[FishyMan]

Hi,

I'm not sure how the crowd is, but I hope people can give me some help. It's been many years since P IIIs, 486 days since I"ve been into hardware. I finally have enough money planned on building, or should I say getting one of those cool cases and etc.

My area of focus is to use it for work, and not as much as a gaming machine, but I do want my room to be awed a bit.

Most while, I continue to research and learn and price.

So lets get on discussion with COOLING first?

Case:
Cooler Master Centurion
http://www.xoxide.com/cooler-master-centurion5.html

Tentative Hardware:
CPU = Core 2 Quad
CPU Cooling = COOLER MASTER Hyper Z600

PSU:
Modular 600-1000 W range

~PNY VCG96512GXPB GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
~DDR3 1333
~Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive~DVD Burner
~DVD Burner
~Bose~~Bose® 40274 2.0 Companion® 2 Series II
~Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card


My question is whether the power supply will suffice in providing cooling and having enough connections for possible installation of hardware upgrades.
I want to mount a FAN on the COOLER MASTER Hyper Z600 , will wiring be an issue or difficult? And I might want some heat sinks for the HD and graphics card. Not sure if space is an issue. If it's too cramp, I might re-evaluate a diff't tower.

[obobskivich]

what power supply are you getting?

and why would you want all of those 80mm fans whining and crying constantly?

consider something more modern, like maybe the Cooler Master CM-690 or something like that

[FishyMan]

Originally Posted by obobskivich

what power supply are you getting?

and why would you want all of those 80mm fans whining and crying constantly?

consider something more modern, like maybe the Cooler Master CM-690 or something like that

Yes, I am looking into things. I just wanted the acrylic look though. It's been many years since I've ventured.

On power supply, I am not sure how to select one, but I was thinking of the modular PS. Maybe 500-1000 watt range.

[obobskivich]

well thats about every power supply on the market, so i'd look at narrowing that down some more

what other hardware is going into this system? as thats going to be the more important information at this step

[FishyMan]

Originally Posted by obobskivich

what power supply are you getting?

and why would you want all of those 80mm fans whining and crying constantly?

consider something more modern, like maybe the Cooler Master CM-690 or something like that

Originally Posted by obobskivich

well thats about every power supply on the market, so i'd look at narrowing that down some more

what other hardware is going into this system? as thats going to be the more important information at this step

Hi,

1st of all thanks for the help.

I'm on a budget but I do foresee upgrades in the future type of thing. It's difficult for me to put everything in it at once, but the focus is primarily for work, so not too heavy w/ graphic cards. I've read the guide on the site about PS, and they do suggest me to get the best possible. I know is determined based on the case and etc.


Processor - Quad Core
MB - asus brand / atx
HD - SATA (2 HD ultimately)
Typical DVD drive bay
Graphics Card / TV Tuner

Nothing too special right now. My main concern is the heat issue because my room is quite hot at times. More so I am not sure if stock cooling in the case is sufficient.

[obobskivich]

What I'm saying is, lets narrow down to the hardware you want, so we can pick a PSU that'll handle it, not just generalizations like "I want a motherboard".

[FishyMan]

Originally Posted by obobskivich

What I'm saying is, lets narrow down to the hardware you want, so we can pick a PSU that'll handle it, not just generalizations like "I want a motherboard".

I want to be able to get TV tuner into my monitor. So that's where I'll tweak the budget if necessary. As far as MB, I've read ASUS to be good, but the reviews are sometimes demoralizing. Or would an intel board be more compatible?

Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad (still thinking)
MB - Asus (still thinking)

~DVD Burner
~Bose® 40274 2.0 Companion® 2 Series II
~Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
~PNY VCG96512GXPB GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
~DDR3 1333
~Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (might get another down the road depending)

[obobskivich]

Ok, so you aren't going with anything outright insane, something like a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W should be more than suitable for this system, especially given its attractive price

you might not be able to use DDR3, depending on the board you select (and most DDR3 boards are somewhat expensive)

honestly, as this looks to be on a somewhat tight budget, I'd consider DDR2 to save some money on the motherboard and RAM

as far as the TV tuner, its likely going to be cheaper to buy an internal or USB TV tuner, than to buy a monitor with built in ATSC tuner

[FishyMan]

Yeah, I've been evaluating and trying to budget. Still reading up and what not.

The tuners have bad reviews. Any suggestion? I've always thought diamond was alright, but they seem to suck in that dept.

[obobskivich]

honestly there isn't any really high end tuner for PC, if you have an outboard tuner, such as a VCR or DTV box, you might consider a straight video in box, from a company like Plextor or Pinnacle Systems, and just using the outboard device as a tuner

although the quality still isn't going to be super stellar

[FishyMan]

I'm looking at the Cooler Master Centurion case and I'm wondering if there's enough space to fit things in there like the CPU cooler I want ? I want to fit a fan on that CPU cooler, but wondering if wiring it would be difficult, or if it plugs right into most MB like asus?

More so, is there such thing as upgrading the stock fan w/ some LED fans or aluminum fan?

[Duke3d87]

yeah you can upgrade the stock fans with LED or aluminum fans if you really wanted.

As for HD tuners, i've been looking at the the Avermedia HD tuner or the Autumwave OnAir GT. The second one looks better, but costs a lot of money.

[FishyMan]

Originally Posted by Duke3d87

yeah you can upgrade the stock fans with LED or aluminum fans if you really wanted.

As for HD tuners, i've been looking at the the Avermedia HD tuner or the Autumwave OnAir GT. The second one looks better, but costs a lot of money.

Will wiring be an issue? Or is it pretty much plug play?

How about mounting a fan on the CPU coolers? Is there something on the MB that connects that particular fan? or do I have to splice adn wire it to the molex or osmething.

[Duke3d87]

no. You can get the three pin ones that plug directly into the motherboard, or you can get the 4 pin ones that plug into the PSU.