I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

mrbug · 2008-07-05 14:26:54

I am building a new computer, and I have to start from almost nothing due to bad or old hardware.

I am able to reuse the following:
2 SATA HDs (file storage drives)
2 IDE HDs (/ and /home -- although I'd rather switch to all SATA)
DVDRW
My case and power supply are decent brands/models, but the PS is noisy and the case has a few missing parts.

Here are the components that I am considering:
Antec 300 case
Corsair 520HX ps
Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R motherboard (socket 775, 4xDDR2 slots - 8 GB, 2xDDR3
Intel E8400 processor
either the Zalman 9500 or OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink/fan (Which thermal compound should I use?)
eVGA AKIMBO 8800 GT 512mb video card
either 2x1gb or 2x2gb ddr2-6400 ram (Which brand??? I'm looking at the OCZ model with the heatpipe and heatsinks)
(ideally) 2 SATA HDs for / and /home
2-3 120mm fans (two higher-CPM, low db for intake and one lower-CPM, low db for side exhaust)

I plan to run Arch 32 for the time being. It's not a big deal with Linux to make a backup of /etc and reinstall, so I will upgrade when Flash and Java are available as 64-bit binaries. Is it better to go with the 2x1gb or 2x2gb ram? I plan to use DDR3 in a couple years once that memory type is cheap enough. I realize that 32-bit OSes can only efficiently use ~3.5gb of ram, but I'd like to have as much as I can use -- especially when the price difference between 2gb and 4gb is very small.

I would wait for the Nehalem architecture to arrive and be around for six months, but I need a new computer now. I'm tired of dealing with constant freezes and crashes that are definitely due to a hardware problem. I also need this system to last a few years. I'll be really happy if I can get seven years out it like my old system (1999-2006). This new system was a free hand-me-down (for which I am grateful, of course), but it's dying...

I will use my system for the following:
Warsow, Nexuiz, Tremulous, Savage, Postal 2, Darwin....
Valve/id games
some other games through WINE/Cedega
small XMPP server (openfire)
3D modeling/rendering
image/video editing (nothing major like HD)
audio/video conversion/transcoding
VirtualBox for testing OSes and jailing WinXP for those two programs that aren't available for Linux

How does my hardware configuration sound? Is it happy with Linux? How are nVidia nForce motherboards? How well do they work with Linux? I'd prefer to not have to use binary blobs. I'm making one exception with the video card. I know that ATI drivers are getting better in that respect, but the 8800 GT kills everything else out there in terms of price, performance, and power usage.

Speaking of power usage, I want the system to be as efficient, cool, and quiet as possible. I don't plan to overclock, but I do know that the E8400 can easily to up to 4GHz on air.

I have heavily based the specifications on suggestions at mysuperpc.com (and its forums), so the system is mostly in the "sweet spot" of price vs performance.

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions/comments!

Berticus · 2008-07-05 16:28:08

mrbug wrote:

Antec 300 case

What's the Antec 300 case? You mean the Antec p183, which hasn't even come out yet? That would be nice to have... Or did I miss something?

mrbug wrote:

either the Zalman 9500 or OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink/fan (Which thermal compound should I use?)

Well the heatsink/fan you get depends on how quiet you want it to be. If you want it to be as quiet as possible, I would suggest Arctic Cooling Accerlero, then have a case fan blow the heat out. If noise isn't something you're worried about, Zalman is a great choice. For thermal compound, I use Arctic Silver 5. Other people may suggest something else. If you don't think having just a heatsink and a case fan to control airflow is enough, I would urge you to check out SilentPCReview (SPR), especially their forums.

mrbug wrote:

Is it better to go with the 2x1gb or 2x2gb ram?

Well if you want 4 GB of RAM, you would do 2x2GB of RAM. If you want 2 GB you could have either 1x2GB of RAM or 2x1GB of RAM. It doesn't matter unless you're dual channeling. In that case, you want more sticks, each with less memory.

mrbug wrote:

I'll be really happy if I can get seven years out it like my old system (1999-2006).

7 years without upgrades? That's asking for quite a lot. I think asking for more than 5 years without upgrades is a lot as it is. What I would really suggest is take it down a notch and upgrade certain components as time goes along. For example, one year you'll replace the graphics card, another year replace CPU, mobo and RAM, another year replace fans and heatsinks, another year replace the case. That way you don't need to splurge a bunch of money at one time building a whole new system, and your system will always be recent.

Anyway, sounds like more than anything, you should really check out SPR and maybe you want to have a sort of rolling update with your PC, which is what I do. The only time I'll be building a whole new PC from the ground up is when I need an additional machine.

mrbug · 2008-07-05 17:14:09

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … ntec%2b300

It's basically a not-as-flashy version of the Antec 900...

I'm looking at the GA-EP35C-DS3R motherboard because I will be able to upgrade the memory in a couple years instead of having to buy a completely new motherboard. I have no idea what socket the Nehalem will use, though.

I don't have to have the latest cutting-edge everything, but it looks like some important things (socket/slots) are changing in a big way again in about a year. I also don't need to have a ridiculously quiet system. I just want one that doesn't sound like a turbine...

I also don't expect to be able to play the latest and greatest games in five years.

I just need to know if everything "looks okay" and will work well with Linux. I'm assuming that it will based on my research, but it's always nice to hear from people instead of articles.

I would do a rolling update with this system if I could, but I can't.

sam · 2008-07-05 18:48:08

All the hardware will work well because you are picking common components.

You should definitely go for 4gb ram, especially given how cheap ram is. 2gb is pushing the video editing and rendering.

You should probably go with a new psu as well. A bad psu will hurt the performance of your computer and it is really anoying to hear a loud fan. PSU's also wear out after a while too. Your components are screaming to be overclocked, and if you want to go that route (which I'm assuming since you're buying ram with batman-like heat sinks), you need a good psu. You can check out sites like http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp for a good estimate of the wattage you need, and when buying a psu, remember to buy a heavy PSU and a good brand.

You may want to reconsider 64 bit too. You will be doing the only thing that 64 bit really helps, video editing and 3d modeling. Java isn't really a big deal because very few sites use it, and flash works well under 64 bit with a wrapper.

kontrast · 2008-07-05 22:02:05

For your motherboard, I would recommend any type of Asus over Gigabyte, since I've always had plenty of luck with Linux, especially Arch. I've also had alot of luck overclocking with my main computer's Asus board, it both has AI overclock (it goes by 5%, 10%, 15% overclock and does voltages for you), and manual overclock. I currently have my main computer with a Pentium 4 overclocked from 3.0 Ghz to 3.6 Ghz, completely stable even with my crap Crucial ram (4x512mb).

Just incase you change your mind at all on the heatsinks or want to add more fans, I definately recommend the Scythe brand. I use all Scythe fans and heatsinks on my new computer(s), and they are all running near silence, and working amazingly.

Here's my recommendation's
S Flex - Quietest fans I've used yet - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi … ex&x=0&y=0
Any type of Scythe heatsink (All very big, watch the size) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi … Scythe+USA

As for a video card, the only thing I recommend is either buying an XFX or a BFG, both great quality and many of their products are overclocked by the factory. Great looks also.

XFX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi … 00&x=0&y=0
BFG - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi … 00&x=0&y=0

For a cheap solution to get some new SATA drives, I recommend Western Digital drives, very cheap and very reliable. 250 GB for $60, free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6822136161

mrbug · 2008-07-06 13:33:03

Kontrast:
It's good to hear that the S Flex fans are really quiet. I liked the sound (ugh...pun) of that, but I wasn't sure if the ~$7 price increase would be worth it. Apparently it is =-)

I've been looking one of the XFX 8800 gt cards (big dog edition?), so maybe I'll go with that instead of the eVGA.

Sam:
Now that you mention it, I have noticed that Java is pretty rare these days. The most I ever see is Java Web Start stuff for "web conferences" and other collaboration/remote control programs.

If it truly is just a matter of using a wrapper, Flash shouldn't be much of a problem. Does this mean that I will have to start a separate Firefox whenever I find some Flash that I want to use/view, or does the program run similar as 32-bit as it does as 64-bit? (hope that makes sense!)

sam · 2008-07-06 16:38:54

mrbug wrote:

Kontrast:
If it truly is just a matter of using a wrapper, Flash shouldn't be much of a problem. Does this mean that I will have to start a separate Firefox whenever I find some Flash that I want to use/view, or does the program run similar as 32-bit as it does as 64-bit? (hope that makes sense!)

Well, its actually more than just installing the pacman package. You have to install a lot of 32 bit libraries and you have to do some routine configuration. The result (64 bit users correct me if im wrong) is you would use a 64 bit firefox and flash would still run. So no, you wouldn't need two firefox installations. The full detail are http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _on_Arch64. Although the procedure is somewhat long, the result is near native flash performance and you will probably experience large performance boosts in other areas.

There maybe other differences between the 64 and 32 bit versions, you should probably go to the 64 bit arch forum for more info. I have a 64 bit processor, but I don't do video editing nor 3d rendering, and I only have 1 gig of ram. So for me, 32 bit was clear cut.

Last edited by sam (2008-07-06 16:39:37)

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#1 2008-07-05 14:26:54

I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#2 2008-07-05 16:28:08

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#3 2008-07-05 17:14:09

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#4 2008-07-05 18:48:08

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#5 2008-07-05 22:02:05

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#6 2008-07-06 13:33:03

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

#7 2008-07-06 16:38:54

Re: I would like to receive some hardware recommendations/advice

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