Building New Computer

[BenQuilter]

right, so i'm going to build this new comptuer, right? and so i think i got pretty much everything i'd need and put in this nifty word document . if you could look over it, and suggest anything that i should change. i'm only trying to spend $2,000. I don't need a monitor, and i have a dvd, cd-rw, and floppy drive already. the only thing i'm unsure about is the type or RAM i need. and i want the new pentium 4 2.4GHz with the 533MHz FSB, but i havn't found and motherboard/CPU combos with 533MHz on pricewatch

[Darthtanion]

Looks like you're going to have yourself a winner there. Just make sure that you have some good case cooling going on. The added airflow will help out your entire system. If you can provide a link to the case you're looking at, we can see if it's on the money. :)

[BenQuilter]

the case i was considering

[Darthtanion]

Looks good, but unless there are a couple of 80mm fans hidden behind the front bezel somewhere, I'd seriously consider looking at something else.

If the window is the main reason that you're looking at this case, then you can find some others that are similar over at Cooler Guys.

If the window isn't mandatory, then take a look at some of the offerings available from Antec. They are sold for reasonable prices at Directron.

Good luck with your new toy. Let us know how it all turns out, and make sure to include benchmarks! :D

[BenQuilter]

um, why more than 2 fans? the computer i have now (a dell) just has one, and it works fine (or is there some more important factor i'm missing here?)

[BenQuilter]

okay, well, i've decided to go with this case

[BenQuilter]

oh, and is 400W too much? or does it not matter enough, and i should go for 300, 350W?

[Darthtanion]

um, why more than 2 fans? the computer i have now (a dell) just has one, and it works fine (or is there some more important factor i'm missing here?)

You always want to have good air circulation going through a case when you're adding performance components. Let's face it, just the hard drive and the video card are enough to start adding a good bit of extra heat into the case.

The model you were looking at first just had two exhaust fans at the rear of the case. With no intake fans added in, where does the air come from when it's exhausting? Answer: It doesn't. This means that you are wasting fans and creating noise for no apparent reason.

Natural ventilation of a case will have fresh cool air coming in low from the front, and exiting high to the rear. This causes the fewest amount of "Dead Spaces" in the case and allows everything to run nice and cool.

Something else to consider... If one of those front 80mm fans is sitting behind the primary hard drive bay, FILL IT! The higher capacity (and faster) hard drives of today thrive when they are kept nice and cool.

As to the question concerning the PSU, get as high wattage one as you can afford. This will give you room to grow in case you decide to overclock, or if you want to add multiple optical drives, or maybe a RAID setup. 235w used to be considered overkill, but modern systems shouldn't even consider anything under 350-400 watts.

[fragman]

Just keep in mind that you won't be able to overclock on any genuine Intel mobo.....:)

[BenQuilter]

no, i don't think i'll really be doing any overclocking with the processor (or should maybe i do that too?)

[Wiggo]

*We will have a slight pause now while BenQuilter examins the Dark Side.* :devil:
<center>:cheers:</center>

[Darthtanion]

no, i don't think i'll really be doing any overclocking with the processor (or should maybe i do that too?)

The choice is entirely up to you, but consider this...
You're going to be building a Kick-Ass system that has as its centerpiece one of the best processors made to date. The Northwood series of processor (the one you're looking at) is also renowned for being one of the best overclocking chips that Intel has put out since the old Celeron 300a. If you can get free power from it, then why not do it?

But beware... those who enter our little world of overclocking seldom return to the ho-hum normal world. :D

[Morgan_Lander]

oh, and is 400W too much? or does it not matter enough, and i should go for 300, 350W?

A bigger power supply is never a bad thing. The 300W is probably a little risky to try, even with a good brand, such as Antec and Enermax. 350 should be fine. However, for future usage, a 400Watt would be a good investment.

[daedalus]

Uh huh, there's no such thing as TOO much power :D

[FLaCo]

Ben you should take your time in making decisions like this ...do alot of research..this is a good place to do so. As for the system...it looks kick ass. Btw take a look at newegg.com they have nice cases there real cheap w/out PSU's which in my case is a good thing because you get to choose your wattage and quality of your PSU. They have real nice 'alienware" type cases with four 80mm case fans (two intake and two exhaust. Take a look at them before you buy and other ones. : peace2: