It comes with 1 120mm fan preinstalled. I bought 5 more fans and filled the case. To be honest though that is probably overkill. The 1 fan should be fine if you're not overclocking. Maybe add more if you get it all put together and see your temps higher than you want.
I need a compelling reason to get the OCZ Vertex 2 60GB over the Corsair C300 64GB.
As I see it:
Corsair pros (over OCZ): Faster read (70MB/sec more), 4 more GB, 2 more yrs warranty, $10 cheaper, SATA3 interface
OCZ pros (over Corsair): Much faster write. Ryder will beat OCZ upside the head if I get a bad drive.
I'm not sure how much the write speed matters for a boot drive. Also not sure if the 6gb/sec SATA will even be utilized (my mobo supports it, but not sure the SSD can take advantage of it).
Edit: I was wrong thinking there wasn't much to be saved money-wise. See post below. I clearly got a equivalent (or better) system for significantly less money by building on my own - and was able to ensure that I could pick each component from dozens of choices.
New computer is on order. After a week of reading reviews, benchmark data, discussions, item availability and discounts, and going with my gut, I ended up with the following:
Case: NZXT Beta Evo (plus additional high-quality case fans, cables, etc) PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W CPU: Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P RAM: 8GB (4x2) G.SKILL Trident DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000, F3-16000CL9D-4GBTD) Video: GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 128GB SATA III Optical: Liteon 24X DVDrw Sata
Total: Just over $1300.
Changed the build from a Phenom x6 to a Intel i7 after reviewing benchmarks for the applications I use most (games, Photoshop). Doesn't hurt that the Gigabyte motherboard layout is nicer for the 1156 socket (RAM isn't up against CPU).
I'm sure it's not the best set-up - probably some overkill, some less-than-ideal, but I'm happy with it overall. Will crush the machine I'm using now.
I'll post a pic of the build when all the parts arrive (later this week).
EDIT: Btw, to get a good deal I spent a decent amount of time searching for NewEgg combo deals, and split my order between Amazon & NewEgg depending on pricing, shipping costs, and availability.
The biggest problem was the CPU HSF. Too big to use it AND have a stick of RAM in the first slot. The Intel HSF is mediocre... I'll be looking for another soon. (with aftermarket thermal paste I'm getting >70C at full load, 65C at 50% load, 40C idle).
The NZXT Beta Evo case is very nice for $45, however the cutout for the HSF mount (behind the CPU) was off-centered for the GA-P55A-UD4P motherboard. Nice thought from NZXT, however they added that cut-out with a specific motherboard in mind... so I need to completely remove the motherboard when I change the CPU HSF.
The wire management, drive location, and overall design were great.
My only other comment is that I am very glad I went with the 128GB C300 RealSSD drive from Crucial. It is very fast (windows boot times vary from 23-28 seconds).
With Win7, a few utility applications, drivers, Starcraft II (8GB!), and Adobe CS4 installed it's at 40 gigs. while 60 or 64 GB drive would be enough, I'd be awfully uncomfortable with so little space left.
Been playing SC2 today at all Ultra settings. Looks great. Win7 WEI scores for processor/RAM/graphics are 7.5-7.7.
Comments
You have a 125W CPU and the GTX 460 is listed as max consumption of 160W. 445W total for the large draw items.
BEZT CASE EVAR
...for £30 anyway
I need a compelling reason to get the OCZ Vertex 2 60GB over the Corsair C300 64GB.
As I see it:
Corsair pros (over OCZ): Faster read (70MB/sec more), 4 more GB, 2 more yrs warranty, $10 cheaper, SATA3 interface
OCZ pros (over Corsair): Much faster write. Ryder will beat OCZ upside the head if I get a bad drive.
I'm not sure how much the write speed matters for a boot drive. Also not sure if the 6gb/sec SATA will even be utilized (my mobo supports it, but not sure the SSD can take advantage of it).
What I've learned re: original post.
Edit: I was wrong thinking there wasn't much to be saved money-wise. See post below. I clearly got a equivalent (or better) system for significantly less money by building on my own - and was able to ensure that I could pick each component from dozens of choices.
Case: NZXT Beta Evo (plus additional high-quality case fans, cables, etc)
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W
CPU: Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz
HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P
RAM: 8GB (4x2) G.SKILL Trident DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000, F3-16000CL9D-4GBTD)
Video: GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 128GB SATA III
Optical: Liteon 24X DVDrw Sata
Total: Just over $1300.
Changed the build from a Phenom x6 to a Intel i7 after reviewing benchmarks for the applications I use most (games, Photoshop). Doesn't hurt that the Gigabyte motherboard layout is nicer for the 1156 socket (RAM isn't up against CPU).
I'm sure it's not the best set-up - probably some overkill, some less-than-ideal, but I'm happy with it overall. Will crush the machine I'm using now.
I'll post a pic of the build when all the parts arrive (later this week).
EDIT: Btw, to get a good deal I spent a decent amount of time searching for NewEgg combo deals, and split my order between Amazon & NewEgg depending on pricing, shipping costs, and availability.
Believe that is what counts most! :bigggrin:
The biggest problem was the CPU HSF. Too big to use it AND have a stick of RAM in the first slot. The Intel HSF is mediocre... I'll be looking for another soon. (with aftermarket thermal paste I'm getting >70C at full load, 65C at 50% load, 40C idle).
The NZXT Beta Evo case is very nice for $45, however the cutout for the HSF mount (behind the CPU) was off-centered for the GA-P55A-UD4P motherboard. Nice thought from NZXT, however they added that cut-out with a specific motherboard in mind... so I need to completely remove the motherboard when I change the CPU HSF.
The wire management, drive location, and overall design were great.
My only other comment is that I am very glad I went with the 128GB C300 RealSSD drive from Crucial. It is very fast (windows boot times vary from 23-28 seconds).
With Win7, a few utility applications, drivers, Starcraft II (8GB!), and Adobe CS4 installed it's at 40 gigs. while 60 or 64 GB drive would be enough, I'd be awfully uncomfortable with so little space left.
Been playing SC2 today at all Ultra settings. Looks great. Win7 WEI scores for processor/RAM/graphics are 7.5-7.7.