Building a computer

[StrangleHold]

I still dont get why your telling me that? That Antec in the link is ok, kinda a mid-class P/S

 

[PC eye]

I still dont get why your telling me that? That Antec in the link is ok, kinda a mid-class P/S

It works. If I end up putting a few more sata drives in. I may still run it. That may be due to being too lazy to stick the TP2 550w in quite yet.

 

[Risingtide93]

Whoa, I feel guilty that I started the whole PSU debate & fighting....

So due to your "many" valuable expertise, I chose this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189005

and as matter of fact, would I be able to overclock my CPU a little bit with this juice stand?

 

[Risingtide93]

Updated Parts:

Case: XION Onyx XON-303 Black/Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811208021
($44.99)

PSU: XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CUL, TUV, CB, VDE, FIMKO, DEMKO, NEMKO, SEMKO - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189005
($51.99)

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6400 CPU @ 2.13GHz 1066FSB 2x1MB L2 Cache EM64T, INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
(thinking of buying from ebay or pricegrabber...trying to buy it for cheap! )

Motherboard:Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Asus_P5N32_E_SLI_Plus_Motherboard,__32539716
($195.87)


RAM:Corsair XMS2 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 DIMM Memory Kit
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Corsair_XMS2_2GB_PC2_6400_DDR2_DIMM_Memory_Kit,__11410908
($158.80)

Video Card: GeForce 7600 GS 256MB Video Card or GeForce 7600 GT 256MB Video Card

HD: 320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Seagate_Barracuda_7200_10_ST3320620AS_320GB_Hard_Drive,__19777096
($87.95)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S183L/BEBN Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Samsung_SH_S183L_BEBN_Dual_Layer_DVD_177RW_Writer,__31767213
($43.90)

Sound Card: ON-BOARD SOUND CARD
Speaker: My old one
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Bluetooth
(buying one on ebay...because it's friggin expensive for k/m)

Total:$583.50 excluding cost of CPU, Video Card, OS, and K&M

 

[Risingtide93]

Oh, and one more thing...

Can you use 64-bit Vista Ultimate on my CPU?

or do I have to use 32-bit OS?

If yes on 64-bit, Isn't it better to use 64-bit OS than 32-bit on my CPU?

 

[Buy-it PC]

Oh, and one more thing...

Can you use 64-bit Vista Ultimate on my CPU?

or do I have to use 32-bit OS?

If yes on 64-bit, Isn't it better to use 64-bit OS than 32-bit on my CPU?

There is specifications at which hardware requirements are in order to use VISTA. Although, the better performance CPU is always best... giving the leverage it will require to perform.

But, here's the min. requirements for VISTA.

Windows Vista Home Basic
Recommended system requirements

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 512 MB of system memory
* 20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory
* DVD-ROM drive
* Audio Output
* Internet access (fees may apply)

Now, if you upgrade this CPU to a dual core, or C2D (Core 2 Duo) and up the RAM, and naturally the HDD, and graphic adapter - you know the rest... it will run faster and more efficient. So, it really depends on what your budget is... and what you want. Now, if you can afford the C2D CPU I strongly suggest that route. I've been to MS events and saw the high performance notebooks running VISTA with ease and super speed. In fact, I loved how it interacts with everything.

So, hopefully that answers your question.

 

[Risingtide93]

There is specifications at which hardware requirements are in order to use VISTA. Although, the better performance CPU is always best... giving the leverage it will require to perform.

But, here's the min. requirements for VISTA.

Windows Vista Home Basic
Recommended system requirements

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 512 MB of system memory
* 20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory
* DVD-ROM drive
* Audio Output
* Internet access (fees may apply)

Now, if you upgrade this CPU to a dual core, or C2D (Core 2 Duo) and up the RAM, and naturally the HDD, and graphic adapter - you know the rest... it will run faster and more efficient. So, it really depends on what your budget is... and what you want. Now, if you can afford the C2D CPU I strongly suggest that route. I've been to MS events and saw the high performance notebooks running VISTA with ease and super speed. In fact, I loved how it interacts with everything.

So, hopefully that answers your question.

Oh, I mean that I did choose Core 2 Duo and just asking that "is it better to install 64-bit Vista Ultimate than 32-bit Vista Ultimate?"

 

[darksideleader]

Vista video card drivers are not ready for gaming even with Direct X 10, you'll fine a 50% better performance using Windows XP.

Though its just the video drivers, Nvidia and ATI will make some new ones eventually.

 

[PC eye]

ATI is far ahead of NVidia in that regard. I was using Vista drivers for the RC1 release on the Radeon card here last fall. The latest Catalyst 7.2 for newer models fully supports Vista. But Vista has more running processes then XP with it's new features. Plus it is a newer version of Windows like XP was to 2000 and ME. But even with a 400w supply you can still oc your cpu.

At the present time the market for 64bit softwares is still rather dry with only a small amount of 64bit programs available. With Vista itself newer versions of 32bit desktop applications are needed due to being incompatible with the older ones except games for some reason. The new games themselves will still 32bit. But I'll wait for the SP2 release of the Ultimate version or 2nd edition maybe Vienna in 2009 before replacing XP as the primary OS here.

 

[lincsman]

General Suggestion

I know this is getting less specific, but this computer you want sounds more like a gaming computer. What I would suggest, personally, is having two towers (no LOTR pun intended) for each purpose would be the best. For an entertainment PC I would go with something that has a nice sound card, a TV card, decent video card but nothing crazy fancy (The Radeon 9250 has an RCA TV-out, wouldn't want to play games with that though), TV card, dual core processor made for media like AMD live or something like that, enough RAM (probably 1/1.5 Gig would be enough) and a remote for the sound card. Also a card reader, and all that kind of stuff. A motherboard with lots of PCI slots would be better than one with two PCI-Express slots or something like that.
As for software you'd want at least XP with media center or vista for an entertainment, so, if you get the idea, I would suggest getting two computers if you want to do more than one demanding task. Also a media computer would need a lot of Hard drive space if you want to do movie editing and a high-quality DVD burner.
Gaming computers are simple: lots of RAM, a fast DVD drive, a few USB ports, expensive AMD processor, expensive video card, if not two, nice monitor and then a gaming mouse and keyboard. You'll want nice headphones and/or a surround sound system for both entertainment and gaming, for music and also for hearing that guy sneaking up on you or the plane flying by.

I hope this helps, I know that it sucks for me using my one computer for everything and I would like to have two or more. There is a way to connect them all via network so that it's not necessary to have a monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. for each one. Or if there are splitters for connections that would work too, maybe.

 

[PC eye]

First of all an old Radeon 9250 isn't even an AGP card it's a pci type and no longer supported by ATI. The MSI Radeon X1300 Pro 256mb PCI-Express card here also has s-video out. Games, multimedia, video capturing and editing are all done here with XP Home + Pro plus Vista. 2gb of memory works far better then mixing a 512 with a 1gb dimm. That gives you matched memory for the dual channel performance gain. The same cd and dvd burners are used for gaming here.

 

[Risingtide93]

Updated Parts:

Case: XION Onyx XON-303 Black/Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811208021
($44.99)

PSU: XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CUL, TUV, CB, VDE, FIMKO, DEMKO, NEMKO, SEMKO - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189005
($51.99)

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6400 CPU @ 2.13GHz 1066FSB 2x1MB L2 Cache EM64T, INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
(thinking of buying from ebay or pricegrabber...trying to buy it for cheap! )

Motherboard:Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Asus_P5N32_E_SLI_Plus_Motherboard,__32539716
($195.87)


RAM:Corsair XMS2 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 DIMM Memory Kit
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Corsair_XMS2_2GB_PC2_6400_DDR2_DIMM_Memory_Kit,__11410908
($158.80)

Video Card: GeForce 7600 GS 256MB Video Card or GeForce 7600 GT 256MB Video Card

HD: 320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Seagate_Barracuda_7200_10_ST3320620AS_320GB_Hard_Drive,__19777096
($87.95)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S183L/BEBN Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Samsung_SH_S183L_BEBN_Dual_Layer_DVD_177RW_Writer,__31767213
($43.90)

Sound Card: ON-BOARD SOUND CARD
Speaker: My old one
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Ultimate
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Bluetooth
(buying one on ebay...because it's friggin expensive for k/m)

Total:$583.50 excluding cost of CPU, Video Card, OS, and K&M

So for my chosen parts, I could use 64bit vista ultimate and be happy?

or do I have to use 32-bit vista ultimate?

 

[ducis]

either could work

 

[PC eye]

If you are not set on going with Vista at this time you find some good prices on XP Pro 64bit OEM disks. The 32bit versions even OEM have seen price spikes since Vista came out. Where you could find either for under $90 at the end of 2006 they now are seeing $139,99 at quite a few sites.

 

[Risingtide93]

Which case should I buy?

XION Onyx XON-303 Black/Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811208021
($44.99)

or

Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000BWS Black 0.8 mm SECC Chassis, Plastic Front Door ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133145

or

Cooler Master Wavemaster LEs
http://www.spodesabode.com/content/article/wavemaster
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/cases/coolermaster/blue_wavemaster/index.htm
(I guess pretty high, due to limited edition and their pretty much out of stock!)

I was going on wavemaster for look but it has only 3 x 80mm fans, while the Xion case have 2 x 120mm and a nice 140mm side fan...

So for the characteristics...
For look:Cooler Master Wavemaster LEs
For cooling: XION Onyx
For some look and some cooling: Thermaltake SOPRANO
I would be choosing a case due to your expertise...

Thanks

 

[PC eye]

Besides going by only what you find at newegg for cases you may want a good look at several makes and models seen at http://www.xoxide.com/pccases.html They have quite a few there to consider. When finding the old case was seeing board temps higher then cpu temps at idle I browsed around through a number of vendors until this place seemed to offer one of the larger selections.

The one that saw temps drop sharply was an AeroCool model seen at http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-aeroengine-2-black.html Besides the 140mm front intake and 120mm exhaust fans I threw a pair of Antec 120mm on the side cover to get the air moving. Despite those four and the 92mm sitting on top of the Zalman CNPS9500 cpu cooler the case is still nice and quiet.

 

[Risingtide93]

Thanks and I saw them in the xoxide and found them on newegg to find better deal...and I coudln't stop finding better cases that I cannot decide which one is the best...

Cases are:

Sunbeam Quarterback
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811166035
(nice core fans but looks too tight space...can't see the case well...)

APEVIA X-Navigator ATXA8NW-AL/500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144089
(cost too much for friggin case...gonna have to find a better deal or else)
or
http://www.xoxide.com/aspire-x-navigator-black-black.html
(dunno which site will be cheaper...newegg or xoxide)

XION Onyx XON-303
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811208021
(I'm not that happy about the design but chose due to good cooling and it's cheap )

btw, I was thinking of buying the AeroCool model you showed me very, very, long time ago so I'm going to consider it... Thanks PC eye

 

[PC eye]

Of the models seen there the XION would be the best. That looks a lot closer to the AeroCool model except that the front intake isn't as pronounced for the style. That also allows you to have two fans on the side cover. The one thing to note on the case here however is the length. It's slightly longer then many of the older style mid towers if you are tight on space.

Besides the extra cooling you can get with adding two 120s on the side cover it also has more bays for hard drives right behind the 140mm front intake. The floppy drive bay is at the bottom however. These are the pros and cons for it if that helps.

 

[Risingtide93]

Thanks Pc eye...

but I found my best case...but just like the old saying, IT"S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE....

The case is NZXT Zero case with total 8 fans...but the problem is that I can't find the cheaper price lower than $125 with rebates in neweg...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811146029

Can someone help me finding the best deal?
(I know it's pretty annoying, even for me, trying to find the best deal for a friggin computer case.... )

Thanks,

 

[Risingtide93]

Oh, and btw, would my PSU fit in the NZXT Zero case?

Or would I be removing my top fan due to PSU's size?

Thanks again,