[ubamous3]

hi,
i see a couple of sales of pentium D mobo combos this week at local fry's (pentium D 950 with ECS mobo for 249.98, and a pentium D 915 with ecs mobo for 139.98); i didnt bother listing the specifics of the ecs boards b/c i m really just interested in getting the pentium D (more geared toward the 950 but if that's not a good deal, please advise), so basically the pentium D 950 will cost me 250 bucks and then i'm not sure which is the best mobo forthat cpu price/value wise; i'm not a gamer; use it for multimedia and office apps/internet usage mostly; recently i built a system with pentium D 940 and gigabyte GA8I945PLG combo (got them for $229.99); i wonder if that chipset is the best value wise for the pentium D; also, i dont use the stock hsf; i bought the zalman 9500cnps hsf so i wonder how much i should sell the intel stock hsf if i get retail or i should get oem processor

2/ also, for cases, i have used mostly midtower chieftec aluminum cases with clear side and fan; i have added a 120mm blowhole on top on all my cases but i have never messed with the side window; i wonder how easy/practical is it to create a 120mm blowhole on the side window and if it'd be better to not get a clear side case for that very reason.

I am very cautious when it comes to electronics and doing new things; that's why i want to cover all bases before i dive in;

i appreciate any input you care to share

thanks in advance.

[coderitr]

I'll be getting the parts in for my new one this week. I got the ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe motherboard for several good reasons (1) onboard 7.1 audio (2) 533/800/1066 FSB (3) upgradeable to the Pentium Core 2 Duo processor when the speed gets up and the price gets down (4) gigabit lan onboard (5) no onboard video (6) good price. I got my Pentium D 950 from http://www.newegg.com for $225.

[win2kpro]

Originally Posted by ubamous3

2/ also, for cases, i have used mostly midtower chieftec aluminum cases with clear side and fan; i have added a 120mm blowhole on top on all my cases but i have never messed with the side window; i wonder how easy/practical is it to create a 120mm blowhole on the side window and if it'd be better to not get a clear side case for that very reason.

Cutting a blow hole in an acrylic panel can be a real PITA even if you have the right tools. If you go with acrylic and want a blow hole I would send it to Directron and let them do the cutting.

http://www.directron.com/hole.html