Customized computer?

[naruto=pwnage]

so here is the deal. as of the moment I have a 50Gb laptop in which I got for my birthday. I want to save up some money and have a computer custom madefor me. I was wondering if any of you experts out there know how much the kind of computer I want would cost.
here are the specs:
-a 200 Gb hard drive
-2Gb RAM
-2Gb memory
-competent graphics card
-hi speed wireless capabilities
-a competent internal DVD burning drive
-a relatively cheap flat screen monitor
-laser mouse
-keyboard

The point of this computer would be for all the anime downloads etcetera etcetera. leaving my portable laptop for schoolwork.
thanks, peace

[Assassin]

Just so you know, RAM = Random Access Memory.....that is to say that RAM is memory, so you don't need it twice on ur list.

As for cost, you'll porbably have to specify what kind of graphics card you want, the type of hard drive (if you have a preferrance), make of monitor, etc.

Off the top of my head, if you go for some reasonable stuff, and get a decent graphics card so you can play games for about another year or two, it'll probably be maybe $1300-$1500 (CAN).

Ofcourse thats based on some of the premade computers you can get at future shop/best buy and stuff, and thier specs as well as prices. If you buy the parts seperately and really do some searching, you mite be able to get a good deal, maybe around a grand.

Then again, i haven't bought a comp or parts in a long time, so i could be totally wrong.

[naruto=pwnage]

hmmm.. somebody was telling me that they were two different things. guess I'll have to correct them thanks. also, I'm most likely not going to make this myself. it will either be a hired professional or my friend. if I knew more about hardware I would assemble it myself. but unfortunately I'm not quite there yet. but thanks for the advice:)

[Board of Command]

Here's your parts list:

CPU: Athlon 64 3500+ OR 3800+ (do not get 3700+ or I will hunt your family down)
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty UT nF4 Ultra-D OR MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum
RAM: OCZ Premier 1 GB dual channel pack (you have no need for 2 GB of memory)
Graphics: nVidia 7600GT (any brand works)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 200 GB S-ATA
DVD: LG GSA-H10A OR NEC ND-3550
Monitor: I can't make suggestions because it totally depends on which stores are near you
Keyboard: Whatever you want
Mouse: Logitech G5, hands down

Now, these are the most basic compotents. One major component that I left out is power supply. I'm going to include it in this section because it involves more writing than the other parts. It is absolutely crucial that you get a high-quality power supply. I suggest the Enermax Noisetaker 480W or Antec Truepower 480W. These are the absolute best units in the sub-$100 price range, and any other unit is a mistake. DO NOT GO CHEAP ON POWER SUPPLY!!

And last but not least, you sound like a noob so get someone that knows computers to help you build this computer. As much as I would like to guide you from start to finish, forums have limitations and a job like this requires hands-on work. Or you can take the tough road: self-teach yourself everything you need to know and build the computer by yourself. That's what I did...

[naruto=pwnage]

hey thanks alot!:D but with all that expensive hardware I'd rather not break anything. I think I will let a professional do it. do you know any stores likely to do that for me in Canada?

[Assassin]

I think most small computer stores will build one for you if you specify the parts you want. But you'll probably want to take along someone who knows this stuff to make sure the final product actually contains all those parts, and they're in working order.....you can never be too sure

[naruto=pwnage]

I'll be sure to remember all that. thanks for all the tips
[I have no idea what I'd do without GW,lol]

I just remembered: are desktop computers capable of wirless hi speed? [no idea why they wouldn't be..] if so, is that likely to be another part that I have to shop around for?

[Board of Command]

You get a wireless router and a wireless adapter card.

By the way, don't let stores do it for you. They often charge extra and try to sweet talk you into buying crappy stuff, i.e. stuff that nobody else wants. And not to mention, they'll charge you a lot for service alone. If you can find a friend who knows computers, it's better off just letting him build it for you.

And that list is pretty standard for a decent machine nowadays. I don't know where you live but that list will cost about $1000 here in Canada. If you haven't noticed, I didn't list a case. That costs another $100 or so. If you want, I'll give you a cheaper parts list. If you live in the states, you have access to Newegg which is probably the best computer store in the world. What exactly is your budget?

[naruto=pwnage]

well for starters I do live in Canada. the hamilton area. and my budget is just to try not to have to go over $1000 too much. I could go up to1500 if I wanted but it would just require more time and effort. I'm fourteen and only allowed jobs on the holidays. so I have to have reasonable expectations of the amount I get for the job I end up having.

[Deadfire]

well, it looks to me BoC give you a kickass list already, So giving you anymore advice about it would be not worth it.

What I can tell you there is a guide out on newsstands from PC Gamer called "The Builder's bible" or something like that. Pick that up and it will give you answers to basicly any question you have, it even gives you a step-by-step and how to do it.

But if you what a another build here is one i helped another person make




Thermaltake Armor Black Chassis
AOC Dual Fan Harddrive Cooler
Evercool HPD-815 80mm Ever Lubricate bearing CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
Thermaltake AMCOOLING KIT(A1165) Memory Cooling Kits
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 ATX AMD Motherboard
Thermaltake 500W
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester
Western Digital Caviar 500GB SATA 7200RPM
Samsung Black 20.1" LCD Monitor
Sony 16x DVD+/-RW Drive
Sony Black IDE DVD-ROM
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels
Corsair XMS 2GB
eVGA 256-P2-N527-AX Geforce 7800GTX 256MB
Klipsch Ultra 5.1 Speakers

Enjoy

[darkshadow]

those klipsch are too expensive and too powerfull for somebody who is not die hard into audio ( most ppl wont turn it up more then 25%, so its a waste ), get a Logitech® Z-5400 Digital 5.1 310w system instead

[samsonlonghair]

If you want to build it yourself there are a number of good resources online. I wish the old TechTV site was still around, but there's nothing I can do about that.

This (http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/step/1/) is a pretty good step-by-step guide, but it's old so the parts they use are out of date. Use newer ones than the ones in that guide and you'll be fne.

[Board of Command]

Thermaltake Armor Black Chassis
AOC Dual Fan Harddrive Cooler
Evercool HPD-815 80mm Ever Lubricate bearing CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
Thermaltake AMCOOLING KIT(A1165) Memory Cooling Kits
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 ATX AMD Motherboard
Thermaltake 500W
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester
Western Digital Caviar 500GB SATA 7200RPM
Samsung Black 20.1" LCD Monitor
Sony 16x DVD+/-RW Drive
Sony Black IDE DVD-ROM
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels
Corsair XMS 2GB
eVGA 256-P2-N527-AX Geforce 7800GTX 256MB
Klipsch Ultra 5.1 Speakers

I think that is a little over his budget :D :D

[BioAlien]

go there,
http://www.sohodiffusion.com/configurpc.asp
(you must use Internet Explorer, it may work with FireFox, but it would be better with Explorer)

build your own computer, with what you want, for your budget, that online store in located in Canada(i think) they ship everywhere in Canada (including Quebec, FINALLY! lol) also in the U.S. and France

you must also know this since you are only 14

PURCHASING BY MINORS [Table of contents]

For the protection of our shoppers, it is our policy to not sell to minors. However, if you are minors and wish to purchase from our web site, have a parent or legal guardian make the purchase for you. Thank you for your comprehension.

you can also see the website in French (in case...)

[Board of Command]

Oh, one major change to the list I posted:

Get a Sapphire X800 GTO2 instead of a 7600GT. The X800 GTO2 can be hacked into a X850 XT...which is considerably faster than a 7600GT and at a much lower price. You must get the Sapphire GTO2 or the PowerColor GTO these are the only two cards that work for this hack if I recall. Also, the Sapphire GTO2 has a 100% chance of modding into a XT if I'm not mistaken.

The GTO => XT trick is probably one of the best bargains in recent history. I can't believe it slipped my mind when I posted that list :(

[darkshadow]

there is one big flaw in that ^^^, x850xt doesnt support h264 decoding, nor does it support SM3.0, so even if its a bargain, its not future ready

[Board of Command]

You'd take a 7600GT over a X850XT? Alright, knock yourself out...

X850XT can draw 30 more frames than 7600GT while having full AA and AF. If you'd rather take SM3.0 and hardware h.264 decoding over that, be my guest.

[darkshadow]

hardware decoding means watching movies in 1080p without a hitch, and since the 7600gt is not a bad card at all, then yes i would go for the 7600gt, i cant depend on game devs to include a sm2 codepath in every game, or that ati develops a special patch that enables sm2, but thats also why im getting a x1900gt :P ( dropped the 7900gt since its out of stock, and ati rules! )

dang there goes my jounin post

[Board of Command]

If you're running a high end video card, then your processor is probably able to handle h.264 no problems already. Also, why you're playing 1080p videos on a computer monitor is beyond me. And this is not your computer, it's a list for naruto=pwnage. I think he'd be happier with 30 more frames per second while saving $50.

Oh and I forgot, my 6600GT also has h.264 hardware decoding and SM3.0, so it's more future proof than X850XT?

And on the topic of SM3.0. I'm pretty sure the 6600GT is the first card to support it, and it has been out for almost two years. Look around today and you'll see that still very few games support it, and the ones that do support it all use SM2 by default. I got my 6600GT over a year ago and at the time the only games supporting SM3.0 were Farcry (via patch and tweaking) and Chronicles of Riddick (which nobody cares about). Today, there are still very few games that support it - not even Counter-Strike Source supports it. SM2 isn't about to fade out in the next week. As of now and maybe couple years down the line, SM3.0 will just be a little bonus for the games that do support it, as most won't.

[Deadfire]

I think that is a little over his budget :D :D

Thats why it's a example :P

Anyways you guys are right on the money, so I really don't need to but in anywhere

[darkshadow]

scct has SM3, Tomb Raider legend REQUIRES sm3 just to enable the next gen mode, basically every game that has hdr ( thats basically every game from now on) is on SM3, or the devs must have been extra nice and include a sm2 path ( which is highly unlikely ), oblivion requires sm3 for hdr also

and no, if your videocard doesnt support hardware decoding of h264 it doesnt do SQUAT when watching it, it just displays the images rendered out by the cpu, and no its pretty stupid to ask if the 6600gt is future proof, since its now of the previous generation, the 7600gt is a lot faster then the 6600gt, has sm3, has h264 decoding, and is of the latest generation, i call that future proof, even at its price+ the 7600gt has an hdtv out, the 6600gt doesnt have that.
saying something like "even counterstrike doesnt support sm3" is pretty dumb since css is pretty old already, + valve had a deal with ati, which led to the development of an sm2 path not sm3 ( sm2 and 3 are VERY different from each other )

and btw how do you know if i dont have a 40 inch lcd that i use as monitor ? :P

[Board of Command]

scct has SM3, Tomb Raider legend REQUIRES sm3 just to enable the next gen mode, basically every game that has hdr ( thats basically every game from now on) is on SM3
Uh, no. There are genres out there other than 1st person or 3rd person, and those games certainly will not support HDR.

if your videocard doesnt support hardware decoding of h264 it doesnt do SQUAT when watching it, it just displays the images rendered out by the cpu
So everyone that has an ATI card right now is pretty much screwed when it comes to watching movies?

saying something like "even counterstrike doesnt support sm3" is pretty dumb since css is pretty old already
Pretty dumb? My whole point is that CSS has been out for a long time, and it STILL doesn't support SM3.0

[darkshadow]

im not bashing you or anything :P but yeah it is still pretty dumb, cause valve is not gonna make a sm3 path, and seeing how nvidia are lazy bastards too, dont expect a patch from them, css will remain sm3-less for ever, and for hdr supporting games:
adventure - TRL
action adventure - Lost Planet
rpg ( bioware type rpg, like mass effect)
fps - PDZ
rts - WiC
racing - PGR3

the only stuff left are like.... puzzle games o_O or games that have been ported from xbox or ps2 ( condemned is the only x360 game that made it to pc which supports sm2, nfs most wanted doesnt count, seeing how it was multi platform )
world in conflict might be the first rts with hdr, that or cnc3
the games in the above list are all next gen games, and there are much more that support sm3, i cant see how future games wont support it, or even REQUIRE it, like TRL

i mean would you rather play in ps2/xbox style gfx or x360 styled gfx ( this is the case with TRL)

edit:
oh and no, the x1000 series of ati support hardware decoding, its just the x100 series that dont, so if you have anything lower then x1000 then yes you are screwed, same if you have anything lower then 6000 series ( i consider lower then 7000 series still screwed, seeing how lower doesnt have a hdtv output )

[naruto=pwnage]

well I for one am not about to install counterstrike or any of the other games you mentioned on my computer. I just want a card that is competent and will support avi files etc.

[Board of Command]

Uh...if you put it that way, a $500 machine will be enough.

[Deadfire]

well I for one am not about to install counterstrike or any of the other games you mentioned on my computer. I just want a card that is competent and will support avi files etc.

And you are building why? there is no point in building if your going for basic. Buy one from a local electronics store, it will be easier on you and us

[Board of Command]

I wonder what darkshadow has to say about this now. I mean...wow.


I just want a card that is competent and will support avi files etc.
I give up on the X850XT :D

[darkshadow]

i really dont have anything else to add, but since 7600gt accellerates h264, then yeah give up on the x800gto

[mage]

so here is the deal. as of the moment I have a 50Gb laptop in which I got for my birthday. I want to save up some money and have a computer custom madefor me. I was wondering if any of you experts out there know how much the kind of computer I want would cost.
here are the specs:
-a 200 Gb hard drive
-2Gb RAM
-2Gb memory
-competent graphics card
-hi speed wireless capabilities
-a competent internal DVD burning drive
-a relatively cheap flat screen monitor
-laser mouse
-keyboard

The point of this computer would be for all the anime downloads etcetera etcetera. leaving my portable laptop for schoolwork.
thanks, peace

If all you want to do is download anime on it and not play any games, you can build a decent computer for 4-500$. So, what EXACTLY do you want to use the computer for? Do you play games? If so, what games? What games do you plan on playing? Do you do heavy imaging work in Photoshop? Etc, etc. What parts you buy are dependent on what you want to use it for (and thus, the price as well).

[naruto=pwnage]

this is what I want to use the comp for:
-anime downloading [hence why I want a big hard drive]
-photoshop and other adobe products..[hence why I want alot of RAM]
-I will not be thinking of installing any games since they usually don't interest me
-anime viewing..
hmm. yeh. pretty basic for what I want. I'm a complete noob when it comes to building so all the help has been appreciated. what I'm saying is.. I want my laptop for school and this new comp for the downloading and photoshop things that my current computer canot handle very well.

oh! also I want to be able to burn quality DVD's of the anime I download

[mage]

-AMD Sempron 2800 - 73$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104245)
-Abit NF8-V Motherboard - 60$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127200)
-G. Skill 1GB RAM PC3200 - 75$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231030)
-WD 200GB HD - 77$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144416)
-Chaintech FX5200 - 33$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145067)
-Cheap case (you can get w/e case you want) - 27$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190050)
-Fortron 400W Power supply (don't use the one that comes with the case) - 37$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952)

382$ before tax/shipping.

[naruto=pwnage]

that canadian dollars?
[also, since what I want seems to be so cheap, is this a good hard drive?]=>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144006

[mage]

that canadian dollars?
that's american dollars. i don't think newegg ships to canada. did you ever tell us you were canadian?

anyway, just go find those parts at some canadian site.

[naruto=pwnage]

oh. dang. well.. IS Maxtor a good reliable HD company?

[mage]

maxtor is fine but i prefer WD.

[BioAlien]

i have an old Maxtor 14g, and it never failled me for 6 years, and i had a WD 80g and it crashed after less then 1 years

just choose watever fit you, don't take something just because it cost less, and that hard drive.. look fine to me...

and i already said this.. but... if you realy want to build a computer... (and the price is in canadien dollar)
go there:
http://www.sohodiffusion.com/default.asp
so you will be able to order, online (i already made business with them, the service is good)

[mage]

Just because you had one drive die on you doesn't make them all bad.

[complich8]

This always comes up... people always use crappy anecdotal evidence in their drive planning. "I had a maxtor die, so I'm not going to buy maxtors anymore." "I had a WD die, so I'm not going to buy WD anymore". "I had a seagate die, seagate sucks".

I've had maxtor, seagate, western digital, hitachi, and fujitsu drives die, in and out of warranty. I've never had a drive die in less than 2 and a half years, and the only drive that I've had die in less than 4 was an extremely "budget" maxtor that gave me 614 days of powered-on spun-up time before the first error.

To quote myself from this thread about hard drives (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=12654):


Basically, there's 6 manufacturers making hard drives right now: Fujitsu, Hitachi, Maxtor, Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital. Fujitsu mainly (by which I mean only) makes scsi and sata stuff, and are generally enterprise-targetted, which generally means uncommon for home users. Hitachi is still fighting the "IBM DeathStar" name, but makes a quality product these days. Maxtor is everyone's favorite "my maxtor disk failed" anecdote, because they make so damned many disks that they're everywhere -- of course you'll find more failures in a larger sample. Samsung .... well, nobody has much to say about them. Seagate's well-trusted but makes slightly slower disks in general. Western digital is known for noisy but functional and reasonably fast disks.

So basically, of the 4 real choices (discounting fujitsu for not making IDE drives, and samsung for being memory-price-fixing sonsofbitches), there's not a whole lot of difference. Western digital drives may be noisier. Maxtors may be hit or miss. Seagates may be slower performers on average. Hitachis have an undeserved bad rep.

There's no real difference between any of them. Get one of those four brands, and your chances are as good as if you got any of the others. Just make sure the interface is the right type, and that it's got a decent buffer size.

Long story short, if you're asking "is drive manufacturer X any good" the answer is always "yes". If you're asking "Will this drive fail on me" the answer is also "yes, eventually." That's just how things are.

[Board of Command]

Get two of the WD "JS" or "KS" series and set up a RAID 0. Pretty good storage if you get two 250 GB drives, and pretty decent performance along the side.

[naruto=pwnage]

a while ago I asked for advice on costumized computers and what would be wise to get. well, while browsing through a future shop ad I found this (http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/vendor_hp/proddetailpc.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10070824&catid=10607&PCName=Vendor%5FHP%5FMain&logon=&langid=EN#MoreInfo) would you say this is a good computer? it would seem to fit all my wants and desires but before I decide I want it I want some professional opinions. will it be fast? will I be able to make capable of wireless internet? and if I wanted to add another hard drive to it would it be able to handle it? all suggestions are appreciated

[Deadfire]

Well, the Computer here is a step in the right direction thats for sure how ever as good as it is I don't see you using half the things for it. It's a Media Center PC, not just one that has the OS but a true one. So unless you are going to ingrate it in to your home entainment centre I'd look at something just a bit down from that.

A point of reference to you NP I am a Computer Tech that works at the Best Buy here in my city in Canada. I have many times worked with the machine you show here (as surprise, surprise it's sold here too) now I want you to really think about that Product Service Plan as well if your getting anything from Best Buy or Future Shop. As well go in to one of them (If you can look at Best Buy, they aren't on comission so they can show you gerenally what you need, People at FS scare me as they take advantage of so many people On average.) I'm not saying that because I work there. Honestly If I could by $200 for someone to look after my machine for me I would, It truly is a pain in the ass. I could list the reasons for it, but I want you to decide to hear them or not, as this isn't my computer

Some things I found on the internet

Another HP Media Center however Refurbished, I don't normally suggest this... (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10074949&catid=22914&logon=&langid=EN)

This machine is decent, and the price is too (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10073828&catid=22914)

The computer your showing me but with out all the extra crap you will not use, and at $200 cheaper (http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10073829&catid=22914)

Enjoy..

Also I'm moving this topic to your old one, there truly is no need for a new one...

[naruto=pwnage]

thanks. I have no idea what the hell I'd do without you guys:)

[mage]

You guys are thinking way too expensive for what you want to do with it. A perfectly good and upgradable anime watching/internet browsing computer can be had for 400-500$ (USD).

i posted this previously in the thread:

-AMD Sempron 2800 - 73$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104245)
-Abit NF8-V Motherboard - 60$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127200)
-G. Skill 1GB RAM PC3200 - 75$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231030)
-WD 200GB HD - 77$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144416)
-Chaintech FX5200 - 33$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145067)
-Cheap case (you can get w/e case you want) - 27$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190050)
-Fortron 400W Power supply (don't use the one that comes with the case) - 37$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952)

382$ before tax/shipping.

I suggest just building your own computer with these parts (or comparable), and if you don't know how, learn how. It's extremely simple. Unless you buy a crappy lower end Dell or HP computer you will be REALLY overspending. That, and if you end up taking your computer to Best Buy or FS to be fixed for something, 95% of the time they will have absolutely no clue what they're doing. I've seen many a computer come out of Best Buy with more problems than when they went in.


will it be fast? will I be able to make capable of wireless internet? and if I wanted to add another hard drive to it would it be able to handle it? all suggestions are appreciated

Any modern computer will fit this bill. They're all fast enough for what you're going to use it for, you can add another HD, and you can use wireless if you so choose. There's no reason to buy a 1000$+ computer just for these things.

[Deadfire]

That, and if you end up taking your computer to Best Buy or FS to be fixed for something, 95% of the time they will have absolutely no clue what they're doing. I've seen many a computer come out of Best Buy with more problems than when they went in.

Ouch.. was that a shot at me for any reason there mage?

I worked hard for my position of where I am, and I can asure you I know what the heck I'm doing. Also this 95% bullshit, where did you pull that from? I don't insult your workplace don't fuck with mine

I don't get your logic here either, what is different about the parts you telling him to get compared to pre-built parts. It's the same break down rate, no matter how you look at it. Building it yourself means you have nothing for warrenty if it fails as all the companies you bought parts from will blame the others for the reason they don't work right and thus more trouble. As well, he is a new user, not someone who understands the fine dealings of these machines. Things here are based on skill level what may be easy for me and you may be harder for someone else.

Now to the one point I agree with yes you don't need such a expensive computer. What I think your trying to do is future-proofing yourself. So thats why I'm suggesting things around what you looked at there. I'm not the person using this computer and if your happy with it then there you go.

[mage]

It wasn't any shot at you, it's just the truth. You may know what you're doing, but from what I've experienced (and heard from pretty much everyone) is that people working at places like BestBuy usually have no clue what they're doing.

[BioAlien]

before buying your computer, wait until AMD release they 4 core prossesor lol

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3849/aaa1dg.jpg

[complich8]

yeah, there's problems with bestbuy's support, among others.

And I agree with the assessments here: (1) you don't need a $1100 media center pc to photoshop, nor to download and watch shows, nor to do anything else.

I'll second Mage's suggestion of parts. Really, anything reasonably modern will work for what you want. In fact, I do quite a bit more than that on my aging dell poweredge 400SC (p4-2.4 northwood ht, 1gb ecc ddr400 dual channel, came with onboard sata and a couple open drive bays). For what you're asking, you don't even need a pci-e generation system ... straight-up agp/pci would work fine.

I also second the suggetsion on price. A homebuilt system that meets those needs wouldn't be more than a couple hundred bucks. If you watch the deal sites (slickdeals.net being a good example) you might find a deal on a dell or something to that effect, if you really really want to go the prebuilt route.

Further, media center pc's are built for a particular purpose, and they're sold at a premium to people who want to buy prebuilt systems tailored to that purpose. If you're buying a media center pc, you're probably paying $200+ more for the system than you would if you were buying the same specs without the "media center" moniker.

Lastly, AMD launching socket-am2, as well as Intel's impending launch of conroe, will both spell lower costs for older generation hardware. That means right now is an excellent time not to throw your money at computer hardware.

[naruto=pwnage]

thanks for the suggestions, but I think I'll spend my money however I want. plus It's going to be waiting a while before I buy it anyways. since I have to rasie the money first at twenty bucks a week:p

Mage, I'm not JUST going to use it for internet browsing. I want to get a new computer becuause my current laptop isn't exactly built for heavy downloading. it wasn't really built for multitasking and sure as shit wasn't built for vid editing. I'll name once again what I want to do with it:
-internet browsing(duh)
-downloading of lots of anime and programs
-watching anime and running programs
-a very good possibility I'll want to edit videos

and in general I want to have good RAM as well because I want my comp to run really fast and smoothly with no problem. plus I want future proofing, since programs are getting bigger and better all the time.

[mage]

thanks for the suggestions, but I think I'll spend my money however I want. plus It's going to be waiting a while before I buy it anyways. since I have to rasie the money first at twenty bucks a week:p

Mage, I'm not JUST going to use it for internet browsing. I want to get a new computer becuause my current laptop isn't exactly built for heavy downloading. it wasn't really built for multitasking and sure as shit wasn't built for vid editing. I'll name once again what I want to do with it:
-internet browsing(duh)
-downloading of lots of anime and programs
-watching anime and running programs
-a very good possibility I'll want to edit videos

and in general I want to have good RAM as well because I want my comp to run really fast and smoothly with no problem. plus I want future proofing, since programs are getting bigger and better all the time.
1) Internet browsing: any computer will do.

2) Downloading anime: Again, any computer will do as long as you have a large hard drive unless you intend to just burn your anime.

3) Multitasking while watching anime: Any modern computer will do this fine

4) video editing: Unless you're doing some hardcore editing (eg. professional), the computer I prescribed will do just fine.

5) Futureproofing: There's really nothing to futureproof here. It's a 64bit cpu which will accomodate 64bit applications with Windows Vista if you choose to run that OS when it comes out, you aren't playing games so you don't need a PCI-E slot (agp is fine), and again, since you aren't playing games, you don't need an expensive hardcore CPU. And finally, if you built a computer with the parts I listed, you will be able to use basically any and every program just fine for years to come.

6) Upgradability: You seem to be concerned only with wanting to add more hard drives an ram. All computers are upgradable in this way. The CPU is Socket 754, which is now slightly outdated with the release of Socket 939 and AM2, but that doesn't matter for what you're going to be using the computer for. With socket 754, you can still upgrade the CPU to something better later on if you so choose.

7) RAM: Since you mentioned ram, the ram I linked to in my parts list is perfectly fine. I'm a hardcore gamer and I run 1gb and everything runs perfectly. You will have no problems with 1gb unless you do extremely heavy photoshop work or video editing, in which case you should probably upgrade to 2gb.

I guess it just comes down to how much money you're willing to waste.

[Deadfire]

It wasn't any shot at you, it's just the truth. You may know what you're doing, but from what I've experienced (and heard from pretty much everyone) is that people working at places like BestBuy usually have no clue what they're doing.

Ya, I kind of went off on that. I have had that be told to me many times at work, and thus I get pissed off really easily about that. Only a few more months of school however and I will be out of there. The truth is I can agree that it's a problem in the US that there are those computer that come out of there worse. I personally don't see that much happening with my workplace in Canada, nor the consumer reviews we have gotten at other stores. However I will say that I know of computers that we were to repair and have made either worse or because of a error with our parts sources have in turn made even a small repair turn to be tricky to explain to a person because of the result. As well I'm not there all the time so there could have been issues I haven't known (Or cared) about.

More to the point about this thread I agree with mage on his advice in his above post. As it's basing it on your needs as you have dealt it out to us. If there is something your doing the requires more then that you need to tell us this.

Also the quote Comp:


That means right now is an excellent time not to throw your money at computer hardware.

What do you mean? There never has been a excellent time to throw your money at computer hardware :p

[darkshadow]

7) RAM: Since you mentioned ram, the ram I linked to in my parts list is perfectly fine. I'm a hardcore gamer and I run 1gb and everything runs perfectly. You will have no problems with 1gb unless you do extremely heavy photoshop work or video editing, in which case you should probably upgrade to 2gb.

I guess it just comes down to how much money you're willing to waste.

i say go for 2gb of ram, i do lots of editing and photoshop, or any kind of other proffesional editing ( being it 3d, 2d or video), will speed up significantly with more then 1gb of ram, this is even more so if you are gonna spend more then an hour editing the same thing.

[Board of Command]

I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but you're best off waiting a little longer for AM2 to mature a bit. 939 is becoming the 754 of this generation.

Better yet, wait for the Big C to come out next month before doing anything. Even if you don't plan on buying it, its release is bound to shake the market. Right now is the worst possible time to get a new system.

[BioAlien]

Big C ?? what that?

[mage]

Conroe, Intel's next cpu.

[LaZie]

I just built me a SLI PC a few days ago

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 2.6GHz Processor
GIGABYTE GA-M55SLI-S4 Socket AM2 Motherboard
2x 1 GB G.Skill Ram
2x EVGA Nvidia GeForce 7600GT
250GB Western Digital HD
HIPER SLI-Ready 580Watt PSU

It's my first build and I was on a budget so don't be too hard on me :p

[Killa-Eyez]

Here's a list of a system I put together for a friend of mine (in order of how I put it together)...

Coolermaster Centurion 534 Chassis (http://www1.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RC-534&other_title=+RC-534+Centurion%20534)
Coolermaster iGreen Power 500W Power Supply (http://www1.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-500-ASAA&other_title=+RS-500-ASAA+iGreen%20Power%20500W)
Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI Motherboard (http://www.abit.com.tw/page/be/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=Fatal1ty+FP-IN9+SLI&fMTYPE=LGA775)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Processor (http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sspec=sla4t)
Coolermaster Hyper L3 Cooling (http://www1.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RR-LCH-P9E1&other_title=+RR-LCH-P9E1+Hyper%20L3)
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 Memory (http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/TWIN2X1024-6400C4.pdf)
Asus EN7950GT/HTDP/512M Graphics Card (http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=2&l2=6&l3=306&l4=0&model=1350&modelmenu=1)
Creative Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeMusic Sound Card (http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=14066)
Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 500GB HD
Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 320GB HD (http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/menuitem.f053c8a6f66a6a14e85c1a70eac4f0a0/)
Lite-on LH-16D1P (Black) DVD-Rom (http://www.liteonit.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=228&Itemid=99) (In Europe only)
Lite-on LH-20A1H (Black) DVD-RW (http://us.liteonit.com/us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=204&Itemid=67)
TEAC 3,5" Diskette Drive 1,44MB (Black) / 8 in 1 Cardreader (http://dspd.teac.de/index.php?id=989&L=1) (In Europe only)
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard/devices/285&cl=us,en)
Razer Copperhead Tempest Blue Mouse (http://www.razerzone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=11)
Logitech Z-4 Speakers (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/250&cl=us,en) (Don't ask why, he has 7.1 output)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/homepremium/default.mspx) (NL, 64-bit, OEM)

He got an overall score of 5.0 on his Windows Experience (3.0 and above being sufficient). More info here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/experienceindex.mspx?CPU=5%2c0&MEM=5%2c5&HDD=5%2c6&DWM=5%2c9&D3D=5%2c9).
The whole list costs € 1496,77. Do the math!

[Kraco]

Lite-on LH-20A1H (Black) DVD-RW

I recently upgraded my old (=ancient) 451 to LH-20A1P. And I also changed the black front panel to it. The old LiteOn never had any media issues (no matter how dubious media) but this one has had some troubles with the lead in, like rejecting the disk (no more dubious than Verbatim), but when I put the same disk in again, it will burn it ok.

Why didn't your friend build his own machine? Or do you just like the screwdriver so much that you offered to do it?

[Pessu]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Asus P5k
Club3D 8800GTS 320mb
Antec NeoHe 500W
Antec P182B Gun Black
Samsung T166 500GB
Creative Live! Ls 5.1
Mushkin 1GB DDR2 800Mhz x2
Logitech MX518 <3
Samsung Super WriteMaster SH-S183

I just put it together few weeks back. Those parts cost me around 1200 euros.

My monitor and keyboard are really old tho...

[itadakimasu]

In response to mage suggesting that he buy a $73 sempron....
www.zipzoomfly.com

Free shipping, plus great prices, generally at least a dollar or two better than newegg and free shipping on everything not just select items.

if you're going low end processor you can get an X2 3800+ for 72.50 with free shipping, 2gb ram for 67.50 (corsair xms-5400) ... why settle for a sempron and 1gb memory for more money than you can get a dual core w\ 2gb ram?


I'm on a budget, and cant see myself spending so much money($1000+.)

I recently upped my main computer from a stock emachine t5420 w\ 3400+ and 1gb of pc3200 + 200 gb hd.

Gigabyte GA-MA69VM-S2 690V Socket AM2 1000MHz DDR2-800 M-ATX
AMD X2-4800+
2GB Corsair XMS DDR2-5400 RAM

and just the other day picked up a new Antec power supply and added my other hard drive in, so i have a 250 maxtor and 200 maxtor 3.0 sata in it....

excluding the hard drive, that was a total $350 upgrade and the only thing left stock of the computer is the emachine case, and the dvd and cd rom drives.

[darkshadow]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Processor
Asus EN7600GT/2DHT/256M Graphics Card


total waste right there, you shouldve gone for an E6600 and use the xtra money for a better vid card, 7900gt and up.

[Board of Command]

I would even say the E6600 is too much. E6420 is as much as I would spend on a CPU.

[Killa-Eyez]

I recently upgraded my old (=ancient) 451 to LH-20A1P. And I also changed the black front panel to it. The old LiteOn never had any media issues (no matter how dubious media) but this one has had some troubles with the lead in, like rejecting the disk (no more dubious than Verbatim), but when I put the same disk in again, it will burn it ok.

Why didn't your friend build his own machine? Or do you just like the screwdriver so much that you offered to do it?

Cuz I helped him make this list in the first place and he knows nothing about hardware. Well a little bit, no experience though. He asked me to, so I did...
About the RW, dunno anything about it, always had a pretty goed experience with Lite-On. That's why I chose it.


total waste right there, you shouldve gone for an E6600 and use the xtra money for a better vid card, 7900gt and up.

Made changes to the list as its supposed to be... Check it.


I would even say the E6600 is too much. E6420 is as much as I would spend on a CPU.

U 2, check the list, he has exactly what u were trying to imply... :D



PS: In the future he's gonna have an SLI upgrade and another set of Corsair XMS2 2GB memory... :eek:
Maybe some Blu-Ray Rom/RW and a Samsung LCD screen? He really does have money! :p

[Assertn]

I kinda like 2x pci-E 7900 GS

[Board of Command]

8800GTS > 2x 7900GS

[itadakimasu]

found an xfx 8500gt earlier for $79.99.

i may need to upgrade mine in my system (visiontek x1300 /256/pci-e) but i dunno what im going to do yet...

[darkshadow]

if you bought that card just because it was an 8 series card, you made a big mistake, dont expect big performance on the 8500, for an extra 30 you have a 8600gt, which is MUCH faster, or for like 50 more, you have a 8600gts or hd2600xt, or if dx10 is not an issue, the fast as hell x1950pro

[Board of Command]

8500GT is a piece of shit.

End of story.

[LaZie]

I would even say the E6600 is too much. E6420 is as much as I would spend on a CPU.

The E6420 processor is one crazy overclocking CPU :D


And I just got a score of 6233 in 3DMark06. Im happy :p

[Board of Command]

No it's not. The original E6300/6400 were much better overclockers. If yours overclocks well, then you got lucky. The E6x20 chips are stockpiled low quality stuff that failed to quality for E6600 branding. The extra cache also hinders overclocking because it draws more power than chips with 2 MB cache.

My E6300 (from last December) goes over 3.2 GHz with 1.22v. I can probably reach somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.4 GHz at near-stock voltage if I had some better memory. I highly doubt yours can even come close to that in terms of clock/voltage. Not many new C2Ds nowadays can. It was very common a while back to find people with crazy overclocked E6300s. You don't see that anymore with E6320/6420s.

[?igma]

Planning on getting the following :

cpu
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (S775, 2x2.4GHz, 4MB, 1066MHz FSB, Boxed)
6850 will be released end of the next month, so I might pick that one up instead..

Graphics Card
Asus GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB DDR3 (PCI-e, 2x DVI) EN800GTS/HTDP/640M
or
Asus GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB DDR3 (PCI-e, 2x DVI) EN8800GTX/HTDP

Motherboard
Asus P5W64 WS Professional, 975X (ATX, PCI-e, Sound, LAN, SATA II, RAID, 1394a)

RAM
4GB 667MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL5 DIMM (Kit of 2)

HD's
2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KS, 500GB (7200rpm, SATA II, 16MB)

Soundcard
Undecided.

But I do fear it might be better to buy one late November, perhaps even late December. Close to game-releases.

[darkshadow]

its funny how ppl spend a ton on cpu's/vid cards, but have a lame as hell sound system...

[Kraco]

I don't think that's really surprising. To play many of the latest games, you need an uber CPU and GPU to get the game to run smoothly at all, but even the sound chip on your mobo is enough to get the game running.

Besides, sound systems haven't seen nearly as much development as video cards. There isn't yet even really functional real-time 3D sound. If you think about those prerecorded clips listened to with headphones where you hear a matchbox being shaken around your head, closer and farther away. Simulations (games) are still miles away from that. Because sound cards are stepchilds compared to video cards.

[Board of Command]

I've not very keen on sound. I can tell the difference between really crappy sound and acceptable sound, but that's about it.

[darkshadow]

I don't think that's really surprising. To play many of the latest games, you need an uber CPU and GPU to get the game to run smoothly at all, but even the sound chip on your mobo is enough to get the game running.

Besides, sound systems haven't seen nearly as much development as video cards. There isn't yet even really functional real-time 3D sound. If you think about those prerecorded clips listened to with headphones where you hear a matchbox being shaken around your head, closer and farther away. Simulations (games) are still miles away from that. Because sound cards are stepchilds compared to video cards.

Its good enough to get the game running yeah, but its not good enough to immerse you in the game audibly, and what do you mean with 3d sound? 8 discreet channels? cause even a audigy 2zs can produce 8 discreet channels no problem, plently of games are compatible with EAX or dolby/DTS.
Also the soundcard takes some stress off the cpu, plus the X-FI crystalizes sound into 24bit, which gives a pretty major improvement.
Even on the "old" ps2, a good soundsystem makes a game far more immersive.
shadow of the colossus, through the tv, or some lame 2.0(1) desktop speakers, has nothing on a optical connection to a 500watt 5.1 system with PLII. It just makes it that more... EPIC.
Oh and burnout revenge on the x360.... gives me the shivers, thats how awesome it sounds.

Other then video, sound envelopes and sucks you in, IMAX screens aren't just upgraded with a bigger/digital screen either, they get a much better sound system aswell.

[Kraco]

Its good enough to get the game running yeah, but its not good enough to immerse you in the game audibly, and what do you mean with 3d sound?
If you had had an opportunity to sometimes listen to those clips I referred to, you would know what I'm talking about. With (quality) headphones on, if you closed your eyes, with one clip it absolutely felt like you were sitting in the chair at a barber. It almost made you shudder when you heard the scissors suddenly cutting your hair. But unless you have heard these clips that are recorded using a human head and ears models (though I don't know the details), you can't understand what I mean.


Other then video, sound envelopes and sucks you in...
No need to tell me about it. I have built a few FPS SP game levels. Sound wasn't ever my strongest point (because it would have been nigh impossible to produce new scifi sound effects at home), but just like you say, it's of utmost importance to pay due attention to it or the level will fail horribly.

[?igma]

I've not very keen on sound. I can tell the difference between really crappy sound and acceptable sound, but that's about it.

This somewhat strikes my ground. I do not intend to waste<-- money on sound. I have two very agressive parents with 1 very agressive sister. They agro on any loud sounds. Second, I favor stereo above any other system around, so anything past a 2.1 system is wasted on me, I do like it in games, don't get me wrong, but I'll just have to get it when I live on my own.

And going all "zomg wowzor come hear my sound" ..feels like I'm one of those idiots that put soundsystems in their cars that fill up the whole damn thing.

Yes, soundcards are irrelevant to me.

Altough I admit I probably will buy a soundcard this time. As my financial situation currently allows me to, perhaps we can boost some performance in my Sennheiser headset.. :P

[darkshadow]

...They agro on any loud sounds...

Where did i say loud? I said better, a powerfull (digital) speakerset and a kickass soundcard will IMPROVE the sound quality.
500watts of power doesn't just mean it will go loud, it means it will produce perfectly clear sounds at any sound level, and if its digital, it might even crystalize the output aswell, making even 128kbps sound good.
My mom goes agro on even medium level sound, but she isnt around all the time, plus the speakerset+soundcard improve headphone quality too.

"And going all "zomg wowzor come hear my sound"...
If that is your definition of IMMERSION, then fine..
Soundcards aren't dumb gimmicks that just make stuff louder.

Oh and kraco, to get 3d sounds out of a headphone, you will need a surround headphone, if you heard those sounds with a normal headphone, it's just trickery. There is no way to get 3d sound out of 2 speakers. Like that retarded bose 3-2-1 system, ugh..
EAX and DTS are great at producing 3d sound.

[?igma]

Sounds to me someones wasting his time getting into stuff nobody wants to be into :P Sound...

Oh my set isnt so bad, I have two Bose Boxes each 500W, Let's just put loud as being what I really meant, anything past whispering is considered too loud.

And here comes my completely unsupported opinion. Spending money on sound is retarded, untill you have it in huge amounts. I cant play games without a decent cpu, I cant play games without a decent Graphics card, ram and decent HD storage. Without all those thing being balanced, I can't play anything. It's a worthless piece of junk.

Buying hardware to improve sound, is like buying a spoiler for your car. It drives perfectly without, it's just for the finishing touch.

[Kraco]

Oh and kraco, to get 3d sounds out of a headphone, you will need a surround headphone, if you heard those sounds with a normal headphone, it's just trickery. There is no way to get 3d sound out of 2 speakers. Like that retarded bose 3-2-1 system, ugh..
EAX and DTS are great at producing 3d sound.

You got one thing right: It is trickery. You know, the human hearing is stereo, not 5.1 or 7.1. Or maybe you could say it's 2.1 if you count feeling some uber basso all the way down to your bones...

Well, I'm already repeating myself, but if you haven't heard any of those recordings, there's no way you would understand. It's like trying to explain Shinji's epic lameness to someone who hasn't watched Eva. But the whole idea is to mimic the way the shape of the human head and ears affect the quality of the sound you are hearing (and possibly other aspects but like I said, I'm no expert and it takes some sort of a pro to make these things). It's not just whether the left or the right channel is louder (or how loud is the sound in all of your 8+1 speakers).

Too bad I can't link you to any such sound samples, because I have only heard them when some people have made forum posts with them elsewhere, and that forum has a mod that allows you to play sounds via a simple interface straight in the post itself, so I have no idea where they came from nor do I have them locally.

[Board of Command]

Surround sound is all about your perceived origin of the sound. I can sort of understand what Kraco is referring to with something like the barbershop sound. The sound has to be tweaked so that it sounds like it actually has a "direction" and this is done by modifying the individual levels and pitches of all the different sounds in the clip with respect to the shape and size of a human head.

It's audio illusion.

[darkshadow]

yeah, that is what i meant with "trickery", cause you don't hear in 2.1, even though your ears are stereo, you perceive sounds from every direction, not just 2 straightup sources, that is why (for games at least), 2.1 fails horribly.

[?igma]

And shinji, is epically lame !!!! Man what a great show with worst main character :P Wish I had no sound at all when he talked..

[LaZie]

I believe you're in the wrong thread.

[?igma]

I believe you're in the wrong thread.

You shouldn't put too much faith in what you believe, believing is overrated ;)
(read before you reply)

I was merely proving that sound can be a bad thing ^^

[David75]

Well lots of things said here...

We have two ears. And if you have two perfect speakers, sound system and room, that should be enough to reproduce sound in front of you (like a concert).

Problem: no speaker is perfect, neither room or sound system...

Then it has been very convenient for audio equipment companies to sell over 2 speakers for sounds behind you...
The thing is that most of the time you do not need these sounds, even in action movies. They tend to occupy less than 5% of the time... And with hypequalitystandards, you should have every speaker of the same quality... which is absurd when at least two of them are almost all the time useless...
Add to this that in these systems most of the time the central speaker is the crapiest... when it occupies more than 70% of the time in almost any movie... and you have all the reasons to be mad...

All in all, a Z5500 will fit in almost any mid setup, it is quite cheap for what it does. The main concern being it should be replaced as it is quite old now.

If quality really matters, prepare yourself for long searches and trials, to think about the room etc...
My POV on this is to choose monitor speakers and mono numeric amplifiers attached to a pc. So that I can have any major evolution for a few bucks, quickly after they are out.
Major is defined by my opinion on what is proposed, so I do not change that often....

Ah, and 90% of the time at least, I'm on an old pro headset I had 18 years ago...
It's probably not ubergood, but at least I know it well, which also is very important...

[Sandldan]

Been thinking of buying myself a new computer for a little while now, it's main purpose will be for gaming, and maybe for some occasionally video/image editing.

I will have max 1200€ budget for it.
Here's the main parts of something wich i just put together, my main concern is about the processor. Im considering if it's worth upgrading it to an E6600 instead for the E4400. (Have barely kept myself up to date with the industry since i bought my last copmuter for around 4 years ago)

EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS "Superclocked" (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=320-P2-E815-AR&b=1)
322.69 EUR

ACER AL2016WS 20" WIDE TCO03/8MS (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=ET.2016P.008&b=1)
205.92 EUR

MSI S775 IP35 DDR2 SATA2 GLAN 8-CH ATX (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=P35+NEO-F&b=1)
116.27 EUR

COLORS-IT CO-8046-C43/520W (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=CO-8046-C43%2F520W&b=1)
60.80 EUR

2GB 800MHZ DDR2 NON-ECC CL5 DIMM (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=KVR800D2N5K2%2F2G&b=1)
100.65 EUR

SEA BARRACUDA 7200.10 400GB 16MB UATA100 (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=ST3400620A&b=1)
105.47 EUR

INTEL CORE 2 E4400 2.0GHZ 800/2M S775 (http://multitronic.fi/showprod.php?prod_id=BX80557E4400)
132.36 EUR

Currently it's totalling at: 1099 €

Any recommendations or suggestions?

[Board of Command]

Get a 320 GB or 500 GB SATA hard drive instead. 400 GB is generally not a good value.

[darkshadow]

and change that psu, ive never hear od color-it

[Kraco]

Yeah. I've heard too many first-hand stories of people ending up with dead systems due to fried noname PSUs. I've always had good choices with my PSUs, but it certainly looks like the absolutely wrong place to try to save a few euros. And besides, only with a quality PSU you actually know you can get the output the specs promise.

[itadakimasu]

PSU :
WWW.ZIPZOOMFLY.COM

COOLERMASTER eXtreme Power 550W RP-550-PCAR Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***
MFG SKU: RP-550-PCAR
Our Price: $34.99 + Free shipping.


I just did a system upgrade recently so im going to wait until at least this time next year before i do anything drastic to my current set up. A new video card is in my immediate future though, i have to get some finances in place before i drop $200-$300 on a video card though

[Killa-Eyez]

To Sandldan: Where in Europe do you live? If it's The Netherlands I can help you or else you'll have to search for a site like this dutch one www.tweakers.net.
It has an pricewatch page and has the cheapest stores on it. Try to google it for your area... btw, ins't ur avatar from Hajime No Ippo?

[Sandldan]

I live in Finland, but thanks anyways.
I've been using similiar sites or just comparing the prices myself, it's overall somewhat expensive to buy a computer here. The store im buying it from is among the ones with the lowest prices. Plus i've known the owner for that particular store from before he started it so i usually get some kind of bonus ;)

Yeah the avatar is Sendo Takeshi from Hajime No Ippo, taken from Champion Road

[Killa-Eyez]

Hmmkay, 2bad its expensive there. I live in Holland wich has a lot of import for Europe.. Maybe that's why it's cheaper here. I hope you'll manage then with your connections :D. BTW, I hope by "bonus" you mean discount :(, cause usually it's used for something extra which in your case wouldn't helpfull :p.

Hmm not quite there yet, just started Hajime No Ippo, I'm @ the 30st episode. I'm where he first meets him and forgets his bag @ the train staton. Goin' to watch now, buh bai and goodluck!

[LaZie]

AMD just had a price cut on some of their processors just recently.

And I also modded my xbox controller to work on my pc as a gamepad. Its really sweet :p

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/4082/picture002va0.jpg

[itadakimasu]

LaZie ! that is cool :) what is the usb plug from?

and yes... your sasuke sig is awesome.

On to computers.... I need a new vid card soon. I've been looking at x1950's but there seems to countless varieties of them... i'e seen the newere hd ones but dont think i want that, im keeping the price range less than or equal to $200

[LaZie]

I took a spare iPod usb plug and used it to mod my xbox controller.

For the video card, if you want an x1950 I would go with this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102067). Of course it doesn't support DX10.

If you want a DX10 card I would go with a 8600GTS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130084

[itadakimasu]

I want to stay with ATI. The card you show me... nice but i dont know if i have the connector for pci like it has, i will ahve to look at my psu connections. I almost want to run crossfire, but i just recently upped my board, cpu and ram so i dont want to get another mobo so soon.

[LaZie]

You don't want to run crossfire. Its not all that its made out to be. Performance boost is only about 40-50%. You'd be better off spending the money for a high end GPU than 2 mid ones as the higher end will outperform both cards in crossfire.

[Board of Command]

DX10 is useless, especially on the 8600GTS.

[Animeniax]

Anyone know when Intel will drop prices on their C2D CPUs? I heard mid-July but prices seem about the same. I'm looking at the Q6600.

[LaZie]

July 22nd is when Intel are dropping their C2D CPU prices and introducing a few new ones.

[Animeniax]

Great, then I just need to wait one more week, then QX6700 might be in range.

Any word on why DDR2 RAM prices are so low right now (2GB PC6400 is around $130)? Is there a DDR3 coming out, or is there a glut of memory in the market? I'm a little out of the loop on technology.

[LaZie]

There is DDR3 memory out already but they can't overclock as well as DDR2 right now. So they are basically the same performance wise if you can manage to tighten your timings on your ram except DDR3 is more expensive. Best bet is to go with DDR2 as they are cheaper and better performance wise.

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/07-05-15/Inte.jpg

[Animeniax]

Sweeet, QX6700 for $530!! Thanks for the chart and explanation. Gonna go nuts at newegg in a week, then play Stalker:SoC at highest settings.

[Board of Command]

Don't get QX6700. Not worth the money when Q6600 is half the price...

[Carnage]

Yea I almost shit myself when I saw the Q6600's price.

I think Im going to wait till next summer to get a quad-core thought. I like my C2D just fine atm. :)

[darkshadow]

the q6600 and e6850 have a totally awesome price, i might just yet build a new pc soon.

[itadakimasu]

i'm an amd guy, so all of the c2d doesn't really make me too excited. relating to the price drops though, i got my x2 4800+ for 129.99 and it was close to $600 when it came out march / 2006. and i cant plug zipzoomfly.com enough, newegg does have better selection in some areas, but when most things i find on newegg are cheaper on zipzoomfly w\ free shipping.

Lazie : i think i may end up buying that x1950 xt sapphire card you suggested i will decide here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully it will make a huge difference when i'm playing cs:source

[Animeniax]

Don't get QX6700. Not worth the money when Q6600 is half the price...Everyone else where I work has QX6700s, so I have to keep up with the Yamadas, as they say. I usually don't play that game, but we'll see when it's time to click "submit order".

[Carnage]

If noone else at your work knows how to, you can OC your 6600 and make better than their 6700's. :D

[Animeniax]

If noone else at your work knows how to, you can OC your 6600 and make better than their 6700's. :D
Actually after comparing price to performance like BoC said, I probably will get the Q6600 and maybe OC it.

I was thinking of the Cool-it peltier system which one of the guys has:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835227001

but it probably won't fit in my case with the 8800 I plan to get, and I'm not looking to get a new case.

[Board of Command]

That's overkill unless you're going for insane overclocks, in which case you should be building your own cooling system like the real "hardcore enthusiasts" out there. Good air cooling will do just fine.

[Animeniax]

Nah, I'm strictly softcore. I know too many people with super duper hardware specs and zero skillz. I just want to play games at 1680x1050, full AA, HDR, etc that will support 1000 units in combat. I can't go frankenstein on my PC because it's hard to get parts here, and shipping from the states takes too long for replacement parts.

[itadakimasu]

ok ok... this guy i work with today was telling me that he would give me a mobo that he had bought for the one computer he uses there in the office (c2d) so... being gifted a free motherboard if it tests and works i may end up making an intel box. i'm wondering what kind it is because the one he is currently using is a fata1ity board blah $150 or so so maybe it will be a decent board.

[?igma]

well, I've ordered my PC today.

1 x Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (S775, 3,00GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB Boxed)
1 x Asus P5W64 WS Professional, 975X (ATX, PCI-e, Sound, LAN, SATA II, RAID, 1394a)
2 x Western Digital 500GB WD5000AAKS (7200rpm, SATA II, 16MB)
1 x Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 (ATX/BTX, Geen PSU, Zilver)
1 x Corsair CMPSU-620HXEU, 620W (ATX12V v2.2)
1 x Asus GeForce 8800 GTX, 768MB GDDR3, 2x DVI, TV-out, PCIe (EN8800GTX/HTDP)
1 x Zalman CNPS9700 NT (Socket 775/939/940/AM2)
1 x Kingston 4GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 CL5 DIMM

total of about 1800 Euro,- and my gutt tells me I'm forgetting something important, so someone please point it out ^^ ( Not the soundcard ;D)

And excuse the Dutch in one of the items.

[Animeniax]

Sweet, I ordered mine today too (from Newegg and Mwave):

Intel Q6600
Asus P5B
EVGA 8800GTX
Crucial Ballistix 2GB CAS4
WD Raptor 150GB
OCX Game X-Stream 700W PSU
Asus 18X DVDRW

About $1450US.

Using an existing Ultra Grid case and WD Raptor 74GB and WD1200JB HDDs for storage.

[?igma]

Hmm also a nice system, but I doubt the use of a quadcore. Most applications don't use the extra two cores at all. But if you're into 3d modeling, definately a good choice.

[Board of Command]

Zalman CNPS9700 is a HUGE rip off. For the same price you can get a Thermalright Ultra-120 plus a nice fan.

[?igma]

Reviews say otherwise. I always do my homework.

[darkshadow]

why one stick of ram? you don't like dual channel?
and what you are missing is an AUDIO card, and no onboard audio is just sucky and cheap, if you can spend 1800 on the other parts, the extra 100-200 euro wont be that much.

[?igma]

It's not a single dimm :) it's 2x 2GB, apparently forgot to copy that part with it



and what you are missing is an AUDIO card, and no onboard audio is just sucky and cheap, if you can spend 1800 on the other parts, the extra 100-200 euro wont be that much.

No it means 200 less to spend on the things that really matter *blink blink blink*
Yes I know you are an audio fanboi and no I really..really..don't care :P

[Animeniax]

I don't think there is such a thing as a 4GB DIMM.

Wow, ?igma got banned for speaking poorly of the Thermalright heatsink? That's harsh!

[darkshadow]

Wow banned, for what?
Anyway, the Kingston KVR400D2D4R3/4G is a 4gb dimm.
and since you had some dutch in your list:
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer PCI OEM Beoordeling: geen € 44,36
Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic PCI OEM Beoordeling: goed € 68,10
Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro PCI OEM Beoordeling: goed € 99,-
Don't bother with the ~40€ xtreme audio card, it doesn't even compare with a audigy2 zs ( not even close actually).
A kickass soundcard for less then 50 €

[Board of Command]

Reviews say otherwise. I always do my homework.
Yeah okay keep telling yourself that. Even the Tuniq Tower is better than CNPS9700 and it's about the same price as the Ultra-120, but comes with a fan.

[Dubazlar]

I got banned for trying to protect one of the animé threads from spoilers. I used the report button 2 times within one week, or basically over the course of two weeks, because by my judgement a certain person has been once more making suggestive comments about the direction the series might be taking, while he reads the manga. ( Never used the report button before, as far as I recal, so yeah, I'm just pingponing all those reports, I'm a real criminal )

I got banned for abusing the report button.

Also didn't recieve any PM, note, Email..you name it, just klabam, a ban. I just don't get it..am I that annoying ?

As you can understand I'm slightly annoyed, because I was and always will, be doing my obligation as a reader of Gotwoot, and that is to not give any spoilers a chance. Apparently I misread the rules though.

This happened aproximately 2 minutes after I reported. Triggerhappy anyone ?

I've contacted them about it, but have not yet recieved an answer. Which could be either because they don't answer/withdraw bans or simply haven't gotten to it yet.

On to the subject :

============= =========================================== ======== ====== =========
Artikel Artikelomschrijving Prijs Aantal Bedrag
------------- ------------------------------------------- -------- ------ ---------
32590 Kingston 4GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 CL5 DIMM 183,00 1 183,00
KVR667D2N5K2/ (Kit of 2x2GB)

And about the CPU-cooler , I'm aware there's alot of opinions "out there". I'm also not working with hardware daily, so my judgement can only come from what I read. I assure you though, I've watched many graphs showing low temperature in active, passive and idle. Which is just fine with me.

I must admit though, I've only compared it among other Zalman, because I tend to stick with what I know. Same goes to the case. I will never get anything other than Cooler Master. Only because of the space and the clicksystem which allows for fast (re)placing of objects. I hate having to pull it all out to unscrew a drive.

Not to mention I've already ordered it ;)



Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer PCI OEM Beoordeling: geen € 44,36


You can recommend it ?:)


...I'm dead tired, "might be making" , wanted to alter it to might be taking, altered it into tight ..gaaah...

Major edit :

the issue/reason why I'm being banned is probably directly linked to this statement :


Note: Speculation as to whether or not something will happen later in an anime is not considered spoiling. But speculation means that person is not using any kind of information not from the anime to form that opininion.


I personally consider this person in violation of speculating with information, because a person is absolutely incapable of any speculation, when he or she is already aware of the truth. Giving any suggestions as to what might possibly happen, is not just one of the lowest forms of hypocracy, it's also pure discontempt towards the anime viewer that has no knowledge of the manga. It's feeding the debate, because you have the power to laugh at people over their opinions and reasoning, while you keep feeding.

It's wrong.

And if that's why I get banned, I swear, someone needs a serious asswhooping by his girlfriend, because that's one cranky dude.

And considering a PM ( preventive measure ) would have been the right way to handle it.

[Board of Command]

And about the CPU-cooler , I'm aware there's alot of opinions "out there".
They're not opinions.

[Dubazlar]

http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/6722/103/

The Zalman CNPS9700 NT CPU Cooler is one incredible product that is sure to please. If you don't want to install a water cooling system because of the potential risks, then this is a great alternative. I was impressed that this cooler could keep a Core 2 Duo E6400 CPU overclocked to 3.2GHz using 1.55 voltage cool. This is something that's even a challenge for some water cooling kits to accomplish. With its large 110mm green LED fan, massive fins, three "figure 8" heat pipes and a smooth base, it will have no problem keeping almost any CPU cool. Being large certainly has it's benefits in the cooling department, but it might pose a problem in some setups. It's simply one of the best coolers money can buy. Speaking of money, this cooler doesn't come cheap.




http://www.ocmodshop.com/ocmodshop.aspx?a=876&p=2099

The numbers speak for themselves: the Zalman CNPS9700 NT was able to beat my previous favorite heatsink, the Zalman CNPS-7000 and every other heatsink I could throw at it. The sheer size of this heatsink, coupled with its effective copper construction and triple heatpipes, not to mention the huge 110mm fan make this the most efficient coolers you can buy. Although Zalman includes a Noise Silencer module in every CNPS heatsink, it is not needed on the newest Intel platform, as the chipset sets the fan's speed according to the CPU's die temperature.




http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/Zalman_9700NT/index3.shtml

'Quiet' and 'Cooling' is what made Zalman famous and this new CNP9700 NT with a new larger design and 110mm fan just continues the air cooling dominance by Zalman. Sure it's huge, but it cools like crazy. Pick your poison because a tiny air cooler isn't going to cool your hot hardware. All the 'cool' people know that larger, slower spinning fans is where it's at and obviously so does Zalman by improving the 92mm CNPS9500 series with the 110mm CNPS9700 series.


As to not being an opinion, you're a bit too full of yourself, you need to stop thinking you know it all, because as one might expect, you don't..nobody does.

Above reviews are the first three to cross my eyes and that's why I decided to go with it. As one might expect, they are opinions, based on careful examination, in comparison to other models ( of the same branch and brand ).

It's still an opinion. However, let's let this rest, because it's not like you will change your mind.

[Animeniax]

BoC doesn't think he knows it all, but he indeed knows a lot more than most.

I'm going to research some more before buying one and OCing my new CPU.

[Dubazlar]

BoC doesn't think he knows it all, but he indeed knows a lot more than most.

I'm going to research some more before buying one and OCing my new CPU.

Do you have any idea, how many people there are in the world that know "alot more" ?:P
I've got several friends myself, of whom one was raised between hardware and software, learned programming when he was 6, is a partner (my age ) in his fathers company and he says there's nothing wrong with it , I have reviews to back it up and BoC only says "It sucks because I say it does"

Well guess what, it's not going to work. Hard facts, solid material, graphs. Argumentation based opinions. Not the flat-out "you suck lol" . It's a big nono.

[Animeniax]

I'm happy for you and your friends, but what does your friend learning programming at age 6 have to do with his tech skillz? Does he have personal experience using the part, or any knowledge on which to base his assertion that "there's nothing wrong with the part", (which by the way isn't exactly a resounding endorsement of the product anyway)?

You've posted some reviews for the Zalman part. I'd imagine BoC has seen reviews for both parts that helped him determine which was better, so he can say "it's not an opinion", but a deduction based on tests and reviews.

[Dubazlar]

'That's great for him, but has no effect on me, just like me having friends that know all the ins and outs of both hardware and software doesn't bother you or him. What are you his mother ?

Fact remains, "guessing he might have read reviews(?) that say the exact opposite" does not count a valid argument. Sources.

[Animeniax]

You talk pretty big for someone who's currently banned.

So are you basing your decision on your friends' opinions that "there's nothing wrong with it", or on those three reviews like you said earlier?

I think BoC won't change your mind, but I think he created a sliver of doubt so you'll tread carefully when reading future reviews for HSFs and see how poorly your choice rates outside of the few reviews you might have seen.

[Dubazlar]

I got banned for no reason at all, if you had read the story above, you know it's true, so don't give me that crap please, I'm a person, I'm an existing being and I'm everything but a Hypocrit. So if you expect me to bow down and roll over, think again. Maybe if the reason for the ban would've been legit, but not in this situation, not over my dead body.

I've based my opinion, or rather, purchase, since I don't have to defend my choice, technically speaking, on a combination on both. Since I never trust a single source, crossreferance is usually the best way to filter out any wrong data.

BoC is nothing more than a fly when it comes to making a point. I don't have to quote what he has said, because it's maybe 1 page back, but it doesn't contain anything else than his opinion. Not to mention it's brought nothing of information.

If you had an education, by any chance, you would know, that to convince people, you usually have to adopt to a certain style. You can either go for the heavy one-direction argumentation, in which you cover up flawes of said subject, or you conclude, by comparing pros and cons.

I've seen neither.

My own style, sarcasm, which it has been for years, doesn't always make me friends, because it tends to shine through in even the most harmless sentences, doesn't give you the right to threaten me at all though.

And the ban is only 5 Days ;) ( although still way too much for litterally nothing )

Oh ye, if he does show up with a solid 3-7 page review that totally breaks down on the Cooler, I'm not too shy to say he convinced me, if I have indeed been convinced. But I feel he might not be as objective as that.

[Board of Command]

I have reviews to back it up and BoC only says "It sucks because I say it does"
Now you're just making stuff up. I didn't say it sucks. It is indeed one of the better air coolers on the market. Go back and quote what I originally said, and then look at the subsequent statements I said. Don't get your panties in a knot because I disagreed with your purchase.



Oh ye, if he does show up with a solid 3-7 page review that totally breaks down on the Cooler, I'm not too shy to say he convinced me, if I have indeed been convinced. But I feel he might not be as objective as that.
I'm not going to find one because such a thing doesn't exist. All reviews of this cooler will be positive. Am I arguing that this cooler sucks? No. Go back and read my post again.

But while we're at it, I'll give you one review for now. Take a look at those graphs and tell me what the top cooler is. Next, tell me if that top cooler is cheaper or more expensive than your cooler (that is, if your cooler isn't the top cooler).

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2941&p=6

~GGKTHXBYE~

[Dubazlar]

You read past one minor detail though... I never looked at other companies, because I've been satisfied with Zalman for like 10 years now. It's not uncommon for people to have a certain company they exclusively buy from.

Which is also up there...

Just like I buy Kingston RAM, Asus mobo , they're personal preferances. I explained before, I'm not looking for a battle of the giants, I was looking for the best current cooler of Zalman.

and about the GGKKTHXBYE, did I upset you ?:)

Had to change my Case into a CM 832, it just arrived, now waiting for the rest of the material.


Zalman CNPS9700 is a HUGE rip off. For the same price you can get a Thermalright Ultra-120 plus a nice fan.

This is what made me think you wanted to point out how much it sucked, by putting the Emphasis on the word "huge"(ripoff).

I admit, since my mindset was on getting a Zalman, I might not have read it carefully enough and jumped to a conclusion, however, not much could be drawn from your point of view either way. It lacked some key-functions a piece of text needs to properly get through.

[Board of Command]

I didn't miss it. You said you stick to Zalman after not my first post, but second post.

What do you expect to draw from my point of view? I said all that was needed to be said. I stated my standpoint and why I support my standpoint. You just had to go out and do some more research. There's a big difference between "sticking with that you know" and "only looking at Zalman and nothing else." You have tunnel vision, and that caused you to make a poorly-informed purchase. End of story.

My word is already more credible than yours. I know what's good and what's bad on the market right now without needing to look at reviews. You don't. Don't try to bend words and sneak your way around that. I also don't need bring any prodigy friends into the picture; I'm better than everyone I know personally (i.e. not from internet). That might change after I start my job at ATI though...

[Dubazlar]

No you see, you initially never gave the "why"part. That's what I've been referring to all this time ^^.

About words..why would I even try to to be more credible than you are ? I've never intended to be.

My field of expertise is sneaking and bending words in such a way people get lost in their own, your field is PC's, fine with me, I'm not exactly a noob, but I only get in contact with the hardware once I need a new PC, aproximately once every two years.

Although it seems I need some more leet skills to fool you with sneaking :) Also only have 1 prodigy friend, it's not healthy I tell you, but he's basically god. If he wouldn't be studying Math and some other science thing at the University, he'd have your job ;)

[Board of Command]

Zalman CNPS9700 is a HUGE rip off. For the same price you can get a Thermalright Ultra-120 plus a nice fan.
Red = my standpoint
Blue = reason

Learn some English. Oh, and I think you forgot about this. Don't worry though, because I still remember.

But while we're at it, I'll give you one review for now. Take a look at those graphs and tell me what the top cooler is. Next, tell me if that top cooler is cheaper or more expensive than your cooler (that is, if your cooler isn't the top cooler).

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2941&p=6

[Dubazlar]

Red = my standpoint
Blue = reason

Learn some English.

Now, there's a problem with that, before you tell other people to "learn English"( 9.4 Grammarschool ,thank you ), you first need to understand it yourself.

Even if the blue part was a reason, and technically it isn't, but let's say it is, then you would still have no background, no argumentation, nothing to show me, that that reason you give there is in fact a valid argument and not another opinion backing up the previous RED opinion.
Second, if it would be a reason, then you are saying, Zalman = ripoff , mine is way cheaper. Well that's great, but I didn't ask you for a price comparison.

( technically I didn't ask you anything at all, you just decided to..yeah what exactly ? If it was supposed to be a suggestion, I in my turn, suggest you take some classes in communication. If it was meant to be friendly, you might want to change the way you say it into something that also looks friendly and if both of those aren't the case....were you just trying to show off your knowledge ? )

But even in all those cases, it's still not a reason. A reason is linked to a question :

my question : Is Zalman bad ?
Answer : Zalman total ripoff , expensive! because..thermaltake is less expensive

thanks, but, really, what's that ? what does that say about the quality ? what does it say about the price even ?? Regardless of you saying it's more expensive, for all I know it's not!

You see, you don't have to convince yourself, you have to convince me. In other words, this is getting you nowhere.
( And if you didn't mean to convince anyone, then why did you post about it in a way that could be discribed as a "lolnaab"+*point**laugh* reply, like "I the man, you teh suck" )



Zalman CNPS9700 is a HUGE rip off. For the same price you can get a Thermalright Ultra-120 plus a nice fan.


Or perhaps I'm reading it all wrong, you bring it as a fact, so lets elaborate.

More expensive, a fact : true ( probably, didn't check it tbh , lets assume, true)
Relevant information : false ( you can exchange facts with quizmasters)
Politely brought : false ( No indication that the person wants to help)
Proves the statement : false ( You prove the Thermaltake is less expensive, you don't prove the Zalman is a huge Rip-off, because that would question its price/quality comparison and you do not give it )

So all in all, an empty shell, with alot of noise. ( And no I'm obviously not counting the possibility that you are right, even though I know you are, after reading the graph, but it doesn't matter for this argument)


Because of a lack of better examples. When Bush pushed the War against Iraq, he believed something, to the core of his body and he took this believe as the truth ( plus a handful of oil ), but that doesn't mean he didn't have to use solid ( though falsified ) argumentation to eventually start a war. He talked his ugly face off. That's what people do when they explain things to others, you are just more suited to work on the product itself, but for gods sake, don't go do PR.
edit : And he did not tell congress to "go look for the evidence" themselves. ;)

P.S , I see I'm starting to get to you, as you are cleverly trying to flame me , however, you can't win a pissing contest against me like that..you really don't want to go there.
Although odds are I get banned for it(provoking) here, IRL, it could get you in a serious situation. And after all, this is my test-tube for real life ^^

[darkshadow]

God, will you two just Shut The Fuck Up already?
BoC tried to be helpful, you obviously didn't want any of his help, end of story.

BoC, you said what you needed to, don't bother adding more fuel to the fire.

And yes i can recommend the x-fi xtreme gamer, THOUGH for entry lvl I would stick with the xtreme music card, it's a tad more expensive but worth it, but whatever you do, DON'T bother with the xtreme audio card, its really a piece of shit.

[Board of Command]

And no I'm obviously not counting the possibility that you are right, even though I know you are, after reading the graph, but it doesn't matter for this argument)
And that's all that matters really. You did some more research after I said what I said, and verified for yourself that in fact, I'm right and you're wrong. You've already made your purchase and I'm not trying to persuade you to exchange it for something else.


( And if you didn't mean to convince anyone, then why did you post about it in a way that could be discribed as a "lolnaab"+*point**laugh* reply, like "I the man, you teh suck" )
And yeah, that's pretty much it. You can argue semantics all you want. You're the one spending money on parts; I'm not. My post wasn't a suggestion. I was planting the idea that you got a bad deal into your mind. Whether you want to verify my statement is totally up to you, or you could ask me to provide more evidence (which I eventually did). The fact of the matter is: I was right and I knew it. Whether you initially believed me or not is not my concern. Just that from now on, you'll know I > you.

And yeah, like DS said, I'm going to stop here. You can pat yourself on the back for beating me with words if you want. The bottom line is: in the end you were arguing about words instead of your cooler. People who do that generally have nothing to go on. What do they call that again? Oh yeah, that's right..."straw man." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man) I have to commend you though -- you executed it very well!



And yes i can recommend the x-fi xtreme gamer, THOUGH for entry lvl I would stick with the xtreme music card, it's a tad more expensive but worth it, but whatever you do, DON'T bother with the xtreme audio card, its really a piece of shit.
XtremeGamer and XtremeMusic are the same cards. XtremeMusic was discontinued and replaced by XtremeGamer. XtremeGamer just has a smaller PCB. I haven't read too much into this but I'm pretty sure all the circuitry and components are the same. They're also sold at very similar prices (around $100 CAD) but you can't really find any XtremeMusic cards in Canada anymore.

[darkshadow]

Yes it was discontinued, but it is still available here, plus they aren't really the same cards, the xtremegamer isn't compatible with the X-FI i/o console upgrade kit and doesn't have a gameport either ( separate 2nd slot perhaps? ), it also doesn't have the sexy golden finish ;o.
But those are things ?igma prolly wouldn't use anyway, like i said, for entry level I would go for the xtrememusic, but hardware wise its the same.

[itadakimasu]

for entry level, i would recommend buying any motherboard... as nearly all current motherboards have onboard sound and for any entry level person or for that matter any person who does not record or professionally produce music.

on the computer topic.... i am now wavering on my video card choice... im now actually giving nvidia the possibility of purchase but im finding such a wide range of cards and am just relaly unsure of what to get. it may have been dark shadow, or somebody else in this thread who showed me a sapphire x1950 xt, and i have since found a 512 version but it seems to be limited release (saw it on ebay) so i dunno... i would get it if i can find one on newegg or zipzoom but have only seen the 256mb version

[Board of Command]

Radeon X1950 Pro and Geforce 7950GT are good choices if you can get them cheap. Don't spend too much money on a video card right now though, and don't bother with the DX10 cards as they're useless and will be obsolete by the time DX10 becomes mainstream.

It all depends on your resolution. If you have a 20" or small monitor, the Geforce 8800GTS 320 is the highest card you should consider. DX10 performance is irrelevant, but DX9 is very good.

[Dubazlar]

And that's all that matters really. You did some more research after I said what I said, and verified for yourself that in fact, I'm right and you're wrong. You've already made your purchase and I'm not trying to persuade you to exchange it for something else


It's really great that you win at your own created question, with your own answer and your own debate, however, it still doesn't make it relevant to my purchase in any way :P at all. The answers to why that is have already been given.

In other words, I don't doubt myself, ever, if I make a wrong purchase, it means the object in question can't fulfill its purpose, but it can(and will) so it's either way, not a cat in the bag.

I'll look into the Audio thing, but I can't bring myself to caring at all..sure it's just € 50,-, but I've always been happy with my onboard sound. I had a soundcard once, with my P3 or such, because the onboard sound was horrible, but I've never actually needed one ever after, the onboard sound is perfectly fine for me. Maybe they improved it, or perhaps I've gotten used to it.

[darkshadow]

Yeah sure its perfectly fine... cause you never had BETTER >_>.
It's like driving a ferarri all your life, only to go back to a (old) mini cooper.
Really EAX 4.0 and up just make your games sound that much better, plus the 24bit crystalizer on the X-FI series will make even your old 128kbps mp3's sound like a fucking dream.
But hey, you might not need Hidef, i guess Standard Def is perfectly fine for you... ;o.

[Board of Command]

Depends on the onboard chip. The Realtek ALC888 is pretty good for onboard. I used it for a while when my X-Fi driver refused to work. With regular 2.1 speakers, I couldn't notice too much difference. It also has equalization presets that can make it sound like the X-Fi. The biggest difference is when you put on headphones. The X-Fi's headphone setting sounds drastically different from The ALC888's headphone setting (which seems to do nothing, actually).

A lot of people won't be able to notice much difference unless they use good speakers or headphones where any little difference is emphasized.

[Dubazlar]

Most of the time I'm using headphones. Sennheiser of course.

[itadakimasu]

ok.... so i was so excited to get my new video card today. i rushed home so i could put it in.... and, 30-40 minutes later here i am... i cant get this mammoth bitch to snap all the way into my pci-e slot (sapphire x1950 xt) its a good 33% larger than my last vid card which, i also had a hard time installing.

The back snaps right in but the front side just does not want to snap into place. GRRRRRRRRRR and on top of that i realise that my psu is only 350 watt and so i have my other out that im going to use just for the card LOL if i can get the damn thing to go into its new home.

[Animeniax]

I had the same problem with my new monster card. At the front of the PCI-E slot, don't try to insert the card contacts into the lock mechanism. The card goes to one side or the other of the lock, not into it.

I'm waiting for my Tuniq Tower to arrive so I can overclock my Q6600. Did everyone know Tuniq is made by Sunbeam? I think they're the same company that makes cheap household appliances.

[Board of Command]

Unless that's a very good 350 W power supply, I suggest you get a new one before testing out your card.

[itadakimasu]

So. I guess i am now in the market for a psu. Although i'm really not trying to spend much money on it since i'm pretty broke at the time. I found a few on newegg that are really cheap;

i haven't heard of sunbeam but the reviews for it were good. and also there are a couple logisys ones on there that are cheap and have good reviews. 550Watt*

any posative input on this would be nice although i already am picturing a post from BOC or somebody else saying "JUST BUY A BAD ASS $200 PSU you cheap bastard"

[Board of Command]

Now why would I suggest a $200 power supply...:confused: :confused:

The Corsair 450W is plenty for your system. I have a Silverstone Element 500W and it's pretty solid too. There are several very good units you can get for under $100. The Seasonics, Corsairs, Antecs, Enermaxes and Silverstones are all very good power supplies. Make sure they're ATX12V 2.2 though.

Seasonic, Corsair and Antec are all manufactured by Seasonic, so they're all more or less the same stuff. Enermax makes their own stuff, I think. Silverstone is made by big names like Enhance and Etasis.

[?igma]

I'd just say, get something with a brand that means something . Don't buy some lowpriced 550 watt psu from a company you've never ever in your life heard about and publishes in your local groceries newspaper.

550watt on itself doesn't mean it's a good psu. There's alot more technical qualifications it has to match and I'm not that technical. Buying something that has a quality name/reputation is usually your safe bet towards a safe psu.

Factors like leakage.
Make sure there's at least 24 ampere ( I'm not even sure that's the name in english ) on the 12v rail. well in fact you shouldn't be talking to me about the insides. Just don't buy to buy cheap, buy clever.

[Animeniax]

Look for a PSU with modular cabling system so you can disconnect unneeded cables. Also, make sure you get one with the appropriate connectors like dual PCI-E power plugs for high-end videocards, SATA power connectors as well as IDE, a power fan lead if you care to monitor fan speeds, and power connections as required for higher-end motherboards. You can get a decent one for under $100, and a really good one for under $150.

[darkshadow]

Cooler Master RS-550-ACLY Real Power, 550W (ATX v2.01)
awesome psu right there.
IF you want atx v2.3 go for the Cooler Master RS-520-ASAA-A1 Real Power Pro 520W, its also modular

[Board of Command]

Cooler Master RS-550-ACLY Real Power, 550W (ATX v2.01)
awesome psu right there.
IF you want atx v2.3 go for the Cooler Master RS-520-ASAA-A1 Real Power Pro 520W, its also modular
I can't recommend that. Coolermaster is not a common name in power supplies and it kinda shows.

http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews/cases/Cooler_Master_550W_2.html

The 12V rails are very weak for a 550W unit. It only gives 360W with three rails. The good 500W power supplies will all give over 400W on two rails. The Corsair 520W gives 480W on the 12V rails. My Silverstone Element gives 430W on the 12V. The weak individual rails might run into trouble if you're using power hungry cards like the 2900XT.

Also, I don't know who makes Coolermaster power supplies. Judging from the heatsink design, it's certainly not Seasonic. When in doubt, stick to the Seasonic brands (Seasonic, Antec, Corsair).

[itadakimasu]

ok... i did find a psu i was ready to buy but they dont have it in stock at the store :( so i cant' have it tonight.

Found a couple that i think are winners...

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=382326
Ultra ULT33136 XVS Modular 600W

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0260161#re bate
StealthXstream 600 Watt

i like the stealthxstream one for 80 bucks (OCZ) but it was not in stock at micro center... and where i usually buy stuff (zipzoomfly/newegg) it is about $20 more *sigh* im going to have to wait until the end of the week it looks like.

[Board of Command]

If you're not using multiple video cards (and you shouldn't), then just get this and call it a day

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

[darkshadow]

Err no i can recommend it, cause i'm using the real power 450watt, and its awesomely powerfull
also if you read that review's conclusion:
"I can't stress enough to people the importance of choosing a quality power supply. After running the Cooler Master 550W Real Power through its paces, it has earned a spot on my recommended list for sure. As mentioned before, generally the voltage levels remained around ±1-2% of nominal specs, efficiency was also better than recommended levels. Lastly, the 120mm fan operated quietly while keeping the air flowing."
"This PSU does have solid 12V rails, capable of maxing out our test rig at ~17.5A each (that's 52Amps on the 12V rails) while testing peak levels. Voltage tolerances generally remained around ±1-2% while testing various load levels."
"Efficiency exceeded ATX12V "required" minimum levels, and even met or exceeded the more stringent "recommended" minimum levels!"
"Active PFC is always a nice feature (required for EPS12V), and is mandatory in some countries."
"PSU shutdown properly from over-current & over-temperature conditions. Also powered up fine under no-load conditions."

Cooler Master Real power = awesome.
and it is a common name here in europe.

Oh and bbaucom, i think you forgot to read ?igma's post, here read it again:
http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=345141&postcount=154

[itadakimasu]

well i'm an idiot and i want instant gratification...

i'm going to move the power supply from my media center computer to my main computer. I didn't know it was a 550 until last night and i got a molex to sata power connection cable today so that i can hook up my boot drive and at least make sure that the video card works with it.

i will look at a nice psu and new case in a couple weeks when i have actual money to spend and not just teh credit card

[Board of Command]

It doesn't even have SATA power connectors? That sounds pretty old.

[darkshadow]

my old (3 years) 350w psu had sata connecters o_O

[itadakimasu]

WOOT!

finally got it working :)
I still need a new psu though, the one from my other computer doesn' t match up w\ the case i have the one in so i cant screw it in. the card runs kinda hot but should be fine


a new concern.... my multiplier keeps jumping from its default of 12 all the way down to 5, so in cpu-z and in my motherboards software it shows my cpu speed going from 2500 to 1000.... wtf... and also my memory toggles between 200-333

[Board of Command]

Google "Speedstep"

[itadakimasu]

Google "Speedstep"

Thanks. That explains alot. 100+ FPS in CS:S is kinda useless if my cpu wants to cut to less than half its normal speed every 10-15 seconds.

I think before i was getting 30-35 FPS running an x1300. And, since im in need of a power supply im thinking of also getting a nice solid case to put it in.

[Board of Command]

It shouldn't step down the multiplier if you're playing games... Games put your CPU on 100% load even when you're "not doing anything."

[itadakimasu]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e383/bbaucom/100_0925.jpg

the current state of the beast :

X2-4800+
2GB Corsair XM2 5400
gigabyte GA-MA69VM-S2 mobo
Sapphire X1950 XT

[Board of Command]

Why such a crappy motherboard and case? Especially the case - it's tiny.

[LaZie]

You could use some wire management, but that would be hard with such a tiny case. You can get a good and nice looking case for just $50 on newegg.

[darkshadow]

sry the beast? haha the mobo and case are rediculous :P

[Kraco]

I'm usually not one to wonder about other people's computers, but I have to agree on the statement that the case is really small. It must be a genuine micro tower. And I say this despite the fact I personally opted to get a mini tower, myself (though it supports standard components).

[Animeniax]

It looks like a mini tower. A micro wouldn't have those dual optical drive bays and pci expansion slots, would it? Either way, how rinky dink.

I got my Tuniq Tower today. It is freakin' massive. Ridiculously massive. I can only imagine how big the Thermalright Ultra-120 or Zalman 9700 are. I haven't installed it yet, have to wait until after work.

[Kraco]

I checked the mobo manufacturer's specs and it seems to say the board is micro ATX form factor. And since it completely fills the case, it must be a micro tower. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen the insides of one before...

A real mini tower still supports a standard ATX mother board, though there won't be any room to spare (for example in my Antec case one internal HD slot was rendered useless by the power connector of the video card).

[?igma]

I'm expecting my parts ( they had issues with getting the videocard ) end this week, maybe first couple of days next week.

If I can find a digital camera I'll post some picks. I got a coolermaster Stacker , so plenty of room :P

[Animeniax]

I checked the mobo manufacturer's specs and it seems to say the board is micro ATX form factor. And since it completely fills the case, it must be a micro tower. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen the insides of one before...

A real mini tower still supports a standard ATX mother board, though there won't be any room to spare.
Yeah I think you out-geeked me. It's probably a micro tower, though more spacious than some I've seen.


I'm expecting my parts end this week, maybe first couple of days next week.You should have ordered from Newegg or mwave. I ordered my stuff the same day as you and got all my parts a week after, while you're still waiting for your stuff.

[?igma]

I'm not American ;)

[Animeniax]

I'm not in America.

[?igma]

Ah no matter, as long as I get the parts. I never was in a rush to begin with. Besides, I usually select multiple shops, depending on prices.

[itadakimasu]

jajajaja.

This was an emachine T6520, the only things left from its original form are the case and the dvd burner. Operation Pimp my PC could very well happen in the next 3-4 weeks when i get paid and get financial aid money.

[Board of Command]

I got my Tuniq Tower today. It is freakin' massive. Ridiculously massive. I can only imagine how big the Thermalright Ultra-120 or Zalman 9700 are. I haven't installed it yet, have to wait until after work.
Tuniq Tower should bigger than both the Ultra-120 and CNPS9700. Width-wise, CNPS9700 might be bigger but Tuniq is the overall largest cooler next to the Coolermaster Gemini II.

[Animeniax]

Wish I had known that but the Tuniq is now installed and cooling my Q6600 nicely. Gonna wait a couple days before overclocking. The Tuniq is shorter than the other two HSFs I think, and barely clears the door of my case, which was my main concern. It is massive, like my omnipresence.

The best part of the package I received today: a Logitech media elite standard US keyboard!!! I was getting tired of the arabic version keyboard with the weird key arrangements.

[itadakimasu]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170138088036&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=007

couldn't pass it up... used bid sniper which a guy i work with told me about... high bid was $52... won w\ 38.77+25 shipping. The psu retails for 73 and the case for 110 ^^ + extra heat sink and dvdr :) woot

edit: found the case on newegg for $95, the heatsink for $35 and the psu for $73.. the dvd r around 20-30 .... not bad for $63

[Board of Command]

I would never buy a used power supply, but that's just me. I sell them though ;)

[darkshadow]

I would never buy a used power supply, but that's just me. I sell them though ;)

Same lol, at least I know the ones i sell are good ;)

[itadakimasu]

the guy says in the description that the psu was only run for a short time. I was going to buy a 75$ thermaltake psu and a $50 coolermaster case... so i'm content.. cant wait to get it, my system really does need some extra power.

[Board of Command]

Speaking of customization, I finally went ahead and did the window mod today. 12 hours of labor :(

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/3047/dscf0146lc9.th.jpg (http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf0146lc9.jpg)

End result is pretty good though. It's attached with nuts and bolts, so maybe one of these days I'll take it apart again to sand down the edges some more.

[Animeniax]

Wow, nice carpet! Berber?


Cool tower with the window kit. Doesn't the window glass go inside the case, so you can't see the jagged edges? I was thinking of adding a window to mine, but I figured with some of the wild case mods people are doing these days, like making their case look like R2D2, it wouldn't be worth the trouble. I might still, once I find a case I'm willing to keep for a few years.

[LaZie]

Why didn't you just buy a case with a side panel window? Of course you wouldn't have the satisfaction of doing it all by yourself. Nice job btw :p

[Board of Command]

Cool tower with the window kit. Doesn't the window glass go inside the case, so you can't see the jagged edges?
That was my original plan, but due to the way the rear exhaust fan is attached, I don't have any room on the inside because the fan is right up against the side panel.


Why didn't you just buy a case with a side panel window? Of course you wouldn't have the satisfaction of doing it all by yourself. Nice job btw :p
I've already done some other mods to this case and put way too much time into it. I can't just abandon it now... I already have another mod in mind - add a clear panel and possibly a fan to the top. The scrap piece of plexiglass I have left is the perfect size for that.

[itadakimasu]

Ok, This guy i work with gave me a mobo, its an ecs 775 board and yesterday i got a processor to go with and and then when i was at frys buying some thermal compound, i found another 775 board they had for 29.99 so i bought it in case the board this guy gave mer eally wouldn't work.

so, i got the whole system put together and powered on, bios starts to load showing the processor, ram and hard drives. i then powered off because i dont have a usb keyboard or anything to use w\ it... plugged in a keyboard and restarted it and got into the bios where it froze up. after that attempts to power up brought nothing on the display and the system will only stay on for about 3 seconds before powering down.

So, i opened up the brand new mobo i had bought and get it set up assuming the other board is dead... but the new board does the exact same thing. I thought maybe it was power supply and i have 3 ... all working and i tired 2/3 on it and the same thing happens. wtf is this? i'm having a hard time believing that i got a DOA board from frys, what would be causing this to happen and how can i fix it?

[Board of Command]

Why do you keep ending up with crappy parts?

[itadakimasu]

lol

this was just supposed to be a quick cheap build just for kicks... but cant even get either board to boot up.. i think the 775 cpu type is kinda screwy what with having no pins...

[darkshadow]

you didnt force the cpu in did you?, the 775 cpu's should just be "dropped" in, and secured with the cpu socket.

[itadakimasu]

idk if you can force that into anywhere... i just put it in and latched it.

I did get it up and running except for video which is... only a little important. but its so late that i put it away for the night.

[Jman]

hey guys, great thread you got going here. well i'm planning to build a box but it's been quite a while since i've done any type of hardware installations myself. i'm not really up to date on certain things so i'm here asking some advice. in the past, i've done some business with newegg so most likely i'll order the parts from them or i'll take a trip to a local store where my dad has gone to quite a few times for computing needs.

my current build: 1.2ghz processor, 384mb ram, 128mb ati radeon 9000 vid card...yes old :) when i first got it, it was the shit back then and my games like max payne2, halflife, jedi academy and fifa03 run well but do have an occasional hiccup or delaying so i go into game options to tweak the gfx a bit. needless to say, i couldn't dream of running any of them on the highest settings.
as far as usage goes, currently i do play a few games (not really hardcore) and i also use my pc for my artwork photoshop/painter, etc. honestly, this pc has done what i've needed it to do for the past couple years, but i could use a more robust machine as i get more into the digital art and i'd also like to be able to do more multitasking and run games like HL2, CS:S, FarCry and Doom3.

so anyhow i started to look over some parts for my rig, and so far i've come up with:
ASUS M2N-E SLI Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $89.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+(65W) Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO4600CUBOX - Retail $103.50

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail $128.99 -$40.00 Instant Savings $88.99

Grand Total: $282.48 thus far

Ok i know i'm missing out on many other components (case,psu, all that good stuff and that's where i need help. i was also reading through the customer reviews at newegg and some users mentioned getting an extra fan, whereas others said there was no need...i'm just not sure so any help would be appreciated.
thanks

[Animeniax]

I'd go with a cheap Core2Duo config over an AM2, easier to upgrade and superior performance.

You will also need to replace your videocard, as the 9000 is probably AGP and the newer stuff is all PCI-E. Plus the newer video games will be better with at least 256MB video RAM. I'd suggest at least an 8600GT.

[darkshadow]

I'd go with a cheap Core2Duo config over an AM2, easier to upgrade and superior performance.

You will also need to replace your videocard, as the 9000 is probably AGP and the newer stuff is all PCI-E. Plus the newer video games will be better with at least 256MB video RAM. I'd suggest at least an 8600GT.

If he managed to last that long with his current build, his new build should be just fine.

Also, tell us what your budget is, and define how well you want to run said games.

[Animeniax]

If he managed to last that long with his current build, his new build should be just fine.

Also, tell us what your budget is, and define how well you want to run said games.
What are you talking about? His needs have changed, so his PC will have to change too. What's to say his needs won't change faster and more drastically in the future? Why not upgrade with an eye for the future? Why buy a cheap AM2 part when you can buy a cheap C2D part that is more upgradeable?

And he'll still need to buy a new videocard unless he wants to buy a C2D motherboard that supports AGP, which I can't say even exists.

[darkshadow]

What are you talking about? His needs have changed, so his PC will have to change too. What's to say his needs won't change faster and more drastically in the future? Why not upgrade with an eye for the future? Why buy a cheap AM2 part when you can buy a cheap C2D part that is more upgradeable?

And he'll still need to buy a new videocard unless he wants to buy a C2D motherboard that supports AGP, which I can't say even exists.

Lot's of hostile questions in there, calm down.
Im saying it would be just fine, cause his new build would be much more powerfull then my current one, yet it runs the games he mentioned maxed out just fine (hl2: lost coast max @ 1680x1050 even).

This is also why I asked what his budget is and how he defines "runs", and we could've taken it from there.
Yet you had to attack me with some useless questions and what if's.

[Animeniax]

Nothing hostile there, just asking the questions that need to be answered in this situation. I'm not attacking you so much as I'm attacking your notion of "his new build should be just fine" by skimping on parts now. If he makes informed choices now with upgradeability and better performance in mind, it will better serve him in the future as well, rather than just neatly concluding that his current upgrades will have him set for the next few years.

[Board of Command]

One question: is this system getting overclocked?

[Jman]

I'm saying it would be just fine, cause his new build would be much more powerful then my current one, yet it runs the games he mentioned maxed out just fine (hl2: lost coast max @ 1680x1050 even).

i would like to be able to run those game with high/max settings while maintaining steady frame rates so it's really good to see that this build would be able to do that since you can max out on your current build.
:eek: 1680x1050 nice.


If he managed to last that long with his current build, his new build should be just fine.

Also, tell us what your budget is, and define how well you want to run said games.
thus far i've budgeted for $500 - $600. i might go a little bit higher, but with school supplies and a few bills i may have to keep it around that amount for now.


One question: is this system getting overclocked?
i don't know much about the fundamentals of overclocking so no.


so regarding the psu, i've only replaced mine once, moving from what was either 350 or 400W to a $79 500W thermaltake psu, which im very pleased with so far. will this new build require something higher?

[Animeniax]

Really people like jman should stick to prefabbed PCs from gateway or e-machines, or even an Apple. If you're cheap or destitute or just don't know any better, it's really the only sensible option.

[darkshadow]

Ok, your psu will be perfectly fine.
seeing as how you still have around 320 left on your budget:
Videocard: x1950pro 256mb OR 8600gts
Case: Antec NINEHUNDRED ( this case absolutly rocks), though those coolermaster stackers seem to be good too

those two should land you at 200-250$, well within budget.
Though, seeing how you would land 100-50$ within budget, i would suggest you looking at a c2d mobo, and a C2D Conroe E6550 2.33ghz, that should max out your budget, BUT give you (far) superior performance compared to the AM2 proc, money definitly well spend.

[Jman]

^I'll look into those.
Thanks for all the advice guys, i appreciate the guidance.

[Animeniax]

Ok, your psu will be perfectly fine.
seeing as how you still have around 320 left on your budget:
Videocard: x1950pro 256mb OR 8600gts
...
i would suggest you looking at a c2d mobo, and a C2D Conroe E6550 2.33ghz, that should max out your budget, BUT give you (far) superior performance compared to the AM2 proc, money definitly well spend.

Dude, you pretty much just said what I said earlier.


If he managed to last that long with his current build, his new build should be just fine.So what was all this noise about?

I'm telling you jman, get a prefab. You don't know enough to go this route.

[darkshadow]

No I didnt, good job omitting the most important part of my reasoning, his budget allowed for a c2d proc instead.
Plus i supplied him with more info about the cards, the casing and the exact cpu, and pricings, you did none of those.

[Kraco]

I'm telling you jman, get a prefab. You don't know enough to go this route.

Buying a prefab teaches you exactly zilch. The only way to learn is to do it. And we aren't talking about any quantum physics here.

[Killa-Eyez]

I'm guessing IT gets highly apreciated by Animeniax.
While to any other person you'd be just another nerd.
What a great mind state to live your life by, really fulfilling.

[darkshadow]

Err.. what?
Who are you even talking to?

[itadakimasu]

ZOMG! I'm so excited. Per my post from last week. I bought a Gigabyte posieden case off of ebay, w\ a 520w epower psu and it has a dvd drive and also a thermaltake heatsink...

i just got it today, and ZOMFG! the guy couldn't have listed it more accurately...
everything looks like it just came out of its original box, the psu doesn't h ave any signs of dust or having even been used :) i'm so excited. I'm going to try to get my p4 system up and running adn then move my main stuff into that case :) WOOOOT

[Board of Command]

I'm guessing IT gets highly apreciated by Animeniax.
While to any other person you'd be just another nerd.
What a great mind state to live your life by, really fulfilling.
Cmon now...we're on an anime forum...

[Killa-Eyez]

I know, ironic, isn't it... :p

To darkshadow, I was talking in general.
I knew it'd be read. :p

I'm getting angry though...
All you people enjoying high-end computers, while I'm still on my stupid Athlon 1 Ghz with a mobo only capable of AGP 4.0 cards. To add to that, it takes a million years to boot the damn thing and it makes a rattling noise trying to. @ 1st I thought it was my harddrive, but recently discovered it was my pc speaker making the noise... I'm guessing it's the power/reset button, speaker and led wires that are short-circuiting somehow. :(
Flippin' burgers real hard @ Burgerking and my first and probably also my second salary are going to bills... Yup, it will be some time before I can enjoy the better fruits of IT technologies. :mad:

[Animeniax]

Buying a prefab teaches you exactly zilch.
You could apply the same logic to repairing a car or performing home surgery. Why let a professional do it when you can figure it out yourself?


The only way to learn is to do it. And we aren't talking about any quantum physics here. Go read python's thread about how much he hates his non-working homemade PC.


I'm getting angry though...
All you people enjoying high-end computers... It ain't all it's cracked up to be. We also get to enjoy 40-60hr work weeks with real responsibility and consequences, mortgage or college loan payments, taxes, rush hour traffic, etc. It evens out in the end.

[Board of Command]

It took me half a year of pure research before I put together my first system. Granted, that's much longer than most people's attention spans, but I didn't just want to build a computer, I wanted to learn and understand. It might not be quantum physics, but you still need to invest a lot of time and effort if you really want to gain any knowledge. Just because you build a computer that powers on doesn't prove anything.

[itadakimasu]

the new case + psu !!! WOOT actually... since i haven't moved any of my drives into it yet it is basically a complete build... i just did it in stages.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e383/bbaucom/100_0930.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e383/bbaucom/100_0929.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e383/bbaucom/100_0928.jpg

ooops.. didn't take a pic of the case closed and standing up meh... its awesome though... im in love w\ it.

[darkshadow]

hah that mobo is so rediculous haha, nice case though.

[Board of Command]

hah that mobo is so rediculous haha
My thoughts exactly.

[Jman]

Ok so taking some things into consideration thus far, i've come up with this (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6455566&WishListTitle=C2D+Intel%2FAsus)
lemme know what y'all think. thanks

[Animeniax]

Ok so taking some things into consideration thus far, i've come up with this (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6455566&WishListTitle=C2D+Intel%2FAsus)
lemme know what y'all think. thanks
http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=348261#post348261
Dude, you should get a dell, like whoa.

[Kraco]

http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=348261#post348261
Dude, you should get a dell, like whoa.

Hmm... So, you have a Dell and you love it? Or am I missing something here?

[Animeniax]

I'd sooner buy an American car than I would a Dell, which is to say never ever.

You've never seen the "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!" commercials?

[Killa-Eyez]

Pfff, aren't you helpfull.

[darkshadow]

Ok so taking some things into consideration thus far, i've come up with this (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6455566&WishListTitle=C2D+Intel%2FAsus)
lemme know what y'all think. thanks
hmm how did you manage to go that much over budget? >_>
anyway if you dont mind going an extra 10$ over, take this card instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061R

[Animeniax]

Crap, jman's plans fail, newegg is out of stock on the Samsung DVD Writer. Guess he should look harder at a prefab.

[Jman]

http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=348261#post348261
Dude, you should get a dell, like whoa.

Crap, jman's plans fail, newegg is out of stock on the Samsung DVD Writer. Guess he should look harder at a prefab.
well i'll have to get another writer, but i'll still pass on the prefab. and it's unfortunate what happened to python, but his situation and mine are different for his "friends" forced him into building and thus began his problems. i mean i've have been outta the hardware game for some time so i don't know whats cutting edge, but i think i'll manage through some research and with the help of this thread. i intend to have a customized pc, and at the same time i'm taking advantage of the fact that guys like BOC and darkshadow know their stuff so why not ask their help. all in all i know i can learn from this experience too.
thus far i'm grateful for the suggestions i've been getting.


hmm how did you manage to go that much over budget? >_>
anyway if you dont mind going an extra 10$ over, take this card instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061R
a little err on my part, i actually budgeted for more than i had originally stated in my initial post a few pages back.
also just made a quick change (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6455566&WishListTitle=C2D+Intel%2FAsus) so i'm just under $700 before shipping.

[itadakimasu]

jman, if you're in the us check out zipzoomfly.com. Everything = free shipping. they tend to beat out new eggs prices on 9/10 things i compare.

[Animeniax]

Also check out mwave.com. Great prices, beats Newegg half the time.

[darkshadow]

....
also just made a quick change (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6455566&WishListTitle=C2D+Intel%2FAsus) so i'm just under $700 before shipping.

That system looks really nice, but really, that extra 10 $ for that other card i suggested won't be money ill spend.

[darkshadow]

Almost finished building my new system, looks pretty sweet i think :P
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4800/afbeelding30tr4.th.jpg (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=afbeelding30tr4.jpg)

[Board of Command]

Where did you get that Lanparty sticker?

[darkshadow]

Where did you get that Lanparty sticker?

Lanparty Mobo

[Board of Command]

Oh what the hell...it must be a new thing DFI is doing then. My Ultra-D from 2005 certainly didn't come with a huge sticker like that...:mad:

[itadakimasu]

upgraded last night to 2 matched 17'' dell ultrasharp LCD's, from 2 15''s (1 emachine , 1 hp)

This was such a drastic improvement, maybe somewhat due to being straight DVI input and not analog to DVi adapted. Pictures posted later.

Meanwhile... my core2 custom build sits in my room collecting dust... e4400 @ 2.5ghz, 2gb patriot xtreme @400-433, 36gb raptor boot drive... if i have time over the weekend i'm going to get some sata cables and configure 750gb-1tb raid w\ 36gb raptor boot drive and use it as NAS / file server w\ 2008 server.

[Animeniax]

Almost finished building my new system, looks pretty sweet i think :P
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4800/afbeelding30tr4.th.jpg (http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=afbeelding30tr4.jpg)
Is that the subwoofer under your PC? You know what's in a subwoofer right? You know what those do to harddrives, right?

[Kraco]

How can you tell it's a subwoofer? The noise level of that picture is simply so epic it could be anything. Like a table or a shelf (aren't there some papers jutting out of it on the right?).

[David75]

Let's suppose I want to build a very very quiet multimedia PC, with enough power under the hood for playing a game like GTR2.
What would be the best options available, I can build everything from scratch.

Thanks a lot.

[Animeniax]

Let's suppose I want to build a very very quiet multimedia PC, with enough power under the hood for playing a game like GTR2.
What would be the best options available, I can build everything from scratch.

Thanks a lot.Can't really help you here since noise control has never been a concern of mine when building PCs.

Start here for quiet parts: http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g33/Ultra_Quiet.html
You should consider a ready-made watercooler kit that cools the CPU, chipsets, and the videocard. You can get decent cpm flow fans that are pretty quiet.

Otherwise, it's the usual.


How can you tell it's a subwoofer? The noise level of that picture is simply so epic it could be anything. Like a table or a shelf (aren't there some papers jutting out of it on the right?).I can't, that's why I'm asking. But I've seen enough PC setups where they put the subwoofer next to the PC case to wonder if that's the situation here.

[Board of Command]

Let's suppose I want to build a very very quiet multimedia PC, with enough power under the hood for playing a game like GTR2.
What would be the best options available, I can build everything from scratch.

Thanks a lot.
For quiet, you need low speed fans. 120mm 800 RPM fans should do the trick. You'll also need a case that will allow you to install a lot of these fans, because a bunch of low speed fans is much quieter than a few high speed fans. Antec 900 comes to mind.

You'll also need a very good CPU cooler, which negates the need for a high speed fan on the CPU. Heatsinks like Ultra-120 Extreme, Ultima-90, Scythe Ninja and Scythe Infinity come to mind when you're talking about quiet. Zalman 9500 and 9700 are also quiet coolers, but they're quiet expensive and not worth the money, especially when you can get a Ultra-120 Extreme plus a good fan for cheaper.

You'll also need a third party cooler on the video card unless you're getting Radeon 3850 or 3870, which come with very quiet coolers. Zalman VF900 and all the Thermalright coolers will do the job.

[darkshadow]

Is that the subwoofer under your PC? You know what's in a subwoofer right? You know what those do to harddrives, right?
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1029/ssl21454vj4.jpg

It's nice to know you see me as a complete moron, even though ive been advicing almost everyone in this thread.

[Buffalobiian]

Hmm, I completely forgot subs were one of the things that screw up HDDs. Just a question, what if the speaker's off, and it's never turned on, does that matter. My brother's got a loudspeaker, I think, the ones on either side of stereo systems, on top of his computer. It's got the bass in it, so it'll count as a sub most likely. Thing is, he doesn't use it. It's not eve plugged in, and it's sitting there to give the wireless router sitting on top of that a little more height. Will it cause problems do you guys think? Nothing's been playing up for months, so probably not.

2nd scenario. Lets say one day my dad decides to go "hmm, I'll plug this speaker in for better bass" and decides to use it exactly where it is. Any problems then?

[Animeniax]

The magnet in the sub (and unshielded speakers) are always active, regardless if the stereo is on. So yes, they are ruining your PC as we speak.

Has your brother had any issues with data corruption or hardware failures? If not, it's probably nothing to worry about, but good to keep in mind in general. Same with pacemakers and microwaves, I think,

[Kraco]

I remember reading ages ago that only variable magnetic fields are really deleterious to magnetic media, and static ones don't cause failures (well, at least as long as we are talking about reasonable forces).

That might be totally untrue, though, because it has been probably 10 years since I read it from the ever reliable source of somewhere.

[Board of Command]

Just some food for thought... The electromagnet that drives the hard drive motor at 7200 RPM doesn't seem to have any effect on the platters.

Not saying hard drives aren't affected by magnets, but I just think this is interesting. Maybe electromagnets don't affect magnetic storage the same way regular magnets do? I don't know. I'm no expert in this field.

[Buffalobiian]

My brother hasn't had any typical data corruption problems. The only thing I've noticed on his is whenever he does a chkdsk check, stage 2 of 3 always stays on 0 percent for like a min before it moves on to 1%. It's fine from there. He's also always getting things like "empty space marked as allocated in system volume, or MBT etc, but that's also happening on mine of late. It's not affecting usage in anyway noticable, and mine's away from any strong magnetic fields. I read somewhere that the magnets in hard drives are really strong, and that the disk shouldn't be affected by computer-rated speakers, since they don't carry that strong a magnet, or are shielded.

edit: note, that comp is also right next to an old tv with mono speakers since forever.

[Animeniax]

Maybe the two magnetic fields are canceling each other out.

You're right, PC shielded speakers are fine, just not home stereo speakers. It might just be a myth altogether, though the science is there. Someone call Mythbusters with a segment idea!

[itadakimasu]

maybe depends on the computer case.... idk.


anyhow, i just found the X2 6400+ on newegg w\ a $25 price drop to 179.99 w\ free shipping..... i'm biting my nails and giving serious thought to ordering it w\ 4gb of patriot pc2-800 they have for 130. i currently have an x2-4800+ that is working fine. Im thinking of buying stuff to put another system together and selling it but idk yet.

[Animeniax]

Sorry bbaucom, but you're talking about Ford Escorts at a Ferrari owner's convention. It's hard for us to get excited about your bargain basement PC parts. You have to give it your all or stay at home when it comes to PC builds.

[itadakimasu]

nice troll... the X2 6400+ is the newest amd processor out @3.2ghz. i'm not dropping 650 on a quad core intel that likely performs the same as a processor of less than 1/4 the price.

the only thing really holding me back is the fact that I upgraded my system just 3-4 months ago