Comp talk

from Sins Forums
and yours too, if you want.
just lets try and get mine done first
some advice from my forumites, awesome advice btw:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115003

nice, will do
thats 50 bucks...
why is the DVD drive beige? And the case black?

I found a black one half a fricking year ago, but I guess it got sold out

I would appreciate a combo drive thats black (preferably at equal speed or faster) writing DVDs is not my concern, running them and CDs is. although from what I hear they all write now . I'm not really concerned with vanity, I Just want the thing to work.
Yes, the E6600 is a great buy. It can pretty much chug through anything SupCom throws at it (unless you try playing against 7 Supreme AIs on one machine...the game slowed down to about a tenth its normal speed before crashing... ). For me, the only real cap on the game is my graphics card (GeForce 7900 GS), but I can run it on high fidelity settings and get awesome results, though it does tend to slow every now and then...hopefully as the patches continue, the game will be further optimized (a big patch released not too long ago tinkered with more sensitive stuffs pertaining to unit pathfinding, with positive results), and the stand-alone title will help this situation even more, even if it's for a price...

well then, its settled isnt it!

ok, now here are the problems I have and why, I'm not a computer person so just try to stick to layman speak pls.
1) Combo drive
a) biggest concern is that it might be a bit slow, would appreciate a faster one for a comparable price
b) its beige... its vain but I would like a black one
2) Hard Drive
a) its quick, but its capacity is small, would like a similar but larger one. (I'm talking about the 74 gig one, not the 150 gig I found)
b) I would prefer a quiet one, but its not my main concern.
3) video card
a) sounds like its enough, but I'm not tech savvy
4) motherboard
a) dunno really... compared to the quality of the rest of my parts it doesnt really stand up, from what I hear it hardly affects performance, but its the central unit so I want to make sure
b) give me all the dewhickies that you can find (for not too much more expensive)
5) comp in general
a) I want all the parts to fit, I think that makes sense
b) I hope it wont overheat too much, this is an expensive computer.

and out of curiousity, just how powerful can a processor get? do they come in gradations of .8GHz?

and as always, thanks for the advice guys

()Edit()
would be nice if I showed you the parts, wouldnt it?


PARTS

modified to karoke's advice.

SAMSUNG Beige 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe - OEM

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
(what does "OEM" mean...?)

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0

pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Intel BOXDG965RYCK LGA 775 Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
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Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
That harddrive is the fastest one on the marked for SATA. But about OEM for a harddrive.. i got no idea. If you buy OEM vista, it means you can only use it on that machine, you install it on.

3 questions for you

1. You sure your gonna get it this time?
2. Whats the price limit?
3. Are your friend gonna help you collect it?
ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
1. You sure your gonna get it this time?

yes, otherwise I think I'll go mad
2. Whats the price limit?

1200 USD I think, cant go much higher than that
3. Are your friend gonna help you collect it?

nope, I'm using a computer store, they will put it together for me. directly shipped to them etc.

push the limits on this one, I want a god-computer.

well, god to me, not god to you guys.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer

For our purposes this basically means that it won't come with things like a SATA cable. Read the specs carefully. It'll probably be taped up in bubble-wrap (inside its antistatic bag of course) with nothing else in there. Make sure to get your cable and anything else you'll be needing to actually use it. But if you're having a computer store put it together for you I'm sure they'll have some on hand. But they're almost certain to charge you for it.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
I just look at your HDD and ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144417

It's a 250GB HDD, although its RPM is slower then then one you have but it's a SATA drive as oppose to the ATA. And it's only half price. It's the HDD I got with my last purchase.


As for your motherboard, I'm not sure what you will do with it in the future ... but either ways .... CHANGE THAT MOTHERBOARD ASAP!!! Uhm ... that motherboard you have there come with an onboard graphic card, first it can create compatibility issue with your VGA and also it counts toward your money. 100$ for a MO with onboard VGA == bad.

I intend to get a motherboard that has as much room for future upgrade as possible. I'm in hurry so I can't look at the site to see if there is a better deal so I give you what I got last time:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142

Not only it's a dedicated board (no onboard VGA), it has room for future upgrade, either you want to go SLI or Quad, that thing can handle it. And damn, it's cheaper now comparing to 3 months ago



As for your drive concern. My advice is that unless you sorely need a burner right now, just get a high speed dedicated DVD reader for now. Later you can go to the shop (or if you want, do it right now) and get an external DVD burner. Trust me, you're much better of that way. Not only you will probably get a free software with your external burner (my come with Nero), it will last longer and has greater quality, quiet too. The combo drive, especially the cheap one won't last very long and they will blow your ears off.


Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Wow, if everything goes right, this computer could kick some serious *** on games like SupCom, and even Crysis with the GeForce 8800 GTS.

What is this 'computer store' you are sending it to? Is it a little local place, or a bigger company/corporation?
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
a small local store, its a couple towns over, we do all our comp stuff there and they havent failed us yet.
but it's a SATA drive as oppose to the ATA. And it's only half price. It's the HDD I got with my last purchase.

whats SATA v ATA mean?
and how much slower is it? significantly? or is it minimal?
I'm a very impatient guy you know.

in short, what benefits will I get (beyond more space) for this HDD? I dont keep much on my computer, just a few games and internet, beyond that theres almost nothing. no pictures, no video software etc.
just get a high speed dedicated DVD reader for

I need something that can run CDs as well, so if you have any listings for those...
like I said, I dont need the burner.
Wow, if everything goes right, this computer could kick some serious *** on games like SupCom, and even Crysis with the GeForce 8800 GTS.

god I hope...
Not only it's a dedicated board (no onboard VGA),

no idea what that means... but thanks?
seriously, if the term comes in an acronym, give me what it means.
understand that I'm not a tech-freak, I dont know what any of this means. whats important to me is that I want something that will support advanced features present in my other devices, and will run without heating my computer to a sludge. if this mobo can do it, thats fantastic, if it is going to have difficulty with that, give me something else.
additionally it has to have a functioning soundcard, I've had enough of playing games without music...
finally this thing seems to be built for doing some overclocking, I dont see me doing that in the forseeable future

in essence what I want from a mobo is something that is sturdy, cool, and carries all functionality from the other parts its connected to (dont forget the mem chips). beyond that I like price, beyond that I dont think I need anything else.

keep in mind, I'm not going to have much of an issue with price, I want this thing to run well, not run cheap. thats not to say I want some rediculously expensive jigamabob, but I dont want anything that will slow me down either


if any devs are looking, I sure as hell would like some advice. nothing says "god computer" like getting advice from game creators.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
Well, while I'm not the most tech-savvy with computers, either...I believe that you don't want a built-in graphics card on your motherboard. I'm honestly not sure how/why, but someone more knowledgeable can explain.

If you come across a term you don't know, you can always wiki it or clarify it later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
a small local store, its a couple towns over, we do all our comp stuff there and they havent failed us yet.
but it's a SATA drive as oppose to the ATA. And it's only half price. It's the HDD I got with my last purchase.

whats SATA v ATA mean?
and how much slower is it? significantly? or is it minimal?
I'm a very impatient guy you know.


If you can offored the one you choose, id go with that one.
Its the fastest HD on the market.

The one satthukaraoke found:
Performance
Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s
Capacity 250GB
RPM 7200 RPM
Cache 8MB
Average Seek Time 8.9ms
Average Latency 4.2ms

The one you found:
Performance
Interface Serial ATA150
Capacity 150GB
RPM 10,000 RPM
Cache 16MB
Average Seek Time 4.6ms
Average Write Time 5.2ms
Average Latency 2.99ms

Cache - means how much it can store the predicted stuff that will be used next. Make it work less on the HD (higher is better)

RPM - means how fast the transfer can go, (higher is better)

Seek Time, Write Time, Latency gotta be as low as possible. It means how fast it can find the info it needs on the HD.

About the SATA VS ATA
ATA can run up 130Mbyte per second
SATA can run up to 300Mbyte per second

no need to go into more detail, unless you want to know. But ATA is about to go out soon. SATA is the new standard.

i know the 250GB one says SATA 3.0Gb/s, thats just a sale trick. No normal harddrive today can transfer that high.
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
My future computer (hopefully):

600 Watt Power supply
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6420
Mother Board: Asus P5N-E SLI nForce® 650i SLI Chipset w/6-channel CODEC, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB ? (is it any good?)
2GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS 640MB w/DVI + TV Out Video
250 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] (which means?...)
18X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black -MWAHAHA!
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard (Default sound card)

Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) -Network Card (is that LAN only or could I go over the net?) That or I want the "Killer K1 - Online Gaming Accelerator - w/ 333Mhz Network Processing Unit + Lag & Latency Reduction Technology" but its an extra $179 USD

Windows Vista.

Is it any good for $1323 USD -or- (w/ the other network card) $1502 USD? I don't know how much my parents are willing to spend but the specs could go up or down come Christmas time (I have yet to duscuss this with them, X-mas is 5 months away).

I'd buy it from this site http://www.ibuypower.com
I took this http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=194 and edited it to get those specs (no screens, mouse, or speakers lowered the price).
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
get a BLACK DVD drive!!!!
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
no idea what that means... but thanks?
seriously, if the term comes in an acronym, give me what it means.
understand that I'm not a tech-freak, I dont know what any of this means. whats important to me is that I want something that will support advanced features present in my other devices, and will run without heating my computer to a sludge. if this mobo can do it, thats fantastic, if it is going to have difficulty with that, give me something else.



An onboard VGA is a Video chip on your motherboard. That means if you broke, you don't need a seperate video card to run your machine. THe thing is these chips suck! They don't have their own memory bank and so they will use your RAM memory and with very limited functionality. Think of it like heresy when you talk about gaming.


You already buy a VGA (that 8800GTS of yours) so there is no point in buying a mother board with a sucky VGA, not only it's useless cost, it just leads to more problem later.



About the DVD player, don't worry, if it run DVD, that means it will run CD. DVD player can always read CD.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
ok, I'm quickly becoming tech savvy (by my own standards) seriously, I feel my mind expanding (its itchy...)

thanks guys, I'll keep coming back to you when I need clarification, my friend rented out to me two books, one is an A+ Hardware schoolbook, the other a "so you want to build yourself a comp, huh? looser? what you lookin at, freak." style book that will hopefully make things easier for me.

one thing, front bus capacity should be high, is there a corrosponding value on my processor I should be looking at to see if they are best compatable?
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
the other a "so you want to build yourself a comp, huh? looser? what you lookin at, freak." style book that will hopefully make things easier for me.


that book sounds very fitting....
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

one thing, front bus capacity should be high, is there a corrosponding value on my processor I should be looking at to see if they are best compatable?


Yes there is, if your CPU runs at a 1066Mhz, so will the mobo also need to be. I can see from the mobo you found, it supports that, so now worries


I dunno if it has an actual value to it, but to my personal opinion, id get a 1333Mhz mobo, even if the CPU only needs a 1066Mhz.
So if lets say if the CPU runs at a 1070Mhz (not all hardware is 100% the same) and the mobo only runs at 1066Mhz, you will loss the 4Mhz. Dont take this as actual advise, as im unsure on this part myself heh.
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
I dunno if it has an actual value to it, but to my personal opinion, id get a 1333Mhz mobo, even if the CPU only needs a 1066Mhz.
So if lets say if the CPU runs at a 1070Mhz (not all hardware is 100% the same) and the mobo only runs at 1066Mhz, you will loss the 4Mhz. Dont take this as actual advise, as im unsure on this part myself heh.


Multi doesn't know what he is talking about, lol... (I wish I could say this more often)



Schem, what you have is fine.
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
problem I encountered, neither one of the bords says it has a AGP adapter, according to the book (which doesnt seem very game-oriented) an AGP adapter is where I plug in video cards, is that wrong or will I need a new mobo?
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top
No, his current MO is not fine, as long as it has that onboard VGA
Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top
Schem, the 8800GTS is using PCI-E, and the mobo also supports it. (AGP is dead (old tech (yeah i know alot of ((lol)))))
Reply #20 from Sins Forums Top
The AGP slot is the old interface for the VGA (graphic card) which was supperior to the PCI slot.


However about 2 years ago the new interface replaced the AGP, it's the PCI-Express (PCI-E) which is better, that's why you won't see the AGP slot on new MO anymore, at this point they're techniquelly obsoleted.
Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top

No, his current MO is not fine, as long as it has that onboard VGA


sorry didnt see that, Schem you better find another mobo

Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top
well, I was about to tell you 5 seconds ago that I wikied both AGP and PCI, but I guess BOTH of you freaks beat me to it
thanks for the clarification, thats useful.
Reply #23 from Sins Forums Top


No, his current MO is not fine, as long as it has that onboard VGA


sorry didnt see that, Schem you better find another mobo




so what if it has it? It can be disabled in the BIOS, and actually could be quite handy should he ever have a video card issue and need to send his video card out. He can still use the PC with onboard video. I wish all mobo's had default onboard video...
Reply #24 from Sins Forums Top

yes, I'm ditching the current mobo, I have the updated links now

new DVD/CD drive, no writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827135143

No more OEM parts, including the hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822136034

karoake's motherboard recommendation.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131142

and to help you help me a bit more: theres been a change in plans, I'm to get a small surround sound system, so I will need a sound card for that. I know, I cant use the current mobo unless I change my mind again, so I would appreciate some more help in addition to advice for the sound

kosc, do you really think any game would run with a mobo integrated vid card?
Reply #25 from Sins Forums Top
No, there is a chance it will have compatibility issue with the actual Video Card that he put on later. It's not supposed to happen but trust me, it can, Speaking as someone who had 2 Onboard VGA. One way or another it's a potential of complication later.


Plus, like I said it's useless money, that board cost around 100$, deduct that onboard VGA it's easy to question the quantity and quality of that board in term of other functionalities.