[PCWorld]

Post your comments for How to Build a Superfast, Superquiet PC, Part 2 here

[JimH443]

Is there going to be a part 3 that discusses how fast and quiet this system is? How does this system compare in speed and silence with similarly priced prebuilt machines?

[cap2587]

I really liked the article on building a superfast, superquiet affordable PC. I did some shopping around on a number of websites and came up with some better deals. Try shopping.com, tigerdirect, newegg, amazon.com, techonweb, lagoom.com and zipzoomfly.com. I came up with a grand total of $869, without including Windows XP, the 2 speakers. I aready have a copy of windows XP, keyboard ,mouse, but would have to buy a new montior (plan on spending around $200). This would bring my total up to slightly over $1000. My question is how does this computer really measure up compared to something of similar cost, such as the Dell XPS 420, with compenents,

Also wondering if the Graphics ECS N8800GT, with it's heat sync would easily fit into the Chassis. Some of the reviews in Newegg regarding this product said it was hard to fit into their chosen Case. Sorry this is so long. Would appreciate a reply. Thanks.

[JADavey]

Did you look into a fanless power supply? I have seen them for sale, but I wonder if they are risky. I don't overclock or game, but I do have my system in a room that tends to get warm. I am looking for any way to get rid of fans.

[mjd420nova]

I think that the term super fast is totally subjective. I run a quad core machine with WINXPPRO and it loads after the BIOS completes in 20 seconds. That's with printer drivers, scanner software too. Superquiet is in my opinion one that makes no noise at all. I've accomplished this with making careful selection of fans that emit very little noise and retro fitted one in the power supply that is rated at 800 watts. More than enough power so it will run cool and not heat up the rest of the unit. By dressing the cables neatly and away from air current paths, this allows for the maximum cooling with the lower volume fans. The unit has five fans, including the one in the power supply. Even sitting in front of the unit you'd never know it was on unless you look at the front panel and see the LED power light.

[JADavey]

Did you select a case that has good sound deadening? I spec'ed out my computer for quiet components, but I still hear everything, including the hard drive clicking constantly.

[james1]

Great 2 part article. It was concise, presenting rational for each part and giving cost. I would like to see this as a continuing article, perhaps ever 6 to 12 months.

[gaysaac]

Isn't more convinient to have 4Gb of high performance memory for $140 that a $199 speakers? You were looking for a "silent" PC anyway.

[Randy94]

nice build .....but flogging Vista is really getting kind of old....it works great for me

[mjd420nova]

JAD: I'm not usually too concerned with the case hardware itself as I have a supply of large soft rubber feet I put on the bottoms. I also use a rubber mat under each unit. I have encountered a few units I've worked on that had some very loud hard drives and I also have a number of different sizes of rubber washers to place between the drive and the case and to backup the mounting screws. Usually a constantly clicking drive is an indication of a unit that has failed or is about to take a dive.

[drrexx]

I second James1's proposal. It's a great article, and it would be great to see something like

this at regular intervals.

[Steveschwab]

Nice Article but I'm surprised you didn't go with Vista. It's been my experience that Vista is significantly better than XP if you have decent hardware and at least 2 gigs of RAM. The superfetch technology really shines. Programs that I use frequently literally jump to the screen when I launch them. Throw in a cheap thumb drive for ready boost and improve your performance even more. The search feature saves me many mouse clicks. It's been plenty of time for vendors to get drivers and that no longer is an issue.
I think you're doing your readers a disservice by propagating the Vista is evil myth. You're simply missing out on a improved experience by opting for an older OS. If you really try it you'll like it.

[JimH443]

I'm no fan of Vista, but I gotta agree with Steveschwab. Nowhere in the title of the article was "inexpensive" even implied. If you're willing to spend the bucks to build a super fast PC, it's almost certain that you'll be buying hardware that can run Vista quite well.

The problem with Vista is that it doesn't "play well" with computers that AREN'T new. Mine is new enough that it's just a couple of months older than Vista. It's not even close to being "Vista capable." Just for starters, it came with a mere 512MB RAM (shared with video) and maxes out at 2GB. Computers that pre-date Vista more than mine are probably even less Vista capable.

[Schmucster]

Building your own guarentees the build quality, parts quality. etc. plus on a high end system you cant help saving big bucks.It really isn't that difficult and is interesting to do at least once. Think of it like Lego. Expensive Lego... :D

[JimH443]

I quit building computers when I finally got so disgusted that I could buy a computer at retail for less than the wholesale price (that I could get) of the parts that went into it. That's why I wanted the author to compare the system he built to a similarly priced pre-built system. I'd love to find out that a "one-sy" computer builder can out price a major manufacturer.



But, yes, it is fun to do and in the long run it's cheaper - if you know how to build one, you learn how to fix them. THAT is where you start saving the money, when you don't have to pay someone else to fix yours.