Building a computer? Need advice/suggestions? Come here!

[Warsaw]

1440x900 at what graphical quality?

I'm assuming you have a socket AM2 board, so any AMD Socket AM2/AM2+ CPU that runs at 3+GHz will significantly increase performance (the best you can do is the Phenom II X4 940). As for RAM, I'm going to assume it's DDR2 800MHz, and you should have 4GB of that. Video card is fine for 1440x900, but if you want more eye candy, go with the HD4770 or better.

[Cortexian]

Processor lapping.

I know from experience that the best way to lap is to lap the processor AND the heat sink you've got attached to it. I've lapped the setup my dad is currently using (Core 2 Duo E6600 with some non-stock HSF that I forget) and I lapped both the processor and the HSF when I was using that setup.

My question is, will lapping JUST the HSF decrease your temperatures or is lapping the processor required as well? I found that I still have a few extra sheets from the packs of 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit that I bought for the previous lap and I was thinking of doing my Thermalright Ultra 120. However I don't think I'll have enough to lap my Q6600 as well, and I'm being a cheap lazy bum that doesn't want to go buy more...

So just wondering?

I might have the extra material to do my processor as well, by the time I get around to it. I'm planning on scheduling a week where I do all the case mods I have planned, and than paint the case interior. It just donned on me that while I'm waiting for coats to dry I could do some lapping as well...

[InnerGoat]

Depends on the heatsink. You'll usually get a noticible improvement lapping the TRUE alone.

[Cortexian]

Folding rig question:

I've been looking into building a dedicated folding rig just in case I end up getting hired for one of the seasonal/part-time jobs I've applied for. I'm aiming for a GPU folding rig so I went with 4 EVGA GTX 295 Superclocked Edition GPU's and than build the rig around them with the cheapest decent parts I could find on New Egg, here's the complete PC.

I chose the case I did because of the apparent high airflow and 8 expansion ports requirement. I don't want to go caseless for the simple fact that it's an eyesore to us non-tech oriented folk, and a case makes everything self contained for easy relocation and such. I may also use this as a file server to replace my current one, so the case has lots of HDD storage potential.

I'm open for suggestions regarding the case in addition to any other components.

Note that this isn't a high priority for me right now, as at this point in time I wouldn't be able to afford it. This will ONLY happen if I get the jobs I've mentioned, and even than not for awhile while I build up funds.

[InnerGoat]

Looks fine other than the small PSU. A window AC unit for the room would be good too.

[Yoko]

Put in a new heatsink a couple weeks ago, and it's ridiculously large. There's about half an inch from the heatsink to my case door, lol...but that aside, I had to take out the fan on the door so the heatsink would fit. I notice overall system temps have gone down from better airflow, but is dust a problem? Like, would a make-shift screen or something be better than just an open hole with a few grills? It hasn't caused any problems so far, and I want to keep it that way.

[Cojafoji]

Put in a new heatsink a couple weeks ago, and it's ridiculously large. There's about half an inch from the heatsink to my case door, lol...but that aside, I had to take out the fan on the door so the heatsink would fit. I notice overall system temps have gone down from better airflow, but is dust a problem? Like, would a make-shift screen or something be better than just an open hole with a few grills? It hasn't caused any problems so far, and I want to keep it that way.

the screen would protect things inside from getting dusty, but eventually they'd get clogged, and then the computer wouldn't get any air at all. i'd go ahead and make some screens for the fans, but you have to remember to clean them!

[Cortexian]

After getting some suggestions from fellow folders, I changed up the setup a bit and shaved about $1,700 off the potential folding rig:
http://secure.newegg.ca/WishList/Pub...umber=15577148

Put in a new heatsink a couple weeks ago, and it's ridiculously large. There's about half an inch from the heatsink to my case door, lol...but that aside, I had to take out the fan on the door so the heatsink would fit. I notice overall system temps have gone down from better airflow, but is dust a problem? Like, would a make-shift screen or something be better than just an open hole with a few grills? It hasn't caused any problems so far, and I want to keep it that way.

Do what I did when I first installed my TRUE, mount your side fan on the outside with a dust cover and fan grill:

[Aßyll]

Here's my first try at building a PC (mostly changed by free): newegg wishlist

I was aiming for something mostly cheap, but I want something that should do well for a while. I'm just starting early, and I'll try to get it for christmas.


Feel free to comment, or feel free to ignore. Mostly, I wonder what else I can downgrade to get it a bit cheaper.

[paladin]

Not bad. Good luck putting it together. I remember when I put my computer together for the first time. Its a lot of fun.