Kiyoshi's Audiophile's Dream

Hi folks!

Today I will be presenting a build for a Mini ITX Audiophile PC. It will not have enough power to tackle games on the highest settings but should be good for daily computing, high-def videos and be phenomenal at music. Plus being a Mini ITX build, it will save you tonnes of space. Good use could be to hook it up to your home theater system and TV or go for a great headphone set.

CASE:


Lian Li PC-Q07

A very good Mini ITX case capable of supporting a standard ATX PS/2 PSU, one 3.5" HDD and one 2.5"  HDD. If space is at a premium, this is a great case for you!

Dimensions : 8.19" x 7.60" x 11.02"
Price : US$ 69.99











CPU:


AMD A8-3850

The new line of AMD A-Series APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit) gives you very good performance on a budget. They are named APUs because they combine both a CPU and a GPU on a single chip.

Stock Clock : 2.9Ghz
GPU : AMD Radeon HD6550D
Price : US$ 109.99








MOTHERBOARD:


ASRock A75M-ITX

A great motherboard from ASRock. Features 1 PCI-E 2.0 x16 and 1 PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots, 2 PCI slots, 5 SATA III connectors and 4 USB 3.0 ports.
A host of features on a tiny motherboard!

Dimensions : 6.7" x 6.7"
Price : US$ 89.99







SOUND CARD:


ASUS Xonar Essence STX

One of the best offerings from ASUS eclipsed only by their crazy Xonar Essence One, it is a great card for those who want their music to sound great. Do it justice and give it a proper surround sound or headphone setup.

Dimensions : 4.19" x 6.6"
Price : US$ 163.99











RAM:


Kingston HyperX Blu

A great 4GB (2 x 2GB) Dual Channel offering from Kingston. Good thermal qualities give it long life.

Speed : DDR3 1600
Capacity : 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Voltage 1.65V
Price : US$ 28.99

POWER SUPPLY:


Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D

Super cool, super quiet, 80+ Bronze Certified. What's not to love?

Max Power : 380Watts
PCI-E Connector : 1 x 6 Pin
SATA Connectors : 5
Dimensions : 3.4in x 5.9in x 5.5in
Price : US$ 44.99
Note: Does not come with Power Cord. Recycle your old one









HARD DRIVE:


Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB

While the production of hard drives is up to normal after the floods in Thailand, prices unfortunately have not got done all too well. This Caviar Blue will serve you nicely while we wait for the prices to be around pre-flood levels.

Speed : 7200RPM
Interface : SATA III (6.0Gb/s)
Cache : 16MB
Price : US$ 74.99








OPTIONAL:


Headphones:


What's a Audiophile system without some very good headphones? The prices of headphones vary a lot and you definitely have a lot of options. However some good ones in my opinion that you should take a look at as you explore headphones are:

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO

Arguably the best headphones you can buy at this price point. The sound is very good and the finish is top notch!
Price: US$ 99.99










Sennheiser HD 201

For those who are on an extreme budget but still want the best possible audio quality! I bought this and am very happy and satisfied with these headphones!
Price : US$ 24.95











Sennheiser HD 650

For those looking for pure, high quality sound, you cannot go wrong with the HD 650. It has very precise bassand made from ultra-light materials to give you exceptional comfort.
Price : US$ 499.95










Audio Technica ATH-W1000x

These amazing headphones will empty your wallet but my oh my, the sound quality will make you weap!

Price : US$ 699.95









TOTAL:


US$ 582.99 (No Headphones)

Thoughts:


You can build it even cheaper by going for a computer case that comes with a power supply. There are cases from companies like APEX (Apex MI-008 250W, US$39.99) but the reason I went with this build is because of the 80+ rating.  For those on an even smaller budget, take a look at the AMD A6-3500 65W Triple-Core APU which is selling for US$ 79.99. If you select both options your budget will be down to US$ 477.94.

Kiyoshi Out!
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Computer Cases

Edit: This post originally started last night but I could not finish it as I had to go to work at 4 again today so I slept early.

Hi folks!

Today was a very hectic day for me and after coming home I slept like a log and woke up not too long ago. I wanted to post this before I go to eat food and sleep again. I work at 4 in the morning so I need to sleep soon as well.

So today we are going to be talking about computer cases. Buying a good computer case is essential to your build. Part of it is of course aesthetics as you can show off a really cool looking case but a major thought should be put in to how the parts you have will fit inside your computer. You need to think of about effective cable routing, component size and air flow. Always look at the number of fans it can fit. It should have enough slots for your hard drives, also be spacious enough to house your huge video cards (as most of the time you have to take out a hard drive cage to accommodate them thereby reducing your carrying capacity for hard drives. As always dimensions, dimensions, dimensions! Pay close attention to your video card size, motherboard size, cpu cooler size and make sure they will all fit in to your case. You can either pick your case first and then fit components, or pick your components first and then go for the case. Either way be careful and plan ahead to save headaches later on.

The Companies that I like are Corsair, NZXT, Cooler Master, Antec and Thermaltake but make no mistake, there are a lot of companies and you are more then welcome to try out something else which catches your eye. Just make sure to look at what the case is constructed out of. Metals will last you longer then Plastics and tool less options will save you from pain.

Dimensions are H x W x L (Height x Width x Length)
ANTEC (http://www.antec.com)

Antec has a long list of Cases that you can look at on their website but I will be listing my favorite to keep it simple. Also take a look at their Skeleton Case. Very radical!

Antec Lanboy air

Supporting an awesome modular design, you can position almost all of your components any way you choose. With the ability of having up to 15 exhaust fans, this case will keep cool no matter what. Add to that the open frame mesh panel construction, heat and dust stay out!. Can fit up to a 16 inch graphics card. Selling for $179.99. Comes in Blue, Red and Yellow. It is a ATX Mid Tower and the Dimensions are 20.20 in x 8.70 in x 20.30 in


Other good cases from Antec,

Antec Gaming Series One
Price $49.99
Dimensions : 17.2in x 8.2in x 19.2in
Up to 10.5 inch Graphics Card can be fitted.

Antec Three Hundred
Price $54.99
Dimensions : 18.30in x 8.10in x 18.00in
Up to 11 inch Graphics Card can be fitted

COOLER MASTER (http://www.coolermaster.com)

Top of my list when it comes to computer cases and cooling solutions. Their COSMOS II was featured in the Dream Machine 2011 by Maximum PC.

Cooler Master HAF 922

The ever popular HAF Series (High Air Flow.) It supports 1 x 120mm rear fan, 1 x 200mm front red LED fan, 1 x 200mm top fan (or 2 x 120mm fans) and 1 x 200mm side fan (or 2 x 120mm fans) and a 120mm or 140mm bottom fan.. Can support E-ATX Motherboards. Selling for $149.99. ATX Mid Tower with Dimensions 22.20in x 10.00in x 19.70in.






Other good cases from Cooler Master,

Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced
Price $149.99
Dimensions : 22.70in x 9.00in x 21.50in

Cooler Master HAF 912
Price $59.99
Dimensions : 19.50in x 9.10in x 18.90in
Can fit up to a 15.6 inch video after removing the hard drive cage, otherwise nearly ~10.6inch

NZXT (http://www.nzxt.com)

Makers of some really good looking cases, NZXT greatly held my interest as I was making my build. They also make gaming mice among other things.

NZXT Phantom

In my opinion one of the best looking cases out there, the Phantom is a ATX Full Tower capable of holding the most massive of video cards and very spacious on the inside with great cable management and air flow. Capable of holding up to 7 fans and also containing an integrated fan controller. It can support E-ATX motherboards. Selling for $124.99 and has several color options so browse Newegg for the other ones. Dimensions , 24.53in x 8.74in x 21.26in.





Other good cases from NZXT are,

KHAOS Classic Series
Price $249.99
Dimensions :  24in x 8.85in x 23.5in


M59
Price $49.99
Dimensions : 20in x 7.48in x 17.68in

CORSAIR (www.corsair.com)

Relatively new to the computer case scene, Corsair hit the ground running with some awesome cases.

Corsair Graphite Series 600T Special Edition White




 Looks gorgeous in white but is available in other colors as well, the 600T is a Mid Tower ATX case with a spacious inside. Supports Micro ATX and ATX motherboards. Selling for $169.99 and Dimensions are 23.30in x 10.4in x 20in







Corsair Carbide Series 500R White Steel
Price $139.99
Dimensions : 20.5in x 8.1in x 20in

Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
Price $259.99
Dimensions : 24in x 9in x 24in

THERMALTAKE (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com)

One of my favorite companies, Thermaltake has also entered the E-Sports scene with several very good gaming keyboards, mice and headsets (http://usa.ttesports.com/index.aspx) and if you are in touch with Star Craft 2, they sponsor White-Ra.

Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Edition


This gorgeous case is ver good at keeping your components cool with support for up to 5 fans. Four hot-swappable hard drive bays are also available and capable of holding a decent sized video card. Selling for $114.99 and Dimensions are 18.2in x 9.2in x 20.1in.







Other good cases are as follows

Level 10
Price $799.99
Dimensions : 26.22in x 12.52in x 24.17in

Thermaltake Armor A90
Price $94.99
Dimensions : 20.30in x 8.30in x 19.80in

The case I chose was

HAF912

Found it for sale for $30. I will be upgrading in the future as well but for now loving this case and don't have any complains about it.

As always choose any case that you like but make sure meet your needs and have good airflow. I will try to post some more today but as it is the weekend, let's see.

Till then,
Kiyoshi out.

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

Hi everyone!

Today is my day off from work so I woke up rather late. Hopefully today I will be able to post both about the PSU and the Computer Case.

Buying a PSU is something you may want to spend a little time thinking about. There are a couple of things you have to mindful about which I shall list here.

A) Always keep in mind how much power you actually need in the system. The obvious question that arises is how do you know? There are several tools on the internet which can help you calculate the power requirements of your build.
1. ASUSTeK
2. Thermaltake
3. Extreme Outervision

You can go to any of these links and start entering all the information it requires. Now here is a pro tip. After you see your recommended wattage, sit and think how much future upgrades you want to do. Now I, for example have one video card in my system at the moment but I intend on getting maybe more or maybe a newer more powerful one which may require more power. So let's say your recommended wattage come up as 450W. You can search for a 450W psu and you can get them pretty cheaply too, but if you do upgrades in the future, you will have to buy another psu because now suddenly your computer cannot provide enough power to all of your components. I would suggest going at least 100-150 Watts above your recommended wattage.

Of course you could go all out and buy a 1200 Watt PSU and not have to care about it all, but I would not recommend you do so. Firstly because you will not be using a huge portion of the power it can supply and basically will be under utilizing your psu. Secondly they cost more and if something goes wrong and your warranty does not cover it, you will just have lost quite a bit of money. I personally tend to look more for efficient usage and will try to buy things keeping that in mind. Of course if you want to by all means do it but I was just stating my personal opinion.

B) Noise. Noise is something you may not think off when building your pc but you will notice it when you are using your system regularly. It can become a bit annoying if you keep hearing a constant buzz in the background  . I would suggest reading a few reviews about the component and see if some people mention noise. I would also caution against over analyzing comments because the more you read, the more likely you are to run in to problems people ran in to because generally people resort to reviewing things only when something goes wrong. Take everything with a grain of salt.

C) Power Cables. What do I mean by power cables? When you buy PSUs, you will notice they come with a huge number of cables which you use to connect various things inside you computer. Make sure you have enough cables to power everything and also some extra cables left so you can expand in the future should you want to. Always make sure the PSU has cables for the video card because newer video cards all require their own direct connection to the PSU.

D) Clutter. Buy a PSU with a million cables and after you set up everything, you may notice that the inside looks cluttered with wires. Wire clutter can also impede air flow which in turn will raise the internal temperature and looks plain messy. I just love it when I open my case for cleaning and everything looks neat and organized. To solve that problem, manufactures also sell Modular Power Supplies which have the option of disconnecting power cables which you are not using thereby reducing clutter.

E) 80 PLUS Rating. What is 80+ ? 80+ is an initiative to promote and increase energy efficiency in PSUs. It certifies that products have at least 80% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% of rater load and a power factor of 0.9 or greater at 100% load. For you it will mean lower electricity bills,less waste of electric energy and less heat generation. There are several levels of this certification which are as follows

		115V			230V
Loads	20%	50%	100%	20%	50%	100%
80 PLUS	80%	80%	80%	-	-	-
80+ Bronze	82%	85%	82%	81%	85%	81%
80+ Silver	85%	88%	85%	85%	89%	85%
80+ Gold	87%	90%	87%	88%	90%	88%
80+ Platinum	90%	92%	89%	90%	94%	91%
80+ Titanium				94%	96%	91%

  

Brands I love in this category are : Corsair, Antec, Cooler Master, OCZ and SeaSonic.

CORSAIR (www.corsair.com)

Corsair has several award winning PSUs and I greatly admire this company and the hard work it puts in to create quality products. They have 5 series of Power Supplies which you can choose from

1. CX Series

 Builder series for basic system builds. Carries 80+ Certification and comes in 430 Watts, 500 Watts and 600 Watts.








2. GS Series


Balanced between Price and Performance. Carries 80+ and 80+ Bronze Certifications and comes in 500W, 600W, 700W and 800W.







3. TX Series


Hardcore PC Gaming, Performance Enthusiast Level and affordable. Carries 80+ Bronze Certification throughout the series. Comes in 550W, 650W, 750W, 850W and 950W and has both Modular and Non Modular options.





4. HX Series

For Gaming Rigs and Overclocking Systems. Very stable and carries 80+ Bronze and 80+ Silver Certifications. Comes in 650W, 750W, 850W and 1050W. All Modular.






5. AX Series

Top of the line AX Series boasts top performance, reliability and energy efficiency. Carries 80+ Gold Certification throughout the range and comes in 650W, 750W, 850W and 1200W. Fully Modular.






ANTEC (http://www.antec.com/)

They make amazing Computer Cases and they also make amazing Power Supplies. They have a very big line of PSUs to choose from so I will be listing a few of them but you can go to their website and check them out. They also have a few 80+ Platinum PSUs in the mix. A small note. Read descriptions very carefully as they have a few power supply series that are exclusively compatible with Antec cases so they might not fit readily in your build.

1. VP Series


The entry level series from Antec with very good stability and a few of the models carry 80+ certifications as well. Good for budget builds. Comes in 350W, 430W, 450W, 500W and 550W.








2. Neo Eco

Economical, High Efficiency Power Supplies. The Neo Eco series has 80+ Certification throughout the series with Active Power Factor Correction (automatically switches to your voltage type, Universal Input) and quiet, solid operation. Available in 400W, 450W, 520W and 620W. Does not come with a power cable so you have to use your old one.





3. EarthWatts Series

Antec's environmentally friendly PSU series. 80+, 80+ Bronze and a few are 80+  Platinum Certified! Some of their PSUs are also SLI and CrossFireX Certified. Comes in 380W, 430W, 450W, 500W, 550W, 650W AND 750W. You can use them to power some good gaming rigs.






4. High Current Gamer

Antec's Gaming lineup features 80+ Bronze Certification throughout the line, special High Current connectors and heavy duty cabling all designed to give you high efficiency, excellent cooling and loads of power. Some also feature SLI and CrossFire certifications. Modular options also available. Comes in 400W, 520W, 620W, 750W and 900W.





5.  High Current Pro

Antec's top of the line series boasting 80+ Gold PSUs and one Platinum Certified PSU. Supporting Modular Cable Management, the HCP comes in 750W, 850W, 1000W and 1200W. A very solid choice to consider.







COOLER MASTER (www.coolermaster.com/)

Makers of some of the best Computer Cases, Cooler Master also makes some good Power Supplies. Chief amongst them is the Silent Pro Gold  Lineup

Featuring an 80+ Gold Rating, The Silen Pro Gold is a very good lineup of PSUs that you can consider from. Comes in 800W, 1000W and 1200W. Good noise reduction capability as well.







Make sure that your motherboard also supports the PSU by looking up the PSU Type. For example my Cosshair V mother board requires for a fully configured system to use a PSU that complies with ATX 12V Specification 2.0 (or later version.) Make sure it has a decent number of SATA power connectors (to connect your hard drives now or in the future,) and PCI-E Connectors (to power up your video card.) Check dimensions to make sure it will fit in your system. Generally PSUs are of a similar shape but just pay attention when you are buying so you can avoid having to send it back in because it could not fit in to whatever Case you ended up buying.

You can check out Newegg and browse through their huge collection to see which one you like but for my money, you can't go wrong with Corsair or Antec PSUs. In the end the PSU I chose was

Corsair TX750W PSU.
Type : ATX 12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92
Max Power : 750Watts
PFC (Power Factor Correction) : Active
PCI-E Connectors : 4 x 6+2 Pin
Sata Connectors : 8
80+ Bronze

My recommended power came up as ~430W. With that in mind and my future build ideas I selected 750W as my PSU power and I went for this PSU out of all the others chiefly for price. It is retailing right now  $104.99 but I bought it for $80 at a ridiculous sale I found one day.

My next post will be about the CPU fan and Case choices. As things are wrapping up for the Computer Build blog, I have quite a few ideas in mind for the next phase of my blog. I am confident that you will like the new direction it will be headed in. I will still discuss current components in the market and my thoughts on them but I will also be adding several new things in the mix and I hope you all keep reading to see them. Please subscribe if you like what you see so far and as always comments are welcome to help me get better at this as well as any kind of discussions you would like to have.

Kiyoshi out.