New build time!

Hardware and technical stuff
1

New build time as I am unsatisfied with my Silverstone TJ08 microATX setup’s temps and noise. Have an ABIT NF-M2 board, AMD X2 5200+ and passive XFX 7950GT right now.

Here’s what I’ve got planned:

Case: Antec Solo
PSU: Corsair HX520
HD: Western Digital WD5000KS 500GB SATA
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Mobo: ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
CPU fan: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Video: unsure yet…some quiet 8800GTS
Sound: X-Fi Platinum (I like me the inputs that I’ll never use)
RAM: Mushkin PC2-6400 DDR2 2x 1GB
OS: XP not Vista
Optical: Pioneer DVR-A12 via eBay from HK since not available in North America

…can someone clarify if 8-series allows HDR and FSAA simultaneously in Oblivion?

2

The stock HSF that comes with the C2D is surprsingly effective and quiet even when overclocking the cpu significantly. This probably has more to do with how cool the C2D runs than the HSF being any great shakes, but if you’re going to buy a retail unit C2D that includes the HSF you might want to give it a whirl before buying an aftermarket cooler.

3

Get the E6320, as opposed to the E6300. For a whopping $1 USD more, you get double the L2 Cache.

Also, based on reviews an 8800 GTS will juuuust fit in that case, and a GTX would require some case modding. You may want to opt for a larger case, such as the P180.

4

Yes you just have to force the AA in the control panel.

5

Naw, I always get aftermarket fans for quieter cooling.

6

I think this thread should be a sticky. Instead of a new one every two weeks, all the info can be found in one thread.

7

downgrading the video card to HIS X1900XT IceQ3 because it works in OSX.