My possible new computer

I went for the best on every component. No compromises, a truckload of money. :book:

-ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 Motherboard
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+
-Corsair 2 x 1024MB DDRAM - Lifetime Warranty - on the lookout for powerful RAM :book:
-Seagate Barracuda 400GB HDD 7200rpms SATA
-SONY Floppy Disk
-LG 4167B DVD-RW 52x/16x
-2 X nVidia GeForce 7900GTX 512 MB
-Creative X-PI Xtreme Music(sound card)
-Antec TX1050B cover
-Logitech Media Elite Keyboard
-Logitech G7 mouse

Looking for a monitor. The cover has 2 coolers integrated, so has the motherboard. :grin:

The price: You don't wanna know.
Please tell me your thoughts about this.
I'm interested in:
-quality of the chosen products
-power

Thanks. ~:)

Absolutely delightful rig edyzmedieval... :nice:

Everything is great, nice job on the twin nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX, running in SLI, that would be a beast.

Your definitely getting the top of the line cheese with that.

Two things:

What's the price? (please tell)

I think a 300 GB hard drive is too much, but hey, you know best what you're going to be doing (all that pr0n has to fit somewhere ~;)).

As soon as some of the fall games come out (Neverwinter Nights 2, Battlefield 2142, and of course M2:TW) i'm going to upgrade the graphics card.

I'm holding off on a new computer until 2007, when Vista comes out and Dual Core becomes a bit cheaper. Looking at Alienware for that, though I only have about $1500 right now.

I'm a normal guy, not really with pr0n, but my computer is stuffed with basketball videos and different programs(C++, Blender...) and tons of games. ~D

The price is about 3000 euros. :jawdrop:
I need 300GB because I will have tons of games on it.

And this comes at a price though: I need to pass my exams with very good marks. :skull:

On the bright side, you won't have to upgrade for a very long time.

Have fun mate, hope you get it. :2thumbsup:

The 300GB is cheap for it's size(and it's a good brand too). It's a Seagate, and costs 150 euros. It's IDE though, I need to search for a SATA2 with about 10000rpms which will go for maximum power.

The 2 nVidias go over 30000 points with 3D Mark 2005!!! :dizzy2: :jawdrop:

I would either buy an AMD or wait for the new generation of Intel chips (coming pretty soon). The Pentium chips are pretty outgunned as far as gaming is concerned.

Nice rig though. You better do well in your exams now!

New generation of Intel chips? Perfect!!! :2thumbsup:
When?

Yeah, of course. I want this. ~D
First post edited. I found a killer HDD.

The Conroe is suppose to appear in the 2nd half of this year so anywhere from June-Dec.

For the psu, get a beefy pcpower&cooling unit.

Those PC Power and Cooling power supplies are killer, but they're LOUD. I'm listening to one right now. It's one of their "silencer" models. It's making slightly less noise than a dust buster.

Look for one of the new power supplies with a 120mm fan. Something like this. Better chance of it not being such a blower.

Why not dual HD's in a RAID array for speed?

That way your paging files will be twice as fast.

And/Or get i-RAM (from Gigabyte) you slot in RAM and you can use it as a HD ... either for loading the OS or favourite game into or having as your paging file.

The Seagate Barracuda is a SATA HDD, which proves to be at a good price(almost 300 euros). Features:

-400GB space
-7200 rpms
-150MB/s

Basically, I think it's a good buy.
The cover has a huge cooling fan, a bit bigger than the one shown by Lemur, and a smaller one up top(normal cooling fan).

As for RAM's, I opted for a dual 1024MB DDRAM Corsair. The performances are good, but if there's room for improvement, I'm open to ideas. ~:cheers:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

Why not dual HD's in a RAID array for speed?

That way your paging files will be twice as fast.

And/Or get i-RAM (from Gigabyte) you slot in RAM and you can use it as a HD ... either for loading the OS or favourite game into or having as your paging file.

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I agree on the multiple HD's, as a matter of fact, I would get (have) 3 @ 150GB ea.
1 for OS (c ~ 30GB; D for dl's, caches, etc.)
2 as raid for progs and data (multiple partitions)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

The Seagate Barracuda is a SATA HDD, which proves to be at a good price(almost 300 euros). Features:

-400GB space
-7200 rpms
-150MB/s

Basically, I think it's a good buy.
The cover has a huge cooling fan, a bit bigger than the one shown by Lemur, and a smaller one up top(normal cooling fan).

As for RAM's, I opted for a dual 1024MB DDRAM Corsair. The performances are good, but if there's room for improvement, I'm open to ideas. ~:cheers:

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Its a good buy because it is not SATA II. SATA II has a throughput of 300MB/S

In Aus a 400Gb Seagate 7200.9 7200rpm SATA-II hard disk, 16mb cache, NCQ goes for $396.00 Australian. $1 per MB.
While a 300Gb Seagate 7200.9 7200rpm SATA-II hard disk, 16mb cache, NCQ goes for $203.50. $0.67 per MB.
And 250Gb Seagate 7200.9 7200rpm SATA-II hard disk, 16mb cache, NCQ goes for $176. $0.7 per MB.

At the moment the sweet point for SATAII is around the 250 to 300 GB HDs.

Buy 2 300GB SATAII. Same price as a single 400GB drive.

For speed put them in a RAID 0 array and you will end up with a machine that has 600GB and twice as fast at accessing HD memory. These being SATA II you would have a theoritical transference rate of 600MB/s.

For memory integrity put them in a RAID 1 array (mirroring) and if 1 hard drive dies the other will keep going and you won't lose important information. You will have 300GB but a very safe system for data recovery. You would have a transference rate of 300MB/s and redundancy on your information.

Where you going to buy all this from

Thanks for the tips Pape. I'll ask the guys over for some SATAII HDD.
By the way, what's a RAID? :oops: :shame:

I guess you know computers better than changing nappies....:laugh4:

~D

A raid is where you tie the function of two or more hard drives together. Here's the texbook definition.

Some of us are both hardware ninjas and nappy-changing ninjas.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...ia/nappies.jpg

Thanks Lemur. :book:

Quote:

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Some of us are both hardware ninjas and nappy-changing ninjas.

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Briefly this is called family ninja, Lemur. :laugh4:

Here is a great site for understanding things about PCs: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/

Tutorials about the subjects of SATA and RAID.
Everything you need to know about RAID

Serial ATA

..and here talks another family ninja. :laugh4:

Thanks Papewaio-san. Much appreciated. :bow:

I found a new processor, much powerful than the one listed.
Tell me what you think. :balloon2:

Intel Pentium IV 660
Core: Prescott
Frequency: 3600 MHz
FSB/HTT: 800 MHz / -
L2 CACHE: 2048 KB
L1 CACHE: 16 KB
Fabrication Process: 0.09 microns
Technologies: SSE3, HyperThreading, XD bit, EM64T, Enhanced Intel Speedstep
Connection: Socket LGA775

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

I found a new processor, much powerful than the one listed.
Tell me what you think. :balloon2:

Intel Pentium IV 660
Core: Prescott
Frequency: 3600 MHz
FSB/HTT: 800 MHz / -
L2 CACHE: 2048 KB
L1 CACHE: 16 KB
Fabrication Process: 0.09 microns
Technologies: SSE3, HyperThreading, XD bit, EM64T, Enhanced Intel Speedstep
Connection: Socket LGA775

---

No good. Go with AMD FX60 if money is no object or the AMD X2 4400+.

Can you tell me why is it no good? Give me some reasons.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Can you tell me why is it no good? Give me some reasons.

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Because the Prescott 6xx is old and already superceded by the Cedarmill 6xx and Presler 9xx. Both the Cedarmill and Presler are fabricated using a smaller process. The Cedarmill runs much cooler and the Presler significantly faster in most apps.

And all of those cpu's are somewhat slower and overall run much hotter than an equivalently priced AMD X2.

AMD FX60 if im right is a bit over priced but has rediculous spped and performance.

I would recomend AMD x2 4400 + as wqell duel core is very useful and the spped is good to.

Also I would recomend an ATI is much better than Nvidia In my opinion.

Other than that not bad.

Hmmm... Any AMDFX60 over 3.4 GHZ? I'm looking for a 3.6GHZ with HT. :book:

Raw clock frequency means very little in the world of processors. An AMD64 has better performance at 2GHz than a P4 @ 3.6GHz.

That's interesting. I thought raw power is the most important... :dizzy2:

Is the ATI X1900 better than nVidia 7900GTX?

Im sorry but amd 64s are so better than intels but otherwise very nice.Wish i was any adult and had cash to buy and amazing computer .My computer was amazing but it aint anymore its getting out dated

I'm not well informed about the models you speak about, edzy. However I have to say that there is a far superiority of ATI 'S Crossfire technology over Nvidia 's SLI -that is the use of two graphic cards in your system.

Think of it this way edyzmedieval, which flows "faster", the pressure washer you use to clean a car with, or the Amazon river? Now, which of these would you say is more powerful? Same with a nifty little sportscar and a juggernaut. An Intel chip (the Pentiums based on the Netburst architecture anyway) run very fast (as in many cycles per second) but do comparatively little per cycle. The AMD64 architecture runs at a slower clock speed, but does more per cycle, and thus is more powerful. At the end of the day, this is what matters more.

Computing power of a er umm well computer:

Number of Instructions per cycle
=
Number of Instructions per cycle x number of cycles per second

This is why two CPU's is better then one. You can if the program makes use of it double the number of instructions per cycle. Same idea with having two or 4 graphics cards. You don't go for just raw speed you go for the amount of instructions/flops per unit of time.

Floating Point Operations Per Second : FLOPS

:bulb2:

It's good that consultation on the forums are free. ~D
Thanks guys. :bow:

Which is the most powerful AMD64 on the market? :sweatdrop:

The FX60 is, but I wouldnt buy that if I were you. Its too expensive for what your getting. Go for something a step or two lower, maybe even an Opteron and OC it to the speed of or close to the FX 60 for about 400 Euro less.

Too expensive for what I'm getting? :inquisitive:

What's the price?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

I'm a normal guy, not really with pr0n, but my computer is stuffed with basketball videos and different programs(C++, Blender...) and tons of games. ~D

The price is about 3000 euros. :jawdrop:
I need 300GB because I will have tons of games on it.

And this comes at a price though: I need to pass my exams with very good marks. :skull:

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So you arent paying for all this?

Huh? If I pass my exams well, then my parents are buying me this monster. :juggle2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Huh? If I pass my exams well, then my parents are buying me this monster. :juggle2:

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Wow, u are one lucky kid, all i get for my 4.0 is a pat on the back.

My current PC is 3 years old, so my parents agreed.

Basically, if I get it, it's a succession of 3 important events:
1. Good exam marks
2. My birthday(20th of July, I finish the exams on the 22th of June and the results are on the 29th of June)
3. I want/need a new computer.

My current PC is 3 years old as well. My parents never agreed on a new computer.

1. I'm graduating
2. My birthday (20th of June)
3. I want/need/crave/die for a powerhouse computer

Lucky kid ~:)

Difference is, I am 14, soon to be 15.
You are 22, soon to be 23.

Guess not. ~:)

Hmmm...I am faced with many different opinions.

What are your thoughts on the Intel Dual Core? :book:

Do your own research and you'll find that the AMD dual core overall performs better than anything Intel can put on the table (including the Intel dual core) except for the very high-end Preslers(955/965). If you want to spend less than $400 get the X2 4200+, if you can spend $900 get the FX60.

And don't bother with a pc raid setup. They are not worth the hassle for a typical pc such as yours since the performance increase in negligible.

After some thoughts, I've decided on this:

AMD64

OR

AMDFX60

OR

AMD DUAL CORE

Sadly, I've left Intel out because they need to improve.
Give me the most powerful option and the best quality between these 3. :juggle2:

Here wins AMD another stronghold :2thumbsup:

Yeap, guess so.
Anyways, I'm still sticking to nVidia. ~D

I see the computer market like this

AMD-ATI
Intel-nVidia

I am using the mix, which is the best. AMD + nVidia. :book:

So, can you give me the answer please?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

After some thoughts, I've decided on this:
AMD64
OR
AMDFX60
OR
AMD DUAL CORE
......

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The FX60 is a dual core A64.

The smarter thing to do is to wait for the Conroe and build a very cheap ddr2 pc as a stop gap.

Well this is what I am aiming for if I can afford it.

You could probably get decent performance with those parts. Though I will probably step up to the 4800.

I would suggest, bang for buck wise, you go with the AMD64.

I finally decided. ~D

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+

I'll cost me something though. It's about 700$. :jawdrop:
But it's one of the best, and it's very new. It's been released in the middle of May 2006.

Big mistake. :oops:

I forgot to find a new motherboard for the computer. The current one doesn't support AMD processors. Here's what I found:

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 Socket

http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l...60&modelmenu=1

Any comments?
It's specifically designed for AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core systems.
Supports Dual RAID systems and the nVidia SLI system. ~:)

Remember AM2 uses DDR2 memory. Mobo got passive chipset cooling so no annoying noise from small fan, so thats good ~:)


CBR

Yeah, I am on the lookout for some RAM. :book:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Yeah, I am on the lookout for some RAM. :book:

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This is the stuff you're looking for I believe.

Here's a good article about the AM2 platform with a fair bit about DDR2 and its implications that you may want to read too. Apparently its not all its cracked up to be on AMD systems yet.

Yeah. I've been checking the Corsair Memory guys. They seem to be the best option for RAM stuff IMHO.

Nice article there, very useful, but also very looooong.... :book:

If you have the patience, I say wait for DX10 cards. Your DX9 cards will be outdated faster than you'd expect with the new tech comming out imo.

I mean, you want 1337 graphics like these don't you ?

https://img339.imageshack.us/img339/...18mx4df2mr.jpg

Why wait? ~D

I found this: nVIDIA GeForce 7950GX 1024MB
Two of these monsters = Quad SLI :grin:

Update on my situation. :grin:

First of all, I switched my old horse with dad's new rig. Check this out:

-Intel Pentium IV 3.0GHZ with Hyper Threading
-512MB DDRAM
-250GB HDD
-ATI Radeon X700 256MB
-DVD RW
-ASUS 19" LCD

I've decided to wait and gain more money till August, till Intel Conroe and the new motherboards for it will be available. ~:)
Till then, I'll be with this.

My current rig is:
AMD 4200 x2 duel core
Asus ATI EAX1600 Pro 512mb graphics card
2 GB of RAM
and a ncie 300gb Hard drive to top it all of. This cost me 625 english pounds and so far it seems great. Im still watining for an advnaced game to test it on though.

So anythign above that and your sorted. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

Update on my situation. :grin:

First of all, I switched my old horse with dad's new rig. Check this out:

-Intel Pentium IV 3.0GHZ with Hyper Threading
-512MB DDRAM
-250GB HDD
-ATI Radeon X700 256MB
-DVD RW
-ASUS 19" LCD

I've decided to wait and gain more money till August, till Intel Conroe and the new motherboards for it will be available. ~:)
Till then, I'll be with this.

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Conroe is out at the end of july. Definately wait for it, it's beating even the best AMD have to offer. :dizzy2: Also, what monitor/resolution do you game in? If it's only going to be that 19'' LCD you have there, then don't bother with SLi/Crossfire. You won't see any benefit and it's just a huge waste of cash. If you're going for 1600x1200 and above, though, then they start having a point.

I'd also personally choose a X1900XT over the 7900GTXs and they're cheaper but also have better image quality, but don't worry too much...don't want to turn the thread into a ati/nvidia arguement. :no:

Make sure you get a quality, brand-name PSU to go with the PC. Don't want to put tons of expensive equipment in there only to get a q-tec blow it all up. :laugh4: Tagen and Seasonic are good examples of quality PSU brands.

I'm definitely getting Conroe IF I get the computer. I didn't get a 9, so no computer for me. :cry:

As a monitor, I have in view a Viewsonic LCD 19", 2 ms. :2thumbsup: Just like Beirut has. :grin:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by edyzmedieval

As a monitor, I have in view a Viewsonic LCD 19", 2 ms. :2thumbsup: Just like Beirut has. :grin:

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I'm still loving mine. No ghosting or lag of any kind in any game. Been flying a lot lately and even in fast, heavy dogfights, planes screaming past all over, the picture is crisp and clear. :2thumbsup:

Arrrgh, hearing your glowing reviews is making me seriously reconsider my CRT situation ...