Help Judge build a computer

[BNU-Judge]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated


CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz                       $279.99

The i7 is a fine line of CPUs, but you've made a huge mistake by picking that one. You plan to spend $400-something on a motherboard that's all about balls to the wall performance, $700-something on a graphics card that rivals anything we'd ever thought was possible even two years ago, and the CPU you picked won't even be able to keep up.

Clock speed is more important than number of cores. More cores let you multi-task more effectively, but they won't speed you up at all! Higher clock speed means faster, period. Unfortunately, the cheapest i7 I can recommend costs more than my entire computer did, so I can't recommend any i7. If you're willing to rethink your whole system, check out the AMD Phenom2s. They're built on the same 45nm technology, and they're much cheaper. The drawback is you need to pick a new motherboard.

Sorry, I'm on the Intel side anyway been multitasking programs more now that I'm home again, especially on my iTunes (I have a iPod Touch 2nd Gen, its a B-Day in Iraq gift). BTW the cheapest core i7 is $279.99 which happen to be the one I plan to get, but thanks for providing a alternative choice

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GPU: BFG Tech GeForce GTX 285 H2O      $485.99

The graphics card you picked is obscene; don't waste your money on that one, and don't buy your graphics card from that site. Newegg or zipzoomfly are the only ones I trust. Since your mobo supports SLI, why not get 2 SLI-capable 9000-series cards? That would be almost as good as the card you've picked, and cost a fraction of the price.

My fault, should have stated that I was going for a gaming computer, plus I just came from Iraq which means I got $$$ but yeah I think I going to scale it down to BFG Tech GeForce GTX 285 H2O would have linked it to zipzoomfly but they are out of stock and newegg doesn't have that product.

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Ram: CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB)                            $239.00

Does the memory still support the new mobo?

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Mobo: ASUS P6T Deluxe                                                 $338.99

Yeah took your advise and also saved some money.

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Case: Antec Twelve Hundred                                        $174.99

Don't get that case. Aside from it being pretty ugly, it doesn't seem to have any serious consideration for heat dissipation. It has fans, but their placement is not well thought out.

I got this Rosewill case, and it's superior to your case for a number of reasons. Here's a few that come to mind:

• Price. A case is just a metal box. There's no reason to spend $200 on one.
• It comes with fans already installed. Not those dinky 90mm fans with open bearings that turn in to noisemakers after 3 months, but high quality, large fans. They don't make a peep, and they won't start doing so any time soon.
• Dust screens. There's nothing I hate more than cleaning dust out of my computer. This case catches the dust before it ever gets in to the case.
• The case is designed to bring cool air from the side directly on to the CPU. Keeping a high end CPU cool is difficult without liquid cooling, and this is one of the few cases I've seen that can do it effectively.
• Installation is a breeze. I normally don't recommend getting a case with these quick-install tabs because they aren't secure, and a rattling harddrive can become a broken harddrive very quickly, but this one is built to last.
• It comes with an accessory case that fits right in the drive bay. Very convenient for storing extra screws, cables, etc.

Your right the other one did look ugly, so I looked through some more cases and choose something more good looking thanks for the recommendation though  

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PSU: Rosewill RX850-D-B 850W                          $119.99

Yeah 1000w was a bit much, so I?m going with Scott?s

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HDD:

Hard Drives now a days are out there that greatly outdo the Velociraptors. I'd probably go with a cheaper samsung drive, with better Cache, and more reliability. I've found the last 2 generations of Raptors have been steadily more and more unreliable.

I'm not a fan of that hard drive. For $200, the drive should be over 1TB.

Well I have 2 1TB external hard a Fantom Drives GF1000Q 1TB and LACIE d2 Quadra 1TB both I ordered when I was in Iraq, unfortunately Newegg was a F***ing D*****bag because I have to be in America or Canada in order to order, so I had to order both from different sites and pay more money. Anyway also have a Western Digital My Passport 250GB, but I obtain it shortly before going to Iraq. Between all 3 external drives I have about 500GB free space left. Getting to my point I'm looking for a harddrive not so much for space as I plan to buy another external harddrive sometime in the summer. But rather a harddrive that can read the info faster, so would Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB be a good choice? any recommendations?

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DVD: LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive            $19.99

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LCD:

Atm not too much concern about the monitor size, I?ll figure something out.

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Keyboard and Mouse I?ll decide later

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Cooling System:

What water cooling system would you guys suggest? Fan noise I can tolerate, I just don?t like how my room heats up, especially after leaving the window open on a summer day. Plus it looks cool

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Sound:

Why do you want a sound card? Unless you're going to be seriously mixing your own music, or you require some special input that you can only get on a sound card, there's no reason to get one. The integrated sound card in your motherboard is perfectly capable of playing sound.

I just came from Iraq my iPods in Iraq kept me sane do you want me to get PTSD?  just kidding, didn't mention it last post but having surround sound is something I always wanted, now I have the chance, probably will get a G51 once I figure out which sound card to get. At the very least if I don't get one now, once I

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You definitely don't need that Killer Xeno Pro, since any motherboard already has all of the things on that card.

Your right I don't need it, Do I want it? yes I do. Don't know if I'll get it now, might be something to get in the future

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Overall, I'd say you did a pretty good job of matching up compatible parts, but your budget is alarmingly high. Remember that no matter what you buy, it's going to be obsolete in 2 years. It's better to spend less money now and save your cash for an upgrade in a year or two. For example, if you decide to go with the i7 you picked out, you could get the best i7 available today for the same price in 2 years. The price of both combined would still be less than if you spent $1000 on the high end one today.

Thanks, yeah if you haven't noticed I'm going for a gaming computer. Its my reward for being in Iraq I really wanted to spend like 22k on a Pontiac GTO, so i like to think as this comp as the next best thing

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So should i go with Johns Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound? or Scotts Arctic Silver 5?

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Im slowly replacing all fans with those. They seem to be much quieter, and keep my case nice and cool. Plus they don't have lights so I can actually sleep with the PC on.

Out of curiosity whats the point of having your PC while your sleeping?

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Found a nice video card for a good price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809

Thats basically 2 video cards in one. Crossfired together. Given a crossfire board, you could essentially put two of these badboys crossfired for quadfire. :-P

I can see your on the Radeon side, thanks for the choice though.

[John]

While these are huge, the Cache, and reliability are definately good for an OS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102

I personally use a 160gb drive for OS.

[Scott]

Sorry, I'm on the Intel side

May I ask why?

That mobo can't run triple-channel at 1600MHz; it'll only do 1333MHz. Unfortunately, it's a limitation of all of Asus' current line.

I personally use a 160gb drive for OS.

Higher density drives read and write faster, which means better loading time for the os and for games!

[Scott]

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred                                        $174.99
Your right the other one did look ugly, so I looked through some more cases and choose something more good looking thanks for the recommendation though  

Looks like that case was built out of straw and magic. Those fans are going to be very loud.

Getting to my point I'm looking for a harddrive not so much for space as I plan to buy another external harddrive sometime in the summer. But rather a harddrive that can read the info faster, so would Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB be a good choice? any recommendations?

No. Harddrives all spin at the same speed (7200rpm), because if they go any faster the actual drive media starts to wobble and becomes unreadable. In other words, higher density drives are "quicker."

Cooling System:

What water cooling system would you guys suggest? Fan noise I can tolerate, I just don?t like how my room heats up, especially after leaving the window open on a summer day. Plus it looks cool

A water cooled computer doesn't generate any less heat than one that isn't; that's not the function of a water cooling system. The water only moves the heat, the goal being to move it to an area that isn't cramped so that larger, quieter fans can cool the computer. It's a mess, it's extremely complicated, and if anything goes wrong your computer will be destroyed. I never, ever recommend water cooling systems.

Sound:
I just came from Iraq my iPods in Iraq kept me sane do you want me to get PTSD?  just kidding, didn't mention it last post but having surround sound is something I always wanted, now I have the chance, probably will get a G51 once I figure out which sound card to get. At the very least if I don't get one now, once I

Those speakers are fine, but as I already said, you do not need to buy second sound card to hook them up! The motherboard has integrated sound, and even includes coaxial and optical SPDIF outputs.

Thanks, yeah if you haven't noticed I'm going for a gaming computer. Its my reward for being in Iraq I really wanted to spend like 22k on a Pontiac GTO, so i like to think as this comp as the next best thing

Why not just blow 22k on hookers? Spending tons of money on a computer doesn't make the computer last that much longer.

So should i go with Johns Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound? or Scotts Arctic Silver 5?

The Arctic Silver, since it's actually Silver.

[tonsoffuns]

honestly you are wasting sooooo much money, there is nothing that even puts a dent in core i7 and for the money you can get something more efficient dual core is amazingly cheap and it packs a whopping 3.0 ghz that will be just fine even quad cores are not very efficient nice...but not efficient alot of things you are getting are just so top of the line that nothing on the market can utlize the power. now if you have an insane budget then go nutz but if you want to make something good that will run everything you want but to save a little money then look at what im getting, its cheap under a grand and very powerful.

   

CPU-Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115036
   -$35.94 Saving
   $189.99
$154.05


GRAPHICS CARD-x2 BFG Tech BFGE96512GTOCE GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814143130
   -$5.00 Instant
   $159.98
$149.98
   

PSU-SILVERSTONE ST70F 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817256045
   -$25.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate
   $149.99
$124.99
   

RAM-CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820145184

$46.99
   

CPU FAN-ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16835118003

$49.19
   

MOBO-XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard - OEM, NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express, SLI Ready, Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0 & Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3839553&CatId=1533

$99.99

HDD-Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136073
$59.99

MONITOR-Hanns?G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 Built in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254005
$119.99

now thats what im going for. everything has very good detailed reviews everything will be efficent and good for what i want now if you have money to splurge on top of the line stuff then go ahead but for power and price what i have listed is great...my list also assumes you have a computer case, mouse, keyboard, headset, and OS but if you want my help on that i would be happy to. i've been fixing computers and watching the market for years..like when i was in middle school lol, you dont want to over do it with power because the computer industry is insane, the size of software and such is getting bigger very slowly, and the power and performance of the hardware is growing miles and miles at a time.

i've already spoken about the cpu nw i will give you a break down in the other items. starting with the graphics card.
now new models and better graphic cards hit the market every other week it seems but just 8 months ago or so the Nvidia GeForce 8800 was still the best on the market and the market and the 9000 series was brand new, now the 8800 is hard to find but the 9000 series has fixed thier bugs and have gone down significantly in price, so they will still run everything beautifully on high settings just one will run just about everything on medium to high settings but they are so damn cheap that if you get 2 it will be almost perfect.

ok the power supply. now the power supply is 700 watts 650 should be just fine but if you want to be absolutely sure then 700 watts is fine, i usually go with a big brand and cheap silverstone is not bad persay but its not name brand which is ok, the comments left on it were nothing but good im sure there was a couple DOA's (dead on arrival) but thats what 30 day warranties and RMA is for *shrug* no big deal

The RAM can be very very very tricky and RAM is 8 out of 10 times very picky about the mother board you are using amd wont work. corsair, OCZ, and Kingston are all very very good brands that aren't as picky as long as you have the right type for your motherboard, you dont want too much ram because odds are your computer wont recognize some of it anyways so 3-8 GB is fine just note that 64 bit OS will be the only way to have it recognized.

CPU fan is a VERY important part of the computer with out it your cpu WILL over heat/ catch flame (i've seen it happen if you're interested ask me it's a funny story), now Thermaltake is the TOP name in all cooling but zalman is very well known for their cooling products. cpu fans actually list how loud they are, and if you read comments then that will give you a better idea of how load the fan is.

Now the motherboard is the one that you will want to splurge on as its the very soul of the computer. I personally just love Intel build over amd builds intel is more stable and have better overall performance for gaming. now XFX is a great company, they have amazing customer support and are rock solid boards, the 680i is very good and very cheap, now if you're working on a budget then its awsome, if you can afford it then i suggest you go with the 780 or 790i  the bios is better and its alot faster and very good for over clocking. ASUS is a marvelous company aswell, they are very solid aswell.

Western Digital is probably the best HDD company around, hard drives suck because no matter what company you go to their DOA rate is high but Western Digital seems to be the best, samsung is a joke, but hitachi is another very decent HDD company as well. 500 GB is fine unless you're a download maniac then 1TB maybe your ideal capacity and now even those are as low at 75 bucks.

Monitors are very very expensive, most are around 150 to 300 and those you really have to look at comments, and make sure that you check monitor size to cost because i've seen cases where 1 inch made the difference of like 50-100 dollars so pay attention, and if you are a big multi-tasker then dual screen, its easy and it looks really cool.

even though i didnt post one, im going to talk about cases, look for a case with like 3 or 4 fans that will provide alot of airflow, keeing your computer cooler and computers can over heat easily, also look at where the fans are positioned and just kind of line up the direction of where the air will be going and try to guesstimate where your CPU, Graphic cards, and RAM will be as those put out the most heat, i believe vista comes with an option that you can see how much heat different things are putting out.

i think thats it, if you have any questions let me know

[John]

Tonsoffun,

That is one of the worst monitors you could order. I've seen so many of those come back after like 3-7 months at our store. And that cost is outrageous. We have sales going on at my store right now and you can get a cheaper monitor with way more quality. Or even a bit more expensive, and better size. Well I'm not seeing the cheaper ones on our website, but in the store, we have 2 sitting at 119.99, one's a gateway (samsung LCD), the other is a Samsung. Both are clearence.

I'd highly recommend checking out Best Buy. If you can't find one for cheap, oh well, but right now we're getting rid of 90% of our inventory, to make room for all the new computers, with Windows 7 Upgrades (in Oct), and the sale just started this week.

The monitors you're looking at are 100% cheaper than the ones I have. I have 2 24 inch monitors, and a 42inch LCD TV hooked to my computers. And I've never been happier.

Im just looking @ TigerDirect.com, and found a Dell 23inch for 199.99 (Dell uses LG LCD panels usually)

Anyway, unless you have space issues, don't go with a 19 inch. Almost everyone I know is going bigger, because of resolution, and the newer high definition textures being used on games such as Starcraft II, and Diablo III, will utilize a full 1080p picture. (Granted, they don't HAVE to have it but if you want it to look amazing!)

Video Card is a huge concern, the one you're looking at is (ok), but honestly, you can get way better for like, only 60-100 bucks more. That PSU is smurf. highly recommend something from PC Power & Cooling. I've had extremely bad luck with modular power supplies. Don't get me wrong, its nice for cable management, but for some reason, every one I had, died within 3 months. I had 2 Ultra's and one Silverstone. That RAM is low key, you want a motherboard that can handle DDR3 at this point, its gotten so cheap there is no reason NOT to max out.

Motherboard is pretty nice for the price, but ultimately, for like 40 bucks more, you can get a DDR3 capable SLI Mobo from Gigabyte, which gigabyte and Asus are typically right on par with eachother. (I actually prefer gigabyte now)

The HDD is also a concern, especially for MMO's and things like Diablo 3. The reason we were recommending the HDD's we were, is higher cache, and RPM. You don't need a 10,000 RPM HDD to get good speed. But it MUST support SATA II, and MUST have at least 16mb of Cache at this point. THat one is acceptable, but you can almost always get better deals.

Case wise, I've been so happy with my Antec cases, that I've bought others. I've never had cases that KEPT my CPU and other things below 50C even under full load, this thing just sucks hot air out the top, I love it.

Ultimately, you need good fans, and if you hate noise fans usually make, get Noctua fans, they're a bit more expensive, but worth every penny.

[John]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Thats a damn good PSU.

[tonsoffuns]

i already have a monitor that im fine with so i was just giving something, it was early in the morning and i was just looking for a decent size for the money and space is limited for me so

[Scott]

tonsoffuns: Looks like you're trying to save money in all the wrong places. Other than your RAM and graphics card, everything you picked out is either poor quality or a really bad value.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Thats a damn good PSU.

No, it's not.


[edit] For the record, tonsoffuns, you're on the right track with your CPU logic. The Core line is a completely different technology, so it's comparing apples to oranges. The 2.66 GHz i7 probably isn't any slower than the 3GHz Core2 Duo (and not because it has 4 cores).

[BNU-Judge]

CPU: Not changing it.
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz                                                      $279.99

Mobo: Don't plan on changing it.
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR                                                         $239.99

Ram: Not changing it.
CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB)                                             $239.00

Case: Looks cool on youtube, don't want to change it. 
COOLER MASTER COSMOS S                                                $189.99

PSU: Willing to change it.
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910W                                      $189.99

HDD: Willing to change it.
HITACHI Ultrastar 15K300                                                    $319.99
SAMSUNG F1 RAID Class 500GB                                           $89.99

DVD: Willing to change it.
PLEXTOR DVD Burner                                                          $49.99

LCD: ??

GPU: Not changing it unless someone finds a cheaper offer.
BFG Tech GeForce GTX 260 H2O                    $269.99 x 2 = $539.98

Sound:   Don't think I'll get a sound card yet.

Keyboard: Willing to change it.
Logitech G15                                                                       $74.99

Mouse: Willing to change it.
Logitech G9                                                                        $89.99

Speakers:
Logitech G51 or the Logitech Z-5500 Don't know which to get any ideas???

Cooling System:

Waterblock
Swiftech Apogee GTZ Extreme Performance CPU water block $59.99

Thermal Compound
Arctic Silver 5                                                                   $8.95

Tubes
1/2" ID (3/4" OD) Tubing                                          $3.99 * X =

Clamps
Herbie Clip Clamp Size H - Black                               $0.30 * X =

Radiator
HW Labs Black Ice GT Stealth 360                                       $59.95

Pump

Reservoir

Fan
Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm Case Fan                      $22.99 * X =

Coolant

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In terms of budget I don't really have one,   though I am trying to keep it to a total including shipping and handling plus tax of under 3k.

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My Concerns
I want a reassurance that all the components fit/compatible (except the cooling system) especially the harddrive.

A few days ago I talked to a Geek Squad from Best Buy, and he said I could SLI two NVIDIA video cards to one monitor, first off is he correct? Now assuming he's correct was thinking about getting a 22-25 inch 1080p HDTV as my monitor would that work out? And what kind of cables with the video card I choose to get would I need to hook it up.

Other-
As for the water cooling system my plan is to buy from Newegg first, b/c most of the items are from Newegg and the case along with its components gives me a better idea on what water cooling parts to obtain, also taking in consideration how much space I have.

Is the PSU of 910w enough to support all the components I plan to get? (including the SLI)
Also, was thinking of upgrading to duel NVIDIA GTX 300 or 305 when they come out in the future, though this is a maybe, but would the PSU support it?

With Windows 7 coming out, is there any difference in terms of performance between Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, same with Vista???

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No. Harddrives all spin at the same speed (7200rpm), because if they go any faster the actual drive media starts to wobble and becomes unreadable. In other words, higher density drives are "quicker."

Than why do they sell HDD at 10k and 15k rpms? and what are "density drives"?

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A water cooled computer doesn't generate any less heat than one that isn't; that's not the function of a water cooling system. The water only moves the heat, the goal being to move it to an area that isn't cramped so that larger, quieter fans can cool the computer. It's a mess, it's extremely complicated, and if anything goes wrong your computer will be destroyed. I never, ever recommend water cooling systems.

You make it seem like its brain surgery, if I mess up so I'm out a few grand, at least noone died under me

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Why not just blow 22k on hookers? Spending tons of money on a computer doesn't make the computer last that much longer.

Don't need to blow 22k on hookers when I can just play the I'm a Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and need a "friend" to talk about my "experiences" card . Anyway while no it doesn't make it last that much longer, it just prolongs it, or I can just sell it on ebay after a 1 or 2 and use that to make a more current one.

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honestly you are wasting sooooo much money, there is nothing that even puts a dent in core i7 and for the money you can get something more efficient dual core is amazingly cheap and it packs a whopping 3.0 ghz that will be just fine even quad cores are not very efficient nice...but not efficient alot of things you are getting are just so top of the line that nothing on the market can utlize the power. now if you have an insane budget then go nutz but if you want to make something good that will run everything you want but to save a little money then look at what im getting, its cheap under a grand and very powerful.

like I said before I just came from Iraq and have $$$

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Western Digital is probably the best HDD company around, hard drives suck because no matter what company you go to their DOA rate is high but Western Digital seems to be the best, samsung is a joke, but hitachi is another very decent HDD company as well. 500 GB is fine unless you're a download maniac then 1TB maybe your ideal capacity and now even those are as low at 75 bucks.

Can't says anything positive about their external drives, a lot of friends with Western Digital while I was in Iraq failed and lost all that information.

[Scott]

Either you're trolling us, in which case you got us good, or else you must just have no clue how to buy electronics.

Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware. Since the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has increased exponentially, doubling approximately every two years.[1] The trend was first observed by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore in a 1965 paper.[2][3][4] It has continued for almost half a century and in 2005 was not expected to stop for another decade at least.[5]
Almost every measure of the capabilities of digital electronic devices is strongly linked to Moore's law: processing speed, memory capacity, sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras.[6] All of these are improving at (roughly) exponential rates as well.[7] This has dramatically increased the usefulness of digital electronics Serisin nearly every segment of the world economy.[8] Moore's law describes this driving force of technological and social change in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

It may not seem obvious, but a consequence of Moore's law is that price increases exponentially for a linear increase in performance. See image:



In this figure, the red line is performance, and the green line is price. You've picked parts from the very uppermost end, where the price is driven insanely high because the supply is low for new technology.

I am not stating an opinion when I tell you that you're over-spending; there is no rational argument which justifies your desired level of performance. Your computer will be insanely fast for slightly longer, but for the short period of time it grants you over a substantially cheaper computer, you wouldn't even have noticed a difference in performance. Everything about the graph above should be telling you to wait until the parts you picked out come down to their price points, or to pick products that have already reached that.

[John]

The Agent is correct. SLI is essentially taking two video cards, and allowing them to work as if there was one in the system. They share the load, and help load graphics. Downside? They should be the exact same card, and the second card is usually only at 1/2 power vs the first. But it still makes a heck of a difference.

[Scott]

Downside? They should be the exact same card, and the second card is usually only at 1/2 power vs the first. But it still makes a heck of a difference.

That's not true; they can be different cards, and they both run at full speed. You need to have lots of graphics ram for it to be effective, though.

[John]

Ah I see, when they first came out with it, there were limitations, but it was on the Mobo's, not the interface itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Link_Interface

[BNU-Judge]

Either you're trolling us, in which case you got us good, or else you must just have no clue how to buy electronics.

It may not seem obvious, but a consequence of Moore's law is that price increases exponentially for a linear increase in performance. See image:



In this figure, the red line is performance, and the green line is price. You've picked parts from the very uppermost end, where the price is driven insanely high because the supply is low for new technology.

I am not stating an opinion when I tell you that you're over-spending; there is no rational argument which justifies your desired level of performance. Your computer will be insanely fast for slightly longer, but for the short period of time it grants you over a substantially cheaper computer, you wouldn't even have noticed a difference in performance. Everything about the graph above should be telling you to wait until the parts you picked out come down to their price points, or to pick products that have already reached that.

I appreciate the time you, Scott, John, and anyone else who participated in providing information to my noobie computer answers, which I hope, you guys will continue. You?re absolutely right; I have no clue how to buy electronics   While there is no rational argument which justifies my willing to spend so much money especially on a computer, I guess I could say I?m a veteran and can do whatever I want But the only way I can find any kind of counter to Moore's law and this is a stretch, would be to sell it 1-1 ? from now, and recuperate most of the money spent, or at least a decent amount. Which is most likely what I would do, plus I have the fun of creating a new comp when the time comes.