My New Computer - For Those Interested

[wm_hunter]

I went through a friend to get a slight discount. Head tech at local university, knew someone at IBM well.


Core 2 Duo proccessor (speed, don't know as of yet) KICKASS CHIP, BEST ON MARKET CURRENTLY 40-50% faster then Core Duo in all benchmarks I have seen.

512MB ATI (AMD now I guess) video card. I know it's the advanced model of a 256, don't know the actual model.

1 gig of RAM (2x 512MB SD)

Good motherboard (firewire, fast PCI express slots, unsure of actual model yet)

All-in-one drive (DVD, CD, burn\write)

I think it's onboard sound, but decent. I usually use stereo or my Sennheiser HD 477 anyway.


I can have better specs when I actually get it in 2-3 days from now. What you guys think? I think it is like $1500-1600.

I wrote this quickly forgot quite a few things I imagine.

[PoTatoes]

>.> lucky you got your hands on a dual core procc. was gonna get one when it released but my parents found every reason why not to get it -_-

welll nice comp..hope you enjoy it unlike me

[hellsing293]

kudos thats a pretty hott computer.

[Joshy]

I dont even know what any of that means, lol.

[trayne]

note the word hot. might want to get a fan for the duo processor. it collects heat. Sister bought an ibm as well with a duo processor. she took it back after a month cause it overheated and refused to startup. She spent almost 2000 on it. She got a refund and had me build one. shes happy now.

I'm currently building a new computer for the vista software i recieved. I already have an idea of parts i plan on using...

Motherboard: DFI Lanparty
Harddrive: Seagate 120GB 15krpm 10mb cache ultra ata 133
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800 with enhanced fsb & cache; starting clock 3.20ghz
Memory: 4096MB OCZ EL Platinum Pc8000 1000MHz
Video: ATI Radeon X1950 XTX 512MB GDDR4
Sound: Creative labs xfi platinum
Hardware1: Plextor 16xa dvd/cd burner
Hardware2: Plextor 55SA dvd/cd burner
Hardware3: ATI HDTV wonder tv tuner card
Hardware4: dangerden cooling kit.
Power: OCZ PowerStream 600 watt

for the little things, i decided to use my rounded ides that are uv and the extra neon i had laying around, i'm airbrushing a character from halo onto the side of the case since the sides are clear. I just need a few air funnels and to comb the front and back of the case. I have 3 Gforce megadisks for backup harddrives. They're each 500. I figured i'd use one of them for movies. One is already in use as an iso storage area with a portable alcohol 120% in it so i can move it from one computer to another when i want to play games.i'd like to find a 3-layer bladder cooling system but they're very rare to find now a days.

out of sheer boredom, i'm also building a new desk lol. adding a few sliders for the printer, tower, keyboard, mouse, and subwoofer, its currently a cheap wood and metal. Around the 4th of october my order of 6lb 2-layer folded mesh should arrive for the back of it and i'm using a tempered mesh for the rest of it. the stuff i ordered looks snakescaled. its used for cars usually but i had the guy get me a good deal on a custom size. he said it can handle up to 320 pounds on it and weighs under 29 pounds so it should weigh less than the wood i'm using currently.

[Nex]

I dont even know what any of that means, lol.

ditto

[trayne]

i'll translate mine a bit for ya, processor is fast enough to do videos under 30 minutes. I have enough ram(memory) that i wont have to get more for awhile. the tv tuner means my computer will also be a dvr (digital video recorder). the soundcard will let the computer have stereo sound. I'm adding a high volt power supply to power it all. the video card is high quality so it means the games pictures will look cleaner, crisper and go faster meaning no lag.the motherboard is the main part of a computer its like the puzzle board, i usually think of it as a game of operation lol. round ide cables are like the flat ones in your computer but they take up less space and are more flexible.neon is basically lights. this kind of computer is fast and flashy which means it will look good on the outside and inside, combing means i'm adding honeycomb like grids on the computer to hook fans to to blow out the heat. a bladder cooling system is like a watersack that circulates cold water through the system to keep it cooled off. but the problem is that they havent made a bladder type since 1997.


as for the desk, its being changed to be lighter but more sturdy. it looks like a walmart bought one and i'm changing it to metal/mesh with more metal frames on it.

[steezinNA]

Get the Nvidia DualCore

Nothin like a Dual GPU with 2x 512mb Per GPU

PLus you can show off how leet Quake4 looks on your HD Bigscreen

[trayne]

had dualcore. didnt like it. pipelines werent that good either. if i get bored, i'll probably take out the 2 x1900s i have in my work computer and stick it in the new one. but i'll stick with the gddr4 for now.

[tigeroip]

sounds pretty good, but if i were u i would get more ram

[wm_hunter]

Try, I don't know why you are going with AMD. Your comp is kickass, why not go with a Core2? It is going to kick anything AMD has until 2007 when they release their next chip

Heat may be an issue yes, but actually P4s with HT run a lot hotter then the core duo technology. They (CDs) are based on the P3 chips actually, and instead of having long lines and trying to guess what the user is going to do next (like the HT P4s did), they just have short and fast pipe lines.

The first upgrade I will get is 1 gig to 2 gig RAM. I don't plan on getting Vista for 1 year + after it's release. They rewrote the network stack (AKA they are rebuilding the wheel) and it has a shit load of bugs still in beta, and they are running out of time. I think it will be very insecure for 1 year AT LEAST, so I am staying clear.

Oh, and your going with water cooling? That shit always was scary to me, having water running around my PC, one small leak and... = P

[trayne]

amd is releasing a new chip in october. its mhz is 2044. slightly higher than duo plus the threading is more detailed for more feed which will outperform duo. the customized 4800 processor i'm using has 2044mhz already and is cooler than the duo already. uncle has a duo and we game half the time, hes mad cause the amd is still outperforming him. his is clocked at 3.08 while mine is around 4.10. in duo the feed is 3layered. i had the amd gridded and layered with 3layer silver. its fsb is about 256 higher and is perfect for its future use.

water cooling is fine. i use delrin parts and 2 layers of bendable sealant. the board has been given an extra layer of plate so the lines can be under it and its sealed in fiberglass so it cant condense. i'm thinking of running a non flammable oil substance instead of water. I've heard the oil type doesnt evaporate as fast. i've use water cooling before and its never leaked. probably cause its not on a standard pump. its in a vacuum so theres no pressure being added to the flow.

[Daddy_XL]

Congrats on the new puter and the duo2 core.. i myself am waiting for AMD's new release.. we can compair benchmarks then...im curious to see if they actually do make a better product..

[hellsing293]

why 2 gig ram? what could you possible do that requires that much RAM?

[PoTatoes]

why 2 gig ram? what could you possible do that requires that much RAM?

imagine the possibilities with it...

[trayne]

well probably cause the vista games require around 1 gig. but for me, its cause i'm going to be doing movie editing, computer graphics programming, computer game programming, computer game testing and i might make copies of a few things since its going to have 2 dvd/cd rops and already has 2 litescribes.

[Spitfire]

Nice choice with the Core 2 Duo. I spent $4,000 AUD on my Core Duo lappy only to find out about Core 2 Duo 2 weeks later.. I would have waited grr. Apparently the first wave of Core 2 Duo will work with the same Motherboard i have so i might upgrade sometime.

[trayne]

might want to wait a bit more. they plan on putting out a core 2 duo extreme around the 9th. not sure when it will be public, i suspect around 2 weeks after completion. amd is moving the date on theirs. i'm kinda ticked about it.

[SiL3N7KNi6H7]

It'll be a nice rig when it's done i suggest you get the cheap Core 2 Duo the E6200 if i remember correctly it's overclocking potential is vast on a stock cooler i achieved 3.2Ghz from its standard 2.66Ghz. These Processors cost roughly 200-300$ Depending on where you get them from or less you never know.

As for video cards i personally own a Nvidia 7900GT SLi setup that has been volt-modded and overclocked far past what anything you could buy on the marhet could reach. But since i don't expect you to have expertice in this are as i do stick with a 1900XTX Ati card. Far superior shader support allows for better frame rates at higher resolutions in a single card solution. The Ati card will set you back 380$ but is well worth it and will still be able to play any game you throw at it.

For a motherboard i suggest ASUS D975XBXLKR lots of support and overclocking capability if you get adventerous. This'll set you back 250$

For Ram go Corsair or Mushkin or G.Skill thre the 3 best ram manufacturers. a 1Gb kit will set you back ne where from 100-500$ { ie. the mushkin EM2 1024 Mb module of PC6400 Ram. } If possible go for 2Gb quite a noticable diffrence from 1Gb. Never install 4 Ram modules motherboards cannot support full ram speed when all 4 sticks are in and reduces the timings of the ram to compensate.

For a Power Supply i suggest an Ultra X2 Connect it's modular so there are no unessicarry cables and it looks nice { cables are also uv reactive }. Or an OCZ PowerStream 600W PSU.


This is roundabout the system i'm building for my brother trust me it'll be smoking also dont slack on components if you dont have enough money keep saving and get the good stuff it'll pay off in the end with better warrantys and support and better items overall.

I Personaly have a :

AMD 4200+ X2 @ 2.89Ghz /w Zalman 9500AM2 Cpu Cooler
x2 7900GT SLi Setup Vmodded 2 700 Core / 2Ghz Memory Each /w Zalman VF900 Coolers.
A8n-SLi Motherboard because right now a dual x8 pci-e bus is the same as a dual x16 current grafics cards aren't using anywhere near the bandwidth this format provides.
X-Fi Platnum SoundCard
Galaxy 1000W Psu
2Gb Low Latency DDR400 Patriot Ram @ DDR500
2x WD Raptor HDD's in Raid 0 { Limited edition Clear enclosure }

My CPU peaks at 40c at 100% load for 24 hours and my grafics cards never go any higher then 35c. Sadly one of my 7900gt's didnt like the speed it was running at and some of the voltage regulating mofsets blew up luckiy all i had to do was remove the conductive ink i used to vmod it and rma it

gl hope this helps a bit.


P.S. If your willing to you might as well wait 6 months in that time nvidia, ati , amd and intel will have released all there new grafics cards and processors. And the existing CPU's and GFX cards prices will drop.rolleyes:

[wm_hunter]

More fuller comp specs

Deluxe Micro-ATX Case, INtel D945GPM Mainboard with ONBOARD:
SATA & IDE Contoller, USB ports, Firewire port, highspeed serial ports, enhanced parallel port

Intel Duo Core 3.4 GHZ CPU W/heatsink and fan

MS Multi-Media keyboard & opt mouse, floppy drive

1GB DDR2 memory

Radeon x1600 Pro (512MB, PCIE)

250 GB SATA Hard drive

LG DVD-RW with LightScribe *< new technology for CD surface writting*

Windows XP Home (no need for me to go pro)

Acer LCD 19" flat panel display (KICKASS monitor)

320GB SATA removable HD (for backup)


What you guys think? I have a fan for the proccessor, the video card fan and I think one fan somewhere on the mainboard itself. Runs nice and cool, might do some overclocking tonight.