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New Computer for Me

AprecheApreche
edited April 2008 in Technology
Ok peoples. Here is my Newegg wish list. What do you think? Quad core with a terabyte of storage and 4 gigs of ram for slightly over $1000. Makes that Mac Pro look pretty silly, eh? I even got a copy of Vista Ultimate in there (video editing, remember).

Comments please. Also, it's been awhile since I've last built a computer. Please point out if I've made any incompatible choices, or other stupid decisions.
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Comments

  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Everything looks fine.

    I guess since you have zero interest in PC gaming the gfx card is fine, but if there is some concern I'd up the gfx card a notch.

    Apart from that, you don't get the full 4GB of RAM with 32-bit OS, though I don't remember how much it is you actually do get.

    I don't like your choice of PSU though; I'd go for something with a bit more wattage and a reputation as good as this one has. That one is expensive though.
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    edited April 2008
    I have no idea if this is a good rig or not, but I haven't paid a lot of attention lately, and damn that seems like a lot of machine for a grand. I'm gonna be building a new machine soon, and I will do the same thing and post it here. Or maybe just steal most of your wishlist.
    Post edited by Funfetus on
  • AprecheApreche
    I guess since you have zero interest in PC gaming the gfx card is fine, but if there is some concern I'd up the gfx card a notch.
    What's wrong with the video card? I do have a slight interest in PC gaming, and I think it will do the job nicely. If I want to play Steam games, Bioshock, Spore, etc. how will that card not do the job?
    Apart from that, you don't get the full 4GB of RAM with 32-bit OS, though I don't remember how much it is you actually do get.
    If I do my math correctly, don't you need a 64-bit OS to go OVER 4 gigs of RAM, not to reach it?
    I don't like your choice of PSU though; I'd go for something with a bit more wattage and a reputation as good asthis onehas. That one is expensive though.
    What more wattage do I need? The PSU had a great reputation, and was suggested here and in the EggXpert forums. I used some PSU wattage calculators, and all of them calculated this system to use less than 300 Watts, even if I add more hard drives. Also, the PSU is very quiet. Quiet is one of my big priorities.
  • zombie a gogozombie a gogo
    edited April 2008
    My 32-bit Vista unit has 4 GB installed, but only sees 3 GB.

    Oh, and I have an 8600 card and it's fine. I can play Crysis a decent resolution with it, so you should be fine with it.
    Post edited by zombie a gogo on
  • AprecheApreche
    My 32-bit Vista unit has 4 GB installed, but only sees 3 GB.
    Well, I'm worried if I use 64-bit Vista I will have worse problems, such as various important applications not being 64-bit compatible.
  • zombie a gogozombie a gogo
    Yeah don't go 64. Perhaps there will be an OS update at some point that will allow for 4 GB being recogized on the 32?
  • zombie a gogozombie a gogo
    May I also make a recommendation of a game for you to play on your new system when you get it. Mass Effect! I think you'll love it. It's an amazing Space Opera that I keep going back to on the 360. The PC version comes out in May.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited April 2008
    What's wrong with the video card? I do have a slight interest in PC gaming, and I think it will do the job nicely. If I want to play Steam games, Bioshock, Spore, etc. how will that card not do the job?
    Well, the 8600GT is a decent card, but even on many of the more demanding games out there right now it can be forced to struggle. You can get an 8800GT for $150, that's not a huge step up in price, but it is in performance.

    Apart from that, you don't get the full 4GB of RAM with 32-bit OS, though I don't remember how much it is you actually do get.
    If I do my math correctly, don't you need a 64-bit OS to go OVER 4 gigs of RAM, not to reach it?
    Your math is fine. That's not the issue though:
    look here
    Don't go 64-bit just yet either, so consider buying 3GB vs 4GB (based on cost)
    I don't like your choice of PSU though; I'd go for something with a bit more wattage and a reputation as good asthis onehas. That one is expensive though.
    What more wattage do I need? The PSU had a great reputation, and was suggestedhereand in the EggXpert forums. I used some PSU wattage calculators, and all of them calculated this system to use less than 300 Watts, even if I add more hard drives. Also, the PSU is very quiet. Quiet is one of my big priorities.
    Well, okay, if it has a great reputation then that's okay. The one I suggested is one of the quietest PSUs there is, though if it's an extreme priority, the brand Seasonic is all about quiet when it comes to PSUs.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • RochelleRochelle
    The 8600 should be fine for your video card. I've used an EVGA 8600 for a while, and it works fine and should last a while.

    I think lackofcheese is just mentioning that because the 8800 or higher are pretty damn sexy. I'm using the EVGA 8800 GTS Superclocked video card, and good lord that things huge. It barely fit in my computer because it was so long, however I love it. The main reason why I got it is because my boyfriend was making a new computer and didn't have enough money to get a decent video card, so I basically sold him my 8600 for hella cheap and upgraded to the 8800.

    Overall, I like what you picked out, Scott. I like the case. I use Antec as well. The RAM looks pretty. I love when they put RAM in cute cases, but that's just me.
  • AprecheApreche
    The 8600 should be fine for your video card. I've used an EVGA 8600 for a while, and it works fine and should last a while.
    My top priorities with the video card are that it have two DVI ports, be NVidia, be normal sized (no fatties taking up two slots, no crazy weird fans), and that it be quiet. I didn't spend all that long looking for the video card. The one I chose is just the first one that looked like a good fit at a reasonable price. If someone finds a normal-sized, quiet, NVidia, with two DVI ports, that is better than the one I have chosen, please point it out to me.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited April 2008
    I think lackofcheese is just mentioning that because the 8800 or higher are pretty damn sexy.
    Well, it's true, they are sexy. But don't let that overshadow the main point - price/performance.
    You can see it absolutely crushing the 8600GTS here, and considering the 8600GTS is a step up from the 8600GT, you can see where I'm going here. Always look at benchmarks for gfx cards.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • AprecheApreche
    I took another look at the video cards. What is the difference between PCI Express x16 and PCI Express 2.0 x16? Which is better? Which is compatible?
  • RochelleRochelle
    You can see it absolutely crushing the 8600GTShere, and considering the 8600GTS is a step up from your 8600GT, you can see where I'm going here. Always look at benchmarks for gfx cards.
    You got a point, but I'm not a hardcore PC gamer. Plus the GTX cards are WAY too pricey for my tastes.

    The EVGA 8600 I had wasn't too long, had the ports that Scott was talking about and was quiet. I think the one you picked is fine.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited April 2008
    Plus the GTX cards are WAY too pricey for my tastes.
    I don't see how that's relevant.
    I took another look at the video cards. What is the difference between PCI Express x16 and PCI Express 2.0 x16? Which is better? Which is compatible?
    Look at this article:
    http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3192

    PCIe 2 is basically just a performance improvement. If either your motherboard or graphics card doesn't support it, it will run on the old PCIe and probably be a bit slower. It seems like the motherboard you picked probably doesn't support PCIe 2.0, though I'm not certain.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Question: What is the current recommended size for video ram?
  • AprecheApreche
    I found only one 8800 card at a reasonable price, and it's a two-slot monstrosity. I think I'll stick with my current choice of video card. I'm sure if someday I'm getting poor performance on a game, I can upgrade the card, and not feel bad about it.

    As for getting 3 gigs of RAM instead of 4, meh. Three gigs means three sticks. I'd rather just get the two sticks of 2 gigs each. Also, I might want to boot a 64-bit Ubuntu or some such. I'm sure the switch to 64-bit will come at some point, so I'm not worried about it.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Question: What is the current recommended size for video ram?
    Well, 512MB is useful these days.
    I would say the best idea is to go with 256MB on cards like the 8600, and above that 512MB is worthy of consideration, though a 256MB 8800GT is great value for money.
  • AprecheApreche
    Hmmm, if I'm going to be using Windows, maybe I will go get that XBox 360 controller that works in Windows and use it for emulated games and such.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited April 2008
    Anyone considering the 9600s? They are meant to be slightly inferior to the 8800 but coming from my current system, just about any card will seem a big improvement.
    Current laptop is a 1.8ghz Sempron with Radeon Xpress 1150 integrated.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • AprecheApreche
    I switched the PSU to the same exact one, only 500W instead of 380W. I didn't really need the extra wattage, but I did need the extra SATA connectors. The 380W only has two. Also, there is a mail-in rebate on the 500W, so it's basically the same price.
  • AprecheApreche
    I added a DVD burner. I already have extra DVD burners lying around, but I don't have any that are SATA. They're so cheap anyway, whatever.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Wait, so current PCs can still use 500w CPUs? What are the 1100w ones for then?
  • AprecheApreche
    Wait, so current PCs can still use 500w CPUs? What are the 1100w ones for then?
    Morons.
  • NorvuNorvu
    8600GT is fine, I'm running a 7600GT and can run CS:S maxed out, TF2 runs smooth and CoD4 plays well at medium, of course I have really, really bad RAM and a slow Athlon 3800+ X2 64bit, so they will play better on your machine. Can't really fault anything else, a solid machine.

    You're buying the OEM version of Vista, whilst cheaper means you only get one valid install (it's a system builders version of vista) and if your hard drive crashes or you need to format the hard drive for whatever reason, you'll need to buy a new copy of Vista or just crack the one you have and forgo updates. 32 bit also means you'll max out at 4gb of RAM, a heck of a lot but not future proof, of course by the time you do want to upgrade your RAM Windows 7 will be looming it's head, so buying whatever version of vista right now isn't a big deal. I also think 64 bit has come a long way since the beginning, supports a lot of different hard ware drivers now, unlike the beginning.

    500W is also good enough for an 8600, I have a 800W OCZ PSU, but, I won it =P More power than I'll need for a long time but free stuff is nice.
  • AprecheApreche
    edited April 2008
    You're buying the OEM version of Vista, whilst cheaper means you only get one valid install (it's a system builders version of vista) and if your hard drive crashes or you need to format the hard drive for whatever reason, you'll need to buy a new copy of Vista or just crack the one you have and forgo updates.
    Is this true? What exactly are the limitations? I can't re-install it on the same machine even? Should I get the XP instead?
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited April 2008
    Backup?
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • NorvuNorvu
    I stand corrected.
    OEM software is also tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a "new personal computer," which the company considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It's not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.
  • AprecheApreche
    I stand corrected.
    OEM software is also tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a "new personal computer," which the company considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It's not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.
    That's fine then. As long as I can reinstall on the same computer if it messes up, then it's cool. If I'm changing the motherboard then I've got bigger problems.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Ok, money down on how many weeks it takes for Scott's motherboard to fail. I say, £5 on six.
  • KilarneyKilarney
    Why do you want Vista?
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