Been doing a ton of research on the Internet trying to figure out what new PC to get. I've finally decided that anything based on the top notch Intel 875P chipset isn't generally worth it. Overpriced. The best chipset currently is the Intel 865PE or it's sibling with integrated graphics, the 865G. Via and Sis both have fairly competitive chipsets but there's no advantage to them so I'm sticking to Intel. I prefer Intel to AMD and don't plan to revisit that choice. I want something that will support the next generation of Intel processors code-named Prescott. The 865x series of chipsets should do it although it's not guaranteed depending on the rest of the motherboard.
I want something quiet and I was hoping to go with a Small Form Factor (SFF). The quietest by far is the Shuttle Zen XPC but its got no AGP slot so you're stuck with the Radeon integrated graphics. Superb if you don't want to run a game. Not for me. The next quietest is the Shuttle ST61G4 but it uses a new ATI chipset and its memory controller has poor latency. I'm wary of unproven chipsets and hate losing performance. The next quietest is the Soltek Qbic 3401 which uses the 865G but has messy wiring. Overall, it seems to provide the best performance for the least noise in a small form factor. There is one other choice which is the Hust ATX but you pay a big premium for it. Factor in cost and the Qbic 3401 is the winner. It's also cheaper and quieter than the Shuttle SB65G2. And I'm not ready to shell out for an Alienware Area-51m.
But the Qbix 3401 puts out about 45dBa and you can readily get under 40dBA with a mid tower. Remember, it's a logarithmic scale so that's about half as quiet. Big difference! I gave up on Mini ITX as being underpowered even though they're very quiet and very small. So I'm back to sacrificing portablity to maximise power and quietness. Back to the drawing board. Building from scratch, my shopping list is now:
- Asus P4P800 Deluxe motherboard based on the 865PE with PAT enabled. Prescott supported.
- Pentium 4 2.8C 800FSB
- Nexus NX3500 Ultra Quiet PSU (or NX3000)
- Zalman 7000A AlCu (I use one on my current machine and they're great)
- NEC 2500a DVD writer is great value
- Radeon 9600 family graphics board. Not sure which one but definitely passively cooled
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160Gb SATA150 (although the WD Raptor is sooo tempting)
I'm stuck on selecting a case. Currently musing over the CoolerMaster WaveMaster. The AcoustiCases are so ugly!