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  • Your custom PC

    I'm not sure how many of you build your own PCs, I've been building them for myself and others since 2002. I'm not hardcore into it or anything, more of a casual thing.

    One thing that I'm rather particularly picky about is the quality of my components. I find that purchasing a system off the shelf is not only more expensive, I also don't really know what I'm getting. I generally stay a six months or so behind the leading edge of computer technology when purchasing components, for financial reasons and this also has the benefit of being able to purchase proven hardware.

    My custom PC:
    • Case: Antec 900 (link)
    • Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard (link)
    • CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e8400 3.0Ghz / 1333Mhz FSB (link)
    • Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2X2 GB) DDR2 800 (link)
    • Hard Drive: 160GB SATA Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 (Vista 32, SATA 1.5Gb) and 120GB 7200RPM Western Digital Caviar (XP 32, IDE 133)
    • Video Card: XFX GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (link) (upgradeable to dual cards)
    • Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R (link) & 16x Lite-On DVD-ROM
    • Power Supply: Thermaltake 420W ATX12v (link to very similar product)

    • Planned upgrades: Dual SATA 3.0Gb Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 in a RAID0 configuration
    Attached Files
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

  • #2
    Impresive, prety impresive.
    How much did it cost you?
    Here comes the silent killer

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    • #3
      I have never used G.Skill memory. I've always gone with Mushkin or Corsair.

      Be careful when going with RAID 0. When one drive goes, everything goes. And there will be added difficulty with imaging that drive or cloning that drive.

      Try a Radeon 45xx video card, better performance and lower power consumption, at a slight cost premium.

      Of course if you don't game then any video card, even the onboard, is plenty enough.

      I was surprised to find out my 2.5 year old Geforce 7900 GTO is still adequate to play Left 4 Dead.
      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by dark sorrow View Post
        impresive, prety impresive.
        How much did it cost you?
        $500-550.
        "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by gunnut View Post
          Try a Radeon 45xx video card, better performance and lower power consumption, at a slight cost premium.

          Of course if you don't game then any video card, even the onboard, is plenty enough.
          I'm a loyalist to the nVidia brand. I've just seen too many problems with ATI cards over the years.

          The Radeon 4550 is an extremely weak graphics card. It cannot even match the GeForce 9500, and is a mere fraction capable of what the 9800GT is. Sites that benchmark cards don't even compare the two because they're in entirely different leagues. It is like comparing the latest dual core processors to an Intel Celeron. A fair comparison would be between the Radeon 4830 and the GeForce 9800.
          "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

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          • #6
            I'm a loyalist to nVidia also.

            I've bought and customized computers from dell and they run good. They are obviously the gaming computers and I add a few things after buying the comp such as a power supply and an extra gig of ram.

            My next comp, I plan on building a comp from scratch like yours through tigerdirect.com

            Have any tips?

            The comp I'm on now is a dell xps desktop with windows vista 32 bit, 3gb of ram, nVidia 8800GT, 320gb hard drive and a 700W power supply. So it might be a it before I complete my comp, but I plan to get a case a few minor things before I actually get a video card, sound card, ram, etc. etc.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by erik View Post
              I'm a loyalist to nVidia also.

              I've bought and customized computers from dell and they run good. They are obviously the gaming computers and I add a few things after buying the comp such as a power supply and an extra gig of ram.

              My next comp, I plan on building a comp from scratch like yours through tigerdirect.com

              Have any tips?

              The comp I'm on now is a dell xps desktop with windows vista 32 bit, 3gb of ram, nVidia 8800GT, 320gb hard drive and a 700W power supply. So it might be a it before I complete my comp, but I plan to get a case a few minor things before I actually get a video card, sound card, ram, etc. etc.
              I'd go through NewEgg instead of tigerdirect. NewEgg generally has better prices and always has better customer service.

              I can highly recommend the Antec 900. It's an awesome case. Not sure how much you're looking to spend -- I got mine for $65 used vs. $110-$140 new.
              "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm looking to buy a desktop. Is 4G of memory enough for what you do and how much do think would be enough? I have 4 on my laptop but that was to load and run a separate operating system in memory, kind of wasted for WABing and email now.
                Reddite igitur quae sunt Caesaris Caesari et quae sunt Dei Deo
                (Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's)

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by sappersgt View Post
                  I'm looking to buy a desktop. Is 4G of memory enough for what you do and how much do think would be enough? I have 4 on my laptop but that was to load and run a separate operating system in memory, kind of wasted for WABing and email now.
                  4GB is kind of standard now, and is dirt cheap. Memory from a quality manufacturer in that amount can be had for $30-$60.

                  I'd honestly recommend DIY on a desktop. They're fairly easy to put together, only downside is there's no warranty for the system as a whole, only individual warranties on specific parts. But then again, I'm very particular about every component that I put into my computer... companies like Dell, HP, etc. aren't.
                  "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Ironduke View Post
                    I'm a loyalist to the nVidia brand. I've just seen too many problems with ATI cards over the years.

                    The Radeon 4550 is an extremely weak graphics card. It cannot even match the GeForce 9500, and is a mere fraction capable of what the 9800GT is. Sites that benchmark cards don't even compare the two because they're in entirely different leagues. It is like comparing the latest dual core processors to an Intel Celeron. A fair comparison would be between the Radeon 4830 and the GeForce 9800.
                    HA!!! You're right! I was thinking 4850 that I priced out just 3 days ago.

                    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121272

                    Still, if you don't game, even the onboard video card is good enough. If you do, go for a Radeon, for this generation.

                    I used to be an nVidia fan too, until I used a Radeon 9800 pro, which I flashed to be 9800XT. It was flawless. After 2 years, I gave it to my friend and he used it for another 2 years.
                    "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Ironduke View Post
                      I'd go through NewEgg instead of tigerdirect. NewEgg generally has better prices and always has better customer service.

                      I can highly recommend the Antec 900. It's an awesome case. Not sure how much you're looking to spend -- I got mine for $65 used vs. $110-$140 new.
                      Definitely use newegg. It's like 30 min drive from me and if I order before 11am and they ship the part out of their local warehouse, I can get it before sun down the next day. :))

                      Newegg's customer service is 2nd to none.
                      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by gunnut View Post
                        HA!!! You're right! I was thinking 4850 that I priced out just 3 days ago.

                        http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121272

                        Still, if you don't game, even the onboard video card is good enough. If you do, go for a Radeon, for this generation.

                        I used to be an nVidia fan too, until I used a Radeon 9800 pro, which I flashed to be 9800XT. It was flawless. After 2 years, I gave it to my friend and he used it for another 2 years.
                        The motherboard I have doesn't have a video card -- not really a matter of choice. :) I would prefer a motherboard not to have onboard graphics.

                        The 4850 is just a hair beyond my price point -- I would have gone for the 9800 GTX + for those dollars.

                        I actually found out that the board I bought doesn't support SLI, however -- it supports ATI Crossfire. Not a big deal though, as I don't plan on bridging two video cards in the foreseeable future. I'd rather have the spare PCI-E 2.0 slot available for something like a sound card.
                        "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Ironduke View Post
                          The motherboard I have doesn't have a video card -- not really a matter of choice. :) I would prefer a motherboard not to have onboard graphics.

                          The 4850 is just a hair beyond my price point -- I would have gone for the 9800 GTX + for those dollars.

                          I actually found out that the board I bought doesn't support SLI, however -- it supports ATI Crossfire. Not a big deal though, as I don't plan on bridging two video cards in the foreseeable future. I'd rather have the spare PCI-E 2.0 slot available for something like a sound card.
                          I used to abhor boards with onboard video...until I started to phase out my current rigs. Then it got expensive to maintain them as secondary machines for other uses like hand-me-downs for family and friends.

                          My current board supports SLI, and I bought it for this reason. Then I found out I don't have the budget for SLI. By the time I have enough money, it's obsolete.

                          I am considering this board with 4 RAM slots, onboard video with HDMI and DVI, no SLI/crossfire, and nVidia chipset for my new rig. Of course it will have to support overclocking for my uses.

                          http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131348

                          There will be no PCI-E sound cards. Maybe other things like video tuner or RAID controller, but no sound. Microsoft for some reason decided they will not support audio going through anything other than HDA bus in Vista.
                          "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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                          • #14
                            I am currently researching for my next machine, but mostly wont be able to buy it before july or august.
                            My last effort was back in November 2004, with various upgrades it now is
                            AMD 64 3200
                            2GB OCZ platinum DDR400
                            MSI K8N Neo Platinum
                            MSI Geforce 7600GS 512 MB
                            1x80 GB Seagate PATA
                            1x120 GB Samsung PATA
                            1x300 GB Seagate SATA
                            1x Samsing CDRW
                            1x Sony DVDRW
                            17" Samsung LCD
                            Antec Sonata 3 with Earthpower 500W PSU

                            So nowadays most parts that you can get in the US/EU are available here in Chennai with a bit of a price difference so wondering what both Indian and international wabbers would recommend for a casual gaming PC for about $900-1000 (Rs 40,000 to 50,000). Am especially wondering as to if i should go for Nvidia or ATI and if the P45 chipset motherboards are a good option.
                            Last edited by bolo121; 14 Jan 09,, 06:36.
                            For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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                            • #15
                              Ok, here is a quetion for the "propellor heads" :)

                              My friend and I are likely to start playing pubs and clubs as a duo.

                              Our backing tracks are produced using a sequencer before being converted to Mp3's.
                              To play the Mp3"s, I will puchase a laptop that will run a program called, On Stage Performer.
                              The laptop does not need all the bells and whistles except it must have 4GB ram so the mp3's don't glitch (embarrasing), a cd player/burner, the best sound card available and must be tough enough to survive the possibility of some klutz/drunk wandering amoungst our sound gear and tipping the laptop on the floor.

                              Millspec or or near millspec laptops are available that are mounted in rubber but are very expensive.

                              Is it possible to build or have one built that only contains the components that I want?

                              Cheers.

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