So here I am. I've been thinking if I should buy a new computer or buy new parts.
First off, the old computer is very noisy. Most of the noise is comming from the power supply. And this is something I like to change, since it's going to be placed in the livingroom, hidden under a table.
The second thing is that I have to change the motherboard and the CPU aswell.
So the old computer look like this:
CoolMaster cabinet
AMD Athlon 64 X2 DualCore Processor 4200+
Asus something 2M HDMI motherboard
Ati Radeon 4xxx series GPU (with HDMI)
Old, noisy Crosair PSU.
Two HDD
And 2GB DDR2 Ram.
I was thinking that I could cut corners in cost with only makeing this somehow silent and somewhere good enough to run Dolphin at a playable level.
This computer also is going to have some other tasks, as being filled with movies, tv-series and music. And also being able to play old console games as the N64 and PSX (maybe some PS2 games if possible). All-in-all with XBMC front-end.
So what I'm looking at is:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-z68AP-D3
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500 (don't know if I should go for the K and overclock? Whould it make more noise?)
PSU: Don't know since I don't know about any that dosen't make any sound
Ram: Maybe I'll have to buy new ones? Does the z68 support DDR2?
GPU: I think the ATI-card is to old for avrage preformance.
So, any suggestions?
Quote:Does the z68 support DDR2?
Nope , just grab 2 sticks Corsair XMS3 2GB
Quote:Ati Radeon 4xxx series
??? Use "GPUZ" then tell us full name
By GPUZ it's: ATI Radeon HD 4600 series with a gpu clocked at 750MHz.
I forgot to mention what type of games i'm going to play, so here are they:
- Zelda Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword
- Mario Kart Wii and Double Dash
- New Super Mario Bros
- Spyro (some of the first spyro-games for the GC)
- Burnout 2
- Tony Hawk Underground 2 (mostly because of the widescreen option)
and some more.
Quote:ATI Radeon HD 4600 series with a gpu clocked at 750MHz.
It's ATI 4670 , 720p is ok but if you want eye candy (anti-aliasing , 1080p ....) , you might consider buying new card
i5 2500 should be able to run most games full speed . Without "K" , you can't overclock it as high as the "K" CPU
Mario Galaxy 1&2 + LLE backend , The Last Story ...need i5 2500
K@ 4.4GHz or i5 3570
K@4.2Ghz
(07-01-2012, 04:50 PM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]It's ATI 4670 , 720p is ok but if you want eye candy (anti-aliasing , 1080p ....) , you might consider buying new card
i5 2500 should be able to run most games full speed . Without "K" , you can't overclock it as high as the "K" CPU
Mario Galaxy 1&2 + LLE backend , The Last Story ...need i5 2500K@ 4.4GHz or i5 3570K@4.2Ghz
Well that sounds something like it. I know that SMG are demanding and i don't play them =P
Since I'm making this to a kind of HTPC build its really important that it's quiet. That's why I'm not consindering a K-version of the i5.
But if i break this down, all I need in order to make this work with HLE-sound is:
- A new CPU - Intel i5 2500
- A new MB - Gigabyte z68
- New RAM cards in DDR 3 (two or four GBs)
- A silent PSU, but what size do I need? 500w or higher?
Does this make any sense or am I wrong?
(07-01-2012, 10:44 PM)Chriztr Wrote: [ -> ] (07-01-2012, 04:50 PM)admin89 Wrote: [ -> ]It's ATI 4670 , 720p is ok but if you want eye candy (anti-aliasing , 1080p ....) , you might consider buying new card
i5 2500 should be able to run most games full speed . Without "K" , you can't overclock it as high as the "K" CPU
Mario Galaxy 1&2 + LLE backend , The Last Story ...need i5 2500K@ 4.4GHz or i5 3570K@4.2Ghz
Well that sounds something like it. I know that SMG are demanding and i don't play them =P
Since I'm making this to a kind of HTPC build its really important that it's quiet. That's why I'm not consindering a K-version of the i5.
But if i break this down, all I need in order to make this work with HLE-sound is:
- A new CPU - Intel i5 2500
- A new MB - Gigabyte z68
- New RAM cards in DDR 3 (two or four GBs)
- A silent PSU, but what size do I need? 500w or higher?
Does this make any sense or am I wrong?
If you're going non K, get a 3450/3550, cheaper, and 20% faster. Theres no point in utilizing something at te same pricepoint that is worse(2500), that is if your given country has these processors. get a h77 or b75 board (more usb 3 more features) or go with a h67 if you want to save some cash(tho look into the motherboard manufacturers website to see if they support current ivy bridge processors.).
ZXX motherboards are meant for 'K' cpus that is they are expensive because they support overclocking as well as more features from the chipset that are mostly only of use for the overclocker. DDR3 isn't that expensive, go with a 1.5V kit that is not XMS
but Vengeance i believe. These have more compatibility so just to be safe, get your hands on a low profile kit, nobody OC's ram anymore, even if you'd OC ram the speed difference is
not noticeable. Get a corsair cx430watt psu (38euros only in my place)it is extremely silent, the fan is barely spinning, i'm using this to power my 3570K and 6850 both overclocked. You should be fine with 430 watts as the above mentioned proc only eats ~70watts i believe
.
Calculate how much money you've saved and get nothing higher than a 6850 / 550 TI to not strain your PSU. If you're all about silence replace your casefans with noctua fans, if you throw in a graphics card it is recommend to have at least an intake as well as an exhaust.
I believe that you'll be able to play games with LLE that are not SMG at full speed at 4x IR.
Edit: Get a 4gb kit, 2gb isn't recommend as windows 7 only uses up +-1GB.
Quote:I was thinking that I could cut corners in cost with only makeing this somehow silent and somewhere good enough to run Dolphin at a playable level.
Making things silent will usually be more expensive. A silent PSU costs more than one with a fan for example.
Quote:Since I'm making this to a kind of HTPC build its really important that it's quiet. That's why I'm not consindering a K-version of the i5.
The CPU itself is not what makes the noise, it's the cooler that makes the noise.
I would definitely consider the 2500K. You could also consider getting a Ivy Bridge CPU like the 3570K, but that'll make your build a bit more expensive.
What case are you going to use?
What harddrive will you use?
You can link us to these parts if you want.
Make sure the PSU outputs at least 500w. If you find one, let us know here so we can tell you if it's a good PSU.
For the RAM, get either a 2x2 or 2x4 kit @ 1333MHz.
As for the loudness of the HTPC, are you aiming for total silence? Or is it alright if there's
some noise?
Here two shopping list that I made.
Build with i5 2500k without a new videocard
Hovedkort Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 699,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=638945
Prosessor i5 2500k 1749,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=619274#extra
Ram Corsair Value S. DDR3 1333MHz 4GB CL9 185,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=604394
PSU Corsair CX V2 500W 645,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=635831
Total 3278,00 NOK
Total ( EURO ) 434,37 EUR
Build with i5 3570k without a new videocard
Hovedkort Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 699,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=638945
Prosessor i5-3570K 1879,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=660227
Ram Corsair Value S. DDR3 1333MHz 4GB CL9 185,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=604394
PSU Corsair CX V2 500W 645,00
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=635831
Total 3408,00 NOK
Total (EURO) 451,60 EUR
The case I have is an old CoolMaster similar to the Elite 330U -
http://www.coolermaster.co.uk/product.ph...ct_id=6726 only with one air hole at the side.
The price for a 6850 1GB is 1159,- ( 153,58 EUR )
I'm aiming for something like laptop silent-ish