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Time for my own rebuild

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vodkafish   11-08-2006 at 10:07:42 PM

Same old song and dance: It's been a few years since I've put a machine together and I'm looking to jump back into it.

I was going to go to some place like Monarch, but recent reviews (last 3 months) seem to be overwhelmingly negative, so I guess I'll be doing this myself. It'll probably be faster anyway.

The basics of what I want it to do very well:
- webdev work
- some video editing

So I need proc and ram over spiffy video card I guess.

What I'm thinking:
- I'll be running XP Pro for a while until all the programs I use are stable on Vista.
- Core 2 Duo E6600 seems a fair power/price tradeoff right now
- I like Asus mobos, but that's about as far as I've gotten there
- RAM will depend on mobo, but I'm torn between 2gb and 4gb. I'm not sure if anything I do will actually take advantage of more than 2gb.
- HD: I'm thinking three, common with video editing. Speed and stability are good. I'm not going to have a raid setup (I have a storage server). One's almost like a scratch disk, and probably doesn't need to be huge.
- DVD: I don't need anything too crazy, don't burn much. I could probably just take a Memorex that I have now and use that.
- Video card: big ? I'm a very light gamer. I like AOE and such, but it's not what the machine is for. I don't mind getting something mid-high range just so I don't have to get anything new within the next couple of years in case I change my mind.
- Power supply: 550w? I'm not sure, but I don't want it to be an issue.
- Case: simple design = good, but I need something with front usb/firewire ports and that's quiet and cool.
- Fan/Cooling: no idea.

I have a monitor I'm set with (Dell 2007FPW 20" ).

Time to ditch the wireless keyboard too, not important right now, but I'm open to any suggestions. I currently have the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000, great feel, but lag times are horrible. Wouldn't mind the standard insert/home/page up over delete/end/page down setup either, but that standard seems to changing?

So suggestions? I forget anything?

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RU_469   11-08-2006 at 11:50:31 PM
- 0 +

Just a compilation of the advice I have received here to build my own system:

E6600 is a great choice, if you need to save $90-$100 you can go E6400 and overclock it very easilty

ASUS P5B Deluxe motherboard is a great choice for overclocking, it will also accept up to 8GB.

Corsair or OCZ Ram should do the trick. Right now it seems like the OCZ has an advantage in the timing department, especially when paired to the P5B.


HD - no comment, I have a question out on the Hard drive forum at the moment


Video card - 7800 series Nvidia is a great bargain for light gaming, and probably a bit more. One caution is the 8800 series just came out, not sure how long it will take for others to drop in price or if that is already priced into the boards today.


Power supply - get a good 500w or more (don't go excessive). Here is a link to an inexpensive one that works well:
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showt [...] 0&t=362427
(I linked to slickdeals so you can get the rebate form easily)

Case - I can't find the link to the Ultra Alumanus (sp) case I purchased. Its considered a "mid" tower but its big. Its a very nice case though.

Cooling fan - Use the stock fan. The E6400 is overclockable to over 3ghtz with the stock fan. The core 2's run much cooler then the p4's.


Good Luck!

:twisted:

Reply to RU_469
g-paw   11-09-2006 at 01:09:21 AM
- 0 +

The Antec Sontata II is a really nice case, quiet and easy to work with.

Reply to g-paw
vodkafish   11-09-2006 at 04:00:23 AM
- 0 +

Thanks both for the recommendations.

I'm definitely going with the E6600. Not sure if I'm going to overclock it though.

The P5B looks good, from reviews on Newegg I guess I'll take a pass on the Wifi version (unfortunately no wires for me yet).

The Nvidia 7800 has a few models. I was looking at this one.

Looks like I have a few choices for RAM if I go for the 2x1GB OCZ

Lots of reviews to read, thanks for the suggestions so far.

Reply to vodkafish
WR2   11-09-2006 at 04:58:48 AM
- 0 +

Look at the XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 GeForce 7900GT 256MB $200 after rebate and nicely outperforms that 7800GT $290 you linked to above.
THG VGA Chart comparing 7900GT vs 7800GT

Quote :

Cordless Desktop MX 5000, great feel, but lag times are horrible

You should look into why that is happening. I have the same set and I have no lag issues at all.

Reply to WR2
vodkafish   11-09-2006 at 05:21:44 AM
- 0 +

Quote :

Look at the XFX PV-T71G-UCF7 GeForce 7900GT 256MB $200 after rebate and nicely outperforms that 7800GT $290 you linked to above.
THG VGA Chart comparing 7900GT vs 7800GT


Nice, thanks for that.

Quote :

You should look into why that is happening. I have the same set and I have no lag issues at all.


It's not so much the mouse. I actually like it a lot and would get that MX 1000. The keyboard is something else though. It feels pretty nice, and I've been slow to get used to the home/end key layout; but there is an occasional lag that drives me cray. I'm not just talking about when it wakes up from sleep mode (which it falls into fast, and frequently double-presses the key for me), but let's say I'm quickly filling out a form on a web page. I could click, type, click, type, and all of my typing will wind up in the last form field stuttering out. The machine is running fine, so it's not a resource issue, it's just not very responsive for me.

Reply to vodkafish
WR2   11-09-2006 at 05:46:24 AM
- 0 +

Where is your wireless receiver in relation to all your other hardware / equipment in the vicinity of your system?

Reply to WR2
vodkafish   11-09-2006 at 08:18:37 AM
- 0 +

Quote :

Where is your wireless receiver in relation to all your other hardware / equipment in the vicinity of your system?

On my desk. Can't say everything else is spaced out much, and I can't say I have much of a choice either :)

I might try re-installing (or just uninstalling) the software for it.

Reply to vodkafish
croc   11-09-2006 at 10:02:12 AM
- 0 +

I hate batteries... rechargeable or otherwise. They are, in my opinion, as much of a consumable rip-off as inkjet ink.

USB devices are now barely reliable. I still keep usb to ps2 converters nearby.

Just my pet peeves, but this CPU needs to be able to work 24 / 7....

Reply to croc
vodkafish   11-09-2006 at 07:36:42 PM
- 0 +

The batteries don't bother me so much, I've never had a problem with them. If not for the lag, I'd love the setup.

I've gotten my own thread off-track :)

Reply to vodkafish
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