Finally building new computer (is serious now o.o)

[CaffeinePowered]

[quote author=CaffeinePowered link=topic=1802.msg50701#msg50701 date=1227218412]
if you go with a GTX280 its going to pump out a lot higher resolution than your TV can handle.

Isn't yours powering a 19" CRT? 
[/quote]

Its actually a 17" 5 year old mitsubishi with a max res of 1280

Thats going to change next Friday...

[WTF Joel]

I'm prolly gonna buy the monitor now, if that is fine... I can't imagine why it would cause an issue...

Edit: Monitor taken care of, check that off the list.

[Vandamguy]

I'm prolly gonna buy the monitor now, if that is fine... I can't imagine why it would cause an issue...

Edit: Monitor taken care of, check that off the list.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

you def dont want that dell , or that acer heap of crap

the acer has shit for contrast ratio and 5ms response time , poor viewing angles and looks 'fuzzy'
the dell has a 3000:1 contrast ratio 5ms response decent viewing angle, problem with it is its got a GLOSSY finish on the screen, so its going to GLARE any lightsource into yoru eyeballs.

get
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=3...lectronics
or
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=2...re=Samsung
or
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=2...=ViewSonic
or
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddet...9710&catid=
or
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddet...0850&catid=
^^ best one

[Vlambo]

i have the Lg W2242T that Vandam linked. It's a great monitor, and is good for the price. Best $200 spent for this computer

[Vandamguy]

i have the Lg W2242T that Vandam linked. It's a great monitor, and is good for the price. Best $200 spent for this computer

i think aerox has it too

[WTF Joel]

Would it be insane to request a valid list by Monday morning? o.o

[rumsfald]

Would it be insane to request a valid list by Monday morning? o.o

Yes, cause asking this group of 300 people you are going to get 300 opinions. Some good, some bad, some biased, some American, some European, some trolls.  I'd recommend you look at the parts recommended by people here and pick and choose based on your preferences.

black case http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6811112025
asus mobo http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6813131297
evga nvidia 260 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6814130370
zalman 1k psu http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6817379009
8 gig corsair ram http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6820145194
cpu 3.1 duo http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6819115036
2x750gb seagate drives http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6822148187

Total: $1,670.47

Notes:
-you are on your own for keyboard and mouse. most of these are highly individual decisions, and not very expensive. there are tons of posts on these boards about keyboards/mice

-burners are so cheap it's not worth commenting on

-the cpu comes with a stock heatsink fan. Artic cooling makes a nice one for half the price of the one you picked, but it's only 30 bucks so up to you http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6835186134

-This build will NOT run SLI nvidia cards. to do that, you would need an nvidia-based motherboard, and frankly the intel chipset boards are better. You could run 2 ATI in Crossfire with this mobo and psu, but since your preference is nvidia and since the newegg.ca prices on ATI cards seem to be high i'm not gonna spec that. Some ATI fanboy here will if you ask nicely.

-I think the dual-core is better bang/buck than quad.

-need vista to run 8 gig ram. vista prices on newegg.ca are insane and no vista premium option, so buy your os elsewhere.  IF you plan on re-using an old XP license, then you can scale down to 4GB and save some cash.

-yes, psu is overkill, but this way you can crossfire 2 ATIs in 2 years if you get a boner to do that.

These major parts will do you good for 2 years. It gets damn hard to predict after that, no matter what you pay now, $1500 or $3500 it's going to be old in 3 years and near crap in 4 years. My suggestion is to shoot for around 1500 max, take the extra 500-600 you were planning on spending and save it for when you want to upgrade in 3 years.

Again, it's your choice, Joel. We're just trying to show you the good options for you to pick from.


Also, remember to get compressed air to clean out all the furry fur that gets on the fans. YUCK.

[x]

-This build will NOT run SLI nvidia cards. to do that, you would need an nvidia-based motherboard, and frankly the intel chipset boards are better.

Orly?

Also,

-I think the dual-core is better bang/buck than quad.

It's been stated that Joel does some amount of work involving processor heavy apps (editing, encoding, etc.) that will take advantage of the extra cores, so in his case quad is probably a sound choice.

[rumsfald]

Nvidia will support sli on the the x58, which is for the i7 cpus. Not on CoreDuos or Quads.  Are you offering to spec out an i7 rig?

I have stated earlier in the thread that it's Joel's preference to pick a quad if he thinks it will better suit his needs based on the apps he runs (I personally don't know what multimedia apps support multicores). He asked me in PM this morning for a list to help him make his choice by monday (as he stated above), and I obliged and noted that it was my opinion that duo was still the better bang for buck.

[copulatingduck]

[quote author=Metal Lemur Solid link=topic=1802.msg50786#msg50786 date=1227285985]
Would it be insane to request a valid list by Monday morning? o.o

Yes, cause asking this group of 300 people you are going to get 300 opinions. Some good, some bad, some biased, some American, some European, some trolls.  I'd recommend you look at the parts recommended by people here and pick and choose based on your preferences.
[/quote]

QFT. You're gonna get plenty of opinions, and nobody is going to agree.

For instance, I would say if you get a GTX280 that you not even bother with SLI. Card will eat anything out alive, and when it gets to the point where your card can't eat anything alive, they'll likely not be selling them anymore. Furthermore, as Blues said earlier, it's much harder to see a difference in performance with higher framerates. And the 280 already runs *ridiculously* hot, if you're going to SLI with 2, the slots need to be far apart, with 3, go with watercooling.

If you really just want to blow everything you have on a rig, go for it, but that's never been my style. If you're looking for a beast with value, I suggest studying CPU benchmarks and GPU benchmarks to see what kind of beast you can put together while having money leftover. While quad-core would handle some applications better, for me, the more than 100% increase in price is not worth difference between an encoding taking 30 minutes instead of 40 minutes.

Other than that, I wouldn't touch i7 with a 10ft pole right now. Should at least wait a few months for prices to come down and faster chips to come out. That and i7's don't really sound like they're made for gamers anyways. :-[

[x]

Nvidia will support sli on the the x58, which is for the i7 cpus. Not on CoreDuos or Quads.  Are you offering to spec out an i7 rig?

Do I look like the sorta cat that researches the links he posts to you?

Also,

For instance, I would say if you get a GTX280, you have more money than sense

[copulatingduck]

[quote author=rumsfald link=topic=1802.msg50791#msg50791 date=1227291186]
Nvidia will support sli on the the x58, which is for the i7 cpus. Not on CoreDuos or Quads.  Are you offering to spec out an i7 rig?

Do I look like the sorta cat that researches the links he posts to you?

Also,

For instance, I would say if you get a GTX280, you have more money than sense

[/quote]

Thanks Budr, I can always count on you to stop beating around the bush and just dive right in! :-*

[WTF Joel]

I know damn well I have more money than sense, what does that have to do with wanting a list? o.o

[WTF Joel]

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM  - $30.1
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution RC-830-KKN3-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail  - $302.92
2 Seagate DB35 Series 7200.3 ST3750840SCE 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM  - $244.98
EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail  - $512.02
ZALMAN ZM1000-HP 1000W Continuous @ 45°C (Maximum Continuous Peak: 1250W) ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Modular Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Pow - Retail  - $239.35
Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail  - $110.49
Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail  - $55.49
2 CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - Retail  - $293.88
ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Retail  - $232.49
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail  - $673.49
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail  - $32.64

Taxes - $354.91
Shipping - $122.03

Grand Total - $3,205.70

Thats a lot o.o

[x]

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail  - $673.49

hahahahahaha

Seriously, if you buy that lot, you're a fucking mug 

[Blues]

[quote author=Metal Lemur Solid link=topic=1802.msg50726#msg50726 date=1227231204]
I'm prolly gonna buy the monitor now, if that is fine... I can't imagine why it would cause an issue...

Edit: Monitor taken care of, check that off the list.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

you def dont want that dell , or that acer heap of crap

the acer has shit for contrast ratio and 5ms response time , poor viewing angles and looks 'fuzzy'
the dell has a 3000:1 contrast ratio 5ms response decent viewing angle, problem with it is its got a GLOSSY finish on the screen, so its going to GLARE any lightsource into yoru eyeballs.

get
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=3...lectronics
or
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=2...re=Samsung
or
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=2...=ViewSonic
or
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddet...9710&catid=
or
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddet...0850&catid=
^^ best one
[/quote]
You do realize that the "standard" for aspect ratio is 1000:1, right? You also realize that aspect ratios are an almost worthless spec because they are based around different standards per company, so the only time you should use them between monitors is when they're by the same manufacturer. I can make monitors, say that the aspect ratio is 5000:1, but it's actually comparable to 1000:1 by Dell.

Also, as I said, I'm currently using that exact monitor, and no, it's not fuzzy. Nor are the viewing angles bad, guess that's my fault for not playing extreme sports or doing jumping jacks or something while I'm on my comp. He already bought a monitor though, so no point worrying.

[quote author=Metal Lemur Solid link=topic=1802.msg50826#msg50826 date=1227311517]
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail  - $673.49

hahahahahaha

Seriously, if you buy that lot, you're a fucking mug 
[/quote]
That's for the guy with the 5k budget or whatever ridiculous amount he gave. I forgot that was in there when I said to take a look at that list, and am changing accordingly.

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM  - $30.1
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution RC-830-KKN3-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail   - $302.92
2 Seagate DB35 Series 7200.3 ST3750840SCE 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM  - $244.98
EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail  - $512.02
ZALMAN ZM1000-HP 1000W Continuous @ 45°C (Maximum Continuous Peak: 1250W) ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Modular Heatpipe-Cooled SLI Pow - Retail  - $239.35
Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail  - $110.49
Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail  - $55.49
2 CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - Retail  - $293.88
ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Retail  - $232.49
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail  - $673.49
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail  - $32.64

Taxes - $354.91
Shipping - $122.03

Grand Total - $3,205.70

Thats a lot o.o

Also, Lemur, that looks good with a couple problems. The first is the power source, you do not need a 1k W power source, nor one that expensive without going SLI. I'd suggest the Sigma Shark 635W PSU. They're a weird Wattage for sure, but they are solid fuckers, and the design actually does work as a nice heatsink, I'm using the 585W version and it did change my temps by a couple degrees, so it's not just one of those fancy selling points. Either will power your system fine, but the 635 has a 20$ rebate right now so it's the same price as the 585W.

Also, the processor is a bad buy if you don't have a ridiculous budget, my bad again for not catching that. For gaming, the E8500 is your best choice. Reasoning: Q9650 and Q9550 are almost exactly the same processor, as are the 8600 and 8500, so your only real matchup is the Q9550 and the E8500. The 8500 is 150$ cheaper than the 9550, and the 9550 boosts your performance by a few seconds in programs (takes like 2-10 seconds less to do some things), and a few frames in games (maybe 4-8 if you're lucky) in benchmarks. So for 150$ less you're getting a processor that's very slightly worse and runs cooler, will overclock better in the future, and uses less energy than the other. If you must have quad core, then get the Q9550, but I don't suggest it.

Your hard drives are outdated, the cache on those is 8MB. Bad buy. Seagate with 32MB Cache? Better buy.

The memory is a bad buy too, too expensive, you can up to 1066 for that price.

Lastly, I didn't catch the case either, I was REALLY tired when I told you to just look at that build, so I didn't notice quite a few things. Your system is not SLI, nor is it going to be running INCREDIBLY hot stuff, so I would say go with the Cooler Master Centurion 534. I suggest Cooler Masters in almost every build, because I have yet to run across a build with a similar case where there wasn't a Cooler Master that is comparable and generally, cheaper. They're solid, quiet (no reverb and the build quality is nice), and are usually set up for good air flow. I'm using a 534 right now and my temps are 30-35C across the board except the 9800GT I got a couple weeks ago, which is sitting at 41C. During gaming, I jump to about 40 and 50 respectively. Make sure to pick up an 80mm fan to stick in the front which will cool your HDD tray, and you could pick up some of Slayer's 120mm's if you want a bit of a temperature drop. (I've built a couple comps with the Centurion 5 model that use the stock fans and they're about 2-4C over mine)

Here's your list. I didn't include the fans because that's a personal choice on your part. Just search Slayer 120mm and pick up a couple if you want them.


Much better price, yeah? Also, picked that 280 over the EVGA because it has a higher clock speed, is a few dollars cheaper, and has a 50$ mail in rebate.

Direct link to picture. In case you need the item numbers, they look a bit squished to me for some reason in this pic.

[WTF Joel]

I took your advice blues, but Im going with the quad core, the one you suggested, and I chose a different case o.o tell me if it will do?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6811129021

[Blues]

I took your advice blues, but Im going with the quad core, the one you suggested, and I chose a different case o.o tell me if it will do?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6811129021

Same case for more money. With that case you get a better front airflow, but it's not hitting the essential parts full force so it's basically the same as the mesh design on the 534. The top down fan varies how it cools, but honestly you'll be looking at the same type of drop in temps you'd get from simply buying the Slayer fans which are like 20$ each. You're still saving 30$ on that case. Also, your card is xbox hueg, and will be blocking at least one of the 3.5 bays on that case, which is another reason I suggested the 534, which has a side facing HDD cage.

Also Antec cases with the bottom PSU tray are designed for Antec PSUs, and the cables from other PSUs may not reach all your other parts, or might need to be strung all over the place to get to where they need to go.

[Vandamguy]

You do realize that the "standard" for aspect ratio is 1000:1, right? You also realize that aspect ratios are an almost worthless spec because they are based around different standards per company, so the only time you should use them between monitors is when they're by the same manufacturer. I can make monitors, say that the aspect ratio is 5000:1, but it's actually comparable to 1000:1 by Dell.

i was going to get all wikipedia on your ass.
but , i am learned in the ways of Contrast ratio , and humbled.

http://www.ausmedia.com.au/projector%20c...0ratio.htm

(btw my monitors CR is 20,000:1 so i have a bigger dick)

Here's your list. I didn't include the fans because that's a personal choice on your part. Just search Slayer 120mm and pick up a couple if you want them.

i very much like this build

[WTF Joel]

Thanks to Blues, I have my build all worked out, and am purchasing now. So thank you all for input and help.