New PC : build or buy ?

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That's all fine if you have a free computer expert standing by to put it all together for you. If I did it, I'd end up with a toaster or a microwave instead of a computer.

 

Right, the things I found the most challenging were the installation of the processor heatsink/fan (you really have to press quite hard on the heatsink, and I was afraid it would damage the processor) and connecting the motherboard properly. There is what at first seems a bewildering numbers of connectors inside the case; however, after you give it a little thought, it becomes pretty clear what goes where (and of course, you could read the booklet they provide, too )

HB, if you are afraid to try put it together yourself, you might inquire at a neighbouring computer shop if they'd be willing to do it for $50 or so (as I think has been sugested above).

 

Using higher spec memory will increase the available memory bandwidth and reduce the RAM latency, both of which contribute to better performance. Although the performance increase is not much, a few percent at best depending on the application.

Also, you can run higher spec at lower spec (for example, running 667 at 533 speeds to get the 1:1 ratio) if you want, but I do not see any reason why anyone would want to do that.

 

Congrats on getting your computer. I believe it's better to build but with professional help or just... unless you're a professional and/or on really current terms and with a wide outlook in the world of hardware, it's better to have assistance from someone who is. For example, I know my stuff, but I always prefer the more knowledgeable people to review my ideas before fruition. Especially avoid corporate crap. They will always try to squeeze in some old crap they're trying to get rid of, such as two-chip DDR RAM (not talking about dual channel), slow RAM, old and/or small hard drives, crappy graphics, integrated sound, weak motherboard, weak power supply etc. It's always good to know someone who works in the field and is willing to help you out.

 

Thanks, chevalier Anyhow, I don't think you really need professional help to build a computer. You can get advice on the net as to exactly what to buy, and for putting it together... you just need to be somewhat familiar with the general ideas (like knowing that you have to plug stuff in the motheboard, connect the power cables, things like this ). Granted, the details of what goes where might not be obvious at first, but with some thought anybody can work it out.

 

BTA's new computer rig sounded so ultra-cool that I followed his lead and ordered something very similar:

500 Watt "Concord" power supply
Gigabyte GA P965 DQ6 mainboard
Intel E6600 Core 2
1 GB Patriot Signature 667 memory (1.8 volts)
EVGA 512MB 7900GTO Vid card
Seagate Cuda 320GB SATA 3.0GB/s HD

Hopefully, I should be ready for M&M DM and NWN 2...

 

Hold on a sec...I need to go back to BTA's post a little ways up the page for a bit.

Now, I'm not a RAID genius, but IIRC, RAID Level 5 requires a minimum of 3 drives to implement. So if you have 2 RAID 5 arrays, you'd need a minimum of 6 drives...right?

With that out of the way, let me gat back to CtR's last post:

Is that one of Seagate's new perpendicular recording drives? My buddy just picked up 2 Seagate 400GB SATA 3Gb/s for under $175 each. He said that they just blaze through large file transfers...and IIRC, he's got them set up in a RAID 1 array...

I wonder if they'll be able to squeeze 1TB on a single drive within the next 2 or 3 years using the perpendicular recording technology.

 

Thanks for the advice, BTA: It's 2 X 512MB of RAM. I figured I could always add 2 more 512MB sticks once I get around to loading Vista. But I hope that filling all the RAM sockets does not cause any issues, like with the P865 chipset.

 

They're well on their way... I heard about 500 GB hard drives making their debut, not sure about the timeframe, though.

 

Most manufacturers already have 500 GB drives out and at least Seagate has a 750 GB drive out, but it is rather expensive...

 

Why would you need that much hard disk space, anyhow? Unless you do video editing... I managed so far with about 30 GB in my laptop (and most of that was taken by old NWN saves, which I could actually have deleted if there was a pressing need).

Just keeping track of so much data seems like a pain to me. What can you put in 500 GB, like 20,000 songs, 50,000 pictures, what else?

 

Easy. I reciently converted all my game's "play" disks in to image files on my HDD so I can play any game I want while away from home and not have to deal with CDs, and the extra heat/noise that comes with them.

Besides that, I have hundreds and hundreds of Mp3s; thousands of pictures; and as of this moment, I have 22 TV shows ranging from 30 minutes to an hour long on my HDD. I upgraded from a 30GB HDD to a 100GB about 6 months ago, and I've already filled 80% of the new drive.

I'mg going to be clearing some of my TV shows off the drive as soon as I get an external DVD burner...or "borrow" my brother's.