New PC spec questions?

[TheRileyFactor]

Originally Posted by 00silvergt

If you want a good box builder, you will have to pay a premium for it. Falcon Northwest and Alienware are two of the best out there. Falcon has been around since the 80's and for many years their PC's have stood as the top benchmark for testing. So if you can not build your own, which takes a lot of homework-I got so used to working in IT, I'm a bit rusty and will always have to visit the boards (Anantech, Tom's Hardware, etc.) to do some researching each time my PC is up for an upgrade. Too many things to keep up with and things change so quickly, to a point where years of experience without continued education is almost worthless in this aspect. I mean my years of building PC's gives me the background to know what to look for, but that's about all I can rely on.

Case and point, there was a time where it was prudent to keep the PC plugged in while working on the computer to prevent static discharge, this was on the A+ test I took many years ago. More recently, because there is active power to the motherboard and the power supply still supplies some power to the PC even if the PC is off (look at that green LED on the mobo), it is now recommended you unplug the PC from the wall so insure you are not zapping the computer.

Falcon Northwest is the sh*t, but damn do you pay for it! (Same with Alienware). Hell, Asus isn't even what they used to be. I just went through 3 Asus P5Q motherboards and all 3 died within 30 minutes of use! (although that could have been the fault of Newegg as well, but Newegg's return policy is top notch, BTW!) The big thing I've noticed with HP/Compaq over the years is that no matter what, they are ALWAYS a pain in the ass to upgrade. Seems they design their cases specifically to get in the way of ever adding anything, always has gotten on my nerves.

A few years definitely changes EVERYTHING in technology! I don't think half the stuff that was on the test for my A+ Cert is even applicable any more, hell I don't know how much is applicable from MCSE since my MCSE cert is from when Windows 2000 Advanced Server Edition was the MS server OS! Crazy world, technology!

[Sidebyte]

I stopped buying "manufactured" PC's in the late 80's. I bought a new Packard Bell 386 and when it was still in the 6 month warrantee I tried to upgrade the ram and was told it was "obsolete" and no upgrade was available. I gave the PC to my secretary to take home and built all of mine since, hundreds to be accurate.
Sad news though, my favorite motherboard company ABIT is now throwing in the towel. They sold the company and the new owners will stop making motherboards.
This has shades of Minolta and IMO soon Pentax in the camera business. Very similar in their board fabrications and application.
There are NO fabricators (PC's, not cameras) that build the same quality that you can custom build yourself for less.

[TheRileyFactor]

Originally Posted by Sidebyte

There are NO fabricators (PC's, not cameras) that build the same quality that you can custom build yourself for less.

No Joke! I configured the computer that I just finished building at Dell, Alienware, Falcon-NW, and HP, and all of them were $1200+ with Dell being cheapest and Alienware being the most expensive with FNW right behind it. All of my components together added up to around $550 (not counting the monitor). My experience has been that if you're building a very low-end system, then its cheaper to by a pre-fab model, but if you're building a system thats mid to high end, then it is FAR cheaper to build it yourself. However, building a system is rarely plug everything in the spot it fits and it fires up and works perfect the first time. You have to know how to troubleshoot, set up a BIOS, Format/partition a HDD, Install an OS, set up that OS, find all the drivers, etc. Thats why pre-fab companies exist, its SO much easier to buy from them than build your own. Hell, I had 3 bad motherboards and one bad CPU (which I why I upgraded from the E7400 to the Q9400 and I'm DAMN glad I did!) My room looks like a Newegg graveyard with all of the boxes, and I still need to ship back one motherboard and the cpu. Probably would have been easier to get everything at a Microcenter or Fry's, but the nearest of each is over 1.5 hours away from where I live (although I ended up driving to Microcenter b/c they have some crazy good deals on processors at the moment)

Basically this was a long-winded way of saying: Yes, you get better for cheaper by building it yourself, but it is much more difficult and definitely not a plug it in and it works solution.

[TheRileyFactor]

Originally Posted by Sidebyte

Sad news though, my favorite motherboard company ABIT is now throwing in the towel. They sold the company and the new owners will stop making motherboards.

ABIT is going and gone, but have you read about Gigabyte boards? Thats what I'm using now (since all of my Asus boards bit the dust before their prime) and I have read a lot of great things about them (hence why I bought one). Worth checking into!

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by TheRileyFactor

ABIT is going and gone, but have you read about Gigabyte boards? Thats what I'm using now (since all of my Asus boards bit the dust before their prime) and I have read a lot of great things about them (hence why I bought one). Worth checking into!

I'm using a 4 year old Asus M2N-Sli Deluxe with an AMD X2 6400+ Black Edition, (knocking on wood) it has been great. It is a little tempremental when comes to memory, but otherwise, it is a good board. Abit was the cheaper alternative in the 90's. I used a Gigabyte board ages ago when I was still doing Intel (P3), I don't which will be my next one, looks like Super Micro and Tyan still makes great boards and for the most part so does Asus.

[00silvergt]

Oops. posted this in wrong thread. My apologies...

[Dirk]

i have a intel Core 2 Duo E8400 2 x 3ghz 6MB cache , 4048 ddr2 Adata, 500gb SATAII, 320 GB SATA II + 200 GB PATA (IDE) , asus pk5b mainboard , Evga geforce 8600 GTS 512 MB , LG blue ray reader/hdtv reader/ dual layer plus / min burner combi drive, windows vista home premium , soundblaster audigy 2 platinum . 19"viewsonic tft, MS keyboard and mouse , epson dx 8450 i run phoshop elements 5 , and capture nx

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by D50&d70freak

i have a intel Core 2 Duo E8400 2 x 3ghz 6MB cache , 4048 ddr2 Adata, 500gb SATAII, 320 GB SATA II + 200 GB PATA (IDE) , asus pk5b mainboard , Evga geforce 8600 GTS 512 MB , LG blue ray reader/hdtv reader/ dual layer plus / min burner combi drive, windows vista home premium , soundblaster audigy 2 platinum . 19"viewsonic tft, MS keyboard and mouse , epson dx 8450 i run phoshop elements 5 , and capture nx

Curious, with most mobos have good built-in sound, why the audigy2? That would take up another PCI slot unnecessarily in my opinion...unless you are doing some kind of sound production, in a high level.

[gilfish]

Im not the only GEEK here! ha ha

[aram535]

I've been very surprised how many good DSLR photographers have no computer knowledge at all. Ithink being into computers has helped me tremendously with my photography.

[cadmium]

Originally Posted by 00silvergt

...unless you are doing some kind of sound production, in a high level.

Then he wouldn't be using an audigy2

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by cadmium

Them he wouldn't be using an audigy2

Ah, good one! LOL...I'm still puzzled though! Since from my own experience, if there is a difference in auditory performance between the audigy2 and the built-in sound, I have never heard it, even on a Harmon and Kardon speaker system. For most tense and purpose, the built-in sound works on par with the Audigy2. Save for it being free or something you had prior to owning a mobo with sound, I really think it is an expense that can be relocated or re allotted to something more crucial to the performance of the PC, e.g. more RAM, faster CPU, better video card, no?

[Dirk]

Originally Posted by 00silvergt

Curious, with most mobos have good built-in sound, why the audigy2? That would take up another PCI slot unnecessarily in my opinion...unless you are doing some kind of sound production, in a high level.

i like to watch blueray movies in dolby digital and dts , the audigy 2 is a pro card s/r 102db/a sounds also good in low level but i also like to wathc music dvd on the pc with my good speakers

trust me audigy cards (the older ones not the cheap new ones ) are gold printed and very expensive but then again iam also a audio freak too

combined power :
pc 12w +2 X 6w ems
dolby digital / dts surround receiver 5* 50 W rms
stereo 2 * 250w ftc5-hz -150khz 0-0.012 db(a) class A BEAST (heavily modified pma 700V)

no i am not deaf yet in 15m2 living space..

[motox424]

Originally Posted by aram535

I've been very surprised how many good DSLR photographers have no computer knowledge at all.

Yup that'd be ME! Absolutely NO computer knowledge at ALL!
Trying to learn, but so damn confusing!!!!!

[00silvergt]

Originally Posted by motox424

Yup that'd be ME! Absolutely NO computer knowledge at ALL!
Trying to learn, but so damn confusing!!!!!

Confusing, nah, it is easy...lesson 1, reboot! lol

Just kidding...Dude if you can calculate the correct aperture to use and shutter speed, you can easily learn computers! lol