Build a PC - Budget: $1300

Ow.. that sucks. A vacuum cleaner? :|

I'll scrap the stock fans. Do you know of any "quiet" ones? LOL, i know that's an odd request, but..

Nos.

[QUOTE=Rodder454]also bout the fans....

if your going for AMD Athlon 64 3200+, then id scrap any stock fan (use as backup) and get a good cpu fan (highspeed, copper base etc). Be sure to buy a good thermal grease too (again...scrap any stock grease).

Also be careful bout noise (if it bothers you). I have 3 fans in my case...about 350 CFM's/@15,000 RPM total. Basically....at full speed its as loud as your average vaccum cleaner. Seriously..i cant hear my TV over it and my computer can be heard well across the house (40 feet away) with doors shut.[/QUOTE]

None of the fans that he's buying are that loud. The stock heatsink will also do just fine. Do swap the thermal paste, find some Arctic Silver 3 (or 5) on Newegg (or wherever) and use that. But yeah, none of his fans rotate at 15k RPM...

So you're saying i do not need to replace the CPU fan? I was thinking about getting something like:

http://store4.yimg.com/I/xoxide_1776_71439866

But is upgrading your CPU fan only necessary for overclocking? Also, should i scrap the stock case fans and get some new ones? Or will that not make much of a difference.

Thanks for all of your help, guys. I'll be sure to take pictures once i'm done. ;)

Nos.

[QUOTE=Nostalgia]So you're saying i do not need to replace the CPU fan? I was thinking about getting something like:

http://store4.yimg.com/I/xoxide_1776_71439866

But is upgrading your CPU fan only necessary for overclocking? Also, should i scrap the stock case fans and get some new ones? Or will that not make much of a difference.

Thanks for all of your help, guys. I'll be sure to take pictures once i'm done. ;)

Nos.[/QUOTE]

You could scrap the stock case fans, it's not really necessary in your situation, but yes, you could. You're already getting three good free ones... so waste more money?

The fan/heatsink unit you posted is the Coolermaster Aero, I don't think they have one for your CPU/Socket. The stock heatsink/fan are fine as long as you (or whoever is building the PC) installs them properly. They come with instructions in about 3534534 different languages and nice pictures.

I'll take a look at the stock CPU fan when it comes, and decide then if i'd like to get a new one.

Alright, thanks all - i may dig this topic up if i have problems putting it all together, but i seriously doubt that.

Nos.

[QUOTE=Nostalgia]I'll take a look at the stock CPU fan when it comes, and decide then if i'd like to get a new one.

Alright, thanks all - i may dig this topic up if i have problems putting it all together, but i seriously doubt that.

Nos.[/QUOTE]

Will you having someone helping you? (if you've never done it before) It could be a pretty good idea. I mean, the very first computer that I built I did by myself, gathering knowledge solely from my own common sense pool and some forums. So it's fine if no one helps, but since you're building such a high-end and expensive system, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Of course, i'm no moron. The processor goes into the PCI slot, right?

I've got afew friends and a dad ;).

Nos.

I'd wait on the Athlon 64. It's still too overpriced, and the FX is the only one worth getting anyways. From what I've seen the 2800+ gives you the most bang for the buck, coupled with a GeForce 5600 Ultra. It only runs on a 333 FSB, but if you get a mb that supports 400 fsb, then you can upgrade your RAM and CPU to the 3200+/Pc3200 here in about a year. By that time you could probably even get the 64 for around 130 bucks. Either way, you'd save yourself about $200-$400 that you could spend on surround sound, beer, wireless keyboard/mouse, any games you might want, a DVD-R/RW drive, whatever... You're always gonna overspend if you try to go for the latest and greatest. And btw, if you're wanting to get two hard drives, RAID em. Stay away from Seagate though. They can be pretty unstable at times. Western Digital is just a hair slower, but you'll be grateful for the reliability when you're not having to clean install windows every 6 months.

Pricewatch as of 18 Feb
Athlon XP 2800+/333: $105
GeForce 5600 Ultra: $115
Corsair XMS PC2700 512 mb: $104

Oh, and with fans, Vantec makes some great case fans-- 80mm or 92mm Stealths. Quiet as hell and they move about 30 cu ft./ min. Of course with a good fan controller you could fill your system w/ Tornados (~75 cu ft/min for the 80mm vers.) like I did ;-)