New Computer Specs

Submitted by jbreland on Thu, 03/15/2007 - 04:08

lasthonorableman

Thu, 03/15/2007 - 09:56

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I agree with David's assessment of the video card; I would also add that, unless you're going to replace your monitors, you're not going to be able to take full advantage of the DVI outputs on that card. I can understand getting it so that you'll have a nice card when you finally do upgrade your monitors, but in the meantime you're going to have to use DVI-to-VGA converters for both monitors and that's not going to do justice to a card that isane.

Eh... The analog inputs on my monitors really aren't a problem. Truth be told, I get perfectly fine video input from them, and I already have two DVI->VGA adapters because my current card has two DVI outputs. Yes, the dual-DVI out will be nice for the future, but I'm really more interested in the performance of the card than the difference of pictures quality from VGA to DVI. In that aspect, nothing comes close to the 8800-series, even including the current low-end of the series such as this EVGA card.

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http://www.legroom.net/

bnp (not verified)

Fri, 03/16/2007 - 09:22

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A couple more things:
I have a laptop with a Core 2 Duo in it. It's quite zippy, you'll like it. It blows away my desktop that has a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+.

I didn't even know Corsair made power supplies. The reviews on NewEgg look really good though. Having modular cabling is nice.

Yeah, I've been lusting after those babies since they were introduced last year. Really looking forward to it. :-)

I didn't know Corsair made power supplies either until I happened to come across this review. I was particularly fond of this comment: "Finally, I taped a Kleenex at the top of the exhaust port on the back of the incubator so I didn’t have to keep reaching behind the incubator and into the rack in order to make sure the fan had not stopped." I'm all about quiet for this computer. :-) I just need to figure out some way of quieting that video card.

As for your Lian-Li suggestions, I'm sure those are both fine cases, but please see my last comment about looking for a different style. I currently have two Lian-Li cases, both very similar to the PC-7A plus II Silver (one's the same size but is trimmed in black, the other is the same color but slightly shorter). They both work fine (if a bit noisy due to the cooling fans), and if it comes down to it I certainly don't have a problem with another Lian-Li, but I'd like to try out something different this time if possible.

Thanks for the feedback!

--
http://www.legroom.net/

Hardware

Update: 03/26/2007 05:03
I finally selected a data hard drive - the WD drive ended up beating out the Seagate based on some performance and acoustic reviews. I also changed my case selection from the Cooler Master Centurion 532 to the Gigabyte Poseidon GZ-XA1CA-STB. The Gigabyte seems to be a bit sturdier based on reviews, and also includes a rear 120mm fan (unlike the Cooler Master case). And with that, I'm done! Thanks to everyone that provided feedback. I'm going to unsticky this post as soon as I order the parts.

Update: 03/24/2007 15:05
I have nearly all components picked out. The only things left to do are decide on one of the three data hard drive choices and choose a rear cooling fan (which really shouldn't be too difficult). After that, it's time to spend some money! :-) Last call for comments if anyone has other suggestions...

I'm currently researching components for a new computer. Here's what I've decided on so far. Any comments or suggestions?

Motherboard
ASUS P5B Deluxe, based on Intel P965 chipset - Newegg

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - Newegg

Video Card
e-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB Superclocked - Newegg

Memory
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ, 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 (PC2-6400) (x2) - Newegg

Hard Drive
System drive: Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD - Newegg
Data drive: Western Digital RE2 WD5000YS - Newegg

Optical Drive
Samsung SH-S183L SATA DVD/CD burner - Newegg

Power Supply
Corsair HX620W or HX520W (depends on power requirements) - Newegg

Case
Gigabyte Poseidon GZ-XA1CA-STB - Newegg

Network Switch
3com OfficeConnect Gigabit Switch 16 - Newegg

Monitors
Undecided if I will purchase new monitors
If reused - ViewSonic G220fb (x2)

Network Interface Card
Integrated Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, Marvell PCI-E and PCI

Sound Card
Reused - Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2, plus integrated ADI AD1988B 8ch HD Audio

Input Devices
Reused - Logitech Elite keyboard, Logitech MX1000 mouse