Computer

The New Box

Here's one of our many new projects!

Despite saying a thousand times that I'd never build a new box (due to the inexpensive cost of well made computers), once again I find myself assembling a new computer. The reason this time was the case, and to be honest, it's fun to tinker on the dumb things.

Here is a hard list of the components we used. Note that these prices are as of November 2003, and they include shipping. My goal was to do the box for around $500, but that number crept up to $650 - not too bad.

Construction

Here's the reason we're building this box - the box itself, Not only did I like the looks, but I wanted a desktop style (to fit in a built in cabinent). This one is supposed to be one of the quietest cases on the market, an added plus, and has some really kick ass features including a washable air filter!

Inside the case you immediately notice one major change - the powersupply is upfront, not in the back. The air filter is on the side of the case, and the fan pulls air out the back. The 3.5 inch internal bays are located in that removable case in the back, they offer rubber mounts for the hard drives. Did I say this case was quiet?

For the main board, we went with an Asus A7B8X deluxe. This had some features that we really wanted, such as Firewire, two additional USB ports in the front, and dual channel DDR capability. As an added bonus, it also has SATA connections, and built in 5.1 dolby sound, including a digital output.

The case came with a really nice output panal, but we had to swap it out to fit the mainboard.

For a processor, we went with an Athalon (Barton core) XP 2500. Priced at $90, this is a good buy - I figure in about 18 months I'll be able to swap it out for a 3200 for the same price. Check out the size of that heat sink!

Here's the board installedi in the case. This is a 380 watt power supply; check out all those feader lines. Note the old output panel, I chose to store it in the case my mounting it upside down.

The video card is now installed, as well as the front audio, firewire, and usb connections. See that thin red cable? that's the SATA connection! One word of warning - these connections are fragile. I broke it off of the hard drive while installing the CD-RW. It doesn't take much pressure. If you go with the Raptor, spend a few extra dollars and get Western Digital's Secure Connect SATA cable. I got mine at Ebuyer for $5 delivered, it has two large pins that fit in matching slots on the HD. Well worth it.

The raptor arrived, and we mounted it in the cage. Note the rubber grommits that hold it in place. Quiet.

Here she is with the CDRW and floppy drive installed; we' are leaving the panel off the front until the Musketeer arrives.

The Musketeer arrived. This is one cool device!

The cool blue matches the case nicely.

Sorry, had to do a night shot.

Performance

Currently, I don't have any "official" performance standards to report, however I do have a couple of interesting "un-official" factoids. This is one fast hard drive.

Full Format - 15 minutes

Full Installation of WinXP Pro - 12 minutes.

Boot time - 7 seconds (from the completion of system check to Windows desktop.
Please see my notes above on the SATA cable connection - they are very fragile. I am also having issues getting the front USB ports on the case to work; the motherboard connection works (I tested it with the riser that came with it), but the case won't. Antec has been very communicative so far, so I will report back when we reach a conclusion.

	Here's the reason we're building this box - the box itself, Not only did I like the looks, but I wanted a desktop style (to fit in a built in cabinent). This one is supposed to be one of the quietest cases on the market, an added plus, and has some really kick ass features including a washable air filter!
	Inside the case you immediately notice one major change - the powersupply is upfront, not in the back. The air filter is on the side of the case, and the fan pulls air out the back. The 3.5 inch internal bays are located in that removable case in the back, they offer rubber mounts for the hard drives. Did I say this case was quiet?
	For the main board, we went with an Asus A7B8X deluxe. This had some features that we really wanted, such as Firewire, two additional USB ports in the front, and dual channel DDR capability. As an added bonus, it also has SATA connections, and built in 5.1 dolby sound, including a digital output.
	The case came with a really nice output panal, but we had to swap it out to fit the mainboard.
	For a processor, we went with an Athalon (Barton core) XP 2500. Priced at $90, this is a good buy - I figure in about 18 months I'll be able to swap it out for a 3200 for the same price. Check out the size of that heat sink!
	Here's the board installedi in the case. This is a 380 watt power supply; check out all those feader lines. Note the old output panel, I chose to store it in the case my mounting it upside down.
	The video card is now installed, as well as the front audio, firewire, and usb connections. See that thin red cable? that's the SATA connection! One word of warning - these connections are fragile. I broke it off of the hard drive while installing the CD-RW. It doesn't take much pressure. If you go with the Raptor, spend a few extra dollars and get Western Digital's Secure Connect SATA cable. I got mine at Ebuyer for $5 delivered, it has two large pins that fit in matching slots on the HD. Well worth it.
	The raptor arrived, and we mounted it in the cage. Note the rubber grommits that hold it in place. Quiet.
	Here she is with the CDRW and floppy drive installed; we' are leaving the panel off the front until the Musketeer arrives.
	The Musketeer arrived. This is one cool device!
	The cool blue matches the case nicely.
	Sorry, had to do a night shot.