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View Full Version : Anyone know a good mATX case?



mmcookies
07-25-2007, 10:49 AM
These are the system components that I plan on buying for the other 4 boxes.
As you can see, I haven't decided on the case and power supplies yet.
Comments welcomed.

$99.99 CPU
Intel Pentium E2140 1.6GHz Dual Core 1MB 800MHz LGA775

$65.99 Motherboard
Foxconn P4M9007MB-8RS2H S775 1PCI-Ex16/2xPCI/2DDR2, w/VGA/SOUND/SATA/LAN/MATX
Memory: DDR2 667 / 533 /400 x 2 DIMMs, Max 4GB

$59.17 Memory
Kingston KVR667D2N5K2/1G 1GB Kit 2x512MB DDR2 667MHz

$79.99 Graphics Card
Asus EN7300GT/256 256MB DDR2 Silent PCI-E w/HDTV & DVI Retail

$83.99 Hard Drive
WD WD3200AAKS 320GB 16MB SATAII Western Digital

???? Case and Power Supply

Kruiik
07-25-2007, 10:52 AM
slightly off-topic, but does anybody have an idea what does "test bench" cost what over-clockers use and what do they cost?

I dislike idea about cases, i'd rather have open set of "test benches".

Test bench = bare mount for PSU + MB + drives

mmcookies
07-25-2007, 11:06 AM
these things?
http://www.highspeedpc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=StdTechStation

while it does look geektastic,
the dust you'll have in a few months is a nightmare to clean
that's unless you plan on constantly air dusting them

it's great for testing out configs without having to bump around inside a case
(especially if you're swapping CPUs and heatsinks)
but i wouldn't recommend it for normal daily usage

Stabface
07-25-2007, 03:38 PM
Seems a bit pricey on some things...

Not sure where you are located but check for deals, if there's a Fry's nearby they often have some really good prices, pretty good deal on a core 2 duo + mainboard right now for example (although I dislike ECS boards).
http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/

Also do you really need 320gb HDD for these boxes? seems excessive if all you're using them for is WoW.

Shogun
07-25-2007, 04:09 PM
Yeah for HDD space you're unlikely to use even 60gb ^^

Rascalion
07-25-2007, 05:00 PM
Here is a link to the hardware I'm planning on buying as my additional 2 boxes for a 3 box setup. It's not top of the line, but it will run WoW and most other MMORPG's well.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6256826&WishListTitle=3Box

Total cost per box: $491.93 (not including monitor)

Kruiik
07-25-2007, 05:43 PM
these things?
http://www.highspeedpc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=StdTechStation

while it does look geektastic,
the dust you'll have in a few months is a nightmare to clean
that's unless you plan on constantly air dusting them

it's great for testing out configs without having to bump around inside a case
(especially if you're swapping CPUs and heatsinks)
but i wouldn't recommend it for normal daily usage

Exactly that - thanks, but it's a bit more pricey than i hoped. I'm looking for something really "budget" stuff.

mmcookies
07-25-2007, 06:54 PM
Yeah for HDD space you're unlikely to use even 60gb ^^

Yah, but the thing is the cheapest new HD I can find is $50 for 80gb 7.2krpm.
Seems extremely dumb not to take +$33 for +240GB, plus I can always partition out the extra space for file dumps... >_>

Stabface
07-25-2007, 06:56 PM
How about, boot Windows off a DVD, and then mount a networked drive ? :)

mmcookies
07-25-2007, 06:57 PM
Exactly that - thanks, but it's a bit more pricey than i hoped. I'm looking for something really "budget" stuff.

You can just get a nice solid wood plank and drill some right sized holes in it so you can properly mount the feet on top. That's what my friend and I used to do when we were trashing CPUs...

mmcookies
07-25-2007, 07:02 PM
Seems a bit pricey on some things...

Not sure where you are located but check for deals, if there's a Fry's nearby they often have some really good prices, pretty good deal on a core 2 duo + mainboard right now for example (although I dislike ECS boards).
http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/

Also do you really need 320gb HDD for these boxes? seems excessive if all you're using them for is WoW.

I'm actually not too overly concerned about pricing. I buy from the regional distributors in Vancouver and that means I get pretty much the lowest prices in Western Canada.

I'm more concerned about performance/adequacy, and reuseability. I'm far more likely to cannibalize these for other projects than resell them somewhere down the line.

mmcookies
07-25-2007, 07:07 PM
How about, boot Windows off a DVD, and then mount a networked drive ? :)

I've thought about it, but I want to be able to play quickly and reliably. Network drives can be quite temperamental at times, and I don't want to have to deal with sporadic problems.

At $30 an hour, I think I can easily end up spending 10 hours or more fixing network drive issues, which I feel justifies the cost.