Should I buy - or build my new computer?

sickofsoyo · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:56 pm Post subject:

well, you could always get an external modem for your computer... then you can keep all the ports and X-FI and internal in the PCI slots. You have dial-up Im guessing?
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Rocksteady · Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject:

YIKES SoS, Dial-up???? I got cable about 2 1/2 years ago, & went from 384k to 780 something, then 3 mgs, then last week converted to 5 mgs and it's still slower than I'd like. Dial-up drove me nutz for 3 years starting out, tho.

Update, a good old friend ( non-TNer ) has offered to build one for me, and definitely does know his stuff. I'm limited on certain parts because:

Mom decided not to give me $700 because the porch repair cost more than anticipated, taxes, yada yada,

So this is Plan B:

I'll order as many Dell parts as I have to, after spending the $600 cash (from my aunt) on the better / better priced components.

With the $1500 loan from Dell, I might as well get the 24" monitor, hmmmm, Do you have to sit way far back from it (2y? 2Dad?)

Anyway, it was a setback, but it didn't stop me,

Probably even be the best way,,

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2old2care · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:20 am Post subject:

Rocksteady · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:34 pm Post subject:

Thanks 2dad, that's the one I'll probably get then. This 17" one I have now is pretty little!

Btw, I see where Dell gives you the option of a 2nd monitor.

Uhhhhh, 2 monitors for the same computer?.....? Do they daisy-chain off each other, or are there 2 separate monitor out connections on the computer itself?

(and what would I need 2 monitors for anyway...? ..

)
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2old2care · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:34 pm Post subject:

Many (but not all) video cards support dual monitors. What they do is basically double your workspace. For example if you have two 19" 1200X1024 monitors you can make your workspace 2400X1024.
There are other things dual (and multiple) monitors can do in specific applications that support them, also.

The 24" is nice and can be had for just over 700, which is about the best price for any large format around. But the 20.1" isn't a bad monitor either and can be had for just over 300 when you catch one of their deals. We've had one of them for about 18 months now, and it works just fine.
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Didn't ya mean 1200x2048, 2o?

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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

nevermind, I can't read.............lmao
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Rocksteady · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject:

Ok guys, below are 2 lists of parts, the first from Directron.com - (I always call it Dellton..

The 2nd list of parts is coming from Dell)

This little monster will have 4 gigs of memory which will be a nice change from my 256MBs!!! Mad

I thank you kindly for all for your input, it's been a long week reading reviews & deciding exactly what I did - and did not need. What I wanted was a balance of power, cooling, memory & speed to suit what I'm doing within a $2k budget..

My not being a gamer makes it less necessary for the hair trigger precision as you all need, but check it out and see what ytou think. Everything listed below is either on the way or back ordered.

I really appreciate the posts & PM's with all that great advice, which really helped me make choices.

I LOVE TN for this, you guys ROCK! headbang

. The guy building it has added his suggestions also, so collectively, this cool computer is a product of many minds.
I wish I'd had another $4000, but here's what the budget allowed with the Dell loan & Aunt's Christmas check::

Black nMEDIAPC Micro-ATX Computer Case HTPC 280BA, IEEE 1394, Aluminum Front, S/PDIF Jack
Power Supply: CoolMax 400W V-400 ATX PSU 20+4 pin, SATA, 14616(+27.99)

*Double Box Servce: Double Box [extra packing](+5.00) 135.97 1 135.97
Abit NF-M2 nView mATX Motherboard, Nvidia GF6150 Chipset, Supports AMD M2 CPUs, Dual DDR2 800, PCI-E, SATA RAID, RoHS Compliant
167.99 1 167.99

Black Samsung E-IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner SH-S182D, 18X DVD+/-R, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+/-R DL. OEM

*Add Round IDE Cable: Black UV Single Device Rounded IDE Cables UV-12(+2.49) 33.48 1 33.48
Black nMEDIAPC Aluminum External USB 2.0 All-in-1 Card Reader & Writer, Model: ZE-C26
11.99 1 11.99

Thermaltake TMG A2 AMD CPU Cooler CL-P0373, for AMD Socket AM2 / 939 / 754, 4-Pin PWM Function
28.99 1 28.99
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Operation System Software SP2b on CD, w/ Upgrade Coupon for Vista-OEM

A4Tech RainBow Shinning Optical Mouse, Model: SWOP-3, Color: Blue
7.99 1 7.99

Total Purchases 428.40
Shipping 18.86
Tax 0.00
Total for Directron.com - Computer Super Store

And from Dell:

Item Number Quantity Item Description

A0797645 1 2.2 GHz Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual-Core Processor PIB

A0918937 2 2GB 800MHZ HYPERX DDR2-CL4 LOW LAT NVIDIA SLI

A0607038 2 250 GB 7200 RPM Barracuda 7200.9 Serial ATA II Internal Hard Drive - RoHS Compliant

A0684840 1 GeForce 7300GS 256MB PCIe

A0703245 1 104-Key Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard Black/silver with purple illumination

Subtotal: $1139.38
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $56.98

Total: $1196.36

[/img]http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9048/1312701302dq3.jpg[img]

Notice I haven't ordered the monitor yet - I have to contact a forum miderater @ Dell to make sure I get the newest model with the A00 start model # because of some kind of banding problem when you run DVI.. It's the Dell 2007FWP wide panel Ultrasharp 20" (you convinced me 2dad!

) I think these are made by Sony...?

This computer will be used for my photo stuff & music - I'm running a new OS (XPPro) thru the old Dell for the business stuff.

I hope the house doesn't burn down with all the watts going on,
not to mention all the candles on my cake next week!!! Very Happy

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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

The only thing I would suggest is a better PSU. Not necessarily more wattage, but a better model that uses the wattage more efficiently.

Here's a few options:

http://www.directron.com/tp3430.html
http://www.directron.com/eg475axsfma20.html
http://www.directron.com/s12650energy.html
http://www.directron.com/tp3650.html

I'm running the last one myself, and it's a killer PSU. Quiet, rock solid, powering four HDD's, six case fans, my vid card, optical drive, and a liquid cooling setup without a hiccup. Might cost you an extra $80, but it is well worth the money. Don't skimp on the PSU (if I had a penny for every time I said that..........

)
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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Oh, and one other thing to keep in mind........the DVD burner, being OEM, will come with no software at all, so make sure you either have a DVD burning program or budget to buy Nero or similar. Otherwise, you won't be doing much DVD burning.

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Rocksteady · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:49 pm Post subject:

I'd have to re-wire the house if I got 2 processors or 2 video cards, fnf

- really - I had to take that into consideration.. I'll ask about it tho, thanks!
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Xal · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:21 am Post subject:

Another thing to be wary of is that case. Its a mini case and I doubt the CPU cooler you picked out will fit properly inside it, even if it fits it will be very cramped in that little case. Bare in mind that that is a standard configuration cooler that draws air from the top. Unless the case has vents in the top you may have airflow issues. I would recomend either a different case (midi tower) or you try to find a side angle cooler like this

Note, I say like that not nesscesaraly that

I just clicked the first cooler that demonstrated what I was talking about

You might even want to go with a Zalman cooler, their main product also has top down air intake but is significantly lower profile than the cooler you listed and should give better performance in that case.

Rule number one of building a cool running box
Make sure the case has LOTS of airflow and the fans have space to draw air from.

Good luck

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Xal · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:23 am Post subject:

Ok, just had a better look at that case, its bigger than I first thought

Still would be better off with a cooler that blows the air out the back of the case rather than down

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Rocksteady · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:35 am Post subject:

Xal, that's exactly what I thought and was the first thing I asked when I saw the smaller case -

He said that it's a more efficiently directed airflow over the components as opposed to trying to push dead air around in a larger space..

In other words, making it a small channel to flow through, the air is more powerful, mph, iif you will, and so cools BETTER.

I also have a homemade wood box it will fit into with a radio shack fan on top... I'll send a pix soon of that, gotta paint it black,

...Plus it will be less than a foot or two from the ground which will be a cooler part of the room.

I'm also thinking of attaching a vacuum cleaner tube in front of the AC, and have it snake around the edge of the room behind the rack

j/k
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Rocksteady · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:14 am Post subject:

Xal · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:56 am Post subject:

Rocksteady · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 1:55 pm Post subject:

Xal · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject:

Thats cool, just making sure

I would still recommend the upright cooler tho.
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4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
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X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

Rocksteady · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject:

Xal · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:41 am Post subject:

sickofsoyo · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:28 am Post subject:

after looking around for a while, I think this might be a little bit better than the athlon setup... microATX mobo, Core 2 E6300

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131043

only problem is you'd need a videocard for that setup

That setup should give you more performance, and possibly last a little longer.
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P4 3.2ghz
lanparty pro875b
Enermax Liberty 500 Watt Modular PSU
Sony 52X CD-RW
Samsung 120gig SATA hdd
Maxtor 100gig SATA hdd
Powmax Demon case
ATI X800 XL AIW, 525 Core, 525 mem
Creative X-Fi Platinum
PDP systems Patriot Ram 2,3,2,5 timings

2old2care · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:30 pm Post subject:

Rocksteady · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:27 pm Post subject:

Ahhh, desk space is going to be non-existant after that 2nd monitor gets here, you're right... But here's where I'd planned to put it, either where the printer is. or right under it., depending on room. I always seem to have more rack space than desk, so this is why I went with this case. I was told it was much more expensive only a few months ago, like $500..?

. My plan is to leave the old Dell 8200 in place on the floor to the right of the desk, and shove the CRT over to the left of the new (Hmmmm, wonder where I'll spend more time???

)

That's good to know about the 2007FWP, 2dad. Very Happy

I'll never forget that shot of yours last year, it looked much wider than 20" at the time! A truly awesome monitor, and I can't wait to order it. My Dell loan is about $75 short, so I have to wait a week or so till I can scare up the extra, but ChrisM the moderator apparently has handled this issue before, so I'll contact him probably Monday to see how to order properly.

Here's the old Dell.. Check Tasha, she wanted to know what I was taking pictures of,,, Disregard the dust please, it's gone now,

Sos, thanks for checking that out, everything is on the way already. The decision to get AMD instead of Intell was based on several things, but I was told that Intell has only recently come out with the dual core technology, compared to AMD, who's been building those for some time.

I had to make a few compromises cause of compatibility stuff, and stay in budget, which was rough. The Raid function was important for the SATA, etc,,etc,,

I'd love to have a $10k computer, but maybe someday. I've learned so much about cool rigs on TN, and now have to choke back laughter when people tell me they're buying a real neat new computer for $350, OH BOY!!!! LOL. I've tried to explain the difference to them, but it's amazing how most people just don't care. It's like they don't want to know why it's a piece of junk. I'm just glad to know the difference!

When I first called Dell way back in Sept. 2002, I knew next to nothing, but was determined to spend the whole loan (which was $2000. at the time) because I figured it HAD to be better if it cost more, like asparagus,,

I'm surprised I did as well as I did, but if I could go back, I would've sacrificed the peripheals (camera, printer, scanner) for more memory etc. The salesguy said I'd NEVER use even half the memory in a 256mb, but neither one of us knew how things would evolve with the pictures & music stuff.

Either way, it was a good machine to learn on, and it's still bumping along, slow but steady. I made a point of not asking for help with it till I absolutely could not fix something myself, which has been good for my Geekdom edumacation.. geek

Having TN gave me courage, and I've never seen a more polite & intelligent bunch of people on any forum. I think Nathan does a great job keeping us all cool,

he scares even me sometimes...

I wonder if he used to be a wrestler or something? Maybe a hit man for a loan company...?

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fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Actually, RS, Intel and AMD came out with dual core at the same time, or nearly enough. AMD's original dual core procs were better than Intel's, but that's reversed now. Intel's new dual cores simply kick AMD's butt all over the place, and Intel already has a quad core proc out............
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sickofsoyo · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:47 am Post subject:

yeah, I was gonna say somethin, but didnt think it mattered, the only difference between the first intel and first AMD dual cores was intels was basically two processors smacked together on top of each other, AMD's was true native dual core...
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P4 3.2ghz
lanparty pro875b
Enermax Liberty 500 Watt Modular PSU
Sony 52X CD-RW
Samsung 120gig SATA hdd
Maxtor 100gig SATA hdd
Powmax Demon case
ATI X800 XL AIW, 525 Core, 525 mem
Creative X-Fi Platinum
PDP systems Patriot Ram 2,3,2,5 timings