Decisions, Decisions

[scarmullet]

Allright, lets cut things to the chase. My computer died last week. After 6 years of service, it finally crapped out. I should have seen it coming when it took 20 minutes to load Photoshop. First the ram went then the Mobo. I want to make a gaming rig, but not dedicated. You know, covers...amvs and what-not.

I have two rigs picked out, and I am having trouble deciding between the two, one is a standard tower, and the other is SFF.

 http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25161447

 http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=28126868

Which one should I get, or do people have alternatives?

[Dr.Agon]

my personal preferance would be a tower, that way you dont have to compromise on anything!
specs. wise they both look pretty mean, should work out nicely for you, so its just a matter of case size!

[scarmullet]

Its pretty meaner, I have a 7970 waiting to be installed.

[Dr.Agon]

Its pretty meaner, I have a 7970 waiting to be installed.

what's that?

[scarmullet]

Its pretty meaner, I have a 7970 waiting to be installed.

what's that?

Radeon HD 7970.

[Dr.Agon]

Its pretty meaner, I have a 7970 waiting to be installed.

what's that?

Radeon HD 7970.

thought it might be either a graphics card or CPU!, would it fit the SFF case though?

[scarmullet]

Yes. 3DgameMan has a review of the SFF case I have picked out and he measures it saying you can fit a long card.

[Staf]

Why the i7 vs the i5?

[scarmullet]

Why the i7 vs the i5?

Simple answer, hyper threading which would help in different tasks.

[Staf]

I'd get the mid-tower case. Personally, I love the room they provide. That one also looks like it has pretty good cable management and screwless installation is always a plus. You should also pick up some fan filters if you have a dusty living area or pets. They reduce how often you need to clean out your system greatly.

[madrocsz]

Why the i7 vs the i5?

Simple answer, hyper threading which would help in different tasks.

I love my previous I processors however just built anew Pc with an amd 8150 8 core mainly for cost as its much cheaper than the 3770 I7. Quite pleased with it with a 212 evo cooler I run sub 30's under load

[scarmullet]

I'd get the mid-tower case. Personally, I love the room they provide. That one also looks like it has pretty good cable management and screwless installation is always a plus. You should also pick up some fan filters if you have a dusty living area or pets. They reduce how often you need to clean out your system greatly.

I was thinking of getting this case instead of the thermaltake

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352022, sure its more expensive but it is filtered...but I loose out on the tool-less drive bays.

[Staf]

I'd get the mid-tower case. Personally, I love the room they provide. That one also looks like it has pretty good cable management and screwless installation is always a plus. You should also pick up some fan filters if you have a dusty living area or pets. They reduce how often you need to clean out your system greatly.

I was thinking of getting this case instead of the thermaltake

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352022, sure its more expensive but it is filtered...but I loose out on the tool-less drive bays.

Don't pay more for filters. They are super cheap. Pay more for functionality. Drive bays, space, cord management, airflow, etc.

[scarmullet]

The fractal case also has rubber grommets in the drive cages to reduce vibration and extend the life of the drives...unless you use NAS drives which deal with Vibration better than normal drives. Upon closer inspection the fractal case does have tool-free...you just have to mount the drives to a tray and slide it in.

Would you sugest a cooler master case?

[Staf]

I don't have any experience or knowledge on Cooler Master cases. My PSU is Cooler Master brand and it treats me well, though.