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*****THE OFFICIAL "SPEC ME" THREAD*****
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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11. September 2008 @ 23:39 |
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Ehh, I have problems with the Thermaltake Armor now that I used the RC-690 as far as airflow is concerned. If you don't get the one with the 23cm fan then the airflow is kinda iffy. The PSU is at the top and I prefer it at the bottom.
These new cases have way more options as far as airflow goes.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 00:10 |
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Top or bottom PSU, I don't care as long as it works. All I know is that the Armor cools better than the Raidmax Smilodon by quite a bit, which made it my choice for this build. And I REALLY like the Smilodon too. It's so thoughtfully designed...
The airflow is actually quite good. The case is set up for large dual card configs with loads of multiple drives and the like. My fans are 2 x 120mm, 2 x 90mm, plus 2 x 120mm in my PSU and cooler. The case makes little noise and surely contributed to my good temps with the Q6600.
The 23cm fan is a bit over the top. The stock fans have very balanced airflow... depending on which components you use, I suppose. I've never had any problems keeping everything cool with the Armor. And the quality of the construction warrants the high price, IMO.
Good Full Tower Cases I've seen and used:
Thermaltake Armor(my preference)
Thermaltake Kandalf
Sunbeam Transformer(cheap but surprisingly decent)
Antec 900(too many of them though)
Antec 1200
CoolerMaster Cosmos
CoolerMaster Stacker(best cooling by far IMO and the Nvidia edition looks amazing)
There are more but that's all that really comes to mind ATM.
Good Mid-Tower Cases I've Seen and Used:
CoolerMaster Centurion(seen many, own one, high quality, good airflow and layout, cheap)
CoolerMaster RC690
NZXT Appollo
Sunbeam Silent Storm(good gooling, understated but elegant looks)
RaidMax Smilodon(Raidmax seem to have released several high quality cases in the last year or so, using the same general case with different aesthetics. They are obviously designed by gamers and a dream to work with.)
Again, there are more...
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388 |
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 05:04 |
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Not necessarily, it fits in cases like the Thermaltake Soprano, which isn't that big.
Oh, and the 900 is a mid-tower. :)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. September 2008 @ 05:05
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 12:44 |
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It's a pretty big and well cooled mid tower then. Either way, I see them everywhere. They look cool though...
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 12:47 |
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They're decent looking cases, after all, when they had only just been released I bought one, didn't know anyone else who'd even heard of one at the time. 6 months later, every man and his dog has one.. oh well.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 14:57 |
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A testament to it's quality, maybe? You dont see things everywhere because they suck. Although it IS a bit outdated now in my opinion. I'll take the RC-690 over it any day. It fits the same amount of front and back fans, more side fans, and two 120mm fans instead of one big 200mm fan which is good because one fan can deliver cold air right to the CPU and the other one can exhaust the hot air coming out of the CPU heatsink.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 15:43 |
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It has some horrific design flaws, but they're not immediately obvious to people who don't modify their PC on a semi-regular basis. My 900 was for use as a file server, which was bad news, as the biggest design flaw of all with the 900 is the hard disks are intolerably difficult to install/remove. The tool-less systems offered by coolermaster and NZXT are far superior.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 15:47 |
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edit: double post.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. September 2008 @ 15:48
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 16:41 |
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The Armor has loads of room for drives and they are easy to change out. I have a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RW, 2 seagate SATA HDDs, and a sony floppy drive. And I still have loads of room to spare :P
The front 120mm fan is also in a fantastic spot. It keeps both HDDs ice cold.
Also, the tool-less drive cages in the Cooler Master Centurion are excellent. It's got room for 4 HDDs, a floppy, and 4 optical drives. Plus, even with the 80mm front fan, the airflow is very good. The front panel is an open mesh with a dust filter behind it. So that helps a lot.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. September 2008 @ 16:45
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 16:44 |
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As does any other case with a 120mm front fan... :P
I don't mind the looks of the Armor, but it's not very well cooled without the big side fan, and then it's a little unbalanced, the 900 and 1200 offer superior cooling, as do the NZXT Tempest, Coolermaster 932 and 690, and various Lian Li boxes.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 16:50 |
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Quote:
As does any other case with a 120mm front fan... :P
I've seen a few cases that, frustratingly, have the drive cages above the front fan. So it's an issue I look for when choosing a case.
Quote:
I don't mind the looks of the Armor, but it's not very well cooled without the big side fan, and then it's a little unbalanced, the 900 and 1200 offer superior cooling, as do the NZXT Tempest, Coolermaster 932 and 690, and various Lian Li boxes.
I know it's not the best. But it still has fairly good cooling. It moves plenty of air and has awesome ventilation. Maybe others are better, but the Armor is still very good. Plus, yes, it looks awesome :)
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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spamual
Suspended permanently
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12. September 2008 @ 17:17 |
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the more and more i am seeing lian-li cases the more i am hating th plastic look of these antec 1200 etc cases.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. September 2008 @ 17:18 |
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Lian-Lis are nice, pure and simple, and they have veered me away from plastic. I still like NZXT's approach to it though.
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aaserali
Newbie
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14. September 2008 @ 14:10 |
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I'm building a computer for the first time and I'm looking at these parts.
Country: US
BUDGET:~1500 ±$300
Processor: Intel Q9300
Motherboard: EVGA 132-YW-E179-A1
Memory: OCZ Special Ops 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Graphics Card(s): PNY XLR8
TV Card: No
Hard Drive(s): 1 (~300gb please)
Optical Drive(s): HP DVD1070i
Cooling: Yes
Water Cooling: No
Cable(s): No
Sound Card: No
Controller Card(s): No
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Power Supply: Need help choosing
Keyboard: No
Mouse: No
Headset: No
Speakers: No
Monitor(s): SAMSUNG 2243BWX
Operating System: Vista
Uses: Gaming, Listening to music, movies, word processing, surfing net, photo/video editing
Overclocking: Maybe
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boien
Junior Member
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14. September 2008 @ 14:45 |
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Country: USA
BUDGET:700.00 - 800.00$
Processor: Yes
Motherboard: Yes
Memory: Yes
Graphics Card(s): Yes
TV Card: No
Hard Drive(s): 2 (one 200GB and one 600-700GB)
Optical Drive(s): No
Cooling: Yes
Water Cooling: yes
Cable(s): yes
Sound Card: Yes
Controller Card(s): No
Case: (personal choice)
Power Supply: Yes
Keyboard: No
Mouse: Yes
Headset: No
Speakers: yes
Monitor(s): 1
Operating System: Windows XP 32bit or ( 64-bit to support 8GB ram )
Uses: Multimedia, Graphic Applications, Programming, Listening to music, movies, word processing, surfing net
Overclocking: Mild
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boien
Junior Member
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14. September 2008 @ 15:15 |
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Originally posted by boien:
Country: USA
BUDGET:700.00 - 800.00$
Processor: Yes
Motherboard: Yes
Memory: Yes
Graphics Card(s): Yes
TV Card: No
Hard Drive(s): 2 (one 200GB and one 600-700GB)
Optical Drive(s): No
Cooling: Yes
Water Cooling: yes
Cable(s): yes
Sound Card: Yes
Controller Card(s): No
Case: (personal choice)
Power Supply: Yes
Keyboard: No
Mouse: Yes
Headset: No
Speakers: yes
Monitor(s): 0
Operating System: Windows XP 32bit or ( 64-bit to support 8GB ram )
Uses: Multimedia, Graphic Applications, Programming, Listening to music, movies, word processing, surfing net
Overclocking: Mild
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. September 2008 @ 07:16 |
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aaserali
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - (cheaper than the 9300, and insignificantly slower) $190
Motherboard: Gigabyte EP45-DS3R $139 $20 rebate
Memory: Corsair Dominator 4GB PC2-8500 $149, $40 rebate
Graphics card: Visiontek Radeon HD4870 $285(The one you listed is no longer on sale)
Hard Drive 1: WD VelociRaptor 300GB $285, $25 rebate
CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower LED $59
Case: Antec Nine Hundred $130
PSU: Corsair HX 520W $115, $15 rebate
Monitor: Samsung SM2243BWX $316
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit $100
Total price $1768, $1663 after rebates.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. September 2008 @ 08:40
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. September 2008 @ 09:22 |
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boien
CPU: Intel Pentium E2220 $90
M/B: Gigabyte EP35-DS3L $94
RAM: Kingston 2x1GB PC2 6400 $40
GPU: Foxconn 8500GT $60 - $20 rebate
HDD1: Western Digital WD2500AAJS 250GB $55
HDD2: Samsung HD753LJ 750GB $100
CPU cooler: Arctic Freezer 7 Pro $25
Water cooling: Not realistic on your budget
Case: (suggestion) NZXT Alpha $65
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 380W $60
Mouse: MS Intellimouse Optical $26
Speakers: Logitech X-240 $51
OS: Windows XP professional $135
Do not use 64-bit XP, it's rubbish.
Total price $801, $20 rebate
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boien
Junior Member
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15. September 2008 @ 16:40 |
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SORRY ABOUT FIRST POST I FORGOT TO ERASE A FEW THINGS THAT I DONT WANT TO COVER IN THAT BUDGET, CAN YOU RESPEC AGAIN PLS. AND FOR CPU IM BUYING QUAD CORE:
Country: USA
BUDGET:700.00 - 800.00$
Processor: Yes
Motherboard: Yes
Memory: Yes
Hard Drive(s): 2 (one 200GB and one 600-700GB)
Cooling: Yes
Cable(s): yes
Case: (personal choice)
Power Supply: Yes
Speakers: yes
Operating System: Windows XP 32bit or ( 64-bit to support 8GB ram )
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Moderator
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15. September 2008 @ 17:00 |
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boien - please be patient. I've deleted your 2 spurious duplicate posts.
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules *** |
Moderator
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15. September 2008 @ 17:08 |
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Originally posted by creaky:
boien - please be patient. I've deleted your 2 spurious duplicate posts.
I've just deleted another duplicate post. Will you please be patient, and stop raising duplicate posts.
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
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boien
Junior Member
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15. September 2008 @ 17:18 |
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OK SO. WHAT I WANT IS: CPU - QUAD CORE / I WILL DECIDE MY OWN MOTHER BOARD, SINCE I WANT A P45 CHIPSET / MEMORY - 2X2GB / AND I HAVE CHANGED MY BUDGET I FORGOT I HAVE 300.00$ TO SPEND ON A CPU WHICH IS OUTSIDE OF MY 700.00$ BUDGET SO ITS MORE LIKE 1K BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT CPU TO GET.
Country: USA
BUDGET:1,000.00$
Processor: Yes
Memory: Yes
Hard Drive(s): 2 (one 200GB and one 600-700GB)
Cooling: Yes
Cable(s): yes
Case: (personal choice)
Power Supply: Yes
Speakers: yes
Operating System: Windows XP 32bit or ( 64-bit to support 8GB ram )
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. September 2008 @ 17:34
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Moderator
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15. September 2008 @ 17:21 |
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..to edit a post just click on the pencil/paper icon near top right of the post.
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
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spamual
Suspended permanently
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15. September 2008 @ 18:09 |
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ok, hello boien.
your shouting really doesnt make clear what you want, but i am trying to make me understand, is this it:
Country: USA
BUDGET:1,000.00$
Processor: Yes
Memory: Yes
Hard Drive(s): 2 (one 200GB and one 600-700GB)
Cooling: Yes
Cable(s): yes
Case: (personal choice)
Power Supply: Yes
Speakers: yes
Operating System: Windows XP 32bit or ( 64-bit to support 8GB ram )
so you have $1000 to spend on a CPU RAM, HDD, cooling, case PSU, Speakers AND an OS?
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. September 2008 @ 18:18 |
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boien - please be more patient next time!
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $190
M/B - Gigabyte EP45-DS3R - $139, $20 rebate
RAM - G-Skill 2x2GB PC2 6400C4 $82
CPU Cooler - Arctic Freezer 7 Pro $25
Case - example NZXT Alpha $65
HDD1: HD753LJ $100
HDD2: WD2500AAJS $55
PSU: Corsair VX 450W $81, $15 rebate
Speakers: Logitech X-240 $51
OS: XP 32-bit $135
$923, $35 rebates
No Graphics card included, you will need one!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. September 2008 @ 18:19
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