Recommendations needed.

[RAYK47]

go for the 320MB version, that will do everything for you until your next upgrade

Thought about that but its not for sale yet also there will be a loooooooong time until the next upgrade so might as well be as future proof as I can be.

[RAYK47]

I don't believe this product is currently available.

What about the components David? Any glaring issues there??

[DavidM]

Sorry - I know very little about Intel based systems.. i'll leave that to one of my cleverer colleagues to assist you there

[RAYK47]

Sorry - I know very little about Intel based systems.. i'll leave that to one of my cleverer colleagues to assist you there

OK, thanks anyway.

[Mossy]

Everyting seems fine I would go for the 620w Corsair HX PSU and a slightly better case to house this (if the budget allows) Maybe look at the Akasa Mirage or something inline with that, although the Aksasa ZEN is a good case not always for cooling in a system like this

[staffsMike]

I have a Akasa Eclipse (mirage is nice also)..if space isn't an issue and you can push your budget it's probably the most well made case i've ever had.

Comes with castors too

I do want to see an akasa zen though...for the money they seem very good.
Comes with fans and the 8800's are supposed to fit..albeit not with the hard drive in the top slot...but who cares.

For the psu I would have the cosair 620w whisper or the enermax 620w..modular is the way to do it.

[RAYK47]

cheers Paul

I will certainly look into those replacments (even though they will add approx £90 to the order)

[DavidM]

The akasa Zen is quite a nice case...

[ackrite26]

I agree apon changing the PSU to the corsair 620w. It comes with a 5 year warranty and if im right are actually made by seasonic.
Its essential to have a good stable power supply. I will be upgrading to one of these soon.

Also on the Xclio PSUs, I have read various reviews that state the PSU makes a 'clicking' noise when the computer is shut down,
and can only be stopped by taking the actual power lead out or switching off the plug socket.
This might just be the PSU cooling after shut down like my hiper type-R 580watt does
(makes the noise of the fan 'humming' for few mins after shut down) and reviewers didnt give it time to see if this is the case.

[braindancer99]

I'm interested in the akasa zen too, and also similar components to the OP, plus I like the case...

But is the Zen an ok case to house (non-overclocked) a C2D setup and a 8800?

[staffsMike]

I would say as long as you had a half decent cpu cooler you would be fine with that setup in a zen...

you can always chop up the side panel and mount a couple of 120mm fans..

.its only £30 if you mess it up just get another one

[RAYK47]

cheers for the advice gents. I will definately go for the Corsair PSU, just not decided on the case yet. I agree the "mirage" is a nice case but along with the PSU upgrade as well is gonna add another £80-£100. If the Zen is good enough then I may get that one instead, just as long as the cooling will be good enough with the above setup.

Has anyone else got a Zen case and a similar setup? How is your cooling? and what do you think of the case?

[d3fiant]

the mirage is basically identicle to the eclipse, the case I have but has a much better front design. It is a great case, big, but very very good internally and very light. That being said it is over 3x the cost of the Zen, tough call

[d3fiant]

also remember if u are going to build the system with Vista that the current batch of drivers are a tad flackey with 8800 series gfx cards, this will no doubt be fixed soon but just something to be aware of

[staffsMike]

the mirage is basically identicle to the eclipse, the case I have but has a much better front design. It is a great case, big, but very very good internally and very light. That being said it is over 3x the cost of the Zen, tough call

Does that mean that the optional side panel with fan (the only reason i bought the eclipse) will fit a mirage?

Not impressed if it does

..although the plastic front end will allow me to do a custom paint job on it which might be fun...could mess it up of course lol

[d3fiant]

Does that mean that the optional side panel with fan (the only reason i bought the eclipse) will fit a mirage?

Not impressed if it does

..although the plastic front end will allow me to do a custom paint job on it which might be fun...could mess it up of course lol

I questioned akasa directly on this, the case is practically the same except some slight modification to the front circuit boards (for USB and LED) to accomodate the different front panel with the door. That being said I do believe the side panels are identicle