Which 24" Wide Monitor is right for me?

Darkmatterx

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I'm building a new system (which is posted in the forum for building systems) and I want to get a 24" wide screen LCD monitor for it.

I need something that is high quality because I do stuff in Photoshop and 3DS Max but this is my home computer so I will also be gaming with it so I need fast response times as well. On top of all that, I have an Xbox 360 but no HDTV so I'd love to be able to hook my 360 up to the Monitor for some HD action. I already can do it with my 22" CRT with the add on monitor cord I got but I've had real problems getting sound through my computer speakers and the picture isn't as good as it should be. If I could get a monitor that I could buy add on speakers that are meant to attach to the monitor and has the proper connections in the back so that I can hook up my 360 that'd be fantastic. Then I'd have the picture, and the sound taken care of.

Yes this is a tall order and I wouldn't be suprised if I can't get all of what I want... Xbox360 comes last on this wishlist so I'll just have to wait and see what you guys think.

The monitors I've heard that are good are the 24" Samsung, Dell, and BenQ. I've pretty much heard equal stories from different people each say that the Samsung is the better of these 3, or the Dell, or the BenQ. I can't seem to get a definitive answer. I was hoping that if I outlined my needs/wants I could get some advice on what would be best for me.

Thanks!!
 
IIRC some of the new Dells come with the 'high color gamut' which supposedly gives you more accurate color, for your Photoshop stuff. This used to be a very pricey option but is now only a little higher than the reular model, again, IIRC.

Those Dells should also do all the other stuff you want. Not sure about the speakers though.
 

StevieD

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Fast versus good. I can think of a couple adult comments to make, but alas I won't.

Your problem in life can be simply stated as Fast versus Good.

6bit monitors can be fast. Very fast. Fuel injected, turbo charged, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds fast. Whip by with little or no potential for a ghost image to exist.

8bit monitors can be good. Very Good, as in Lexus good. Fast is a relative term. The Lexus, like the 8bit is quick on its feet, but it is not going to keep up with the latest wundercar. And ghosting can be and issue with the slower 8bit screens. Of course what is ghosting to you is a slightly blurry image for 0.02 second to me. And most people don't complain of ghosting during movies as the content is less concentration (ie during a game there may only be movement in a very limited area and your eyes are sharply focused on that particular movement whereas in a movie you are watching the entire screen with less viewing concentration of any one specific area).

According to http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/ and several other sources Sammy makes the panels for the 24" Dell, Gateway, HP et al. In most instances the panels are identical, thus the only difference between monitors is cosmetics, user features and support.

So when you heard that 24" Samsung, Dell, and BenQ are good, you are quite correct, as the Sammy and Dell monitors are most likely twin sisters or at least kissing cousins. TrustedReviews has done nice reviews on all 3 monitors. TR likes the BenQ (which is not made by Sammy), but I don't due to the feature set of the monitor (not knocking the picture Quality, just the physical attributes of the monitor).


But while Sammy makes great monitors, Sammy is also watching the market demands. Sammy is producing 24" monitors using 6 bit panels to generate monitors in the less than $500 price range to compete with other companies that are producing 6 bit monitors. Would not be surprised to see a cheaper (6bit) Dell hit the market before Xmas.

You are going to have to determine if you can live with the slower 8bit monitors. My suggestion is hang out at BB and check out the Gateway. Remember Gateway is a Sammy 8bit panel. And the real world response time of the Gateway is going to be indentical to other identical Sammy panels.

There is a newer Dell (since July) 24" panel. Just a newer Sammy panel with a wider color gamut. Suppose to be a big improvement over last years 8bit panels. Haven't seen the new Dell or the same panel on a Sammy or any other brand to see if the response time is better. Obviously if Dell is going to use that panel, so will Sammy, Gateway, HP etc eventually share the same foundations.

And by the way, if you are serious about Photoshop etc, just ignore the 6bit monitors. The improvement with color values and black depth from 6bit to 8bit is dramatic.

PS: Built in monitor speakers sux green slimy swamp water filled with dead bugs and rotting fish. Got the picture? Good. Don't buy a monitor because it has built in speakers or can be fitted with a speaker bar. Speaker bars are two steps up from the built in monitor speakers and still sux green slimy swamp water, but at least the fish are still alive and feeding on the dead bugs.

For speakers buy anything that makes noise and can be physically separated. Logitech, Klipsch, Altec Lansing etc all make little stand alone speakers that work and will sound light years better than the built in speakers or speakerbars.
 

Darkmatterx

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Thats almost the exact one I am getting. I have heard several ppl confirm that it is amazing and its great to have your reply to confirm it as well. The one I'm getting is the exact same model number but has a Z at the end (I think its a Z) and its basicly just a newer model and comes with the updated firmware that non Z model is now suppose to be shipping with. Only problem is that there are still a lot of non- Z models without the new firmware lurking around.
 

Darkmatterx

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Thanks for your reply StevieD!

I can live with a very minor ammount of ghosting. I just want the best/fastest of those slower monitors.

I only meantioned the onboard speakers so that I could run my Xbox 360's sound through them when I use my Monitor with that. I actually have Logitech Z5300 speakers but I've not been able to get my xbox360 to send the sound to the computer or drectly to the speaker system so that the sounds come out of those speakers.

As for the BenQ, I appriciate your comments but could you please tell me more about the problems with the BenQ features? What is there/not there that you don't like in comparison to the others?

Thanks!
 

Kamrooz

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There are three panel types...

TN - Very low color accuracy and contrast, Bad overall color when compared to the other panels...mostly used for gaming since they can have very fast response times. Don't get me wrong...TN panels have come a long way but in terms of color they are inferior to the two below.

PVA/MVA - A mix between the above panel and below. Highest contrast ratio which means the darkest blacks. The blacks do crush though. That is a term for losing details in dark areas as the blacks merge. There are also slow the slowest of the panels which means ghosting.

IPS - The most accurate color you can get. Also the most expensive panel. It has the best color accuracy of all the panels. It's fast...just not as fast as TN. But it is indeed quicker the PVA/MVA. The contrast ratio is not as high as PVA/MVA so the blacks aren't as dark. But you don't lose as much details.

It depends on which you want really. IPS panels tend to be quite expensive. Every flat panel has it's strong points and weakpoints. Considering you want a monitor to play your xbox 360 also that elminates a few choices in mind..Such as the Planar PX2611W which uses a 26" S-IPS panel. It has banding issues at 1080 over console play so that rules it out for you...unfortunately that was one of your most affordable solutions priced at 900-999.

IPS panels are getting rarer and rarer thanks to the american consumers lack of understanding in TFT technology. They see a 24 inch flat panel for 250 dollars and just gasp and purchase it. Thanks to this type of purchasing TN panels are flooding the market and IPS is becoming more and more rare. Dell now has a lottery and are beginning to phase out all their IPS panel monitors (except the 30 incher)

Also Wide gamut displays does not mean more accurate color. It means more vibrant colors which look over saturated. Photoshop and some other programs can notice these higher gamut displays and adjust their profiles to display content how they should be. high gamut monitors isn't necessarily a good thing if you're in the entertainment industry...such as video, photo, and even 3d modeling when it comes to texturing. Why do you think the entertainment industry still uses CRT's? Flatpanels have MANY faults that are just too high for some users such as myself. Most the entertainment industry uses CRT's such as the FW900 from sony. A 24" widescreen CRT that retailed for around 2300 back in 2003 before they were discontinued thanks to flat panels. They will make their return though but in flatpanel form in 2009/20010 in "FED". High gamut displays are desirable for certain scenarios but not entertainment creation...But some programs can notice and correct this within the program environment. If you want a really good monitor when it comes to color accuracy you really have no choice but to get a IPS panel...TN's are fast but their colors aren't that great. Most people always claim "LIES...they are great!" and offer links to cheaply priced 6 bit TN panels...but the truth is they are inferior to PVA/MVA and IPS. If you use a TN panel and switch over to these more expensive and better technologies you will have trouble going back. Unfortunately consideirng your uses..PVA/MVA can cause ghosting..it's more affordable but it's up to you. If color accuracy is extremely important and ghosting is also an annoying ordeal then IPS is what you're looking for...but get ready to dish out some cash.

If you want accurate information as well as reviews on TFT technology head over here..

http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

They have a vastly more active display forum compared to THG. Also check out the TFT Technology Breakdown thread as well as the site Stevie mentioned.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/

It should give you a thorough break down. Picking out the right LCD monitor takes research unfortunately....But what is your budget?...it'd be much easier to make a recommendation based off that.

edit----

Ahhh..you posted while I was typing. If you can live with ghosting then a PVA/MVA panel should do you fine. You can use that hardforum link I posted to read up on all sorts of different panels. This way you can make an educated choice on what panel would suit you the best.
 

StevieD

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Fixed Panel, no height adjustment possible. Major flaw that I can not overlook on any monitor. Also the frame to the BenQ causes the unit to be physically wider. If I could handle the width of the BenQ I would be able to use a 27" ... which means I could buy a Dell 27" IPS.
 

Kamrooz

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Indeed. They have a Dell 2008WFP coming out soon which will also be a TN panel. It's really sad to see the TN panels literally taking over. But thankfully FED will be rolling out in around 2-3 years. Cheaper to produce then LCD's and literally eliminate dead pixels. Even if 20% of the field emitters fail the monitor will work fine. I just hope that it comes in and sweeps over LCD's....Personally I can't stand the LCD faults..they are just too high. Considering I do video editing and many other color accurate and lag depending tasks it just rules it out for me.

If you want IPS your choices are a bit limited and expensive. But since you said PVA/MVA is fine then you have many more options. Don't forget to check the hardforum...You will regret not reading on these mass reviews if you just pick a monitor without checking them out in person. They all have faults and strengths...but the key component is picking an LCD monitor that has the strengths and suits your needs.
 

Darkmatterx

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No height adjust? Thats absurd..... I'm of below average height so the chances that the monitor won't need to be lowered by an inch or so is probably not good.

Thanks for the info StevieD, Kamrooz, and Jagurskx! Thats a lot of good stuff that I really didn't know and the links are gold since I can learn more. I did know of some of the ups and downs of the 3 main panel types since I had asked if the BenQ 24" was a good quality monitor and ppl were raving about it I figured it was a good quality. Maybe it still is good quality, I dunno, its not exactly a CHEAP 24"

Anyways, I'll look at the links. I posted a post on the system build forum here...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/245262-31-time-system-lots-choose-from-spend#t1745665

That has a lot of info on what I'm looking for overall though a few things have changed due to the discussions.

My budget for EVERYTHING is $3-4k CND. I already purchased an ATI X1950Pro for $150 CND (was $100 off) to tide me over just until the new cards come out late '07 and early '08. Once I see who wins the next top end war I'll dump the 1950 for the next big thing so I need to keep some cash aside for that. The list on the link I provided will give you an idea of how much I''ll probably have to set aside already.

As for CRT's, I do know that they are still better for many things which is why with my last computer I picked up a Mitsubishi 2070 Black 22" monitor. Its a great monitor but its not wide screen and its a beast. :) I'll still be keeping the CRT so while I do want a LCD thats got great color/contrast and is as fast as possible, I know that I can always play a few fast action games on my CRT if the ghosting bothers me.

Thanks

 

Kamrooz

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Well if you want you can nab a FW900 ^_^..a 24" widescreen CRT. It retailed for 2,300 but now they run on ebay used for 200-450. I'm getting a new rig in the following months and planning to nab one. Although I'm not gonna nab one from ebay. I'm gonna get a refurbished model here..

http://www.accurateit.com/details.asp?iid=203

They come with a 1 year warranty which isn't bad for a refurbished model. From what I've heard this company is quite enthusiastic about these monitors which is a good thing in my eyes. The company that put out the movie "300" exclusively picked up these monitors since they are the only monitor that could give the color accuracy they were looking for. Several companies use this monitor...Such as Pixar, ILM, Lucas Arts...damn good monitor. If you do decide to get one make sure you nab a Refurbished grade A model....This one is A-..which basically means works as factory spec but there is a slight blemish/blemishes on the plastic bezel. B grade is a screen imperfection which is a big no no..heh

when I get my new rig I'm going to nab one of these suckers and a non widescreen CRT for a dual rig. probably a 22 incher or maybe 21...it'll end up costing me 800-1000 for the two monitors. Free shipping also if it's too a ground floor building. Hopefully they can last me until 2009/2010's FED technology...
 

systemlord

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How about the new HP w2408 24" 5ms gray to gray, is it any good? Its so new there are no reviews as of yet.
 

Kamrooz

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Jaguar is correct...It is a TN Panel.If you've used TN panels in the past and have never experienced a PVA/MVA or IPS panel...Then a TN will do fine. But if you need a certain amount of quality from your monitor then TN is just out of the question. If you're on a TN now and want to grab a larger one then go for it...it's a nice upgrade...

But in all cases I've seen people using PVA/MVA or IPS and switching to a TN...it only ends up with them returning it within the week...that's how much the difference is ^_^.
 

StevieD

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Want an HP?

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/382087-382087-64283-72270-444767-1844961.html

Sammy 8bit panel. The same panel that was used in the previous Dell model as well as the current Gateway and several Sammy.


New model is too new to know the panel make for sure, but I suspect it is the 6bit panel with a broader selection of consumer features. Wait to see what one of the reviews states or check with http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/ to see what panel is being used.


Updated: Kamrooz is saying that the new HP monitor is an TN (6 bit). If you want it, wait a week or two... it will be on sale for less than $500 to compete with the other TN 24" panels.
 

Darkmatterx

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Thanks I'll check it out. BUT if I do end up getting a TN 6bit I'll probably check out the BenQ which I can find locally to see if the lack of adjustment options is a problem.

As for the wide screen CRT. I may look at picking up a used one but I honestly don't think my desktop space could handle a beast like that.

Ok 3 questions

1 For LCD's what are my options for IPS these days? It doesn't sound like there are many to choose from anymore.

2. Are there any good quality images on a web page showing the differences between the monitor types?

3. IF I have to go with a TN panel which 24" monitor is currently the best?

Thanks
 

Kamrooz

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You can visit that Hardforum link I posted earlier. That forum is EXTREMELY active and most the time for all the popular LCD panels they have dedicated threads where people discuss the faults and strengths as well as post pictures of the monitor. IMO best place to look since it's from a users perspective and not manufacturer specs which you just can't trust. I know some of them are a bit much to read...They have one for the FW900 on there as well..it's like around 100 pages or so..lol..but tehy have great pictures through out..

I don't know of all the IPS monitors out there but the ones I do know are the Dell 3007WFP and 2007WFP. The Planar PX2611W, Nec 2490WUXI, Nec2690WUXI.

there are more but I haven't researched into the monitors I was planning to buy. Considering my uses I was going to nab either the Planar or the Nec models. The planar is a 26" S-IPS monitor while the nec 2490 and 2690 are 24 and 26 inch H-IPS panels. The Nec are professional grade and it reflects the price. The 2490 is between 1400 and 1500. While the Nec 2690 is between 1600 and 1700. Extremely pricey...lol...I'll let others toss by other panels since the solutions I were going for literally break your wallet in two...

But..I would not go with a TN consideirng your uses. If you want to hook up your xbox 360 to a flatpanel I would literally feel bad for your xb0x 360....you need a PVA/MVA or IPS...stay away from TN considering your uses. If you use photoshop and 3d studio max you need atleast SOME color accuracy....more over for photoshop then 3dsm but minimum pva/mva. With that in consideration you have lots of choices between PVA/MVA and IPS.....

Bah...I wish you weren't in canada...If you in the states I could pick out a nice rig for you from newegg including money to spare for your cutting edge graphics card in the next few months and money aside for a nice monitor....lol...Do they have any similar sites like newegg for canada that you will be shopping from?...lol
 

systemlord

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You can get a HDTV LCD for $1300-$2500 at 1920x1200 @60Hz, they have the new 120Hz HDTV LCD's which get rid of the motion blurr. I have seen them and the Toshiba's have a built in demo which will show you half the screen at 120Hz and the other half at 60Hz. The difference is quite big, imagine when they bring this tech to gaming LCD's!
 

Darkmatterx

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Ya 'egg not delivering to Canada sucks but what can ya do. :/

I was using a couple sites. I used this site to take a look at how big a margin there was in the price for each part to see if its worth ordering it in and paying shipping or just getting it locally.

http://www.pricecanada.com

And, so far I was looking at these 2 sites for the actual products. Although I haven't gone through everything yet so I may search out other stores if I don't like the price. Honestly though, I REALLY REALLY want this system in my hands and really don't want to have to order it online and have to wait for it to ship to me. :)

Anyways I was mostly using this site,

http://www.canadacomputers.com


But I also was checking this site,

http://www.tigerdirect.com

Generally Tigerdirect showed higher prices but they do have in the 500gb Samsung Harddrives and I don't see them at any other store.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3116643&sku=TSD-500S


For actual online stores someone on this site said that http://www.directcanada.com/

and,

http://www.ncix.com

are the places to go for good deals and that price compare site "PriceCanada" seems to show those 2 sites at the low end of the prices most of the time.

While I did say I would really rather NOT have to wait for stuff to get shipped to me, if the savings are decent its obviously worth it.

BTW I hate white and beige for my parts. Black preferably but some silver is ok too as long as its not more silver then black. :)

Thanks btw. Offering to see what you can put together for me based on what we've talked about to WAY above and beyond.

PS. Speaking of silver, I saw that Antec P182SE mirror finnish. I actually am curious to see that in person... The price is telling me to walk away but it could be rather cool... or it could be an annoying smudge magnet that drives me crazy because I keep turning my head towards the reflection because my own movement catches the corner of my eye. ;) lol


EDIT: Oh I forgot to say, I appriciate your efforts to educate me about monitors. Unfortunately if I'm looking at spending over $1000 for a good sized IPS monitor I probably will have to get one of the better quality TN monitors (because the P/MVA's are to slow) for now and get an IPS beast later. I just finnished school and have to consider where to best spend this money for my new system. While you don't have to convince me that a high quality monitor is important, if I got a 1.5-2k monitor I would have to pretty much gut the rest of what I was going to get. Since I still have my Mitsubishi 2070 22" CRT I think I'll be ok if for now as long as I keep in mind that I need to use the CRT when I need colour accuracy. Heck, for the price of 1 of those IPS monitors I could get a 30" (which makes me drool btw) or maybe 2 24" wides or maybe 2 27"? Either way, I could get a lot.... :)
 

Kamrooz

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Alright...I built a list for you from NCIX.com....I have to admit this is one uber rig. I was reading your other post and noticed a lot of people just said get ddr2-800..I said screw it. I based the entire rig off what you wanted and tossed in suggestions and modifications. But pretty much I think you'll be happy with it. BUT I just have to say DAMN is canada expensive...rofl...but it's still a great budget with what I pulled out...Considering the price of IPS monitors I agree with you and just went all out with a build that could last you a very long while...here it is...I'm also going to give my reason for picking the parts to help you understand the hardware..Here goes..


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CPU

$328.44
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=22211&vpn=BX80562Q6600&manufacture=Intel

Obviously we want this rig to last. If you plan to OC as well it makes it a even better buy. The future is multi threaded....embrace it ^_^.

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Motherboard

$150.44
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24650&vpn=GA-P35-DS3R&manufacture=Gigabyte

Very popular board for a good reason. Good OC'er and the price ratio is hard to beat. I'm an Asus man myself but beginning to think on switching to a GA board for my next rig. Asus is a bit pricey although they are great boards. If you want something else feel free to choose....You have leeway on your budget which you'll see at the end pricing. But I have checked compatibility for this board with all your parts. I also chose this for now because x38 isn't out yet. So we have no idea what will be up. Of course there are a few boards which have been revealed but not out for purchase. I'd either wait or nab this one. If you do wait also give it a little time for people to review the boards before you make the jump.

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Case

$146.89
Antec P182 ATX Black Mid Tower
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24122&vpn=P182&manufacture=ANTEC

I was checking out the cases and even though I prefer full towers to mid towers...It's pretty good. 5 fan slots with 3 already filled. I would recommend getting a full tower since the more room the better the airflow but the choice is yours. I would like to comment though that this is one damn good case...so the choice is yours...I also looked into the mirrored version which is around 200 Canadian from ncix...Don't get it!...lol...Smudges and the reflections will drive you nuts...lol. Choice is yours though. is 50 dollars really worth to have a mirrored computer case?...Only reason I would recommend this is if you don't have a mirror in your room for yourself =P...heck I don't..and I need one..lol. Regarding the extra fan slots. Fill them...I always fill the cases to maximum capacity..keep reading on as I talk about a good fan in the heatsink part of this post.

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PSU

$231.26
Silverstone Decathlon DA850
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23886&vpn=DA850&manufacture=Silverstone Technology

I originally picked out a Enermax 850DXX for you but I researched on it and it's too big for the p182 series. The Enermax seemed to have some long wires...but the form factor of the PSU is too big. Both the enermax and this Silverstone are Tier 1 psu's...I don't know if this PSU has extremely long wires. Hard to find the info...It is modular though which helps on airflow. you NEVER want to skimp out on the PSU. It's the most vital part of your system. Why risk saving a little cash by getting a cheap psu when it can literally kill your entire computer if it blows. Not worth it. I always recommend Tier 1 and Tier 2 psu's and nothing less. This will do you fine. The enermax and the DA850 are both PCI-E 2.0 compliant. That means they have the new PCI-E 8 pin connectors and the 6 pin PCI-E connectors.

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Memory

2X 229.99
2X OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 2X1GB PC2-8500
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23129&vpn=OCZ2RPR10662GK&manufacture=OCZ Technology

Even though having 4 sticks for OC'ing isn't as good as just 2 sticks. 2X2GB is very expensive and you don't have many choices. In almost all scenarios the 2x2 don't go up to ddr2 800 or 1066...So this is why I recommended the OCZ Rapier. I also noted you wanted 1066 for more headroom so I nabbed what you wanted. I know you wanted XMS but I've heard many bad things from Corsair fans..Corsair is slowly moving down the road of using cheaper chips which has caused problems for some oc'ers. I also looked into it and these modules are compatible with the motherboard chosen. ^_^

From personal experience with OCZ I have to admit I'm very happy. I have had two out of four of my 512 sticks go bad on me a while back. I called them up and even though they didn't make my modules anymore they asked if I wanted to send them all four of my sticks for four 1gb sticks instead. I went from 4x512 533 modules with 3-2-2-8 timings to 4x1 667 modules with 4-4-4-8 timings. I was able to drop my timings of these 1 gb modules near the original timings of my older modules since they ran in 533 and not 667. They even shipped my replacements before they got my ram. I just gave them a tracking number and I had my computer up and running the next day. I literally RMA'ed the ram in one day and on the next I had my new ram sitting outside my door. Fantastic service.

These modules also use the D9 micron chips so they are good OC'ers. They also come with a lifetime warranty and you can even push the voltages up to 2.35 without voiding that warranty. OCZ is one of the top choices in the memory industry ^_^.

These are totally top notch memory. If you want a cheaper alternative they do have others...Just mention if you want something cheaper...since you can get great modules...Here is another solution if you don't want the OCZ modules

http://www.ncix.com/products/index....KIT12864AL1065&manufacture=CRUCIAL TECHNOLOGY

Great sticks as well for a 100 dollar saving basically if you nab two. Choice is yours. They also use D9 micron chips.

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Optical Dvd drives

2x $45.15
2X LG GSA-H62L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 With Lightscribe
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24533&vpn=GSA-H62L BLACK&manufacture=LG Electronics

45 dollars for cd rom drives. Damn canada...rofl...All the prices of Lightscribe drives for canada were 40+ from NCIX.com so I chose the best suited. They were all similar in price but these caught my eyes. I'm sticking with all black since you want a Antec p180/182 series case. I chose a black case obviously with black drives (I HATE beige too!). I also nabbed two so you can do direct CD to CD copy but if you want you can drop one. I also made sure to nab a SATA version instead of PATA (IDE wires). This way it won't hinder airflow at all.

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Hard Drives

$248.84
WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB SATA 10k
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=666640949&vpn=WD1500ADFD&manufacture=Western Digital

$153.98
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB PMR
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18413&vpn=ST3500630AS&manufacture=Seagate

I nabbed two drives for you. If you want more you can go ahead and nab them. Or if you don't think you need a raptor you can drop it and just nab more storage drives. I nabbed a Raptor for the performance aspect. Even though the new WD Caviar SE drives have higher write performance thx to PMR among other thing....They can't match I/O performance and other aspects of the raptor. It's still top notch although they are a bit pricey for not much space. If you decide to nab this drive use it as your system drive. Once you're done with a project, move it on over to the storage drive.

I chose the Seagate for a few reasons. One, they didn't have the samsung drive you wanted...Two, Seagate drives are damn reliable. I've had many drives in the past from Maxtor, Seagate, WD, IBM and a few others. So far I've had all my drives from Maxtor die within 2 years. Half my WD drives have died (although they are normal drives..not Raptors). All my seagate drives are still alive and kicking (I've had a couple of them for 6 years now...still running flawlessly). The WD drives have a 3 year warranty while the Seagate drives have a 5 year warranty. I chose the reliability aspect for you. The WD Raptor is also a premium drive that has a 5 year warranty. If you want to drop either, or both for other drives go for it. Just wanted to give my advice on the matter.

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Floppy

$8.27
Black Sony Floppy Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9047&vpn=MPF920-1/121&manufacture=SONY

Uber Black Floppy Drive of Doom..nothing else will do...=P

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Soundcard

$108.12
Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23249&vpn=70SB073A00003&manufacture=Creative Labs

I'm not a big fan of onboard sound. Onboard also takes up resource on your rig which can hinder performance slightly. You will actually see a few FPS boost by purchasing a sound card (keep in mind it's just a slight increase). Unfortunately I dislike Creative but they are the only X-FI users besides Auzentech. Although the Auzentech card is 200 dollars. Auzentech is currently using Creative drivers for temporary till they can finish their own. Creative let Auzentech use their X-FI technology so it's a breath of fresh air to see a alternative since Creatives only real fault is that their drivers are horrid. But the choice is yours on this one. I chose one of the upper Creative cards but didn't go all out for their fatalaity professional series. If you really want one of the front 5.25 drive bays connectors for your soundcard then you might want to nab the professional series...But really no need in my eyes. Great card...But grr at creative drivers (this shouldn't hold you back...fantastic card).

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Heatsink/Thermal Paste/Fans

$64.54
Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23531&vpn=ULTRA-120-EXTREME&manufacture=THERMALRIGHT

$12.47
Arctic Silver 5 3.5 gram
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=10715&vpn=AS5-3.5&manufacture=ARCTIC SILVER

$15.75
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17747&vpn=SFF21E&manufacture=Scythe

Damn Arctic silver 5 is expensive in canada....I also nabbed a Thermalright Ultra 120-extreme since it's the best cooler atm. I remember reading you wanted the 90 so you don't run into issues of it not fitting. From what I read it barely fits inside your case. So it will work. It will have around 1/4 inch of clearance down to around 2mm maybe...lol. Cutting it close but it will work. It's a REALLY good cooler and I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap solution. It's up to you if you want to or not. If you want to nab a 90 ultra version go for it. But I would always nab one the best cooler to give me as much OC headroom as possible. As well as keeping that hungry quad core cool. Got more heat then the dual cores. There have been people saying that the 120 ultra at times has come to people not being 100% flat. People have then had to lap the Heatsink...I don't know if this ties into the 90 version as well. Keep in mind though this is not in all cases. I have a tuniq tower in my case. Another great cooler but a few degress below the ultra 120.

Regarding fans..Nab one for the Ultra 120...The S-flex is a great fan..BUT!...I posted this link to show you what you should be looking for. But unfortunately NCIX only has 2 of the 3 S-flex models. I would recommend getting the s-flex fan from somewhere else that has the SFF21F model...not the SFF21E as linked above. The SFF21E model pumps out 49 CFM's at 20.1 DBA. While the SFF21F pumps out 63.7 CFM's at 28 DBA. These fans are VERY quiet for their CFM output. I would recommend nabbing the SFF21F model although NCIX doesn't have it. You might want to order that seperately from somewhere else. If you want a very quiet computer you can also nab these to replace the fans in your case or to fill up the 2 empty slots of the 5. ...Or replace all 5 with quite high CFM fans such as the SFF21F...Or just skip the idea since your case had 3 fans anyway. I would always fill them all..airflow is important.


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That's everything....The total price in Canadian currency is!

$1974.13 (With the OCZ Reaper modules)

A very powerful rig. You said you already have a x1950 pro. So I left the graphics card out. With tax and shipping (don't know much about the percetanges and taxes in canada) you should be able to figure it out better than I since I'm not sure about what taxes you have to pay for in canada. But even if it turns out to be expensive and land around 2,300 with tax and shipping you still have 700 left over for a top of the line graphics card when they come out. This keeps it within 3k Canadian....If you want to add anything or change anything in the rig feel free to do so. If you want recommendations on other choices feel free to ask and I'll help...Judging by the fact that you said you can spend 3-4K canadian.....If it is indeed 4k...This means you can nab a cutting edge graphics card which is 600 or so...Along with a Planar PX2611W which is a 26" IPS panel monitor..It's around 900-999 US so it shouldn't be extremely far out of reach. If you do nab both of these you'll be just about hitting your 4k limit. If this is too much you can always just nab a lower spec monitor. Although I would advice against TN...I just dislike the technology. I'd rather have a PVA/MVA then a TN panel...color is important afterall since you use photoshop...choice is yours.

Well...that took me a couple of hours to finish..lol..time for a soda break ^_^. Please do respond with any questions and comments. If you feel nervous about certain parts just post and I'll offer alternatives while keeping the system compatible and up to par with the rest of the build. BTW...I know 850 watts seems like a lot. Pretty much overkill for your rig. But it doesn't mean you'll be using 850 Watts of power so your electric bill will go up. It only uses the amount of power your rig draws. They do have a 650 and 750 DA versions of the Silverstone power supply I mentioned. But overall I wanted to nab you a Tier 1 PSU that has upgrade room. This way down the road if you ever want a 30 inch monitor and want to end up SLI'ing..All you'd have to do is buy a new mobo and a second graphics card...Your PSU is already SLI approved and has the power to do so. You can also have no worries about adding more hard drives and all that jazz since you have the power. The difference in price between the 650 and 850 models is $60 Canadian. With the 750 and 850 difference as $30 Canadian. Overall a cheap difference for a higher watt top quality PSU....Worth it IMO...Afterall.....If you ever do take the plunge into a 30 incher...you have the option without having to buy a new PSU.

Looking forward to your reply.

IF you want to go EVEN farther above and beyond just tell me. I'll put together a rig similar to what I am going to nab for myself ^_^..It's a freaking BEAST...rofl...
 

prodystopian

Distinguished
Jul 7, 2006
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If you are still looking at the 24" monitors I can attest to the Dell 2407-HC being an awesome monitor. I've been playing PS3 and watching movies for the past month on it and it rocks. Just make sure you get it on sale. They put it on sale about once a month. It will cost about $600 and you can spend the rest of the money on a better rig.

Also, I noticed no motion blur or ghosting while playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma, which is a very fast game.
 

Kamrooz

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Feb 8, 2007
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Well every person is different. LCD ghosting has to do with retinal persistence. I won't get too detailed into it but it's basically like looking at a light bulb for a few seconds. When you look away you see the blotch of light even when you've turned your gaze away from the bulb.

CRT's would also have this problem BUT..They implement a black image after each frame which basically clears the retina. That's why we see no ghosting what so ever on CRT's. That's basically a simplified explanation but it can get rather detailed.

Some people see ghosting while others don't...It all depends on the person. My friends are along the same lines as well. They have a Dell 24 incher and they claim they don't see anything. But when I sit down and game on their monitor it drives me crazy. Especially in CS 1.6 and CS Source...was a dedicated Counter strike player for years...Heck...Team almost made it to Cal-P a while back...blah...straying off topic...But yea...it depends on the person.
 

Darkmatterx

Distinguished
Apr 8, 2003
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Hey Kamrooz! Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I was rather ill yesterday and was in bed untill only a few hours ago. I got up and ate and now I'm here. I looked over your suggestions but admitadly I haven't had time to go into detail on them. Its 6am here but I'll come back and spend time on a longer post in a little while. I just wanted to post this now because you were probably wondering why you didn't hear from me 12 hours ago. :)

BTW you really went above and beyond! Spending hour"s" on this for me? Thats amazingly nice of you! Thank-you!
 

Kamrooz

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Feb 8, 2007
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No worries man ^_^...I find it funny you actually posted a response like that. I do the exact same thing! lol...I always appreciate anyone that helps me out and want to make sure they have my complete attention and appreciation when I get helped out ^_^.

You're very welcome ^_^...If you have any questions or comments on the rig feel free to post and I'll help you out as much to my ability as possible ^_^.