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[K.Jack]

Not sure if this is the thread, but I'm sort of being forced to upgrade my laptop due to the Staples warranty and the only thing that's comparable that I can get at a reasonable price to me (650 Canadian after taxes and the gift card they're giving me) is this:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...1034&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

The real pertinent details are as follows:
Intel Core i7-720QM Processor 1.60GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.80 GHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics
1600x900 LCD

How is that for a laptop these days?

This is our gaming notebook thread.

To answer your question here, the 5650M is a low-end GPU, in the grand scheme of things. It's still good for medium settings @ 30fps 720p, on most 2009-2010 games.

Going forward, however, things look a bit more bleak. If the minimum GPU requirement is an 8800 GT, the 5650M lags behind it by 40%. But you'll still be able to run them, but @ lower resolutions.

 

[firehawk12]

I'll move it over there then. Thanks.
Value-wise I could do worse though?

 

[Wrekt]

OCZ does free exchanges if you receive a 25nm drive. From what I've seen though, the 50GB 25nm and 60GB 32nm drives are separate SKUs now, so unless the store you ordered it from has old stock, you shouldn't have any issues.

Just got my 120gb Vertex 2 in and it is the new style. Gotta RMA it now. Dammit.

 

[Misanthropy]

Is This big enough to house a gtx 570, 2500k with stock cooling, 1 ssd, 1 hdd, and 1 dvd drive?

 

[From The Dust]

Is This big enough to house a gtx 570, 2500k with stock cooling, 1 ssd, 1 hdd, and 1 dvd drive?

yea, don't see why it wouldn't. I think a 300 could hold all of that, so this should too

 

[mkenyon]

Is This big enough to house a gtx 570, 2500k with stock cooling, 1 ssd, 1 hdd, and 1 dvd drive?

Sure, but for the same price you could get this or this which are both nicer than the Antec.

 

[Shambles]

Not sure if this is the thread, but I'm sort of being forced to upgrade my laptop due to the Staples warranty and the only thing that's comparable that I can get at a reasonable price to me (650 Canadian after taxes and the gift card they're giving me) is this:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...1034&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

The real pertinent details are as follows:
Intel Core i7-720QM Processor 1.60GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.80 GHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics
1600x900 LCD

How is that for a laptop these days?

For the price that is a good laptop. The 5650 is equivalent to the 5730 which I have paired with an i3 chip in my machine. On my 1366x768 most games run on medium to high at native resolution while keeping AA levels low. I paid 680$ for it last summer from Lenovo which was a steal at the time and the best I've seen a comparable setup is for 500$ from the source with a higher binned i3. Looking back I wish I had spent the extra money for the i5. I expect having it with an i7 will increase the performance in some games dramatically as my laptop struggles with CPU intensive games such as SC2. At 1600x900 you'll have to keep your settings more towards the middle range though. The 5650/5730 seems to be reigning king in that price margin and moving up to something like a 460M will cost increase the price by a lot. (Think 1300-1400$).

You'll be very happy with it as a portable machine that can game decently. If it's your primary gaming rig you'll probably be left wanting more in which case you'd be better off with this laptop and a gaming desktop than spending 1400$ on a high end laptop that still will give somewhat dissapointing performance.

 

[rocK`]

hey guys, couple of questions.

I've got a i7 2600k and looking for the best OC'ing motherboard.

Few requirements: Needs to have 6gbps SATA (looking to get a 3rd gen SSD), needs to have SPIDF.

I'm looking between:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-702-_-Product

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-701-_-Product

or the PRO version.

Also, any thoughts on what GPU I should get? I do NOT want a radeon based card, so it'll need to be a GeForce card. Reason being, I cannot and will not deal with the driver issues I've had in the past.

Thanks.

 

[mkenyon]

The driver issues and ATI are a thing of the past. AMD is doing a much better job. Been running a 5870 (previously a Nvidia guy) since launch, and I haven't really had any problems.

That being said, it all depends on what you want. Best bang for the buck is a 6950 2GB or GTX560. GTX570 is the max I'd recommend unless you have cash that just needs to be spent on high end equipment.

Both of those motherboards will overclock similarly. However, the best overclocking board is the Maximus IV. You pay a lot for (to a lot of people, not myself though) a little. The Sabertooth board is well worth the extra amount of money over the base P67 IMO, and that goes for anyone. It's built like a tank and has a warranty that IIRC is twice as long.

*edit* meant 6950, not 6850, corrected.

*edit 2* Figured I'd give you the skinny on the Maximus. It has automatic profiles which you can load from other users to OC your system. You can also connected a second device (pc or laptop) via USB to overclock on the fly, even while you are running benchmarks. It is so awesome.

 

[opticalmace]

hey guys, couple of questions.

I've got a i7 2600k and looking for the best OC'ing motherboard.

Few requirements: Needs to have 6gbps SATA (looking to get a 3rd gen SSD), needs to have SPIDF.

I'm looking between:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-702-_-Product

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-701-_-Product

or the PRO version.

Also, any thoughts on what GPU I should get? I do NOT want a radeon based card, so it'll need to be a GeForce card. Reason being, I cannot and will not deal with the driver issues I've had in the past.

Thanks.

Depending on how much horsepower you need, go for the 560 or 570.

Do you care about Quick Sync at all? If so the Z67 boards will support it, but I assume those won't be out for a couple months (?).

 

[Johnny2Bags]

The driver issues and ATI are a thing of the past. AMD is doing a much better job. Been running a 5870 (previously a Nvidia guy) since launch, and I haven't really had any problems.

That being said, it all depends on what you want. Best bang for the buck is a 6950 2GB or GTX560. GTX570 is the max I'd recommend unless you have cash that just needs to be spent on high end equipment.

Both of those motherboards will overclock similarly. However, the best overclocking board is the Maximus IV. You pay a lot for (to a lot of people, not myself though) a little. The Sabertooth board is well worth the extra amount of money over the base P67 IMO, and that goes for anyone. It's built like a tank and has a warranty that IIRC is twice as long.

*edit* meant 6950, not 6850, corrected.

Have you tried the preview drivers? I've seen some gains on my crossfire 5850s since installing =)

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

What is it that you're running at the moment?

SLI scales far better than Crossfire when it comes to second card right?

I've come up with a couple more options now actually...

Those being dual card solutions. 6950 Crossfire, or 570 SLI, or even perhaps 580 SLI (that's probably the upper level of what I'd like to spend).

Of course no one can know until the product comes out but the 590, I wonder if it will actually be two 580's on one board or whether it will be two 570's like the 6990 is two 6950s.

Honestly, I think overall I find this gen of AMD's cards to be dissapointing, yet Nvidia has really come along way since the 4xx series cards.

Fuck... it's always such a hard decision for me to make, I always feel like I'm not making the right choice unless I buy the BEST card... and when I got the 5970 I was happy for 8 months or so (the longest I've been happy with a card for) until Nvidia brought out the 580 which is a single GPU card that keeps up with my 5970 and sometimes beats it!!

Lol... Ahhh.. the joys of being in the glorious PC master race, there is so much more enjoyment to be had from researching tech, putting it together yourself, and watching the amazing results at huge res. Heh... even still I play a lot of my games on PS3

Edit - looking through a bunch of benchmark results and a 6950CF setup certainly seems to be the best performance to cost ratio IMO.

Edit 2 - and a 570SLI setup would be a stupid choice because the 6970CF price is the same but with much better performance.

It seems to be becoming clear to me that I won't be upgrading with this round of cards. When will the next gen of cards be coming (does anyone know?) the 6xx series nvidia cards? I'm eager to get back into the green camp (I don't even know why).

I do SLI 580 and I honestly can't see me "upgrading" for a nice long while, or until the bug of capitalism bites me again.

 

[CrankyJay]

Intel X25-M 120GB for $170 after MIR + Free Shipping

http://www.buy.com/prod/intel-x25-m...olid-state-drive-ssd/q/loc/101/217311730.html

 

[Deadstar]

hey guys, couple of questions.

I've got a i7 2600k and looking for the best OC'ing motherboard.

Few requirements: Needs to have 6gbps SATA (looking to get a 3rd gen SSD), needs to have SPIDF.

I'm looking between:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-702-_-Product

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=1155_motherboard-_-13-131-701-_-Product

or the PRO version.

Also, any thoughts on what GPU I should get? I do NOT want a radeon based card, so it'll need to be a GeForce card. Reason being, I cannot and will not deal with the driver issues I've had in the past.

Thanks.

I've kind of got the same question. I was interested in the MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) but the failure rate seems to be high according to the reviews on NewEgg. I've been looking at Asus, it seems that these are the best options. Asus Motherboard Comparison I left out the LE because that doesn't seem to overclock well.

I'm leaning towards the sabretooth (though I don't like the plastic cover) or the EVO. The EVO seems to be one step ahead of the PRO and it also includes the Intel 82579 lan chipset over the realtek one. I've used realtek for years. Anyone know if intel is any better or if there is a difference? The Evo seems to simply have more "stuff" so I may tend to go that way over the sabretooth but they seem pretty similar when comparing specs. There are no reviews for the EVO yet but if it's stable I could see myself going for that. Anyone have any opinions about any of this?

 

[iNvid02]

I've kind of got the same question. I was interested in the MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) but the failure rate seems to be high according to the reviews on NewEgg. I've been looking at Asus, it seems that these are the best options. Asus Motherboard Comparison I left out the LE because that doesn't seem to overclock well.

I'm leaning towards the sabretooth (though I don't like the plastic cover) or the EVO. The EVO seems to be one step ahead of the PRO and it also includes the Intel 82579 lan chipset over the realtek one. I've used realtek for years. Anyone know if intel is any better or if there is a difference? The Evo seems to simply have more "stuff" so I may tend to go that way over the sabretooth but they seem pretty similar when comparing specs. There are no reviews for the EVO yet but if it's stable I could see myself going for that. Anyone have any opinions about any of this?

your looking at the M-PRO which is not the same as the regular PRO.
its a microatx, you probably want a full sized board

 

[Chittagong]

you just want to make sure the air is cleared out the back. For my PS3 and my AV receiver I made holes or removed the back of my units so hot air could escape. As long as the intake fans can get fresh air to them, and exhaust air doesn't get trapped and build up (so you don't want hot air feeding the intakes) you should be fine.

How much width do you have? You could consider something in the desktop format (I use a silverstone LC17), which would be approximately the size of a decent AV receiver..


also worth considering building yourself if you're even slightly curious. I doubt money is an issue for you, but its fairly interesting and not particularly tricky.

Wow, that Silverstone cover looks awesome, love that it's same format as my AV equipment. Any idea who would sell those pre-built in UK/EU?

 

[Deadstar]

your looking at the M-PRO which is not the same as the regular PRO.
its a microatx, you probably want a full sized board

Ah, thanks for the clarification! I'll check out the regular pro.

 

[black_vegeta]

your looking at the M-PRO which is not the same as the regular PRO.
its a microatx, you probably want a full sized board

Is there any difference between the Micro and regular ATX besides size?

 

[firehawk12]

For the price that is a good laptop. The 5650 is equivalent to the 5730 which I have paired with an i3 chip in my machine. On my 1366x768 most games run on medium to high at native resolution while keeping AA levels low. I paid 680$ for it last summer from Lenovo which was a steal at the time and the best I've seen a comparable setup is for 500$ from the source with a higher binned i3. Looking back I wish I had spent the extra money for the i5. I expect having it with an i7 will increase the performance in some games dramatically as my laptop struggles with CPU intensive games such as SC2. At 1600x900 you'll have to keep your settings more towards the middle range though. The 5650/5730 seems to be reigning king in that price margin and moving up to something like a 460M will cost increase the price by a lot. (Think 1300-1400$).

You'll be very happy with it as a portable machine that can game decently. If it's your primary gaming rig you'll probably be left wanting more in which case you'd be better off with this laptop and a gaming desktop than spending 1400$ on a high end laptop that still will give somewhat dissapointing performance.

Hah, cheers. Funny, it's a 1000 dollar machine as is, but with Staples and the machines they have in stock, you can't really be choosy either.

 

[mkenyon]

Is there any difference between the Micro and regular ATX besides size?

Same chipset, the I/O panel is a bit different, and the mATX has fewer expansion slots.

 

[black_vegeta]

Same chipset, the I/O panel is a bit different, and the mATX has fewer expansion slots.

Would running i7 2600K SB with a GTX 580 (with OC'ing) be a concern for overheating due to the small space?

 

[mkenyon]

Would running i7 2600K SB with a GTX 580 (with OC'ing) be a concern for overheating due to the small space?

Depends entirely on the case.

 

[black_vegeta]

Depends entirely on the case.

Cool, thanks! Had me scared I ordered the wrong mobo.

I believe this case should provide more than sufficient air flow needed to keep it cool. This thing is a beast!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139003&Tpk=corsair 600t

 

[mkenyon]

Actually, low air-flow is the big downside to the 600T. It'll be adequate though.

 

[Deadstar]

Cool, thanks! Had me scared I ordered the wrong mobo.

I believe this case should provide more than sufficient air flow needed to keep it cool. This thing is a beast!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139003&Tpk=corsair 600t

black_vegeta, nice to see you here again. I'm still trying to decide on what board to get. None are in stock anywhere anyway so I still have time to figure out what is going to work for me.

 

[black_vegeta]

Actually, low air-flow is the big downside to the 600T. It'll be adequate though.

I'll check out some more cases and read some reviews before making the 600t my final decision.

 

[mkenyon]

I'll check out some more cases and read some reviews before making the 600t my final decision.

If you're getting the mATX board, might as well get an awesome mATX case. If you're not planning on having more than 3 HDDs and 2 SSDs, check out these guys. It'll fit 7 HDDs with a smaller graphics card, but there are two bays. If you remove the 4 HDD bay, you can fit a 5790 even (which is bigger than the 580).

 

[Corky]

does SB chipsets/cpus use different ram than let's say the i5-760 ( ddr3 ) ?

 

[black_vegeta]

does SB chipsets/cpus use different ram than let's say the i5-760 ( ddr3 ) ?

I believe it all depends on the mobo.

If you're getting the mATX board, might as well get an awesome mATX case. If you're not planning on having more than 3 HDDs and 2 SSDs, check out these guys. It'll fit 7 HDDs with a smaller graphics card, but there are two bays. If you remove the 4 HDD bay, you can fit a 5790 even (which is bigger than the 580).

Those look boxey as hell. My friend recommended the Lian Li brand, but some of the prices are expensive. Also, I have yet to see one of their cases that have USB 3.0.

 

[mkenyon]

Those look boxey as hell. My friend recommended the Lian Li brand, but some of the prices are expensive. Also, I have yet to see one of their cases that have USB 3.0.

If you don't like the aesthetics, no worries. They're expensive because they cater to folks who like to splurge on cases. The whole thing is aluminum, which increases the price a bit. There's also a pseudo luxury tax, similar to BMW. You just cant find that kind of craftmanship elsewhere. The aluminum body makes the entire thing a heatsink, which really helps with cooling. The price on the one I linked is cheaper than the 600t, which is why I recommended it.

does SB chipsets/cpus use different ram than let's say the i5-760 ( ddr3 ) ?

Depends on mobo, but yeah, they use the same RAM most of the time.

 

[T-Matt]

I believe it all depends on the mobo.




Those look boxey as hell. My friend recommended the Lian Li brand, but some of the prices are expensive. Also, I have yet to see one of their cases that have USB 3.0.

The one in that link has usb 3.0.

 

[black_vegeta]

The one in that link has usb 3.0.

Yeah, but I sure don't like the look.

Also, thanks for the info mkenyon even though I don't like the case appearance.

 

[Sanic]

I just paid $180 for an overclocked GTX 460 768 MB, and I'm curious as to if I made the right move. I'm upgrading from a 9800 GT, and the main issue is that I only game at 1366x766, and will for at least a couple years until I decide to upgrade my monitor. I'm simply content at that resolution, but should I have gone for a 1 gig card despite the low resolution I play at?

I'm mainly interested in playing Bf3 when it comes out, and while specs obviously aren't know, I'm assuming I'll be ok with the ard I purchased.

 

[DurielBlack]

So I haven't been following the SSD market very much. I know most people are getting smaller drives to put their OS on, and storing media (music/videos/photos) on their larger-capacity magnetic drives.

Just curious, but is the OS the only thing that goes on the SSD? Where do games go? I assume they would have to be on the SSD as well to see any benefits.

Also, is the only major benefit to using the SSD in load times? My current system is set up using RAID 1 with 500gb disks, load times have never been a real issue, and I don't see how SSD would affect frame-rates in most games once stuff is running.

I'm just debating if the extra cost would be worth the investment. I typically install tons of games, I'm using about 300gb now for them.

If its worth it for actual in-game performance I might go for a SSD + 640gb HD and later purchase and external backup drive (I use RAID 1 now becuase I don't want to ever lose some of the stuff I have)

 

[Ferny]

Ok so I am ready to build me a good gaming computer and I want to give it a go at build myself. I haven't done it before, but I have done minor things like changing ram and stuff so I am certainly able to.

My question is does anyone have any specs in terms of parts out now that would be good to get. Like a rundown such as what tested.com did with their $1500 one but a bit more current.

Edit: nm checked the original post lol. Was checking out gaf on my phone and just skipped to last page

 

[·feist·]

I just paid $180 for an overclocked GTX 460 768 MB, and I'm curious as to if I made the right move. I'm upgrading from a 9800 GT, and the main issue is that I only game at 1366x766, and will for at least a couple years until I decide to upgrade my monitor. I'm simply content at that resolution, but should I have gone for a 1 gig card despite the low resolution I play at?

I'm mainly interested in playing Bf3 when it comes out, and while specs obviously aren't know, I'm assuming I'll be ok with the ard I purchased.

A 768MB is fine at that resolution, but you could have purchased a 1GB for the same price (cheaper in some instances). 768MBs go for ~$100-150 (usually closer to $150). I'd either save some money, or swap for a 1GB GTX 460.

Wow, that Silverstone cover looks awesome, love that it's same format as my AV equipment. Any idea who would sell those pre-built in UK/EU?

Try these:

http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.dinopc.com/
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/

If finding all the parts from one source becomes an issue, you could buy what you want and pay a tech savvy friend or associate to build it for you.

Since you seem open to A/V style HT cases, you may also be interested in these:

SilverStone GD06 (or the GD05 if you want a simpler look)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=GD06&area=

Lian Li PC-C50 (Black or Silver)
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/produc...552&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68&g=spec

Ok so I am ready to build me a good gaming computer and I want to give it a go at build myself. I haven't done it before, but I have done minor things like changing ram and stuff so I am certainly able to.

My question is does anyone have any specs in terms of parts out now that would be good to get. Like a rundown such as what tested.com did with their $1500 one but a bit more current.

Start with the OP, see what you like, and post it here for some feedback. There's also a questionnaire.

 

[Sanic]

Ferny, Check the OP

 

[MisterNoisy]

Yeah, but I sure don't like the look.

Also, thanks for the info mkenyon even though I don't like the case appearance.

No USB 3 on the front panel, but if you're looking for an alternative to the Lian-Li, I finished a build in this case pretty recently for myself, and it was easy/fun to build in. I kinda dig funky/'gamer'-style cases, though and the handle was a huge plus for me.

I also put together a mATX build in the Silverstone SG02 for a coworker that doesn't share my taste for the 'gamer' aesthetic last week, and can recommend that case as well.

 

[mrklaw]

A 768MB is fine at that resolution, but you could have purchased a 1GB for the same price (cheaper in some instances). 768MBs go for ~$100-150 (usually closer to $150). I'd either save some money, or swap for a 1GB GTX 460.



Try these:

http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.dinopc.com/
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/

If finding all the parts from one source becomes an issue, you could buy what you want and pay a tech savvy friend or associate to build it for you.

Since you seem open to A/V style HT cases, you may also be interested in these:

SilverStone GD06 (or the GD05 if you want a simpler look)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=GD06&area=

Lian Li PC-C50 (Black or Silver)
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/produc...552&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68&g=spec



Start with the OP, see what you like, and post it here for some feedback. There's also a questionnaire.

I'm not sure any of those will build one with an LC17 case, at least I couldn't find someone when I did my build.

Just do it yourself Chittagong, its really simple

 

[Palette Swap]

Lian Li PC-C50 (Black or Silver)
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/produc...552&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68&g=spec

I really like the look of the stuff but wouldn't things heat up considerably in there? Or does the aluminium case actually prevent that?

I just ran a sim and it looks like I could fit a 2500K with a Noctua NH-U12P and that nice MSI gtx 560. What kind of PSU and additionnal cooling would be needed in there, considering I'll probably use all 3 HDD bays?
Yeah, I've been running in circles for 2 weeks now. :]

 

[mkenyon]

Regarding cases supporting USB3, I want to make sure that people know that the cases that have USB3 in the front I/O is kind of a crutch support. Basically, you take a USB 3.0 cable through the inside of the case, and then plug it into one of the back slots on the rear I/O shield. As far as I know, there's no mobo pin headers for USB 3.0 yet. Basically, you're taking your rear port and moving it to the front.

 

[black_vegeta]

Regarding cases supporting USB3, I want to make sure that people know that the cases that have USB3 in the front I/O is kind of a crutch support. Basically, you take a USB 3.0 cable through the inside of the case, and then plug it into one of the back slots on the rear I/O shield. As far as I know, there's no mobo pin headers for USB 3.0 yet. Basically, you're taking your rear port and moving it to the front.

I saw that in the video review for the Corsair 600t case. Kind of weird, but since it's the way that all the case manufacturers are doing it then, I'll be cool with it.

 

[mkenyon]

Is there any particular reason why you have to have your ports on the front? I ask because removing this requirement of yours might make your case shopping quite a bit easier.

 

[MisterNoisy]

Regarding cases supporting USB3, I want to make sure that people know that the cases that have USB3 in the front I/O is kind of a crutch support. Basically, you take a USB 3.0 cable through the inside of the case, and then plug it into one of the back slots on the rear I/O shield. As far as I know, there's no mobo pin headers for USB 3.0 yet. Basically, you're taking your rear port and moving it to the front.

Some of the ASUS P67 boards have them - you can see it in the top-down view on this one right next to the RAM slots.

 

[black_vegeta]

Is there any particular reason why you have to have your ports on the front? I ask because removing this requirement of yours might make your case shopping quite a bit easier.

There is no requirement for the ports to be in front. Grant it, it would be easier access to them, but I have no problem reaching to back on the tower to plug in connections. I was just liking the look of the 600t case.

 

[Shambles]

Some of the ASUS P67 boards have them - you can see it in the top-down view on this one right next to the RAM slots.

And this is what the proper internal connector looks like on the case side:

 

[mkenyon]

Ah! Thanks for the correction. Must be that old (1366/1156/AM3) boards retrofitted don't have the headers. Would be interesting to find out which cases have their front USB 3.0 ports with the correct header. I know the last couple I've seen (HAF X, various Lian Li) do not.

 

[n0n44m]

yeah the USB3 internal connector thing is really confusing, I can't really figure out if the Asus one is actually going to be the standard one for the future?

I almost cut out a hole on the front of my case so I could fit in the 2 ports with internal connector that come on an I/O bracket with my p8p67pro motherboard, but I figured I'd rather just buy a powered USB3 hub + extension cable and have it all on my desk like I did with my USB2 ports

 

[Chittagong]

thanks feist and mrklaw, really good suggestions. I'm definitely going with one of those. Love the AV form factor.

Wondering about building it myself. I'm pretty sure I would be capable of ordering all the right parts (aside from extra cooling needs and correct motherboard, maybe), and if I got lucky even showing them to the case, but then... how does it work? Will it just recognize all the components and boot up? My nightmare scenario is not being able to figure out how to get it wake up.

 

[thomaser]

So I haven't been following the SSD market very much. I know most people are getting smaller drives to put their OS on, and storing media (music/videos/photos) on their larger-capacity magnetic drives.

Just curious, but is the OS the only thing that goes on the SSD? Where do games go? I assume they would have to be on the SSD as well to see any benefits.

Also, is the only major benefit to using the SSD in load times? My current system is set up using RAID 1 with 500gb disks, load times have never been a real issue, and I don't see how SSD would affect frame-rates in most games once stuff is running.

Another benefit with SSDs is that fragmentation is not an issue with them. They won't get slower over time if you forget defragmenting now and then. And they are completely quiet, which is nice - my old harddisk sometimes randomly spun into a fury that woke me up at night.