Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:26 pm
A New Desktop
Hey all. I will be soon, I hope, coming into some decent cash from my new job I'm getting soon, and therefore I've decided that I'll build my new system myself. So, I'm going to post what I hope to be getting for my new system here to get some feedback on it.
I'm relatively sure that everything I have is compatible, but I'm not entirely certain. Also, I have to keep to a budget of about $2,000 Australian Dollars, so I can't go and max the system out. Also, I'm fairly knowledgeable on general computing but it isn't anything to crow about; it pretty much just what I've picked up around school and that working with laptops and doing IT courses and the like.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.40Ghz, Q6600
4x RAM: Kingston KVR667D2N5/1G, DDR2 SDRAM, 1GB, 667MHz, 240-Pin
Graphics: ATI X2900XT 512MB
2x Hard Drive: Western Digital WD1600AAJS, 160 GB
Monitor: ViewSonic VA1912WB-3, 19", Optimal 1440x900, Aspect Ratio 16:10
DVD Drive/Burner: Asus DRW-2014L1T, SATA
Keyboard/mouse: Logitech 920-000227(LX-310), Cordless Desktop, USB RF Receiver
Case: ThermalTake SopranoVX
Now, there are several questions I want to ask in relation to the above system.
- With all the processors coming out now I'm wondering whether the one I've picked (based on budget and good performance in one package) is going to last me at least a few years?
- Will fan cooling be sufficient for the hardware I have inside or will I need to go for water cooling? (I'd prefer not to because of the cost but I can work around it.)
- Do I really need to bother with two 160GB hard drives or can I get away with two 80GB ones? (I plan on using this desktop to play games and everything else, so I'll be dual-booting with XP and Vista plus having a second hard drive devoted to games only.)
- I've heard that ATI are making better cards than nVIDIA lately, and having seen some reviews on the internet and talking to my friend who is fairly knowledgeable on graphics cards in curious as to which brand people here recommend? I will either be using one ATI Radeon 2900XT 512MB card or using SLI with two 8600GT 512MB cards. Which one would be better? At the moment I'm leaning towards ATI.
- On the monitor is 19" sufficient to last me a few years at least? Or would I be better off buying a 20" or something bigger again?
Finally, I think that's all my questions for now. Please comment on the system in general, the feedback is always appreciated.
Thanks
PS: Remember my budget of about $2,000 (AUD)
Edited by - chestomagnetic on 10/17/2007 12:26:57 AM
I'm relatively sure that everything I have is compatible, but I'm not entirely certain. Also, I have to keep to a budget of about $2,000 Australian Dollars, so I can't go and max the system out. Also, I'm fairly knowledgeable on general computing but it isn't anything to crow about; it pretty much just what I've picked up around school and that working with laptops and doing IT courses and the like.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.40Ghz, Q6600
4x RAM: Kingston KVR667D2N5/1G, DDR2 SDRAM, 1GB, 667MHz, 240-Pin
Graphics: ATI X2900XT 512MB
2x Hard Drive: Western Digital WD1600AAJS, 160 GB
Monitor: ViewSonic VA1912WB-3, 19", Optimal 1440x900, Aspect Ratio 16:10
DVD Drive/Burner: Asus DRW-2014L1T, SATA
Keyboard/mouse: Logitech 920-000227(LX-310), Cordless Desktop, USB RF Receiver
Case: ThermalTake SopranoVX
Now, there are several questions I want to ask in relation to the above system.
- With all the processors coming out now I'm wondering whether the one I've picked (based on budget and good performance in one package) is going to last me at least a few years?
- Will fan cooling be sufficient for the hardware I have inside or will I need to go for water cooling? (I'd prefer not to because of the cost but I can work around it.)
- Do I really need to bother with two 160GB hard drives or can I get away with two 80GB ones? (I plan on using this desktop to play games and everything else, so I'll be dual-booting with XP and Vista plus having a second hard drive devoted to games only.)
- I've heard that ATI are making better cards than nVIDIA lately, and having seen some reviews on the internet and talking to my friend who is fairly knowledgeable on graphics cards in curious as to which brand people here recommend? I will either be using one ATI Radeon 2900XT 512MB card or using SLI with two 8600GT 512MB cards. Which one would be better? At the moment I'm leaning towards ATI.
- On the monitor is 19" sufficient to last me a few years at least? Or would I be better off buying a 20" or something bigger again?
Finally, I think that's all my questions for now. Please comment on the system in general, the feedback is always appreciated.
Thanks
PS: Remember my budget of about $2,000 (AUD)
Edited by - chestomagnetic on 10/17/2007 12:26:57 AM
