[Requiem]

How does this look? I'm willing to change some things up a bit, if you guys advise so.


Case ( Thermaltake Armor Gaming Case w/25cm Fan Side Panel Windows, 420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( === Quad Core ===] Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (4x 2.4GHz/8MB L2 Cache/1066FSB) )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( eVGA NForce 680i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 4096MB [2048MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Mushkin High Performance II (HP2) w/Heat Spreader )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 750 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
External Hard Drives [http://USB 2.0/eSATA ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( [ Special !!! *] 18X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( 16x DVD-ROM + 52x32x52 CD-RW Combo Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Network Card ( Killer K1 - Online Gaming Accelerator - w/ 333Mhz Network Processing Unit + Lag & Latency Reduction Technology )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( LCD Monitor ViewSonic 19" Q19WB Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor [Black] )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( Logitech Deluxe Keyboard Black )
Mouse ( Logitech Optical Internet Mouse Black )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Build-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner ( None )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

[mphenterprises]

Hi Requiem. In my opinion, everything looks good, except that Power Supply. You are getting a Quad Core Processor along with a 512MB Video Card, more than likely to play graphic intensive games. This, along with all the components, tells me that you should get a higher rated Power Supply...no less than 600-650Watts.

Also, it might not be a bad idea to get a floppy drive, just in case you or anyone else ever needs the floppy drive. I am the only person in my family who has a floppy drive and everyone comes to me... :-)

[techie4fun]

Hmm... only a 420 Watt PSU? I don't know... You might want more juice. Are ya sure you want a 750 gig hard drive... I mean, do you realize how much space that is? :)

Yea if your running all that jazz in that box your going to want a good power supply and that 420 isn't going to do jiff.

[Requiem]

You guys are both absolutely correct. I already have a notebook with 80gigs. So 750gigs + 80gigs is definitely too much.

I'll end you getting a 250gig for now, and expand later on if I need to, and I'll get a higher watt power supply.

Your replies are much appreicated.

[techie4fun]

We'll and it isn't that I'm trying to degrade you at getting a HUGE hard drive, but that's a gunk load of artillery space :) If you want it, go for it, but that's crazy storage.

[Requiem]

There is really only one reason for that much space. dirty grin

[techie4fun]

Laugh my butt off :^0 I hear you, let's dirty grin together ]:)

[rgreen4]

I notice you are showing on your list an Nvidia 7300GT video card and a second Nvidia card from a major manufacturer. Depending on what you intend to do on the machine, you may or may not be disappointed with the 7300GT. In today's market, it is on the weak side. I have the 7300LE as an OEM card in my Media Center that is slated for replacement when I get one of those round tuit's. I put the MSI 8600GT in my new system and am very pleased with it. Newegg has even dropped the price since I bought mine. Plus the 8600 is Directx10 compatible and the 7300 definitely is not.

[Requiem]

Thanks!

I definitely don't want this computer to go out of date in the next few years, but wouldn't I want a graphic card with higher memory? The MSI NX8600GT is only 256mb. If I'm going to stay to date wouldn't I need AT LEAST a 516?

[Requiem]

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Should I use http//:www.ibuypower.com or another site?

[mphenterprises]

Hi Requiem. First, it's 512MBs, not 516MBs. :-) Anyway, the higher memory does not necessarily mean a better video card. I believe RGreen is leading you down the correct path.



The consensus in this site is that www.newegg.com is King when it comes to online computer supply purchases. I have never used ibuypower but I feel that you cannot go wrong with newegg.com.

[Requiem]

Everyone tells me about the greatness of NewEgg, it's not a candidate.

Why doesn't a higher number make it better? 2 GIGs of RAM is better than 1 GIG of RAM.

[mphenterprises]

Memory is too generic a comparison. For example, you can have a water-cooled 256MB graphics card with dual fans and the capability to run mulltiple monitors versus a striped down 512MB graphics card. This may be a simplified way of looking at the differences. The only thing I am saying is do not base your decision on only 256MB vs 512MB.

[Requiem]

That is exactally the information I wanted to hear.

Another question for ya: Do you think that the graphic discussed below will support future games that require much higher specs?

[jbking]

Simple answer is that there is more to a video card than memory. Clock speeds and universal shaders are a couple of other components to consider.


Check out Tom's Hardware's VGA Charts where for example there is an ATi X800XL with 512 MB that gets clobbered by a lot of cards with 256 MB of memory. I'd also note that the 3rd best card on the Battlefield 2142 demo has only 320 MB of memory as it is an overclocked 8800 GTS that beats all the ones with 512 MB of memory so there is more to a video card than just memory.


Regards,
JB

[mphenterprises]

Well, that is not a question I am prepared to answer simply because I am not a gamer. My gut says yes but I would be going on specs alone. That may be something you want to see if you can get Lilxkid or Numbers to answer.

In the meantime, JBKing posted a great link for you to compare some video cards. Also, if you do consider overclocking any video card you get, talk to the experts at Overclock.net.

[jbking]

There are a couple of parts to that question, IMO:

1) How far out into the future are you talking? I think some folks may upgrade their video card every 18 months or so as there seems to be some big advances each year anymore though I do wonder what will the improvements to DirectX10 look like over time as well as will current cards support future revisions like the 10.1 coming soon. Also there is the question of whether you play graphically intensive games or not as some real time strategy games may not push a video card too much while first person shooters and aciton RPGs may take a lot out of a video card. "Oblivion" is an interesting example of a game that got a lot of great reviews and requires pretty good hardware to play with all the eye candy turned up which is another factor as some people are OK with low settings in some games and other folks want all the highest detail possible.

2) How much are you prepared to spend to get that bleeding edge card? If you go to "Tom's Hardware" there is a section called the "Best Gaming Card for the Money" that is a monthly feature that would be where I'd go to see based on your budget what should work best.

Regards,

JB

[rgreen4]

The best example I can offer as to video memory is my experience this past spring. My 3 year old laptop with the ATI 9000/9100 integrated video has 128MB of video memory. We used it for the presentations at two training sessions. We were using the internal screen, a 19" LDC monitor mounted on the back wall, and two overhead projectors. Now we were not playing games, but it was being used for powerpoint presentations and videos. I was pleasently surprised that my "wimpy" video card could handle it.

If I understand it correctly, video memory affects the processing speed, but not how many devices it can handle.