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Time for a new comp
http://www.avian-gamers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18585		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Angelus [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Time for a new comp
Got some questions as I begin looking:

1. I read somewhere that Vista cannot use a full 4GB of RAM unless you get the 64-bit version. Does anyone know how much RAM Win XP will use? Does it too depend on which bit version (if there is even multiple versions of XP, I dunno)?

2. What is the difference between Interl Core 2 Duo Processor E6850 and Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad-Core? Just used different duo vs quad names as an example. I think the 6850 and 6600 must refer to some kind of speed but which one's speed, factoring in the multiple cores is best? I really know nothing about this since my current comp if only a P4 single processor and I haven't kept up to date on changing processors.

3. Video cards - which are the best bang for the bucks atm? I thought I heard the nvidia 512MB 8800GT was fairly solid and decently priced.

4. What is the difference between SATA and RAID hard drives?

May have more but I have to leave work right away. I will likely be buying as a pre-built unit and not going piecemeal and building on my own.
Author:  Calvin Simmons [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
Is anything over 2GB of ram really necessary atm?
Author:  Thermoon [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:42 pm ]
Post subject: 
1. 32-bit computers will only be able to address 4 GB of memory, which should be plenty for most computer usage nowadays.

2. Duo core essentially gives you two processors, whereas quad core gives you four. If applications make use of multi-processors properly, it can dramatically increase performance. I don't believe it would affect gaming that much at all, but I could be wrong.

3. I haven't been paying attention to video cards for a while, so I can't help you here. :P

4. SATA describes the type of bus being used for transfers, whereas RAID is talking about redundancy. RAID basically means you have an array of harddisks, with many "redundant" data that is duplicated and synced among drives in the array. So if one drive fails you just throw it out and stick in another one.
Author:  Rocklar [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Time for a new comp
1. I looked into this a did quite a bit of research as I was building my current machine. If you want 4 gigs of RAM and plan on using a vid card with a decent amount of RAM (512, 1 gig), you should probably go for the 64-bit version. It's not a question of the OS being able to have it installed, but whether or not it can completely address the memory (a.k.a. name it so it can make use of all of it). I'm running Vista 64 with 4 gigs and have no complaints - it's fast, responsive and plays games very well (well, games that are relatively new, that is). I also use a memory monitor and do see all 4 gigs being utilized at one point or another. Sure, one app may not demand it but if I'm running multiple applications (FRAPS and WoW), that memory is very useful!

2. Unless you're doing architectural or graphical rendering or encoding a lot of movies, a quad-core is serious overkill and does not really offer future-proofing. I have the E6850 chip and friggin love it! There's a ton of processing power there and at an amazing price. A while back I saw some very favorable reviews of it involving overclocking, an endeavor I'm looking forward to in a year or two - once I've used the chip enough that I won't hate myself for burning it out! :P Also, before trying to o/c, I'm switching to watercooling. If you're at all considering o/c, I'd suggest starting out with watercooling. In hindsight, I wish I would have.

3. My knowledge of the vid card market is 7 months old...so I'm out of touch.

4. What Thermoon said. :D
Author:  Golga Bolg [ Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:40 am ]
Post subject: 
The only thing I know about RAID, and this is perhaps a bit out of date, is that there are two types of RAID.

RAID 0 is data striping, or essentially splitting data between two drives for faster access times. (this is not a safety feature)

RAID 1 is the data mirroring, or a hot backup, meaning you toss a drive if it fails, replace it, and no data is lost.

Here is a quick lesson.

http://m-techlaptops.com/raid.htm
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Fri Mar 14, 2008 12:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Golga Bolg wrote:
The only thing I know about RAID, and this is perhaps a bit out of date, is that there are two types of RAID.

RAID 0 is data striping, or essentially splitting data between two drives for faster access times. (this is not a safety feature)

RAID 1 is the data mirroring, or a hot backup, meaning you toss a drive if it fails, replace it, and no data is lost.

Here is a quick lesson.

http://m-techlaptops.com/raid.htm


I was told there were more than that.

Raid 0
Raid 1
Raid 0/1
Raid 4
Raid 5

Anyway about the graphiccard I read in a recent test that the two topcards from each of them showed very little difference.
Oh the nVidia was better with 3-5 fps in general.
But consider the price comparison of the two cards.
Radeon is far more pricefriendly.

The CPU.
Just the regular Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6850 should suffice for your gaming needs the next three years

2 Gigs of memory is enough as well, and if you like the old games you should consider using your Windows XP.

My friend and I haven't been able to play Red Alert 2 or many other games of the period, which is also the period with the best games in my opinion

But then again I prefer making bugdet PC's
If I wan't a maxed out comp I'd use the quad-core with four gigs ram and a dual nVidia graphics.
Author:  Angelus [ Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the inout thus far guys/gals.

So is Win XP available in a 64-bit version? Although it may not exactly be needed right now, I am pondering just getting the 4GB RAM right up front then I don't have to worry about getting more in a few years.
Author:  Cyrus Rex [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:45 am ]
Post subject: 
When I get back to the states Im gona try to talk Danyale into a new PC. Threads like these are great, thanks for the info guys!
Author:  iJasonT [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:47 am ]
Post subject: 
I agree. I'm pretty much 100% Mac these days but keep my PC around purely for gaming. These threads make it much easier to stay up with the lated PC builds.

For the record: I'm STILL using my custom built PC I built specifically for the launch of SWG. No foolsies.
Author:  Rocklar [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Angelus wrote:
Thanks for the inout thus far guys/gals.

So is Win XP available in a 64-bit version? Although it may not exactly be needed right now, I am pondering just getting the 4GB RAM right up front then I don't have to worry about getting more in a few years.


Yep, it is.

I know I'm in the minority in having this opinion, but I have zero bad things to say about Vista. If you plan on running relatively recent games on this box and have little to no legacy hardware (printers, scanners), I'd suggest you at least look at Vista 64. I've had no problems whatsoever and my machine is faaast regardless whether I'm just browsing the web, installing apps, running WoW, running WoW while doing a FRAPS capture at maxed out settings or running Oblivion at maxed out settings. As I said, I know many people have bad things to say about the OS but I can't say I've seen anything that makes me feel the same way...even remotely. Some complain about the security prompts - I like 'em! I feel like I'm more in control of what's actually happening on my machine than ever before. /shrug ;)
Author:  Angelus [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Think I am going to have a tough decision on my hands going XP-64 vs Vista-64. While I don't have a lot of older hardware, just got a new printer/scanner around Dec 07.

Rocky - have you tried loading up older games on your system? My main current games I am likely to play would be WoW and Team Fortress 2/Half Life 2, but I do like to fire up the oldies but goodies (Warcraft 3, Civilization 3, Starcraft, etc.).

Also, do you game with a Belkin n52 gamepad? After getting it a couple years ago I cannot play without it. I know GodofGophers mentioned he had problems with it when he first got Vista. (IF reading, did you ever get that solved GoG?)
Author:  Rocklar [ Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:47 am ]
Post subject: 
Your main games should present no problem - I play all of them regularly. I've loaded up and played Starcraft without a problem but not the other two so I can't comment on them.

I do have a Belkin n52 but it's done little for me other than collect dust. :( I know I need to give it another shot sometime but I'll try to make the time to confirm whether or not it works and is recognized by Vista sometime this week.
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:48 am ]
Post subject: 
In the end I dropped my n52 as I think it was a cause of trouble w/ Vista. If you read the n52 boards you will see it's hit and miss w/ who had troubles and who didn't. It may be unfair to blame Vista as it's fairly clear that Belkin has sloppy code.

There is a new version out now, the n52te, and I have one that is on the way. I will test it out as it is now supposed to support vista natively. We shall see. Though maybe I'll just return it. I'm happy enough w/ my keyboard layout these days.

I'm convinced that I would have no issues with my comp (It has been 6 months that my mic won't work!) had I bought it with XP instead of vista, however, much of this I blame on Dell and the fact that I was a fairly early adopter of Vista. I imagine it's much better now, though I, personally will never buy from them.

And I'll echo Rock's words on printers/scanners etc. It's just silly that a printer/scanner/copier (Epson) we bought maybe 6 months before I got my machine was so much trouble. Even now, after hours working on it, the scanner still works maybe half the time. We also don't use our digital camera with the new machine as I cannot get it to work either. And add to that our home network.
Author:  Angelus [ Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:27 am ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
In the end I dropped my n52 as I think it was a cause of trouble w/ Vista. If you read the n52 boards you will see it's hit and miss w/ who had troubles and who didn't. It may be unfair to blame Vista as it's fairly clear that Belkin has sloppy code.

There is a new version out now, the n52te, and I have one that is on the way. I will test it out as it is now supposed to support vista natively. We shall see. Though maybe I'll just return it. I'm happy enough w/ my keyboard layout these days.

I'm convinced that I would have no issues with my comp (It has been 6 months that my mic won't work!) had I bought it with XP instead of vista, however, much of this I blame on Dell and the fact that I was a fairly early adopter of Vista. I imagine it's much better now, though I, personally will never buy from them.

And I'll echo Rock's words on printers/scanners etc. It's just silly that a printer/scanner/copier (Epson) we bought maybe 6 months before I got my machine was so much trouble. Even now, after hours working on it, the scanner still works maybe half the time. We also don't use our digital camera with the new machine as I cannot get it to work either. And add to that our home network.


Ahhhh, so that's what I can blame our poor Arena ranking on then...the lack of n52 support. :lol:

I looked at the n52te yesterday. Pretty slick and would go with my Logitech blue glowy keyboard quite nicely. But, I am fortunate enuf to have sweet talked the Mrs into a new computer and think I may have to try and minimize any additional costs as possible. Don't want to incur any unneeded agro on this one.
Author:  X2-PB [ Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
LINUX!!!

I have heard a fair few good things about Vista, exempting the fact that it's not really backward compatible. Being fairly into computers, though, I take issue with windows in general. My main gripes are the cost of buying it in the first place and the hassle of activation bits if I decide to do a rebuild; and the registry system. The registry system I hate with a passion as it always means, after a while, that the computer is eventually going to clog itself up and you'll have to wipe it and rebuild it (something I wouldn't object to doing if it weren't for the fact that you have to activate the software each time. When I had win98, I happily reinstalled it on many occasions as there was no hassle to it). I also object to Microsoft as a monopoly owning company. They charge through the roof for products that should not cost nearly that much.

So .....

For most work-type stuff a Linux distro such as Ubuntu works brilliantly. It has continual support with new releases every 6 months. OpenOffice.org is as good as MS Office in many ways, if not better. The only down-side that I can see is games. DirectX is, unfortunately, a very good system for the software developer and, as such, games are not going to be made to work natively in Linux until there is a good reason for developers to do so. Incidentally, Quake and Quake II, created using OpenGL rather than DirectX, both had native Linux clients.

The only thing I can't work out is how to persuade developers that it is actually worthwhile to make games that are compatible with more than just Windows (I believe most developers have stopped making game work on Mac now too).



... That seemed like a bit of a rant/threadjack .... Sorry 'bout that!
Author:  Azzameen85 [ Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Don't worry X2.
Linux is great in it's way with stability and longlivity.
But then again, unless you have skills in programming or a good understanding of the hardware it's kinda hard the first month(s).

Also being primarily a gaming community we don't have much of a choise, unless someone - or anyone - with hardcore programming skills, can make a DirectX emulator for Linux.

As for now it's more or less the only thing we can do is use Windows and bash it from time to time. (not that I am saying we should)
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:07 am ]
Post subject: 
Well, I think I am going to order up a new Dell 720 tomorrow. Turns out I can get a sweet deal through a company employee purchase program. Well, that is if Dell ships with XP-64 bit option. Gonna do it over the phone with a guy to make sure I get all the right bells and whistles. I pondered the Vista but just couldn't bring myself to all the potential headaches, and with my luck, there will would be some.

Think I will go with that Duo 6850 processor Rocky raves so much about, a nVidia 8800 card, and 2 or 4 GB of 1066 Corsair RAM depending on which bit Windows I can get.

Soon I won't be the last one exiting the Arena after matches! Booyah!
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Grats! Now you'll be able to run wow and vent at the same time!
Author:  Rocklar [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
Grats! Now you'll be able to run wow and vent at the same time!


And with that processor, he'll be able to FRAPS entire matches (if HD space isn't a problem!) for analysis and strategery later. :P
Author:  GodOfGophers [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:15 pm ]
Post subject: 
No need to fraps our 2v2 w/ his mage. It goes something like this:

Warlock dots Kryelle
Warlock pet spell locks Kryelle
Kryelle dies.

Psilence looks around, trying to find Kryelle.
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Rocklar wrote:
GodOfGophers wrote:
Grats! Now you'll be able to run wow and vent at the same time!


And with that processor, he'll be able to FRAPS entire matches (if HD space isn't a problem!) for analysis and strategery later. :P


That'll be sweet. Then I can point my finger, and pinpoint the moment GoG cost us the arena match...

Ok, ok. I'll be honest. I usually can't blame GoG.





Its Madson that's the culprit!!! Get some crowd control !!!one11!! :P
Author:  Angelus [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
No need to fraps our 2v2 w/ his mage. It goes something like this:

Warlock dots Kryelle
Warlock pet spell locks Kryelle
Kryelle dies.

Psilence looks around, trying to find Kryelle.


QFT. I can't sleep at night without warlock nightmares...
Author:  Cyrus Rex [ Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
GodOfGophers wrote:
No need to fraps our 2v2 w/ his mage. It goes something like this:

Warlock dots Kryelle
Warlock pet spell locks Kryelle
Kryelle dies.

Psilence looks around, trying to find Kryelle.


lol
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