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Discussion in 'Hardware' started by electroboy, 14 Apr 2008.

  1. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Near the end of last year I was going to build myself a new PC, but this,that and the other happened and I was left not only with no money to spend on a new PC but no internet connection either:wallbash:. The spec I was looking at, at the time was something like this:
    -Core 2 Quad Q6600
    -Gigabyte P35C-DS3R
    -2Gigs Crucial DDR2 BallistiX
    -XFX GeForce 8800GTS Fatal1ty 320MB

    Since then it seems like a lot has changed in the market, especially regarding ram prices.
    So I need your help to spec up a new machine. It will be pretty multi-functional as regards its use. But the main things I would be using it for are video editing (Sony Vegas), graphic design (Photoshop), a lot of video converting for iPod/PSP and some music editing. I would also like to play some games but this is not really a main point, but would be nice to play a few new games, but doesn't have to push any high end graphic options. Mult-tasking would be big issue as I like to run 10 programs at once! Not sure bout the whole XP or Vista thing just yet.

    So far all that I have in mind is Intel Q9550, some sort of a Gigabyte main board as they have been good to me over the years and I would like one with a good few PCI slots. Either some Crucial or Corsair memory, 4gigs would be nice. Want plenty of space for all my video footage so the Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB SATAs seem good value at the moment. Other details like soundcard,DVD-RW,Case,PSU I will look into, but if you have suggestions thats cool.

    Unfortunately I'm in Ireland so working with euros. Would be getting it pretty much all from www.komplett.ie .
    Budget would be €1500-€2000

    Cheers:thumb:
     
  2. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    The Geforce 8800 GT 512MB is more powerful and less expensive. Also, all Geforce's are pretty much the same, so just get the less expensive one of the model that you want.

    If you are about to use multi-core applications, and would like to be able to take full advantage of your multi-core CPU and allow you to run 64-bit applications, and unlock the full potential of your CPU, I strongly suggest Vista 64-bit. There is no down side to it. Moreover, you will be using new standards, and XP doesn't really cut it. Already from some reason, some people like me (however not everyone), has SATA controller drivers that needs to be installed before you install XP. So a person like with only 1 computer at the time... had a nice adventure to try and get the SATA driver on a floppy, because XP doesn't know what a CD-ROM is (yep.. 2001 was a long time ago). One thig you will like in Vista is the new volume mixer, where you can change the volume per application, and also the removal of teh 2 layer thing in older WinNT core, where when you play a video and move it, teh video won't try and catch-up. So without this 2 layer thing, this will give you the ability to take screen shot and computer video footage without problem, also give you a performance boost in your video editing. Also with Vista 64-bit, you can enjoy 64-bit codecs with your 64-bit movie/music player (ie: Windows Media Player 64-bit (not set as default player, but it is there under "Program Files")), so you see a greater performance in your video decoding compared with 32-bit XP/Vista.

    Also, as DDR2 RAM is cheap, I would simply go with 4GB of RAM directly, and yes you will be able to use it fully as you will have a 64-bit OS. Also with 4GB, you won't care about memory consumption anymore, and you can even disable in Windows, page-file, so that it only uses your RAM, witch will be great for running several application at once (over 20 I would say). And yes, you will be able to perfectly run as many applications as you would like under Vista, thanks to it's greatly improve memory management. Back to Vista a bit, with SuperFetch, as soon as Windows learns what program you use most and at what time, it will load it before you do, and watch your applications start up like you never seen before, so you save time and get to your things that you enjoy faster. And thanks to it's automatic maintenance system, that runs ONLY when it is SURE at 100% that you are really in idle and not even close to your computer, your system won't become slower over time like XP does. And with the "time machine" like system in Vista, you can even go back in time all your system (so you can prevent virus/malware damage), and also on your files and folders (from just viewing an older version to actually replace the current one with the old one). See Vista is not all that bad, you just have to use it :)

    For sound card, I would go with ASUS Xonar series (pick the one that fit your needs), it is superior than the X-Fi, no driver issues, and fully compatible with any hardware configuration and Vista. Also you get to enjoy ASUS high quality products and looks. The Xonar is available in PCI and PCI-Express.

    As for PSU, I think everyone can agree, that the Corsair HX 620W is the perfect solution.
    Super quiet (quietest?!), incredible quality (the second you will touch it, your other brand PSU that you thought was high quality, will seams like low-end), modular cable, 80Plus certified, and more then enough to run your system, so plenty of room for upgrades. Oh and with 5 year warranty, how can you go wrong. Yes, it is a perfect product :)

    As for DVD-RW, anything will do.. unless you REALLY need it, like you are burning several disks every day.
    I have an ASUS one on SATA. And, yes I know SATA is useless for an optical drive, but when I got it was the same price as the IDE version, and also as SATA cable is thin, it's was a breeze to cable manage it and also prevent the blockage of air, so you have a great air flow, which leads to a cooler quieter computer.

    As for Case, if you get the Geforce 8800GT, then the Antec SOLO is a wonderful case, you have sound damping panels, super soft feats, screwed with super soft silicon things or even better high-quality elastic band to seriously reduce HDD noise. It has a simple yet modern design, with real aluminum front panel touch to it, which really add some class, great for any rooms.

    If it is not to your liking, and prefer frontal doors there is the Antec P180/190 series, which just as great case. The P180/190 series has a slightly better air flow than the SOLO, allows for more HDD's, improved sound damping panels. However it is bigger, and in my opinion it looks like a fridge. However, it still has a nice modern design, that won't (like the SOLO) get ugly over the years. Also it is to be noted that the P180/190 does not have the elastic bands suspension HDD system. The Corsair HX 620W will work with both cases nicely.
     
    Last edited: 15 Apr 2008
  3. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Oh and for your RAM, you should get high speed low latency RAM. It is more expensive, but it will show on your video editing and games.

    Just in case you ever ask: also, in your case, if you ever want to have file on an external HDD< I suggest to get those external SATA (eSATA) HDD's, you will have the same transfer speed. And if you get those HDD external casing, you can put a normal speed 7200RPM 16MB of Buffer internal HDD in your external HDD casing, so you really have an external HDD with the same performance as an internal one.

    Personal info, anything with this "Fatal1ty" dude name, avoid.
    1- They are not great at all.
    2- You pay for the name, as the company paid him to have his name on a box.
    3- It's marketing ploy to change your perspective on a overpriced product.
     
    Last edited: 15 Apr 2008
  4. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks GoodBytes!

    Do you work for Microsoft by any chance, thats the biggest Vista sales pitch I've ever read. haha.:eeek:
    All sounds good though, would definatly go with 64-bit if I was stepping up to Vista, which I will be. I will be keeping an XP machine running still anyway.

    Was considering a Corsair PSU before and will probably go with that this time around, never heard a bad word said about them. Will probably get a sata dvd-rw aswell just to clear up the wires. Will look into the ASUS Xonar series cards too.

    Will look into cases and graphic cards abit more before I decide what I really want, but your advance can steer me in the right direction. :clap:
     
  5. mctigger

    mctigger What's a Dremel?

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    thats what i was thinking!! but good reasoning anyway!:p

    crosair psu are really good, never had a problem with mine! as for cases i recommend an antec p182!
     
  6. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Case wise, I was thinking something along the lines of a Stacker or 900. Not necessarily one of those but something where I have plenty of front accessible bays and can arrange them the way I want for fan controller,card reader,DVD drives etc. Something with good air flow but no stupid big fans built in that you cant change like the one on top of the 900.
     
  7. mctigger

    mctigger What's a Dremel?

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    antec 900?, not a bad case, but does it not have a ridiculous sized fan at the side? the 182 has 5 (i think, im on my laptop in uni, so can't check :() front accesible bays, but there is a door, but it can be easily left open anyways, it has very good air flow, with 3 removable 120mm fans, with room for more if u want to add them, there is one on top of the case, on at the back , then one on the bottom for the other hard drive bay and PSU.

    http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=81820#

    http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/04/26/Antec_P182_case_review/1

    i only recommend it, cos i love it so much!!!! :)
     
  8. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    If you want the Antec 900... simply don't get a case at all. You'll get the same thing, and for far cheaper. I laugh to all that is purchased that case.. it's just a mesh everywhere, there is really nothing to it. And, based on reviews, air flow is not even better than the Antec SOLO, or the P180/p190 series. See puncturing holes everywhere doesn't help in anything, it's all about proper engineering and placement of fans.

    Noisy computer does NOT mean a powerful computer... you know what it remind me off?
    This: http://www.ottogroup.com/uploads/image_download/erster_computer_1.jpg :p

    Also, I ask, do you really need stupid drive bays everywhere?
    Let's see:
    1- top most - optical drive
    2- Temp control
    3- media card reader
    4- floppy drive (do you need those, anymore?!?) or some sort of input panel for sound card in future use...

    Also, do you REALLY need these temp control panel?! I set all my fans at lowest speed, and they perform a fantastic job, even under several hours of heavy stress on all my components at the same time. Processor can hold pretty high temps before they get damaged. Moreover, every thing is temp controlled these days... ok maybe not your case fans, but it could be changed. You'll save money, and everything is automatic. I remind you, it's computer not an air conditioning unit ;) Sorry for being like this, but I personally really don't get these things.

    No I do not. We all know the down sides of Vista, the up sides are never talked. So, I present the come of the up sides that no one else mentions other then the usually Instant Search and UI.
     
  9. sjhujh

    sjhujh Minimodder

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    You could look into an ASUS mobo aswell, i remember a group test in which they pitched a variety of p35 mobo's against each other and the ASUS P5K premium gad excelent results for application performance, also it seems to have no issues with any kind of memory either, Memory i'm always saying Team, cheep and well spec'd.

    And the case Anted P182 is awesome, the door gives you a clean look and dampens the noise. i used to have a shuttle that if left on over night would keep me awake, the p182 is silent and the fans supplied although not silent make a very unbotrusive wooshing sound....

    Corsair are also an great PSU brand, if you can;t budget for it Hyper are pretty good for the price....
     
  10. mctigger

    mctigger What's a Dremel?

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    this is very true! so keep it up with up sides for vista, u might convert me yet!! :clap:
     
  11. morris8809

    morris8809 Minimodder

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    one thing that i notice with vista is that my ram useage never changes with 4gigs of ram. always hovers around 1.5-2 gig even when im playing 2142/ bf2 etc. Any unused ram is wasted ram. lol vista is alot better than everyone gives it credit for. down with the non believers lol.
     
  12. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Any suggestions?
     
  13. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Been looking at the Antec P182 case and Im sold! I don't usually like front doors on cases but the rest of the case is so good that it doesn't bother me so much. The lower power supply placing is much better for me,as regards to where I put my PC and generally the overall layout is great.

    And what are your thoughts on a Zalman CNPS9500 AT Ultra Quiet (http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=320110) for the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550?
     
  14. sjhujh

    sjhujh Minimodder

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    It'll be way more expensive I would have thought, but how's about a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and something like a Noctua P-12 fan?
     
  15. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Am I not better off waiting till May and getting a P45 chip and chipset board that supports DDR2 and DDR3 and just get some cheap DDR2 Ram, then upgrade it to DDR3 in a while?
     
  16. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    I see your system specification on the signature... it's a fine computer. Why even need an upgrade? I don't even think you will see a great difference. I think you can even OC the CPU nicely.
     
  17. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    Well I need to upgrade my graphics card to play newer games, I want to switch to vista so want to step up to 4GBs and I finally want to make a move over to sata. I also want a new case and fans, as my pc is noisy as f***. I just got a pay rise in work so thought instead of upgrading this, that and the other, just to make the jump and build a whole new machine.
     
    Last edited: 27 Apr 2008
  18. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    How does this sound?

    - Antec Performance P182
    - Corsair Powersupply 620W
    - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
    - Zalman CNPS9500 AT Ultra Quiet
    - Asus P5KC
    - Crucial DDR2 BallistiX PC8500 (4GB)
    - XFX GeForce 8800GT 670M 512MB
    - Western Digital Raptor 150GB (OS,Software Drive)
    - Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB (Media Drive)
    - Vista Ultimate OEM 64-bit
     
  19. oasked

    oasked Stuck in (better) mud

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    It sounds expensive - but good. :thumb:
     
  20. electroboy

    electroboy What's a Dremel?

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    What you think of the Asus P5KC, think its worth getting a board that supports DDR2 and DDR3?
     

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