Build Advice Recommend me parts to build a dual monitor setup work pc

Hi,

Right now I am using a Toshiba M50 laptop as the processing power and connecting external mouse, LCD, and external keyboard as well. Never liked small laptop displays. Its painfully slow for me even at 1.2gb RAM.

What I have right now is a Dell 1905FP monitor, 19" LCD. I want to build an Intel work PC that can support dual monitors. I noticed that 19" is out of date right now, but I would rather use this 1280x1024 resolution monitor to build a pc rather than leave it lying around.
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monito [...] 32074.html
Possible if GC can have virtual dekstop for the extra LCD and ability to rotate views. My LCD can be rotated 90 degrees. Sometimes I need to view my work vertically. as I can read more pdf text that way rather than making it wide. Is it possible to have 2 monitors work in vertical resolution but both monitors are placed left and right of each other?

6 USB 2.0 slots would be nice. Firewire optional but nice to have.

The work PC also needs to be small and does not consume power. The pc may be running 24/7.

If it can support a TV tuner card build into it, that would be nice as well since don't have a TV and plan to use one of the monitors as a TV screen. As for games, I do play Farcry and have yet to play the newest C&C game and Crysis since my 6800GT card is not worthy of those games. I don't think I will be playing high end games. But I do play SimCity. So in summary, what is the cheapest I can get with the details below: I will be opening lots of FF tabs, pdf files, and may do some torrenting. May use Maya or video editing software on pc.

Intel CPU
RAM-does not have to have low latency but the higher amount the better. I don't want 20 pdf files and 30 FF tabs and torrent to have any effect on my work.
OS: XP or Vista Ultimate/Pro (have not decided. I have XP pro, not sure about migrating to Vista though)
Dual monitors 19" (current LCD+another LCD)
Mid-ATX, I think slightly bigger than SFF.
TV capabilities (if possible using the LCD)
Graphic card: depend on LCD and TV setup.
Soundcard-onboard/card
Keyboard- (need to find one ergonomic keyboard. I used a Microsoft comfort curve 2000 keyboard but it does not last long. Keys not working properly after 2 years in use)
Mouse -current Logitech VX Revolution
Speakers- Edifier MP221 USB/bat/AC speakers.
HD: most value for money capacity HD.
Optical drive: Should I invest in blue Ray drives? or a normal DL drive is more than enough?
Cost-As cheap as it can get without compromising parts.

I have read the What to buy February 2009 for affordable system and I liked it a lot. The only thing missing from it is how do I view TV on my LCD? The system is more towards work and less towards play or TV though I would want to view TV and play games from time to time. I think the Case needs to change to a smaller case since the table is a prime work real estate. BTW, do you pay TV license if you are using a TV tuner? Analogue or digital receiver?

I am based in the UK and the prices are not as cheap as US or Asia for that matter.
I plan to build PC in within 1-6 months. Thanks.

 

Yes you have to pay for a TV license if you have any means of recieving live broadcast material.

Any PCI Tuner card will let you watch TV on your computer. I did it for a long time whilst living in Uni halls.

Oh and get a digital tuner, as it can recieve an anolog signal aswell as a digital signal.

 

Is digital signal available in UK yet?

Any suggestion no that?

 

Yes digital is available in the UK and:

With regards to the rest of your build, set yourself a budget and get the best you can from that. Do a bit of research yourself, and post it on here, that way you can choose what you think is right for you, and people will recommend different components if they feel there is a better choice.

What is 'work'? Using word?
Also when you say you want to play games from time to time, what games are you talking about?

 

I'll let people do the choosing for me as I don't have time and I have been non-active in modding and system build since my last PC which was a P4 3.06ghz 533mhz northwood core.

Work:
Lots of pdf files, word files, browser tabs: Thats why I need dual monitors.
Will use photoshop. May use maya or premier or pinnacle studio. May also use Dreamweaver.

Games:
The last high end game I played was C&C tiberium wars and Farcry. I have not played and C&C game, Farcry2 etc after that. Will want to test those out if possible (depends on cost). But mainly I think I have little time to play games as I'll be doing research and writing a lot. Simcity and some MMORPG I do play but occasionally.

 

Case:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=965907

Mobo:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Giga...(x16)-DDR2-1066(OC)-800-MHz-SATA-II-Micro-ATX

CPU:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Inte...-FSB-1066MHz-3MB-Cache-105x-Multiplier-Retail

Graphics:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512M...R3-GPU-625MHz-800-Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV-HDCP

Get the ball rolling anyway

 

Have you had your head under a rock, or are you new in the UK?

 

3 months in UK. Forgive for being noob. Prices here are slightly expansive.

What is a good TV tuner card? and does putting a tvtuner card effect the dual monitor setup?

I am thinking of Hauppauge PCI Tvtuner card. But there are lots of different internal cards from that manufacturer. Which one should I get? Or is there a cheaper alternative which I should look into?

Thanks

 

Thanks:

I notice the SFF case. That looks good. I just realised that I think I need a slightly bigger case, like mid-ATX. I don't think there is enough room to navigate if I want to put an internal PCI tv tuner card.

This CPU is better than the E5200 right. I look at the affordable link and saw that it recommended the E5200.

Motherboards still come with floppy and IDE connectors! I thought they were dying by now.

 

You would have plenty of space to work as the whole motherboard tray comes out

Other than that your onto a midi tower which takes full atx motherboards.

 

Would there be enough space for that graphic card and a TV tuner card? Won't it be hot all things close together?

I looked thru the Lian Li range, and I like their products. I don't need bling cases. Just something that works. I see the image of the case you shown in Lian li website, but could not find the details of the case aside for just the image pointing to mini-tower casings.

Casings still come with a floppy slot. No idea why you would want that. I have not used a floppy more than 5 years now.

These cases look nice:
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=319&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=317&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=157&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=142&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=289&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63

 

Tv tuner cards are mainly PCI, this would not effect your monitor setup at all.

You mearly install the expansion card into a free PCI slot, install the driver and software, depending on your OS.

If your running Vista home prem then you could use its media centre to watch tv on.

The software plays TV back on your screen in either a window or full screen. I use to have it in a window, so i could have my msn messenger open on the same screen. This was when i used a dual screen set up, leaving my main monitor to surf the web or work in CAD.


Oh and having a floppy drive bay in a case is still handy for installing an interal card reader, fan controller or even dare i say it a floppy drive. because if you still run XP (like me) then you require a floppy drive to install SATA drivers during the XP installation.

 

Or, in the alternative, you could take "another LCD" to mean a Samsung TOC-series monitor, which have TV tuners built right in. They're TN panels, so the color accuracy isn't exactly that of, say, a Dell 2408WFP, but the differences are relatively minimal - and if you'll be gaming, you'll probably want a TN anyway.

It won't let you record any TV, but if you're going to buy another monitor anyway, it certainly consolidates costs. Doesn't pivot either, but set Adobe Reader to view two-up continuous and you can view two pages at once (quite nice on a 1680x1050/1920x1200).

My parents own the 22" version that was marketed as a television rather than a monitor, and I can certainly vouch for the quality and the BFTB ratio.


- Diosjenin -

 

but then you cant watch TV in a small window whilst dual screening it.

 

No, but you can watch TV in a large window whilst dual-screening it.

Like I said, there are tradeoffs. It has drawbacks compared to a TV tuner card, yes. It also has a great many benefits, especially in the area of cost-effectiveness - something which I thought might appeal to someone trying to build a system on the cheap.

Besides, mystvearn is free to decide whether it fits his needs or not.


- Diosjenin -

 

Is it really cheaper? Considering you just get another monitor and buy a TV tuner card? I notice that I could hook a PS3 on that monitor amd has build in SRS speakers just like my Toshiba M50 laptop. That is nice Cheapest I found was around 145 pounds for the 20" Samsung. Still need to find an antenna for this thing. Antenna's will cost some money as well. Do you need additional hardware to view Freeview? Or is there something as good as this but cheaper. Cheaper is always better I have seen a 15" widescreen Samsung which looks a lot like this monitor minus the TV tune part. Looks sleek and has a bluish glow at the bottom of the monitor. Clearly a fashion statement.

True, you cannot make a window screen or you cannot record things you see. Only instance where I find both things useful is like when I am doing work and want to see the news in a small window or when there is something very good to record but I could not record it. Maybe that can be solved with a software that captures the monitor display then?

Is an adjustable LCD like my Dell 1905FP a dying breed? Well this monitor is working except for the power button which I have destroyed after lots of switching On/Off it. Now I turn off the power the the wall, even that does not seem good in health, so I hooked it to an extension chord. Hopefully that Samsung is not like this Dell.

I am still using XP pro. I am very reluctant to migrate to Vista actually. I have used it, and I don't really like it. Hope to jump from XP>7 directly. Also I hate having too many remote controls if some are redundant.

 

Tv tuner cards can be had for less than £50, and are very versitile. I have had a Wii and PS2 hooked up via my Tuner. Image quality was a little poor but after all i am using two consoles ment for TV's with low res.

Bundled software with the card is good for basic use, depending on your ariel and location some times a signal booster is required, these can be had for £10.

 

Yes. The cost difference is negligible?
Can you suggest me a good LCD+PCI tvtuner combo that does the same thing for much less?
Leave the LCD thing for now.

About the CPU. If you buy an Intel processor, why do you need to buy another heatsink? I saw that a different CPU cooling was used with the affordable hardware. Isn't it cheaper to use the stock fan and heatsink? Or they don't come with fan and heatsink now?

 

What apps are you running for dual monitors? I used to run 3 monitors, but for the last few years I've settled on duals and couldn't think about working on a machine with only 1 for any length of time.

I have two main machines, one is a Dell 17" laptop within a 1920x1200 screen, using a a Dell 2001FP 1600x1200 screen as the 2nd monitor.

The other is running a Dell 2408WFP and another 2001FP as the 2nd, I'd rather have two 24's but it seems to make better sense to re-use both 20" screens.

So that's both machines running 3520x1200 desktops, good enough for my needs plus I've run out of desk space for more.

Lightroom for photo editing is wonderful on dual monitor setup, and when working on documents or code a dual monitor setup just makes everything easier.

There are two schools of thought, either go high res, or go multi monitor.

I say do both!

Jen

 

These are some of the software which I plan to use but not limited to.

Programs:
Dreamweaver CS3
Photoshop
OneNote-this is one heavy program once you have lots of notebooks around.-dual setup
Acrobat Reader/editor-dual setup
Word-dual setup
SPSS/SigmaStats/Excel-dual setup
Endnote X-dual setup
Firefox-dual setup

Games:
Old rom Games
Simcity
Have not think about it. Play whatever comes around.

TV: yes
Movies: Not really. I don't watch movies but watch documentaries. BBC iplayer.