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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 16, 2005 15:43:11 GMT -5
Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the info.
Yilar -- yeah I think i'll build my own. From all of this shopping around and learning, I can tell a few things: those low-priced pre-built systems use dated technology that has been maximized and tweaked and sold for cheap. In other words, they are not going to be worth upgrading much. I'll probably start with 512 mb RAM, then upgade to 1 gb a few weeks after. I'll definately get one of those SATA2 hard drives to take advantage of that nice motherboard. That leaves graphics cards....
Skid -- Do you know a 128 bit/mb PCI-E NVIDIA graphics card off of the top of your head? I don't want to spend an outrageous amount of money, but $150 would be okay.
After I figure out a graphics card, I'll post the parts I want to buy and ask you guys if they will all work together. I'll also want to know if there's any "chokepoints" and whether I'll need more fans/heatsinks, or if my powersupply has enough watts (i'll prob buy a 450 watt powersupply), or if I need new cords to connect my drives & whatnot.
Thanks again everyone.
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Post by yilar on Nov 16, 2005 16:18:21 GMT -5
Make sure you buy the same ram, so you can run them in dual mode.. gives an extra boost.
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Post by skidbladnir on Nov 16, 2005 16:28:51 GMT -5
Im not sure about the current euro/usd exchange rate, or about the presence of some brands in both Europe and the US, but I guess that for moreless 150$ you can currently get a 6600GT model. I got my "fallen from the truck" AGP galaxy gf6600gt for 120€, which was a good price 2 weeks ago. Now depending on the location etc you might find those cards for up to 180€. Maybe 6800 series are cheaper in the US, in what case that's what you should get. But 6600gt (and not other 6600) are already a great choice if I understood it right.
From what I read when looking for a card myself, brands on 6600 are pretty much of the same quality, with a little advantage for Leadtek. Noname cards arent recommanded, same architecture but other multiple problems (overheating, noise, 64bits etc). You can find useful informations about those side effects on specialized forums (usually type "6600" in the search motor). My card for exemple is famous for its performances (...cos of a pre-o/c) and inbedded fan-heatsink system but is noisy and needs some software tweaking to read videos, while some others are silent and cheaper but need a separate ventilation system to resist o/c..
Im not fluent with PCI-E new 16x standard; not sure it applies to this generation of cards tho.
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Post by yilar on Nov 16, 2005 16:48:49 GMT -5
Mine is famous for being able to unlock more pipelines
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Post by Random on Nov 16, 2005 16:58:33 GMT -5
Here is the latest system I put together: Motherboard: P5ND2-SLI Deluxe Processor: 3.73 Extreme Edition Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU Ram: 2Gig Giel Video: 2 N Vida 7800 GTX PCI-E in SLI mode Case: Lian-Li PC-V2100B plus CPU: SINTEK 600SLI
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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 16, 2005 17:38:52 GMT -5
Make sure you buy the same ram, so you can run them in dual mode.. gives an extra boost. Do you mean buy two 256(or512) mb dual channel sticks? Do I have to do anything special to them? or is it automatic if I buy the right kind? well i'm sure it'll be in the instructions
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Post by yilar on Nov 16, 2005 17:44:19 GMT -5
Make sure you buy the same ram, so you can run them in dual mode.. gives an extra boost. Do you mean buy two 256(or512) mb dual channel sticks? Do I have to do anything special to them? or is it automatic if I buy the right kind? well i'm sure it'll be in the instructions Most ram come in pairs, but if you buy one now and then buy the same one a month later its ok too. Say you buy a 512mb stack now and then a couple of months later you buy another stick, then you can run them in dual... At least you should be able to. Im not 100% is runs automatic, but it should do so.
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Post by MMV on Nov 16, 2005 18:36:43 GMT -5
a - This is a common "pre-built computer" strategy. You sell people stuff you can't easily upgrade, forcing them to just buy a new one instead... Business_101[/i].
b - Oh, and a 75$ videocard is not "a good videocard" its a sucky one. You can get a Nvidia 6200 for that price ooooh[/i]....
a - you're the one that asked me to find a manufactured system (that you couldn't find) and I addressed why you should do it so that it makes it expandable. Don't like the answer? Don't ask the question...CommonSense_201
Since I did what you asked, don't just mock; now it's YOUR turn to "put together a computer" with part-names, manufacturer/point-of-sale, and price of each part so that he can compare "your complaints/counter-complaints" - if not, you're just whining...CommonCourtesy_301
b - I bought a Radeon 9550 ATI/256mb DDR (agp) with dual monitor display at Staples for $75.95 10 days ago (it was on sale from $229.00 retail) - but before I bought it I checked at some of the online warehouses and it varied in price from $79.00-139.00. I'd say THAT'S a good video card at a good price, eh?
note to self: Don't let Yilar do my shopping...Business101
If you can take the time to "advise" - you can take the time to "advise specifically" so I'll be anxiously awaiting the post for your build'N'own computer, cost/part break-down, etc.
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Post by yilar on Nov 17, 2005 11:35:39 GMT -5
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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 17, 2005 12:19:22 GMT -5
Mmmmmm *drools*
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Trayk
Worker
Lets Party at your place!!
Posts: 148
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Post by Trayk on Nov 17, 2005 13:56:08 GMT -5
Antec cases are great...but thier power supplies are the best IMHO. I only use Antec. Spend extra on a GOOD case, if you build you own, you will have it for a LONG time!! My main desktop case is almost 9 years old now. I HAVE put an Antec 450 Watt PS in it last year though.
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Post by whiplash on Nov 17, 2005 13:56:13 GMT -5
Make sure you buy the same ram, so you can run them in dual mode.. gives an extra boost. Do you mean buy two 256(or512) mb dual channel sticks? Do I have to do anything special to them? or is it automatic if I buy the right kind? well i'm sure it'll be in the instructions Maybe you should go 1G straight off. If you read my "Day in the Life of Whiplash" story you will note that my first RAM "upgrade" was 512 + 512 = 256.
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Post by Sidhe on Nov 17, 2005 14:40:14 GMT -5
Whip, that reminds me of me, which is precisely why I got someone else to build my comp for me. It cost a little more but the lack of grief was worth it. Not sure about your country but it's cheaper to buy 1 gig over here than 2x512.
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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 17, 2005 14:57:49 GMT -5
I did some looking around myself (www.pricewatch.com). Here's what I came up with:
Athlon 64 ASRock SATA2 Motherboard & AMD 3000 processor combo from monarchcomputers.com for $211
Two 512 mb DDR400 PC3200 Dual channel Kit RAM made by Micron Technology from Alpha International Business for $84.50
120 GB 7200 RPM SATA2 Western Digital Hard Drive from chiefvalue.com for $76.49
nVidia GeForce 6600 GT 128 mb from ABS Computer Technology for $144
Generic Beige Case with 450W powersupply $29.50
TOTAL $545.49 + Tax (Shipping already included)
Trayk: I may take your advice on powersupply/case... will look into it.
Yilar: Your processor and that motherboard is only $9 more than the combo that I found and that processor is a 3200, so I think I may go with yours. Your HD is a better deal too.
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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 17, 2005 15:05:36 GMT -5
PS -- While yes it would be easier to have someone build this for me, I can't seem to find anyone that uses that ASRock SATA2 motherboard. That thing is FAST! Since I know *exactly* the parts that I want, it's much cheaper to build it myself.... unless I wanted to use dated technology. Think about it: the newer the tech, the longer it is up-to-date and the easier it is to upgrade.
Same here... however two 512 RAM is faster than 1 gb RAM, tests have proven. Especially if they're dual channel.....
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Post by MMV on Nov 17, 2005 16:24:06 GMT -5
........ and add
modem and/or network card (so you can connect to the internet)
sound card (so you can hear)
an operating system (windowsxp or whatever)
SOME kind of anti-virus (be a shame to lose everything on that hard drive)
......... and now you're in the the AT LEAST + $850.00 range
so with that price -
Dell Dimension E510 Series Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630 w/HT Technology (3.0GHz,800FSB) Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (4x256M) Keyboard Dell USB Keyboard Monitor No Monitor Video Card 256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon X600 SE HyperMemory Hard Drive 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse Network Card Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem (included) Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 (included) CD ROM/DVD ROM Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/dbl layer write capability Sound Integrated Audio with Dolby Digital 7.1 capability Corel WordPerfect® word processor only Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months subscription (included) Digital Music Musicmatch by Yahoo! Music - Entry level music software Digital Photography Corel Photo Album™ 6 Starter Edition - Organize and Edit your photos Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support Enhanced Software for CD or DVD Burner Combo: Sonic DigitalMedia and MyDVD Plus (DVD+RW only) Operating System Backup & Recovery PC Restore recovery system by Symantec TOTAL:$861.60 (free shipping)
My point is......... you have to take into account CO$T$ you didn't include (and then there's always that "it's easy, I did it" preface)
Take off the dvd/cd-rewrite that he already has (-200.00) and add more RAM, an even higher quality video card, and a larger hard-drive.
and.......... it's as expandable as one you build at home (at very nearly the same cost).
as you said something along the lines that people try to sell manufactured versions..... all I'm saying is make sure Zz makes SURE he's aware of ALL the costs, time, etc.
Thanks for taking the time to put the full comparison up there - at least he can now compare VALUE to VALUE equally (which was the point I was trying to make - VALUE).
p.s. is anyone aware of how many people that have had an unfinished +500.00 computer parts/mess on their hands for +2 years? lots and LOTS, lol.
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Post by cmdishr on Nov 17, 2005 18:16:35 GMT -5
Ok...just did my order and this is what I did
- Compaq Presario SR1030Z CTO Desktop - Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2 - AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ (2.2GHz / 512KB L2 cache) - 1GB DDR-400MHz SDRAM (2x512) - 80GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive - 48x max. CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive (48x32x16x48x) - 48x max. CD-ROM Drive - 2 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, + Front Audio Ports - JBL(R) 2-Piece Speakers - NVIDIA GeForce 6200SE w/TurboCache 256MB support - Integrated 5.1 Capable Sound w/ Front Audio ports - Compaq Keyboard & Scroller Mouse - Microsoft(R) Works 8.0/ Money / MSN Encarta Plus
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Trayk
Worker
Lets Party at your place!!
Posts: 148
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Post by Trayk on Nov 17, 2005 18:43:45 GMT -5
z Here is a butt kickin Antec case www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129159I realize its a bit more, but it will have as much room in it as you are likely to ever need, plus plenty of fans ( or slots for extra fans-you can never have too many). one thing I would suggest is to add shipping from all of those different places into the picture, then go to newegg.com, or chiefvalue.com and price all of it there, sometimes the peeps on pricewatch give you a screaming deal, then rape you on shipping.
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Post by zzZhenon on Nov 17, 2005 20:34:58 GMT -5
........ and add modem and/or network card (so you can connect to the internet) sound card (so you can hear) an operating system (windowsxp or whatever) SOME kind of anti-virus (be a shame to lose everything on that hard drive) p.s. is anyone aware of how many people that have had an unfinished +500.00 computer parts/mess on their hands for +2 years? lots and LOTS, lol. Thanks MMV, I'll take that into consideration. Btw, I already have WinXP. But I will need to find a different motherboard to be one that has sound onboard (thanks for the reminder). I can use my ethernet card from my old computer. Also I use AVG free anti virus. I'll look at Dell.com, that looks like a good deal... though I kind of had my heart set on an Athlon 64 (and Dell uses Intel, from what I've been told).
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Post by yilar on Nov 17, 2005 21:51:04 GMT -5
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