Forum Overview :: American McGee's Honda Civic :: Re: Some thanks and some followup

[quote name="Motherhead"][quote name="Willdog"]Hm, I've never seen a case where you have to <a href="http://www.futurelooks.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/3442/size/big/cat/553" target="new">tranversely mount the hard drives</a>.[/quote] See? When you start spending more than fifty clams for a case the world of the exotic comes alive. The front 120mm fan, mounted directly next to the drives behind the removable filter, keeps constant air flowing over the HDs. Nice. [quote name="Willdog"]Did you have any space problems working with this case?[/quote] Once. I installed a <a href="http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-x-connect-500-watt.html" target="new">modular</a> PSU and the 4-pin power connectors were inflexible. This caused them to protruded far enough that the side panel couldn't be closed. With normal 4-pin Molex connecters, like those on the included PSU, this wouldn't happen. [quote name="Willdog"]I read a <a href="http://www.futurelooks.com/?m=show&id=156&page=7" target="new">story</a> about someone having to remove the psu in order to install and hookup their MB.[/quote] This must have added 3 or 4 minutes to the build time. I'm not even reading that. [quote name="Willdog"]I'm also curious what that black, plastic baffle/covering over the main bay is for in the newegg picture.[/quote] Those are mounts for optional fans that sit over CPU and graphic card. For the system you are building, without overclocking anything, you shouldn't need them. The two huge 120mm fans move a lot of air though that case and do it very quietly. I would be loath to install a smaller/faster/LOUDER fan if I didn't need to. [quote name="Willdog"]Also, I'll keep in mind your thoughts on the graphics card and CPU.[/quote] I will admit that I tend to budget more for my graphic cards than you did for your entire system, so I might be way the fuck off on the ultimate value. Though, For $175.00 (after rebate), I would get the card that I could turn into an X850XT. [quote name="Willdog"]Another question, is the onboard audio something to use now? I'm still running a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001P4PM/104-7465945-7533558?v=glance&n=172282" target="new">SB Live XGamer</a> I bought back in 1999.[/quote] There are really cool features being shipped with onboard audio, 7.1+HD, S/PDIF-IN/OUT and so on. The problem is that the audio has to share the same PCB as all that other serious electronic shit on your motherboard. This makes them noisy, much more so than PCI audio cards, no matter what. Also, Soundblasters don't ask as much of your CPU as onboard audio. That's a very old card, if there are features the onboard audio offers that you really like, use it. Otherwise use the SB Live, you can still wring it out until it fucks up, then enable the onboard audio and start saving for a cheap Audigy/2. [/quote]