases at the end (which is actually ends up being pretty much the same temps). Both of these cases are really great for cooling. You already stated that my 1200 is cool enough for his needs, and if the 300 ends up have the same temps doesn't that mean that should be cool enough also?

The reason I bought the 1200 over the 300 is for reasons beyond cooling such as the fan controls that come with it, the better cable management (even more convenient), and many other things such as having more space to fit what I want. I also love the look of full towers.

If the case specifications in the article you linked are correct, then I retract my statement. I was basing my analysis of the antec 300 cooling on the tech specifications from newegg -- they list the case as having only a single top and a single rear fan. The article you just posted says the antec 300 has 7 fans, which is obviously quite different.