Core Duo build

spuddy

Is it possible to build a half decent core duo machine without breaking the bank?
I'm no gamer but would like to do some video editing.
Quiteness is also important for me, overclocking is not.

Is anything on this list overkill?

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
Asustek P5B Deluxe Intel P965 Express
Corsair XMS2 DDRII 1 Go PC6400
Radeon X1650 PRO
Scythe Ninja SCNJ 1000P
Samsung SpinPoint T166 400 Go SATA II

8T8

Sure it's possible

These two are overkill in my book
Corsair XMS2 DDRII 1 Go PC6400 - get cheaper DDR-2 667

Radeon X1650 PRO - get a fanless model either this X1600 Pro for €104 or this 7100GS for €47. If you have no use for 3D but want something to drive a basic 3D screensaver or Windows Vista UI get the 7100GS.

spuddy

8T8 wrote:

Sure it's possible

These two are overkill in my book
Corsair XMS2 DDRII 1 Go PC6400 - get cheaper DDR-2 667

Radeon X1650 PRO - get a fanless model either this X1600 Pro for €104 or this 7100GS for €47. If you have no use for 3D but want something to drive a basic 3D screensaver or Windows Vista UI get the 7100GS.

What about an NVidia 7600 GS or even 7300 GT?
Also, I've seen an Asus P5NSLI motheboard, which is slightly cheaper, yay or nay?
Why overkill on the RAM, surely faster is better?

uberpixie

spuddy wrote:

What about an NVidia 7600 GS or even 7300 GT?
Also, I've seen an Asus P5NSLI motheboard, which is slightly cheaper, yay or nay?
Why overkill on the RAM, surely faster is better?

Custom PC, as well as other outfits, have done tests with core 2 duo machines and have found almost no difference in speed in games between the fastest and the slowest DDR2 for core 2 duo machines.

(about 1 frame at the most, vast majority of ram from budget to super pricey overclocked, no difference)

For AMD AM2 rigs, ram speed does make a difference
(5-7 frames speed difference from fastest to slowest)

So in this case faster ram in a core 2 duo machine is a waste of money.

spuddy

ok so the high spec'd RAM isn't worth it.
Any feedback on the graphics card?
Finally, can anyone recommend some quiet case fans?

DemonOfTheFall

I'd recommend something like the Antec Sonata with a bundled power supplyto sort you out with a quiet case and a quiet PSU at the same time. If you're video editing you'll almost definitely want 2 Gigs of ram, no? Also, I find the Seagate 7200.10 drives to be really inaudibly quiet as well as a lot faster than most other drives out there.

If you dont want to do any 3d the 7100GS would serve u fine.

spuddy

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

I'd recommend something like the Antec Sonata with a bundled power supplyto sort you out with a quiet case and a quiet PSU at the same time. If you're video editing you'll almost definitely want 2 Gigs of ram, no? Also, I find the Seagate 7200.10 drives to be really inaudibly quiet as well as a lot faster than most other drives out there.

If you dont want to do any 3d the 7100GS would serve u fine.

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm going to keep my current Wavemaster case, but find some of the fans a bit on the noisy side.

The other option I'm considering is a raptor drive for the OS. Does this really bring much in the way of a performance improvement?

Like everyone I haven't got a limitless supply of cash, so if I can save on the graphics card or anything else, I'll put it towards some more memory.

Anti

The raptors are great for performance, but they make a hell of a racket.

The one problem with the wavemaster is the 2 80mm front intake fans. They make a hell of a noise. And are not controlable.

It is also a waste using the top fan. As it will make no difference, and just add noise.

Here is a nice article on how to make the pc alot quieter:

http://www.quietpcusa.com/articles/how_to_silence_a_computer.html


As for the fans, you cant go wrong with these http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/casefans/afdp-8025b.


Sicne you say you wont be doing any games. The cheaper the card the better. So this will do fine http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=325501

And since its video editing you plan on doing, 2Gigs of ram will certainly help.

So two lots of this http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=327207 will do you fine. Or if you can find cheaper even better.

Also to save a few notes, why not get the E6300. There isnt that much of a difference between that and the E6400.

spuddy

Anti wrote:

The raptors are great for performance, but they make a hell of a racket.

The one problem with the wavemaster is the 2 80mm front intake fans. They make a hell of a noise. And are not controlable.

It is also a waste using the top fan. As it will make no difference, and just add noise.

.....

You're spot on there. They make a lot of noise.
Is it possible to get a controller for them?

uberpixie

For the raptor you could get a Zalman ZM-2HC2 Hard Drive Heatpipe Cooler and mount the harddrive in a spare internal 5 1/4" bay.

Friend did this with his as the drive cage in his case was crap and it greatly reduced the heat and noise out of his raptor.

Peast.ie sell them for 29 euro.

You also could just go for whats called a zalman fan mate.
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=14&code

I think peats/maplins may sell them, all it is is a little box with a small dial that sits between you fans cable connection and the motherboard and it dials down the voltage supplied to the fan to slow it down in speed.
(cost only a couple of quid)

you can also get external fan controlers that sit in a 5 1/2 " bay and you can control the speed of multiple fans easily.
look here for some examples
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=57&subid=189

requiem1

uberpixie wrote:

So in this case faster ram in a core 2 duo machine is a waste of money.

Uberpixie's right about the games but you should get ram that has a high bandwidth as in how many GB it can transfer per sec cause that really helps the running of windows and most applications.

spuddy

Ok, I've narrowed it down to three configs...
Which one would you go for?

Option 1
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
Asus P5NSLI
Corsair XMS2 DDRII 1 GB PC6400
Asustek Geforce EN7300GT SILENT
Seagate SATA II 400GB

Option 2
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
Asrock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2
Twinmos DIMM DDR2 SDRAM 2 GB PC2 5300
MSI NX7100GS
Samsung SpinPoint T166 400 GB

Option 3 - Combination?
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
Asus P5NSLI
Twinmos DIMM DDR2 SDRAM 2 GB PC2 5300
Asustek Geforce EN7300GT SILENT
Samsung SpinPoint T166 400 GB

8T8

I'd go with option 1 because RAM is cheap and more can be picked up later if necessary but 1GB will tide you over for some time to come.

awhir

ya option 1 also.better makes then 2,3

Anti

The fan mate is of no use to the two front fans in the wavemaster, as they use a 4pin molex connector. You can get a controller for these. But it would be better if you just changed the two fans. As they make a hell of a noice and the c/fm from them is terrible.

I myself would go for option 1. But drop the graphocs card and get what option 2 has, and add another GB of ram. You could also use the spinpoint too. As they are much quieter. I have 4 x 250gb spinpoints, and i cant hear them at all. But the seagate will probably be a bit faster.

spuddy

Thanks for the replies...
I'm heading towards Option 1

Anti, what fan brands would you replace the coolermaster ones with?
I'm already considering a controller anyway, the Scythe Kamameter is tempting me...