[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoHands /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh, i have both too with a quad core and ddr2 and i cant really see ones advantage over the other. for the price difference id still go with the 7200. also as you said all it does is speed up loading, which in any case is not more than 1 minute (loading crysis) so really unless you could be making millions with that 1 minute it should not really matter.

On the configurator I was using, it was always very clear where the big price jumps occured. I ended up always buying a level below that after researching each item to see whether the increased cost was worth it or not.

So I think I got a very good-but not cutting edge-system. If anything, even a system like this is probably more than I'll need, so I'm hoping to be pretty satisfied.

 

[NoHands]

Its nto cutting edge, but solid as a brick, and thankfully faster than one too =) youll have many a happy years of gaming with it.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoHands /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meh, i have both too with a quad core and ddr2 and i cant really see ones advantage over the other. for the price difference id still go with the 7200. also as you said all it does is speed up loading, which in any case is not more than 1 minute (loading crysis) so really unless you could be making millions with that 1 minute it should not really matter.

Dont know about you but I dont have time to sit and look at the desktop every time I open a program anymore than I have too.

 

[JamesL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dont know about you but I dont have time to sit and look at the desktop every time I open a program anymore than I have too.

For a 1 minute load-up, you'll typically save about 0.2 seconds with the velociraptor over a 640gb se16.

If you're telling me that you can tell the difference between 60 seconds, and 60.2 seconds.. well, it's really your money.
Personally, I'd rather spend the extra $200 toward my winter break, than collectively save some 5-10 minutes over the period of the year.

 

[chesebert]

Raptor is loud, just thought you should know

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesL /img/forum/go_quote.gif For a 1 minute load-up, you'll typically save about 0.2 seconds with the velociraptor over a 640gb se16. If you're telling me that you can tell the difference between 60 seconds, and 60.2 seconds.. well, it's really your money. Personally, I'd rather spend the extra $200 toward my winter break, than collectively save some 5-10 minutes over the period of the year.

Numbers are wrong, but hey, if you wanna waste your time to save a few bucks then please feel free. That is true, it is loud. JamesL can you tell us where you came up with those ridiculous numbers. The drive is saving me more time just loading one program.

 

[Blitzula]

Alright...got my computer mid-week. This is what I ended up buying:

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Case w/no PS ($160)
Motherboard: ASUS P5KQ Pro Mbrd, S775 ($180)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz CPU, S775 ($350)
CPU Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 clips ($90)
Video card: ATI 1GB HD4870 PCI Express Video Card Asus ($345)
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB SATA Hard Drive, 7200rpm, 16MB cache ($135)
Memory: 4GB PC2-6400 800MHz TWIN (2X2GB) DDR2 RAM GSKILL CL4 ($100)
Power supply: Thermaltake 600W ATX Power Supply ($140)
SATA Cable: SATA Drive Cable secure (2) ($30)
CD/DVD Drive: ASUS 20x DVD+-RW, Lightscribe, SATA ($60)
Operating system: MS Windows Vista Home Premium DVD (full version), 32 bit ($150.00)

Labor: Overclock CPU to 400FSB, 4.0GHZ ($50)
Warranty: Extended 3 year (labor/parts and shipping paid both ways by vendor) ($150)
Shipping: N.Y. to CA ($90.01)

Total: $2,030.01

To test the stability, I got educated and ran Orthos blend and core temparature for 24 hours...no errors were found and the temp was a reasonable 61 degrees.

I'm very happy...it's sooooo much quicker then my 1.5GHZ computer from 5+ years ago. Suprisingly, the internet is much quicker too, which I didn't expect. My old PC must have been really bad in that area somehow.

I highly recommend the company I used, KC Computers, they have well-deserved high ratings on resellerratings.com. Very informative and quick to answer questions.

Chesebert, thank you very much for recommending Anandtech input also. Between them and Head-fi, I ended up being very satisfied.

Thanks to everyone else also....I carefully weighed and evaluated every post.

Hope that's it for another three-five years!

 

[Agent Kang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoHands /img/forum/go_quote.gif everything seems fine, however i would go with a motherboard with an intel chipset. the nvidia ones are known to be buggy. The asus motheboards with an intel chipset called x38 are better, less buggy and run faster. everything else seems fine.

X2.

I'd probably spend my cash on a good power supply, along with an aftermaket heatsink.

 

[Gollie]

I might be coming in on this late but if you head over to Overclock.net the experts over there will jump on an opportunity like this!

edit: My post is a little late but OCN can help you tweak and get the most out of your rig.

 

[timothymoses]

I also recommend the intel motherboards, most of people using intel processor only

 

[Agent Kang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright...got my computer mid-week. This is what I ended up buying: Case: Antec Nine Hundred Case w/no PS ($160) Motherboard: ASUS P5KQ Pro Mbrd, S775 ($180) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz CPU, S775 ($350) CPU Cooling: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 clips ($90) Video card: ATI 1GB HD4870 PCI Express Video Card Asus ($345) Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB SATA Hard Drive, 7200rpm, 16MB cache ($135) Memory: 4GB PC2-6400 800MHz TWIN (2X2GB) DDR2 RAM GSKILL CL4 ($100) Power supply: Thermaltake 600W ATX Power Supply ($140) SATA Cable: SATA Drive Cable secure (2) ($30) CD/DVD Drive: ASUS 20x DVD+-RW, Lightscribe, SATA ($60) Operating system: MS Windows Vista Home Premium DVD (full version), 32 bit ($150.00) Labor: Overclock CPU to 400FSB, 4.0GHZ ($50) Warranty: Extended 3 year (labor/parts and shipping paid both ways by vendor) ($150) Shipping: N.Y. to CA ($90.01) Total: $2,030.01 To test the stability, I got educated and ran Orthos blend and core temparature for 24 hours...no errors were found and the temp was a reasonable 61 degrees. I'm very happy...it's sooooo much quicker then my 1.5GHZ computer from 5+ years ago. Suprisingly, the internet is much quicker too, which I didn't expect. My old PC must have been really bad in that area somehow. I highly recommend the company I used, KC Computers, they have well-deserved high ratings on resellerratings.com. Very informative and quick to answer questions. Chesebert, thank you very much for recommending Anandtech input also. Between them and Head-fi, I ended up being very satisfied. Thanks to everyone else also....I carefully weighed and evaluated every post. Hope that's it for another three-five years!

Congrats on your new computer. If you're going to play with overclocking, use OCCT or intel linpack instead. These will find errors a lot quicker than Orthos (from my experience). Also, next time you want to buy computer parts go check out newegg. You'll find that the prices there are a whole lot cheaper than other vendors.

You picked a great case in 900. It's a great cooler with excellent airflow. E8600 is a great overclocker, although i'm mildly surprised that you didnt' go quad.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Kang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats on your new computer. If you're going to play with overclocking, use OCCT or intel linpack instead. These will find errors a lot quicker than Orthos (from my experience). Also, next time you want to buy computer parts go check out newegg. You'll find that the prices there are a whole lot cheaper than other vendors. You picked a great case in 900. It's a great cooler with excellent airflow. E8600 is a great overclocker, although i'm mildly surprised that you didnt' go quad.

Thanks...all they did on the overclocking was change one setting to increase me to 4.0 GHZ. I told them my main concern was just having a stable system, not getting every ounce of power out.

The computer maker put it all together, so what you're seeing is the prices including his profit. It was worth it to me, it would have taken up too much of my time to build it myself. Also, I wouldn't want to deal with all the shipment and troubleshooting hassles.

If I had more free time, though, I would have gone the self-build route. Would have been interesting.

The case was a specific KC computers suggestion...it's pretty nice, but I'm easy on stuff like that (a basic boring color/setup works for me too).

I'd did look a fair amount at the quad core, and decided that the cost and level of use in current apps didn't justify it for me.

Pretty much, it was reasonably easy going piece by piece on a configurator and seeing where the big price spike occurred...I started out with buying just below that, and researching from there. Once I get 3 years out of this, I think that will be my approach in the future (assuming I can afford it!). Not cutting edge, but the stuff that's been out for a bit but is still a very good performer.