OT: Build Yer' Own Computer
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 1:08 PM CST
62 comments
Okay, I know there are probably better places to post this, but the problem is with those places is I don't know who the people there are. I'm not a computer person. But I know there are computer people here and that's why I'm comfortable asking questions here. And I figure there are enough computer people here that maybe this post could entertain a little conversation between them.
Okay, so here's what I need a computer to do. Business stuff. Typically I use Open Office but will be going to Seseme at some point. Web surfing, of course. The computer will be networked to another desktop and a laptop. I don't play games, but you know, someday I might. Probably not, but maybe. What I do, though, is photography. I want it to run Photoshop CS3 very quickly. I want it to run Photomatrix very quickly. And all that. I'm also a musician and would like to do my recording on the computer at somepoint. Not albums, but demo quality/songwriting sketchpad stuff. And at somepoint I may like to get into video. I usually do my editing at my friend's place for now, and he has a Mac and all the software.
I did some business with a guy at Microsoft Los Colinas the other day and he gave me a copy of XP pro. He said Vista's done and they're going to come out with some other kind of Windows that's faster "soon". Anyway, I do not want Vista...I'm building this computer and I want the power to go to the apps, not the operating system. XP has always treated me right, and I have a copy now for free so that's that.
I've picked out the components. Now I just want to make sure that all of them will work together properly. I'm also not sure about the video card. Did I overdo it? Does that affect the performance of photoshop? If I could get something less expensive that would suit me that would be fine. Also, I've never made my own computer before. Is the power supply enough? Are there things not listed that I left out?
Here's the stuff I picked out at NewEgg. The first number is the price, and then it's the component with link. Okay it will not let me make a link...I highlight a word and it gives me the option to "unlink". Whatever. URL, then.
<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
252.99 Motherboard/Processor Combo -- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=Combo.141498
<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
59.99 Case (inc. 585w Psu)
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16811121004
<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
54.99 RAM (4 GB)
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16820145184
139.99 HDD (WD 1TB)
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16822136284
27.99 CD/DVD RW
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16827151173
124.99 Graphics
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16814127379
24.99 Sound
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=N82E16829118105
I appreciate any thoughts or advice you can give me. I've upgraded computers before and am not exactly scared to do this, but I've never made one from the ground up before so it is unfamiliar territory. Thanks.
0 recs |
62 comments
Email
Print
Comments
Are you adament on building it yourself?
Because I usually find some awesome deals on desktops at slickdeals.net which should be what you need specs wise and should be less then what you’re paying there.
by slimshadty12 on Nov 13, 2008 1:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I don't mean to be a beggar
But if you could link me to a system that you think would meet my needs, I’ll look at it. And others could give input too.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 1:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well it's one of those things usually
where you might have to check the site everyday for a week or 2 because most of the deals go within 12 hours…I checked now and there is nothing really…
But for example they had a laptop (which are of course a lot more money) for $820. Here are the specs:
Dell EPP: XPS m1330 Laptop Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz, 4GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, WiFi, nVidia 8400M GS, Fingerprint Reader, Vista Premium X64, 13.3" WXGA LCD, 2MP Webcam $819
So I can imagine Desktops would be cheaper and more powerful…
Or if you want to still piece together your computer, I would buy a combo like they had on the website a week or two ago:
“Newegg has AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Quad-Core Black Edition OEM Processor for $159 and Corsair XMS2 4GB (2×2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Memory for $53 after $30 Rebate. There is a $45 discount when you buy them together as a Combo.
Totals are $159 + $83 – $30 MIR – $45 combo discount = $167 for both items. Thanks 45root.”
That looks like a better processor then the one you had and much cheaper.
by slimshadty12 on Nov 13, 2008 4:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
I may look more into these barebones kits. There were some combos on the New Egg site other than the Motherboard/CPU that I have listed, but they were like buy some RAM and get a webcam and other such nonsense.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 5:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/141925
Photosohop’s not very intensive, and if you need a new graphics card that particular piece is very simple to insert in an existing system.
This isn’t a particularly spectacular deal, but there are some fantastic ones you can catch on techbargains. I’m currently typing on a refurb Dell Studio 17 that I got for 550 a week ago; if it was new, It’d probably be 1200ish retail.
by Conjunction on Nov 13, 2008 2:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
When you work with very large 16-bit RAW files it is.
I’m not exactly a casual user of the program. With my 2.8Ghz system with a gig of RAM, it takes two minutes on a fresh boot to open a RAW file and get it to the editing screen. After I’ve worked with two or three images, it can take one minute just to make a simple curves adjustment.
It’s not unusual for me to work with 500 MB image files and higher, considering the layers and all that.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 2:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well that doesn't look too bad.
I’ve read where that specific HDD has problems, though, and I think I’d like a bit more processing power. But the price is good and it would probably do as long as the drive wouldn’t die.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 3:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Honestly,
unless you are doing gaming, 3D video compositing/editing/imaging, or some sort of Finite Element Analysis, most computers will easily handle whatever you are doing. Open Office and web surfing just don’t push the envelope of most computers.
Nolan Ryan is the Greatest Pitcher ever, because Google says so.
"BTW I’m officially welching ab03. Yeah I planned too all along, but I figured I’d try to get off the hook with double or nothing first."- Sharky
by DJCahill on Nov 13, 2008 2:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I know those two don't. An E-machine could handle those.
Look at my previous post about photoshop, and keep in mind that I may want to do some video production on this thing sometime in the future.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 2:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You should
look into getting a Mac if you are adamant about video production and Photoshop. They are on the expensive side but they are worth it.
by coolaid on Nov 13, 2008 2:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well
I’m not sure how much video production I’ll do on it. I think if I start out doing it on this one and I like it, then I probably will buy a Mac dedicated for that purpose. Otherwise I see them as a waste of money.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 3:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I think I posted that while you were posting your followup.
Nolan Ryan is the Greatest Pitcher ever, because Google says so.
"BTW I’m officially welching ab03. Yeah I planned too all along, but I figured I’d try to get off the hook with double or nothing first."- Sharky
by DJCahill on Nov 13, 2008 3:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
programs
photoshop isnt even very demanding.
on normal stuff I can barely tell a difference between using it on my 3 year old computer or my one I bought this spring. and i probably do more intensive stuff (at high resolutions) than the vast majority of non-professionals. really you just need to have a decent computer with a lot of ram. Although the 64 bit version does have a performance increase.
and the mac/pc stuff for graphic design is such a myth. pc is just as good at it. the only difference is that there are a few nice mac produced programs that people like, but there are nonetheless many options on pc.
ive used adobe after effects, premiere, photoshop, fireworks, etc. on them both.
anyway, end story here is that any modern pc will be able to more than handle casual use of photoshop and video editing just fine as long as you have ram, which is one of the cheapest parts of a computer.
the preceding post was a great success.
by DSheppard on Nov 13, 2008 4:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Again
I am not a casual user of photoshop. I thank you for your help but I wish there was a better way to communicate my workflow.
It’s not just RAM in my case. I also use Photomatrix and Neatimage a lot and those will really push a processor. Especially Neatimage (noise reduction). And when you have photos that are 75 megs out of the camera, it doesn’t take long to layer them up and have them pushing 6 or 700 megabytes. RAM has a lot to do with handling a file that size, but processor speed has a impact on processing a file of such magnitude.
Still, I can do all this with a lesser computer. But it’s a lot more enjoyable if things move along quickly.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 5:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
computer
based on what you said you’d use it for i really would recommend a mac.
as far as pc’s go your components arent bad, though im an intel fan myself. the quad core intels are pretty nice.
good choice in ram, maybe go with a better case/psu. people always underrate the need to a quality power supply.
also unless its 64bit xp the system wont utilize all 4gigs
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Nov 13, 2008 2:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
question
would the 64bit make it that much faster though for like CS, etc?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Nov 13, 2008 3:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
64bit
the real advantage to 64bit is it can address more than 3.2 gigs of ram (3.2 may not be exact but its about what 32bit xp reads). more ram is more useful to apps like photoshop.
i really havent done the research to see what photoshop does in 64bit, really the app would have to be optimized for it to really be faster
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Nov 13, 2008 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
bits
Damn. It doesn’t say on the box whether it’s 64 bit or not. It just says XP pro. I broke the seal and skimmed the manuals and looked at the disk and it didn’t say anything either.
My friend recommended that processor to me. The reviews on the case seemed pretty good…you think I should go for something else?
Anyway I have so much software that I have for Windows that I just don’t want a Mac. And I know you can get an intel Mac these days and do what you like with it, but it just seems to me that unless you do a lot of very serious video or music work, they’re just a hip brand. And like I said in another reply I don’t know how much video editing I’ll end up doing. I want the computer to be able to do some, for sure, but if I get serious about it then I would go ahead and buy a Mac at that point. Right now I don’t even own an HD camera…I borrow/collaborate with others.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
windows
if it doesnt say 64bit then its 32….honestly it wont effect you much just dont expect it to address all 4gigs.
myself i’m a mac user and gave up my pc over a year ago, i dont do video editing or anything i just love the hardware and the operating system. i was big into linux but got tired of always having to tinker to get wireless working , etc….with mac i get the benefits of a bsd system with a nice interface and more supported apps, etc. if i need windows i can boot directly to xp or launch vmware.
but its not for everyone i know.
as far as the case, im sure its fine i just always spent a decent chunk on case/ psu to get a good quality (one reason i left pc’s too was i spent too much on upgrades…it was a bad habit)
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Nov 13, 2008 3:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Okay.
Well with the 1 TB HDD I can just make a giant scratch drive or maybe use one of my current drives dedicated for that purpose. 3 GB of RAM should be enough. I did a quick read of 64 bit XP and honestly it sounds like a pain in the ass. But I’m glad you told me that.
It’ll be another month or so before I’m ready to build it, so I’ll watch that case and its reviews. If I see anything wrong I can always buy a better one. But the people on there now seem to think it’s a good deal.
Do you see anything about my choices that would lead to hardware conflicts? And does the stuff I listed have all the wires and stuff I’ll need or will I be running to Fry’s every two hours looking for something else. I heard that conflicts are the biggest problem, though, and buying this stuff through a website would make such things a lot worse. I’m tempted just to go to Fry’s for everything, but then they’d be a little higher and I’d have to pay tax.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 3:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
conflicts
i havent really had any isues with conflicts since windows 2000 days and that was mostly via chipset motherboards and crap drivers. you should be fine with what you got.
for me the key was always buying good parts not cheap generic ram, etc . but you didnt go the cheap generic route.
the only extra parts you may need are sata cables. oem drives usually dont have them and the mb comes with one
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Nov 13, 2008 3:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
oh
So I’d need another for the optical drive, too (SATA cable). What if I have a drive in the computer that I have now and want to use it? It’s IDE. Is it possible to hook it up or do I have to go all SATA? Smaller HDD’s are so cheap now I guess I could get an extra one for the scratch disk and that’s it.
I just don’t want to put it together and then it not work. I turn into the fucking Incredible Hulk or something when stuff like that happens and I can’t fix it in 10 or 15 minutes. If I had a legit conflict I couldn’t resolve then there’s no telling what I may do, haha.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 3:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Options
I’ve gone the route of buying a Mac clone, a G4, building my own AMD and Intel machines etc etc etc and have worked professional doing web/graphic design and such on both Windows and Mac.
Currently if I were to get a new computer right now, regardless of what operating system I was going with, I’d probably pick up one of the new MacBook Pro’s. I got the chance to setup a few of those this week and from a hardware standpoint they are very nice. Going that route you can partition you HD and setup a dual boot or virtual machine type situation so you can have the best of both worlds.
And I’m going to second Shep on the RAM comment. I would invest in at least 4GB for whatever direction you decide to go.
by rcreative on Nov 13, 2008 9:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yep
I’ll probably go ahead with the 4 megs since it’s bundled like that, even if the OS won’t let me use it all. Someday I may have an OS that will.
Not going to buy a Mac, though. Not right now anyway.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 10:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It all looks good based on your stated requirements... however
plan on adding another fan to the case. That CPU (95W) and video card will need more airflow than one 80mm fan.
by bking on Nov 13, 2008 4:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks
I may just go with a better case, like had been mentioned above. WIth what I have listed how much power supply do you think I really need?
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 5:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
PSU
you want 550-600W, that video card is a power sucker.
just make sure its a decent brand.
antec is good…they make nice cases too
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
by rentz on Nov 13, 2008 5:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks
To you and to everyone. You’ve given me some stuff to think about.
One other thing: I’ve upgraded stuff before and what have ya, but like I said I’ve never built one from scratch. And I’ve never installed an OS, either. I’m not afraid of hardware, but I there’s a lot about computers I don’t understand when it comes down to it and I know little to nothing about operating systems other than the fact that everyone I know and trust says to stay the hell away from Vista. Including the MS guy but he literally wouldn’t say that inside the building.
So, realistically, is this something I can get done in one or two evenings once I have the parts? Or are there a lot of unforeseen problems that can come up that I’ll get frustrated with? Building my own intrigues me, but if off-the-shelf computers are better than they used to be I suppose I could live with that if this is something that could theoretically drive me bat shit crazy.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 5:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It would take me one evening....
so two should be good for a novice with such a stellar support staff avalilable here….
by bking on Nov 13, 2008 5:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
There's nothing wrong with Vista
You’re just being a retarded jackass.
I type every one of my posts on Vista. Amazingly, it works 100% perfect.
Seriously, I havent had issue one. It’s a bunch of crap from liberals who hate MS.
Only annoying thing in Vista is the access prompts. But they’ve toned those down a lot and I just turned it off, easy cheesy.
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Only annoying thing in Vista is the access prompts. But they’ve toned those down a lot and I just turned it off, easy cheesy.
symantic came out w/ a tool that cuts back on those as well
vista isnt that bad really…at all
vista >>>>>>>> windows ME
now windows ME was bad.
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Nov 14, 2008 8:15 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
that vid card is not much of a power sucker
And he’ll be more than fine with a brand name 500 watt PSU. Probably a good deal lower actually. Requirments for massive PSU’s are usually heavily overblown.
Just the key is BRAND NAME. Even a 800 watt flimsy supply probably cant match a 400 watt quality one. If theres one area where quality is key in a PC, it’s the power supply.
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, you're wrong
I used a 420 watt PSU for my Athlon 64 FX-53; GeForce6800; with plenty of fans and cooling, still blew out the PSU.
Ever since I’ve moved over 500, haven’t come close to a single problem.
"He’s basically told himself unconsciously that he can’t be any good unless he catches 130 games a year. If he played with the baseball smarts of a guy like a David Eckstein, he’d maximize his talent and be an incredible player." - Andy Seiler, Texas Rangers Analyst
by Chase Irwin on Nov 16, 2008 10:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I've always built my own computers
But factory systems are so cheap right now, that I’m leaning towards that when I upgrade. Plus, Black Friday is coming up, and there are generally some good deals around this time of the year.
Regarding your OS, you probably don’t want XP 64 anyway. It’s buggy and difficult to find good drivers for. Your 32bit apps won’t see any noticeable benefit from using a 64bit processor. If you need to go 64, bite the bullet and go Vista 64.
Your video card is really overkill for what you want to do, but that’s a good price for that much power, so I wouldn’t change it if you stick with building your own system.
by chief on Nov 13, 2008 4:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I've just had really bad luck with them
And I don’t want Vista. Most of my computers have been built for me. I’ve had a Dell that exceeded my expectations, but all of the rest that came from a store or whatever sucked and were hard to upgrade.
Yeah when I read about XP 64 it did sound like a pain. The same issues you were describing. I don’t think I need the 64 bits just yet.
I thought the same thing about the video card but I figured I’d go ahead and get it because it’s cheap and I may want to play some Tony Hawk or something (if they still make that). At first I thought my video card (really cheap one bought under duress at Target or someplace by my ex-girlfriend) was giving me trouble with PS, and it may be a little but I don’t think it’s much of the problem. It’s just the fact that I have a slow processor and only a gig of the old kind of RAM, not this new faster stuff. And one Gig is all I can put on there. So it’s time for a new computer, for sure.
All I know is that my friend told me that I shouldn’t skimp on the motherboard and processor, because it’s not a lot more to get good stuff and I’ll be using it for several years. And the Microsoft guy told me the next Windows will be a lot less of a resource hog than Vista is, but will be a 64 bit OS.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 5:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah you do need the 64-bits
I bet your heavy photoshop work likes a lot of RAM. Cant get that in XP.
I run 64 Vista, it’s awesome.
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:47 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
2 places to watch:
Dell Outlet – be prepared 1st. Research the regular prices of some high-end models, and then check the outlet several times before pulling the trigger. Dell uploads to the outlet site at certain points during the day…you need to time it right for the best deals, and be prepared to execute quickly when a decission is made…or your choice will be sold out from under you.
FatWallet.com – Like slickdeals, but better, IMO. Some posters there make a living buying great deals and reselling on EBay. I should be able to get an Excel spreadsheet of all the best PC deals for you closer to Black Friday, if you would like.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Nov 13, 2008 6:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Please email that spreadsheet to me
if you get a chance.
Does it include laptops? That’s really what I’m in the market for during christmas, etc.
"He’s basically told himself unconsciously that he can’t be any good unless he catches 130 games a year. If he played with the baseball smarts of a guy like a David Eckstein, he’d maximize his talent and be an incredible player." - Andy Seiler, Texas Rangers Analyst
by Chase Irwin on Nov 16, 2008 10:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Done
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Nov 16, 2008 3:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
unfortunately
I got your e-mail but not your spreadsheet.
by Black Francis on Nov 16, 2008 4:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I can't stand buying from Dell
The computer I got from them was decent, but from what I hear that was just good luck. But the buying experience with them is what I don’t like.
Fatwallet, slickdeals…maybe these are popular retailers but I’ve never heard of them. I know NewEgg is good because I’ve bought lots and lots and lots of stuff with them and they’ve treated me very well.
But, yeah, I’d be happy to take a look at a spreadsheet if it’s not too much trouble. I’m not exactly hell bent on building my own, but I’ve thought about it for a long time.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 6:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Fatwallet is not a retailer,
more of a collection of cheap asses who troll the net for the best deals on stuff.
Ex: Recently, I could have bought a My Passport or somesuch with a special deal code I found on the forums, then bought a 25% off e-coupon from another website for $1, and essentially purchased the item for 40% of retail price from Staples online, with free shipping.
ZOMG!
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Nov 13, 2008 6:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting
Well, I could certainly see the value in that. I don’t know what a passport is. They used to make a radar detector called a “passport” back in the day, but I guess you’re talking about something different.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 6:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
External HDD, Book Style
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Nov 13, 2008 7:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
haha
Shit. I have one of those and it went right over my head.
External HDD are the best thing ever.
by Black Francis on Nov 13, 2008 7:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
newegg is very good
slickdeals/fatwalet are deal sites
and dell is pretty damn good, yes ive had some strange problems, but their warranty is amazing
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Nov 14, 2008 8:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Most of your components look fine
RAM, HDD, video card (for the price) etc.
A few things:
Get 64 bit Vista., I understand you’re a PC LSB liberal so I guess you wont do that. Fine, be a jackass, you’re only hurting yourself. I have 64 bit Vista and it’s fine, great. As I’m sure has been discussed 32 bit can only address 4GB of RAM, and that includes vidcard so it’s really like 3.5 GB in your case.
64 bit XP, well that’d just be gay, I’m not sure what the driver support is there, but it’s just not a good idea. Also XP is a lot less secure than Vista, and Vista has all the fancy new shit. It boots faster, it installs faster, on down the line.
There may be a few driver problems with 64-bit Vista, but it gets better daily. 64 Vista is definitely what the world is moving too.
The other big thing, I dont know what your price range is, but you really wanna be on Intel for the CPU these days. The performance is just way better. In most cases hell, a Intel dual core will eat a AMD triple core for lunch. I also recommend quad core, again if you can afford it, shouldnt be much more, I paid like $340 for my mobo ($90) and Intel Q6600 ($250) and that was months ago, so things should be cheaper now. For longevity I really recommend the quad core.
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:16 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Not for gaming
AMD >>>>>>>>>>> Intel
Shorter clock cycles.
"He’s basically told himself unconsciously that he can’t be any good unless he catches 130 games a year. If he played with the baseball smarts of a guy like a David Eckstein, he’d maximize his talent and be an incredible player." - Andy Seiler, Texas Rangers Analyst
by Chase Irwin on Nov 16, 2008 10:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
As of Nov 9
Here is a good survey: http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html
What’s interesting is the 40% / 60% split in favor of Intel, but I’m not sure why. I know the split used to be closer to 50/50, but I don’t know if people are shying away from AMD, or if AMD has suddenly fallen off a cliff, or what. Also, people are moving towards the 8800 for cards. I have the 7600 and it gives me ~ 122 FPS on most stress tests.
Every few months we run a hardware survey on Steam. If you participate, the survey collects data about what kinds of computer hardware and system software you’re using, and the results get sent to Steam. The survey is incredibly helpful for us as game developers in that it ensures that we’re making good decisions about what kinds of technology investments to make, and also gives people a way to compare their own current hardware setup to that of the community as a whole.
"He’s basically told himself unconsciously that he can’t be any good unless he catches 130 games a year. If he played with the baseball smarts of a guy like a David Eckstein, he’d maximize his talent and be an incredible player." - Andy Seiler, Texas Rangers Analyst
by Chase Irwin on Nov 16, 2008 10:48 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Like I'm going to listen to you.
No matter the topic, all you’ve shown me in several years on this site is a stellar ability to take the first and simplest solution that comes to you, and then it’s gospel. Don’t waste your time talking to me. Ever. I believe I’ve told you that before.
Maybe you should buy cheaper computer parts so you can pay off your idiotic bets.
by Black Francis on Nov 14, 2008 12:41 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
You're a real maroon
LOL, okay buy a shit AMD tri core then. I’m just trying to help. Maybe you should look at some benchmarks first though.
And yeah, stay away from Vista, Zealot. Obama would be proud of you.
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I would go with this CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
$190 bucks. It’s what I have. Notice almost 2500 reviews, it’s what everybody buys.
I’d get this motherboard, I scanned and sorted by most reviews, this is one of the cheapest and has lots of reviews, and it’s asus a solid brand. I also saw a lot of micro ATX boards for around 50, even good brand names. But personally I dont like to skimp too much on the mobo.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
It’s 115. Combined thats 305. 55 more than your choice, but I’d say WELL worth it, you’re getting literally probably double the performance, and much more future proof.
I’d just really stay away from that slow AMD tri core. If the Quad is too rich, then get an Intel Dual Core, it will still be way faster than that AMD. Even some programs only can “see” 2 or 4 cores, so the third core can be useless.
And the other major area of concern I forgot to address with your components is the power supply. Cases that come with off brand PSU’s are a no-no. Power Supply is one area you really want a solid name brand. I’d get this or something like it. This is what I have in mine. It’s no uber PSU but it’s solid and effective.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371019
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 12:52 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Well, Sharky
I do appreciate that you’re trying to help, but I’m not going with Vista. I have reasons (the first of which is a free copy of XP Pro). And you know I could afford a Mac if it was some kind of anti-Microsoft bias. But, no, I’m using XP. A Microsoft product. And I’ve always used Microsoft products. I’ve never owned a computer that didn’t have a Microsoft operating system. I’m not sure what that makes me, Sharky, but I know it doesn’t make me an “anti-Microsoft” zealot.
The MS engineer told me himself that they’re already moving away from Vista (I say this for the second time) and are developing something else for 2010 or 2011, although that probably means 2013 in Microsoft Years. He himself told me to wait. Do you expect me to trust you more than I trust him?
by Black Francis on Nov 14, 2008 1:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i wouldn't build your own anyway
unless you like the idea. sounds like you dont have the knowledge. wiring the front panel connections for example threw me my first time.
i’ve always built my own and it’s fun to me, but even i almost would prefer to just buy one now in my old age.
and yeah, windows 7. which kinda pisses me off since i just paid for vista a few months ago..
by Sharky on Nov 14, 2008 1:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
going to windows 7
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Nov 14, 2008 8:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Okay
I used my mom’s computer pretty extensively yesterday and it has Vista. Assuming I can turn some of that shit off and get a faster computer than hers, I suppose I could live with it if I had to.
So my question is (Sharky has voiced his opinion; I’d like to hear from others):
Win XP Pro, fairly high end processor and motherboard, four MB RAM, or
Win Vista, same processor and motherboard, as much RAM as the board will take.
Which would be faster right now? Now I’m not computer genius, but it seems to me that XP is going to be supported for a while and it’s very stable…hooking it up with good hardware right now would make it fly. The hardware I get will be more than capable of a Windows 7 upgrade in a few years.
I got an Email from my “friend” at Microsoft yesterday morning, a reply to some questions I had about 7. He said it’s based on Vista but they’re doing something with Kernals or something that will make it use fewer resources. He says they already have it faster than Vista, but have stability problems with it so it will be some time before those are fixed and it’s ready to hit the market. Doesn’t know how long, but still recommends that I go with XP.
Neatimage, a program I use to clean up noise in photos, is essentially a giant Fourier filter and its performance depends on the power of the processor. I ran it on my laptop which has a dual core Pentium and it beat my desktop to shit even though the desktop has a big RAM advantage. So I’m thinking that once you get to a certain point with RAM, you’re okay and for my applications I’d rather have the processor working on what I’m doing instead of driving the OS.
Is my logic sound?
by Black Francis on Nov 16, 2008 12:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Holy Crap:
Western Digital 750GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive $88.88???
Yowzers!
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on Nov 16, 2008 4:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
