Hardware Insights Forum

My current PC is built out of the following:

CPU - Celeron 336, with stock cooler (which gets loud when pushed)
Motherboard - Intel D945GTP (VRM gets hot and fuxx0rs certain RAM addresses)
RAM - 4 * Apacer 512MiB DDR2-533 (a.k.a. "PC2-4300" though that should really be "PC2-4266")
HDDs - 2 * WD800JD-00LSA0 (quiet, no problems to date) and 1 * ST31000528AS (firmware CC38) (noisy, used for large files that aren't as frequently accessed)
Optical drives - Lite-On SHM-165P6S and Sony CRX320EE
PSU - Hipro HP-D3057F3H with capacitors and fan replaced
Case - made by AOpen, but I don't know which model; pathetic fan grilles (the type with lots of small round holes)
Fan - NMB 3110SB-04W-B40-E00, installed in one of the exhaust fan positions (with the original grille broken away and a wire grille installed - far better airflow this way)

The motherboard would be the first target, as it doesn't work the way it should. A better case would also be nice - preferably with a bigger fan (not two in parallel) and support for at least four HDDs.

If I get something like a WD3200KS, I may consider double-partitioning it and swapping it in place of the two 80GB drives, but it's unlikely that I will. I don't intend on getting an SSD any time soon as the internet connection is the real slow part.

The installed OS is Windows XP Home SP3. I'll say more when I want to.

Erm, yeah, that is getting a little old now. P4-based Celerons were underpowered 10 years ago. If I see such a CPU in a user's PC today, It just gets upgraded to at least a P4, no questions asked.

What was the original fan in the Hipro and what did you replace it with (unless you mean the Minebea)? Did it push less or more air with the original fan, if you remember?

The NMB mentioned in the first post is the case fan. The replacement fan in the PSU is almost the same, but the next higher speed rating.

I don't remember how much (or little?) air the Superred fan moved.

Holy sh*t that's old

(with the original grille broken away and a wire grille installed - far better airflow this way)

You mean you can feel more airflow from it this way, or does it just allow more heat to be exhausted out of the chassis (I assume the latter)?

Wester547 wrote:

(with the original grille broken away and a wire grille installed - far better airflow this way)

You mean you can feel more airflow from it this way, or does it just allow more heat to be exhausted out of the chassis (I assume the latter)?

The former.

I'm thinking of something along the lines of either the budget or mid-range configuration here, but continuing to use the same old HDDs.

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I have to ask, though: Why does every case (that I've seen) with a front fan have that fan right up against the grille/filter??? As it's easy to demonstrate that doing so is very bad for noise.

I also plan on getting a new mouse, as the old unbranded one I have now is a bit wonky, and preferably a laser type — like this one, perhaps? (Along with a mouse mat to go with it, as I don't have one now.)

The Hardware secrets review didn't say that the plastic parts were especially bad on the PS08, just that they weren't as good as what you would see in a more expensive case. TPU actually said that construction quality was one of the PS08's highlights. I can't imagine it being worse than the Antec VSK3500.

If you don't mind getting the case from a different retailer (and paying for the extra freight), then you could get one of these (http://www.i-tech.com.au/products/16342 ... LACK_.aspx) and not worry about a PSU.

Fair enough, then. But the thing about quality, for me, is that I'm not content with leaving it at "good enough". It's not that I'd plainly avoid that case but I wouldn't have given it a gold award. No doubt it's as good as they can do at the price but given the choice, $10~20 for better seems (to me at least) more than fair. That said, given the other drawbacks to what you suggested, I'm probably not going to bother. It's not that I blame Silverstone necessarily — it's just the real world, isn't it? (i.e. not as good as it could be)