This page is a reference for people who ask me how they can build a computer like mine.
Here's a list of parts in my current computer, as of 10/1/2007, and what I paid for them:
CPU: Intel Q6600 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad, $280
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX 2, on sale for $15
Motherboard: abit IP35-E, on sale for $80
Memory: 2 x A-DATA 1GB DDR800, on sale for $60
Video card: MSI GeForce 7300LE (128MB), $30
Hard drive: Samsung 400GB SATA, $85
Optical drive: LG SATA DVD burner, $32
Case: Antec Sonata III, on sale for $100
Exhaust fan: Arctic Cooling AF12L, $10
Total price: $692 + shipping (all bought on NewEgg.com)
CPU
The main reason I built a new computer is to have a quad-core processor. It's amazing to think that as recently as two years ago, "quad core" meant four processors and four sockets, i.e., a computer that was big, heavy, hot, loud, power-hungry, and expensive ($4,000+). Now the same processor setup fits under one tiny heat spreader and only costs $280.
The "Core 2" architecture is excellent. It's usually faster per-clock than AMD's chips, it has great clock speed headroom, it hardly uses any power when idle, and it uses impressively little power under load. I was lucky enough to get a G0 stepping of the Q6600 and it runs rock-solid at 3GHz, stock voltage. With my simple, cheap, and quiet cooling setup, it idles at ambient room temperature and doesn't get over 50C under load.
If you're not interested in quad-core, you can save some money with AMD's dual-core processors.
(Aside: I was originally very excited about AMD's "Barcelona" quad-cores, but it turns out they're not any faster per-clock than Core 2, they run at lower clock speeds, and they're not any cheaper, so it looks like Intel is the way to go for now.)
CPU Cooler
I originally tried the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, but it didn't fit my motherboard. Socket 775 motherboards have a rectangle silkscreened around the stocket, presumably to indicate how big the cooler can be. The Freezer 7 is significantly bigger than this rectangle and is designed to occupy the same space as my northbridge heatsink. It must work with most motherboards, because it has hundreds of 5-egg reviews on NewEgg, but why take the risk?
The Cooler Master Hyper TX 2 has a similar tower design but fits in the rectangle (more or less). Its performance is excellent. My CPU temperatures with the stock Intel cooler were 28C/50C (idle/load) with the fan spinning at 1200 and 2000 RPM respectively. With the TX2, they're 23C/45C at a constant 700 RPM. (!!)
A minor disadvantage of the TX2 is that it has a fan enclosure with a lot of little vents. This supposedly allows its 92mm fan to move as much air as a 100mm fan but is a poor choice acoustically. At full speed (1800 RPM), the fan is pretty loud, so you'll want to reduce the speed with your motherboard or a Zalman Fan Mate. At lower RPMs, it's acceptably quiet.
My main concern with the TX2 is with my PWM temperatures. (In this case, PWM is the power circuitry on the motherboard.) The stock Intel cooler is flat and cylindrical and blew air across the PWM heatsink, which really cooled it off. The TX2 has a shroud that directs air onto the PWM but even so, my temperatures jumped 20-30C. Either this is a problem inherent to tower-style heatsinks, or 700 RPM just isn't fast enough to move much air over the PWM, or the TX2's plastic shroud is actually trapping hot air over the PWM. (My motherboard has a pretty tall PWM heatsink and the shroud sits 1-2mm above it.) I'll be working on this in the future.
Motherboard
My requirements for a motherboard were: a reputable brand name (MSI, Asus, or abit), support for quad-core processors, at least 4 memory slots, at least 4 SATA ports, a PCI-E x16 slot, and passive cooling. The cheapest motherboard at the time that met these requirements was the abit IP35-E, which seems like a great board, although its heatsinks caused headaches. (See above.) The P35 chipset runs cool, overclocks well, and is supposed to support future 45nm processors. I like abit's "FanEQ" feature to control CPU and exhaust fan speeds.
Memory
I bought the cheapest memory that got good reviews, which was the A-DATA sticks with fancy red heat spreaders. According to most professional reviewers, heat spreaders on memory don't make much of a difference, but I guess they look cool.
Video Card
If you don't play video games, even the cheapest video card you can buy is overkill. As long as it supports DirectX 9, you'll be able to use the fancy 3-D effects in Vista and Beryl. The quality of the analog circuitry in video cards used to matter but doesn't make any difference whatsoever if you're using DVI (i.e., digital) output.
I bought the MSI GeForce 7300LE card, which is silent (no fan), and is supposed to be slightly faster than the cheapest ATI cards at 3-D gaming. I was pleasantly surprised that it runs Halo better than my old ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, which still sells for $60.
If you do play video games, the GeForce 8600 and 8800 are the cards to get. Many cards with these chips are available with passive cooling. I would buy one with a heatsink that extends to the "back" of the card or extends over the side, in order to allow hot air from the heatsink to rise and not get trapped under the card. You have to be aware of the dimensions of the card, though, because according to reviews on NewEgg, many of these cards don't fit with certain cases or motherboards.
Hard Drive
When I bought my parts, the 400GB Samsung hard drive was $5 cheaper than the competition and was getting great reviews, so I decided to try it out. I have no complaints so far. It's actually quieter when seeking than my previous Maxtor and Western Digital drives.
Optical Drive
I just bought the cheapest SATA DVD burner with a black front panel, which turned out to be the LG. Works fine.
Case
I had the original Antec Sonata case, which was excellent, so I bought the Sonata III. It's expensive, but it comes with a top-quality Antec Earthwatts 500W power supply, which sells for $90 by itself. (You really don't want a cheap power supply. They're usually loud and they fail often.) If you can find the Sonata III on sale for $100, it's like you're getting a nice case for only $10.
The case is sturdy and has an attractive, shiny "piano black" finish. Installing and removing drives is easy and quick, and the 3.5" drive trays have big rubber grommets to dampen vibration (and therefore noise). The case does not have a bunch of ventilation holes on the front or sides, which is good. Holes usually only make a case louder (and uglier).
A big disappointment with the Sonata III is the exhaust fan. The original Sonata had a nice rubber-mounted exhaust fan that was temperature-controlled by a special fan connector on the power supply. The new Sonata has a regular fan that's just screwed onto the back. Antec advertises it as a "Tri Cool" fan, which just means that it has a little antenna hanging off of it with a 3-speed selector switch at the end. The two higher speeds are loud enough to be unusuable. The low speed is not loud, but produces an odd hum that becomes very annoying with time. (This may be a flaw with my particular case.)
Exhaust Fan
Because of the Sonata's annoying exhaust fan, I decided to order an Arctic Cooling AF12L, which is a 1000 RPM 120mm exhaust fan with rubber mounts, a fluid dynamic bearing, and a 3 pin power connector so you can monitor/control its speed with your motherboard or a Zalman Fan Mate.
It's much quieter than the Antec fan, it doesn't make any odd humming noises, and it has also lowered all my temperatures, despite having a lower CFM rating. I assume this is because it breathes better. (The Antec fan has a solid plastic enclosure.) |
