Building Gaming Rig: Case Opinions

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patrickz0rs

Obliviot
Hello,

First time build here but I have some knowledge of hardware. Just have some questions on what to buy.

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 955: [http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
Memory:
G Skill 4GB DDR3 1600: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193[
Motherboard:
ASUS M4A785TD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398
Power Supply:
Rosewill 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182030
Graphics Card:
250gts http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130469
Case:
RAIDMAX SMILODON: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078
OR
NZXT Apollo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025

Already have a HD and Disk Drive. Not looking to spend anymore cash. This is going to be for gaming mainly.

My Questions:

1. What is the better case from experience? NZXT or Raidmax?
2. Will I run into trouble with a Mid-Tower case and an ATX mobo along with a 250? maybe with cable management?
3. What we be a good CPU cooler to go with the am3 socket and the Mid Tower Case?

Any comments / suggestions / modifications are greatly appreciated.
 
P

patrickz0rs

Obliviot
Doomsday said:
Nice Specs. GPU, I would seriously recommend the new ATI HD5850!!

Casing, go for Cooler Master! HAF 932 or the CM Storm Sniper! Check it out:

http://techgage.com/article/cooler_master_storm_sniper_mid-tower/

http://techgage.com/article/cooler_master_haf_932_full-tower/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I did more research on a good case for cable management and size compatibility and found that this case seems to be really good.

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
 
Rob Williams

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
First thing I'd like to ask is... what's your budget? Can you afford to upgrade any parts you have listed? If you take gaming seriously, it might not be a bad idea to pick up a better GPU. ATI has some new cards coming out soon that I can't talk about, but it might be worth waiting for...

None of those URLs work right now, so I can't really recommend anything, although I do give a thumbs up to CM Storm's cases. I use a Sniper and love it.
 
Psi*

Psi*

Tech Monkey
I have 2 full sized all steel cases that i have/had plumbed for water cooling. Kind of funny needing a large case that doesn't need the air flow for cooling, but at the time it was a lot easier to put all of the stuff in and plastic tubing doesn't like sharp bends.

One case is retired from water cooling & has new-ish CPU & mobo. The extra space in the full size makes for much easier air cooling.

I also have 3 mid sized Lian Li all aluminum black cases. They do look nice if that matters. One is a little noisy due to a squirrel cage fan ... that is ... squirrely somtimes. :( That case is designed for max air flow & is filled with screen vents. The other 2 are for quiet & have sound absorbing material on the insides of the sides to help. They have side vents & medium sized low flow fans. They are quiet as long as the fan on the CPU cooler is quiet.

All steel is cheap. All aluminum added $100. Next time ... there won't be a next time for a long time as I will just reuse these. I will say that the Lian Li are def quality and certain parts are interchangeable and addition parts (like a quieter squirrel cage fan) can be easily found online.

All aluminum is much lighter. And their large size makes fan cooling pretty easy.

Last, the only noise issue I have is the stock Intel fan in 1 of the Lian Li cases. I went for an expensive box & cheap parts at the time. I will probably upgrade the CPU (LGA775) & the HSF to a quieter version in the near future.
 
Rob Williams

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
Psi* said:
I will say that the Lian Li are def quality and certain parts are interchangeable and addition parts (like a quieter squirrel cage fan) can be easily found online.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, because I've been wondering about that. Lian Li's name used to be plastered all over wherever quality chassis' were concerned, but I've been hearing about them a lot lesss in recent years. We really should get one of their chassis' in sooner than later to take a look at ourselves.
 
gibbersome

gibbersome

Coastermaker
Rob Williams said:
First thing I'd like to ask is... what's your budget? Can you afford to upgrade any parts you have listed? If you take gaming seriously, it might not be a bad idea to pick up a better GPU.
.
Click to expand...

It all depends on your budget. Let us know your budget and we'll set you up with something great and at a good value.

Some suggestions:
1. You want a better power supply. Quality over quantity.
2. COOLER MASTER Storm Scout is a good case, I wouldn't change it.
3. I would step up the GPU to the next one up, the 260. But again, this depends on your budget.
 
djw746

djw746

Obliviot
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010633&prodlist=dealnews

Corsair H50 watercooling for only $60 which is a nice deal for CPU heatsink. I like scout. if Nvidia go with the gtx 260 216 or AMD 4890 with non reference fan would be my advice. If you need to save money short term, save it on memory and go 2 GB and get the next 2 GB later.

Nice build and anything you chose will work but consider that you want it to work down the road... spend the $12 for a better PSU for instance
 
Psi*

Psi*

Tech Monkey
Lian Li cases can be tricky to get open. It is simple, once you know where & what to push or pull.
 
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