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[shpankey]

I have anywhere from $800 to $1000 to spend on an upgrade, but that doesn't mean I want to spend that much. Basically what I want is the best "bang for your buck" parts. Here's what I have so far and I would love to salvage as much as possible.

I know this stuff is salvageable:

Dell 21" wide-screen monitor

Keyboard

Microsoft Laser Intellimouse

Lian Li mid-tower aluminum case

Pioneer 16x16 DVD/CD burner combo

3.5" Floppy drive

Seagate 300 gig SATA HDD

Western Digital 10,00 rpm 70 gig SATA HDD


Is any of this salvageable (?):

A total of 2 gigs of ram as follows ..
2 sticks of OCZ PC3700 512MB Dual CH Gold Edition Rev. 2 [2.5-3-3-7] Ram
2 sticks of GEIL PC4000 512MB DDR 500 [CL=2.5-7-4-4]

Thermaltake Silent Purepower 480watt


I know this stuff isn't salvageable:

Intel Pentium 4 2.8 @ 3.03

ASUS P4CE-800 Deluxe Motherboard [I use built in sound & network from this]

AGP GeForce 6800GT

...taking all this into consideration, what advice do you experts have on an upgrade path? If you can tell me the part name I can order it on newegg. Thanks.

 

[shpankey]

Anyone know where I can find a sleek/simple looking case? I saw some Antec's and those look TOO simplistic for my taste. 99% of the other cases I looked at looked like a fucking alien space craft.

I like Lian Li's

 

[Antagon]

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231084
Graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814186031

Total: 560.

You should be able to reuse that psu, 480W should be more then enough to power this. I'm not sure if you can reuse your memory, but I'd recommend using the memory I've listed since it's cheap and should be a lot faster.

 

[Kosma]

4 GIG OF RAM
1 GIG GPU graphic card
HIGH DEFINTION compatible full 1080p
Blu-Ray Disk Recordable/Rewritable Drive
WiFi Internet (highest speed)
Built in Webcam and sound
Touch Screen and tilt pad (where you can tilt the screen to show something as oppose to turning the whole laptop)
Windows Vista Ultra (The best Version of Windows Vista i think thats whats its called)
64 Bit Applications

I've never seen a laptop with a 1GB GPU. And all the laptops with touch screens that can tilt (like the HP TX2000) are 12" and have internal RAM. I think you should look for a desktop.

Total: 560.

That's a great upgrade you suggested. But if 560$ is still too much you could do the same upgrade I did for around 330$ (AMD CPU, ATI 3850 GPU) and still be able to play games fine.

 

[Kipz]

Is any of this salvageable (?):

A total of 2 gigs of ram as follows ..
2 sticks of OCZ PC3700 512MB Dual CH Gold Edition Rev. 2 [2.5-3-3-7] Ram
2 sticks of GEIL PC4000 512MB DDR 500 [CL=2.5-7-4-4]

Thermaltake Silent Purepower 480watt

PSU should be fine but I doubt you could use the RAM as most motherboard's only take DDR2 now, however you're in luck as RAM is very cheap these days.

 

[Antagon]

I've never seen a laptop with a 1GB GPU. And all the laptops with touch screens that can tilt (like the HP TX2000) are 12" and have internal RAM. I think you should look for a desktop.



That's a great upgrade you suggested. But if 560$ is still too much you could do the same upgrade I did for around 330$ (AMD CPU, ATI 3850 GPU) and still be able to play games fine.

Should be good as well, although the 9600gt seems to be a bit faster for about the same price as the 3850. Doesn't make a lot of difference though.

 

[Jaagen]

Do you guys think this is a viable CPU option?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103231

I mean, I am aiming for a silent living room PC, and I guess it's highly clockable, if I need the extra power.

 

[Kadey]

I've never seen a laptop with a 1GB GPU. And all the laptops with touch screens that can tilt (like the HP TX2000) are 12" and have internal RAM. I think you should look for a desktop.



That's a great upgrade you suggested. But if 560$ is still too much you could do the same upgrade I did for around 330$ (AMD CPU, ATI 3850 GPU) and still be able to play games fine.

You can get dual 512mbs gpus in notebooks now.

The type of laptop Meow wants is over $6000. There are many with far inferior components that still exceed his $2000 price range.

I mean look at this Dell build. :lol Absolutey crazy stuff never before seen in a laptop. Subtotal? $6874.00.

Base Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) EST79HN [223-4728]
OPERATING SYSTEM(s) Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition VHP3E [412-0946][412-1056][420-5769][420-5924][420-6436][420-6813][420-7100][420-7401][463-2282]
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz 4G2D6 [311-7447]
LCD Panel 17inch UltraSharp TrueLife Wide-screen WUXGA 17UXGAT [320-6195]
VIDEO BOARD NVIDIA® SLI™ Dual GeForce® 8800M GTX with 1GB GDDR3 Memory 1GBNV88 [320-6384]
BOOT HARD DRIVES RAID Performance: 400GB (2x200GB) 7200RPM 400R0 [341-5482]
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Standard 8.1 ADOBER [420-7468]
CD-ROM/OPTICAL DRIVES Blu-ray / DVD / CD Burner (Blu-ray Disc Drive) 2XBRD [313-5918][420-7404][420-7759][420-7936]
SOUND OPTIONS ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi® Xtreme Audio Sound Card 1165160 [A1165160]
NETWORK (WIRELESS) Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 a/g Mini Card IP3945 [430-2580]
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) No Pre-installed Productivity Software MSONO [412-1397]
Gaming LCD Logitech® GamePanel Display GLCD [320-5789]
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) Trend Micro Internet Security 24-months TM2Y [420-7937]
Primary Battery 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery 9BAT [312-0603]
Hardware Support Services 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor,24x7 Phone Support S1OS [412-0360][950-3337][950-9797][960-8710][983-8450][988-0307]
CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service 1Yr LoJack for Laptops Theft Protection (CD Shipped Separately) LJ1 [986-3557][A0973377]
Mobile Broadband No Mobile Broadband selected NOBB [311-8033]
PHYSICS CARD AGEIA™ PhysX™ Physics Accelerator PHYSX [320-6196]
Dell Digital Entertainment No Entertainment Software Pre-installed NODE [464-9572]
Processor Branding Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Processor IX2DNB [310-9651]
Labels Windows Vista™ Premium VPN [310-9516]
Datasafe Included 10GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Year
With no touch screen.

And it's a Dell. Go to Voodoo, Falcon Northwest, and Alienware and their top builds is nearing the $10k mark with some exceeding.

 

[Kosma]

You can get dual 512mbs gpus in notebooks now.

The type of laptop Meow wants is over $6000. There are many with far inferior components that still exceed his $2000 price range.

Well I know it can be done, but then it's not really a laptop anymore is it? What would be the weight of such a beast? 6/7kg? :lol

Also 6000$? :lol

Should be good as well, although the 9600gt seems to be a bit faster for about the same price as the 3850. Doesn't make a lot of difference though.

Hmm true, but then again you could get a 3870 now for the same price (since Ati dropped the prices). I've seen the 3870 for 157 euro now.

 

[Ravenn17]

Anyone know where I could possibly find a Wolfdale E8400 CPU? All the major sites are out of stock. Should I try my local Fry's?

 

[Borys]

oo Kosma oo: terrific thread. Hats off to you, good sir. I will try to participate in this discussion more often. Fantastycznie!

ag-my001: sorry for not noticing your posts earlier - yeah, you can't just use a preinstalled Windows (or any other system for that matter) on a brand new machine. That's like using keys from your old apartment with your new condo - won't work. Great rig BTW, I see some major silky smooth gaming in your future

MeowMeow: there ain't such thing on the market, even for $10 000. They don't produce such configurations. 1GB of VRAM? Blu-Ray? Touch screen? The closest you'll get is some 17" Asus notebook with 512 MB GPU SLI'd from nVidia and a Blu-Ray drive and a 1920x1080 screen but that costs an ARM AND LEG. We're talking $5-$7K here. Totally not worth it unless you are earning $500 DAILY.

shpankey: can't use that RAM, sorry, maybe on some old mobo but because you will probably buy new then forget it. Get a new mobo, Core 2 Duo (cheap as fuck), 2 or 4GB of RAM and 8800GT and you are set for $500.

EDIT: oo Kosma oo, my new laptop weights around 4.5 kg. 17" screen with a HD-DVD drive :lol Heavy motherfucker!

 

[Kadey]

Anyone know where I could possibly find a Wolfdale E8400 CPU? All the major sites are out of stock. Should I try my local Fry's?

You have to check Newegg like constantly. They get one or two in once a while. Two weeks ago, I managed to score one for $240.

 

[Kadey]

Well I know it can be done, but then it's not really a laptop anymore is it? What would be the weight of such a beast? 6/7kg? :lol

Also 6000$? :lol



Hmm true, but then again you could get a 3870 now for the same price (since Ati dropped the prices). I've seen the 3870 for 157 euro now.

That's why I can't bring it to myself to ever get a laptop. I like the portability and all but when I think of all the superior components that I could get for a whole lot less on desktops, it brings me back to reality. Plus you can't build a laptop on your own.

 

[Chris R]

When are prices on DDR3 going to be dropping? I'm planning on building a desktop this year and want to go Nehalem, but damn memory prices are high. I might just go Yorksfield and use DDR2 if the prices don't come down :lol

 

[bee]

When are prices on DDR3 going to be dropping? I'm planning on building a desktop this year and want to go Nehalem, but damn memory prices are high. I might just go Yorksfield and use DDR2 if the prices don't come down :lol

they've already come down massively, here in the uk you couldn't find any for under £350 for 2gb around 3 months ago now you can get 2gb for £120 so by the time nehalem launches it should be really affordable

 

[MoxManiac]

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231084
Graphics card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814186031

Total: 560.

You should be able to reuse that psu, 480W should be more then enough to power this. I'm not sure if you can reuse your memory, but I'd recommend using the memory I've listed since it's cheap and should be a lot faster.

I'd honestly suggest he pay a little more and get the E8400

 

[Borys]

Looking for laptops MeowMeow wanted I noticed this one.

Holy shit guys HP Pavilion 20" 'The Dragon' Notebook:

16 pounds :lol

 

[Kosma]

16 pounds...Good luck carrying that.

EDIT: oo Kosma oo, my new laptop weights around 4.5 kg. 17" screen with a HD-DVD drive :lol Heavy motherfucker!

What kind of GPU does it have? Still that's at least a real laptop. These 20" monstrosities like the "Dragon" above aren't even portable at 16 pounds.

 

[shpankey]

cool, thanks for all the help and advice guys, i'm all set to order now.

also, i think i'm gonna go with MoxManiac's recommendation of the E8400, cept it's all out of stock, crap. i'll probably wait till it comes in stock again, that thing is NICE

i was also thinking of going with the 8800GTS rev 2 as well.

great thread btw thread maker

 

[larvi]

cool, thanks for all the help and advice guys, i'm all set to order now.

also, i think i'm gonna go with MoxManiac's recommendation of the E8400, cept it's all out of stock, crap. i'll probably wait till it comes in stock again, that thing is NICE

i was also thinking of going with the 8800GTS rev 2 as well.

great thread btw thread maker

Microcenter is showing in stock on the E8400:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281097

 

[Jaagen]

Ok, I've come to this:

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103231
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102726
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231121
Motherboard: Still undecided. I think I will go for a microATX one(AM2+)
OS HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136062R
Content HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136178R

If someone can find better prices, it would have been appreciated. Also, I have to get this stuff from a store, since Newegg doesn't send to Europe(going over to the US in march, so I plan to pick up stuff there...any good computerstores in the Oakland area?)

I forgot to mention that the soundcard is a crucial part of this system, as it's going to be used as a HTPC too.

OS will probably be Linux mint, as It got recommended at a norwegian forum.

 

[shpankey]

Microcenter is showing in stock on the E8400:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281097

when i click on "add it to bag" i get this...

"The product you requested is no longer available."

 

[Lhadatt]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102071R

Im interested in this... anyone ever purchase an open box item at newegg?

Do not buy open box anything. It's been used and returned.

At Fry's, open box items have to be returned more than 3 times to be labeled as defective if their technicians can't demonstrate that it's busted - and they do very simple tests that may not show the problem. I don't know how Newegg does things, but I wouldn't trust their techs.

 

[Lhadatt]

Are you planning on overclocking or running SLI or just looking for something cheap that will work?

Edit - just took a quick look at NewEgg and the Gigabyte P35-DS3L is a good reasonably priced board, no SLI but good overclocking ability:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

Thanks. I'm not too interested in overclocking, but it's a consideration.

How are the Asus, Abit, and Intel boards?

Also, what's a good sound card for a 2-speaker desktop setup? I have an Audigy SE PCI in my current build, but I wouldn't mind upgrading.

 

[Cheeto]

How are the Asus, Abit, and Intel boards?

Also, what's a good sound card for a 2-speaker desktop setup? I have an Audigy SE PCI in my current build, but I wouldn't mind upgrading.

<3 Asus

and use onboard sound. Unless you're an audiophile, onboard is fine 90% of the time.

 

[Septimus]

Question: I have a Pentium D in my current PC (I believe it's either 3.2 Ghz or 3.4 "dual core"). Are there any downsides to my CPU? I would like to keep it and just upgrade my GPU (which is an old radeon x550) to an 8800 GT.

 

[larvi]

when i click on "add it to bag" i get this...

"The product you requested is no longer available."

Oops, same here. I guess it really wasn't in stock, I didn't actually try to add it the bag. Sorry about getting your hopes up. It does appear to be OOS everywhere I've checked too.

 

[Demigod Mac]

(new at this, so please be patient)

Looking to put together a rig that'll run Bioshock, Crysis, UT3, CoD4, preferably cheap but decent performance. $600 range.

Can you pretty much throw together any combination of CPU, mobo, PSU, case and expect it to work, or are there any "gotcha" elements involved?

 

[Shoho]

I have saved quite a bit of money for a new computer.

I knew it was going to be either an Apple, and then use boot camp for gaming, or a laptop. I decided to go with the laptop because I wanted portability. I dont know anything about upgrading or building my own, and I dont want to frankly. I would rather have a cohesive hardware pack. i dont care about hardware customization. its the software i want to customize and make uniqe.
I looked at some really expenssive ones, like the crazy World of Warcraft edition of Dells XPS m1730 machine, and the alienware m15x. But I heard that the customer support was beyond shit for both of them, so I decided not to fork so many money into something that will get outdated quickly.

I looked for so many brands. I got acid burns in my stomache for overthinking about it and comparing different laptops. I decided that I wanted a 15' screen. It seemed like the right size. And I already had an 1080i HDTV that I could hook it up too.

I went with a zepto machine. I havent got it yet, but I ordered a couple of days ago.


weight: 2.7 kilo. Seems not to bad. Its no Macbook Air, but I think its okay.
Screen: 15' 1680x1050 Crystal clear(glossy) screen.
built-in 1.3 Pixel webcam, 7.1 digital surround sound, tv-tuner and bluetooth.
2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, T9500(Penryn) 800 MHz 6MB
4 GB DDDR2 pc5300
200 GB 7200prm Harddrive
Nvidia Geforce 8600 GT 512 DDR2 memory
Samsung DVD Drive
6 Cell battery, with an additional 12 Cell Battery
Vista Home Premium 32 bit(I know, I know... but I am not gonna take my chances with crap not working under 64bit. Not now at least)
Ports: 4 USB, VGA, minijack(sound)

price incl. VAT: 2.432,98 €(around 3,600 US Dollars)


Its important to remember that this include the crazy VATs and other stupid taxes that reign supreme in the EU. Everything is more expenssive here. I got the computer though without having to pay tax, so I got for around 2,600 Dollars.

Im sure that there are tons of higher specced similiar offers, but I think its okay. At least I hope so.

I have never owned a laptop before. I hope it will be a great experience, because my computer got destroyed last year.
I dont care about playing games at max resolution with the highest settings and all that. I just was a decent all-around computer. Some of does alienware laptops have enough LEDs and glowing stuff that it can give you a stroke:I

 

[Kosma]

Question: I have a Pentium D in my current PC (I believe it's either 3.2 Ghz or 3.4 "dual core"). Are there any downsides to my CPU? I would like to keep it and just upgrade my GPU (which is an old radeon x550) to an 8800 GT.

A mate of mine has single core AMD 3800+ with the 8800 (320mb) and he can run most games fine (except Crysis). I'd say you'll be fine for now, but a new dual core CPU wouldn't hurt you either.

(new at this, so please be patient)

Looking to put together a rig that'll run Bioshock, Crysis, UT3, CoD4, preferably cheap but decent performance. $600 range.

Can you pretty much throw together any combination of CPU, mobo, PSU, case and expect it to work, or are there any "gotcha" elements involved?

Well you have to make sure your Mobo is compatible with your CPU. As far as performance goes, for 600 you can get everything you need, even a top end system if you have some parts already.

I went with a zepto machine. I havent got it yet, but I ordered a couple of days ago.

I hate to say this because you've already ordered it, but I heard some horrendous stuff about Zepto recently. Their distributor in the Netherlands even stopped selling them because of their customer support.

Your laptop looks really nice , but you could get something that would be just as good for games for 1000 euro from Dell (which would prob work even better for games because of it's better GPU) . The 8600GT is the bottleneck of any gaming laptop so you really don't need the 2.6 GHZ Penryn in there because it won't be fully utilized for games now. Plus the 8600gt 512 MB RAM version uses DDR2 memory, the 256 MB version uses DDR3 and is vastly superior.

If you still have a chance cancel your order imho.

 

[Demigod Mac]

Another question:

I'm seeing people link cases + PSU that cost $60 together, but then I'm seeing PSUs and cases that cost $100 each - what's the difference and purpose? Is one for those who use quad-core CPUs and SLI video cards and the other for a general purpose computer?

 

[shpankey]

Oops, same here. I guess it really wasn't in stock, I didn't actually try to add it the bag. Sorry about getting your hopes up. It does appear to be OOS everywhere I've checked too.

figures, i would get my credit card out and have everything set and ready and the whole internet is out of the cpu i want. :lol

damnit damnit damnit damnit.

 

[Cheeto]

Another question:

I'm seeing people link cases + PSU that cost $60 together, but then I'm seeing PSUs and cases that cost $100 each - what's the difference and purpose? Is one for those who use quad-core CPUs and SLI video cards and the other for a general purpose computer?

If a case is $100, pretty much means it is made out of aluminum. Which is a more expensive metal, but will keep temps down. Also good for absorbing some sound.

 

[Kosma]

Another question:

I'm seeing people link cases + PSU that cost $60 together, but then I'm seeing PSUs and cases that cost $100 each - what's the difference and purpose? Is one for those who use quad-core CPUs and SLI video cards and the other for a general purpose computer?

This is an example of a 100$ Case. Note the two fans in the front, plus huge fan on top and another one at the rear. Excellent airflow , extra cooling for your HDD's. Heavy tower of thick aluminum that reduces noise. Excellent choice if you have the cash and really want to push your system (with overclocking etc.).

Now here's the cheap 50 euro case (400 Watt CPU included in the price!) I use. Only 1 big fan in the back, not so hot design, thin cheap metal that is more noisy.

Because It's position is like this next to the table I haven't closed the case off even, which keeps the temps down :lol

A better PSU will get you more juice and a more stable system overall. There's a PSU calculator in the OP that should help you.

 

[Borys]

I have saved quite a bit of money for a new computer.

Way, way overpriced. You could get a similiar performing machine for like $1000 less :O

Never heard about this manufacturer also, not a good sign.

Your GPU is the bottleneck, it's basically same as mine. Forget about gaming in your notebook native resolution (1600x1000).

It has a great CPU, great amount of RAM and other stuff but man, that GPU is going to hold you back.

Too bad you didn't search longer or asked here, we would recommend some pretty good laptops to you. TOSHIBA Satellite Pros for example are cheaper and on similiar perf. level.

BTW I have owned 4 laptops in the span of 1.5 years :lol I'm a laptop maniac. I want that HP Dragon :O

 

[Shoho]

Hmm, is the GPU that bad?

from everything I could see, there was nothing like it, in the same price range.

I knew I wanted a relatively light system in the 15' range. I knew I needed it for more than games.


I looked at stuff from toshiba, and asus... Was not crazy about the design. If 17' was not going to work, I couldnt find any gaming laptops in the 15' range.

 

[Kosma]

Hmm, is the GPU that bad?

from everything I could see, there was nothing like it, in the same price range.

I knew I wanted a relatively light system in the 15' range. I knew I needed it for more than games.


I looked at stuff from toshiba, and asus... Was not crazy about the design. If 17' was not going to work, I couldnt find any gaming laptops in the 15' range.

Dell gives you this, a rig that would prob beat yours in most games thanks to a faster GPU.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 2.0GHz
15.4"
2GB Ram
250GB 5400rpm
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT (DDR3)

With free coupons I found online I've gotten this rig down to 768 euro (including shipping!!!)

 

[1-D_FTW]

Just noticed this thread. Can't believe (actually I can) the e8400 prices. I remember when I saw the first benchmark and saw them in stock for under 200 dollars. Was actually tempted to sell my e6750 (Going for almost as much on ebay). But I figured, nah, not worth the hassle. Just assumed lack of demand was because people wanted the quad core. Now they're OOS everywhere.

 

[Shoho]

Dell gives you this, a rig that would prob beat yours in most games thanks to a faster GPU.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 2.0GHz
15.4"
2GB Ram
250GB 5400rpm
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT (DDR3)

With free coupons I found online I've gotten this rig down to 768 euro (including shipping!!!)

its just that I need it for other stuff aswell. I just dont think Dell would be a good idea, considerin everything I heard about them.

 

[Cheeto]

http://www.dailytech.com/Dell+Launches+XPS+630+Gaming+Desktop/article10865.htm

For those of you non-DIY'ers out there. A pretty pimp machine can now be had from Dell. $1300 buys you a rig that will dominate all games.

 

[Superblatt]

As of now, my new machine is going to go with an integrated video card to save a few bucks. I know this is an extreme bottleneck, but what would you guys recommend with this config video card wise?

A few links to newegg would be greatly appreciated!

Ideally, I'd like to spend ~100 bucks on a video card.

Intel Core2 processor Q6600 (2.40Ghz 1066FSB) w/Quad Core Technology and 8MB cache
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz
500GB Serial ATA II Hard Drive(7200RPM)
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, English

 

[Epix]

I'm considering the Intel Q6600. Which stepping do I want (B3 or G0)? How do I know which stepping I'm getting, and where do I find out about which steppings are better for whatever reason?

 

[NIghtWolf]

This is an example of a 100$ Case. Note the two fans in the front, plus huge fan on top and another one at the rear. Excellent airflow , extra cooling for your HDD's. Heavy tower of thick aluminum that reduces noise. Excellent choice if you have the cash and really want to push your system (with overclocking etc.).

Now here's the cheap 50 euro case (400 Watt CPU included in the price!) I use. Only 1 big fan in the back, not so hot design, thin cheap metal that is more noisy.


Because It's position is like this next to the table I haven't closed the case off even, which keeps the temps down :lol



A better PSU will get you more juice and a more stable system overall. There's a PSU calculator in the OP that should help you.

ya ya ya, you just took my case xD, I brought the p5k over ebay and awaiting to make my monster PC!!

 

[Cheeto]

As of now, my new machine is going to go with an integrated video card to save a few bucks. I know this is an extreme bottleneck, but what would you guys recommend with this config video card wise?

Whatever 8800 fits your budget.

$170, Get 9600GT

$200-$250, get 8800GT

$250-$300, get 8800GTS(G92)

I'm considering the Intel Q6600. Which stepping do I want (B3 or G0)? How do I know which stepping I'm getting, and where do I found out about which steppings are better for whatever reason?

G0 will run cooler, but really it's not that big of a difference.

 

[ghostmind]

For anyone that PC games on their HDTV instead of a monitor... any thoughts on it? I've got a 1080i/720p set with 1 DVI port and am considering using a 3-1HDMI reciever to attach a PC and PS3 to the HDTV.

How is PC gaming on a 61" screen at that resolution (using an 8800GT)? Would I be better off keeping it plugged into a 22" monitor? The PC will have a S/PDIF out, so I assume that hooking that up to the reciever should get my desired sound?

Any comments, assistance would be helpful...

 

[jvalioli]

Just wanted to pop in and say that if anyone is looking for a good case, the Antec P182 is a beast. Simplistic design and I swear it is so quiet that I can't even tell that my PC is on(Okay, that is a lie, but it is quiet!). The bays with pull-out hard drive bays make it really easy to install hard drives too.

 

[Cheeto]

For anyone that PC games on their HDTV instead of a monitor... any thoughts on it? I've got a 1080i/720p set with 1 DVI port and am considering using a 3-1HDMI reciever to attach a PC and PS3 to the HDTV.

How is PC gaming on a 61" screen at that resolution (using an 8800GT)? Would I be better off keeping it plugged into a 22" monitor? The PC will have a S/PDIF out, so I assume that hooking that up to the reciever should get my desired sound?

Any comments, assistance would be helpful...

You should have no issue with the sound.

If it is an LCD TV you will have zero issue, that is for sure. Some other types of TVs though, depending on the make and model, have scanning issues when you use PC resolutions. This is easily handled by changing the resolution closer to what the TV accepts.

 

[ag-my001]

Just wanted to pop in and say that if anyone is looking for a good case, the Antec P182 is a beast. Simplistic design and I swear it is so quiet that I can't even tell that my PC is on(Okay, that is a lie, but it is quiet!). The bays with pull-out hard drive bays make it really easy to install hard drives too.

I can say the same about the Antec Sonata III. Very classy looking when all the doors are closed, and the pull-out bays for all the drives (once I bothered to read that part of the manual) make installation so much easier. The included 500W Earthwatt power supply is just icing. Though with all the wiring options, it did make tying them out of the way for better airflow a bit annoying.

 

[bee]

For anyone that PC games on their HDTV instead of a monitor... any thoughts on it? I've got a 1080i/720p set with 1 DVI port and am considering using a 3-1HDMI reciever to attach a PC and PS3 to the HDTV.

How is PC gaming on a 61" screen at that resolution (using an 8800GT)? Would I be better off keeping it plugged into a 22" monitor? The PC will have a S/PDIF out, so I assume that hooking that up to the reciever should get my desired sound?

Any comments, assistance would be helpful...

i use a hdtv as a secondary screen, 40" 1080p i use it for all my pc gaming actually except games where i actually want to be competitive as i find you cant play properly a long way from the screen and also on a huge screen aiming seems harder, other than that there really are no issues unless your particular tv has overscan problems and at 720p an 8800gt is gonna run every single game out there (bar 1) at like 16xaa 16xaf

 

[Slo]

Would a DVI cable give me any noticeable difference in visual quality compared to a VGA cable?