Sorry for the bad quality... installed a Corsair H50 today... can see the wiring is very clean with the Corsair 800D Obsidian case

Huge case!



[Edited on March 7, 2010 at 10:01 PM. Reason : .]

3/7/2010 9:46:35 PM

Just got a Dell Dimension 2350 (2002 build) with:

Pentium 4, 1.8GB, 512K
0.75GB PC 3200
IDE CD drive
3.5" drive
30 GB IDE HDD
XP

I'd like to use this system as a file/media server for home & remote access (if that's possible). Is this thing worth it for this application? In asking that, I mean is it worth getting 2x1GB sticks of RAM and a few larger HDDs, seeing as how it's a 8 year old computer with a P4? It's primary use would be a server that I could access remotely (which I'm not sure how to set up yet...); and possibly a home media server, connected to my TV (which would require video card & sound card upgrades).

3/8/2010 8:22:24 AM

^^for over $200 that case should be giving free blowjobs at the press of a button

3/8/2010 8:43:25 AM

^^^^ This is all I got at the moment. Ill get him to get a finished pic.


He used one of these to mount two hdd in the top 5.25 bay.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71_215&products_id=25980



[Edited on March 8, 2010 at 1:54 PM. Reason : pics]

3/8/2010 1:50:22 PM

Quote :

"Just got a Dell Dimension 2350 (2002 build) with: Pentium 4, 1.8GB, 512K 0.75GB PC 3200 IDE CD drive 3.5" drive 30 GB IDE HDD XP I'd like to use this system as a file/media server for home & remote access (if that's possible). Is this thing worth it for this application? In asking that, I mean is it worth getting 2x1GB sticks of RAM and a few larger HDDs, seeing as how it's a 8 year old computer with a P4? It's primary use would be a server that I could access remotely (which I'm not sure how to set up yet...); and possibly a home media server, connected to my TV (which would require video card & sound card upgrades)."

3/9/2010 5:30:18 PM

simple answer yes.

can it do HD video processing? probably not. but as a file/media server, should be ok... you'll probably want a Gigabit card though.... at 1.8Ghz & 750MB of memory that should be ok assuming you're going to run *nix or WHS or WinXP/2003

here's a good comparison of the new ION 230/330 against the old Pentium 4's:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3562&p=5

get an ATI 4650 AGP card and you'd probably be good.

if it's a P4 it should take DDR memory right? there's a slickdeal on FP right now:
1GB OCZ DDR-400 PC3200 Memory $16 after $30 MIR
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/31474/

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 5:56 PM. Reason : .]

3/9/2010 5:50:00 PM

^thanks. my first goal is just to get it running as a file server, so I'll hold off on the video/sound stuff for now.

This is what I'm thinking/have

Have:
Win XP Pro
750MB DDR PC 3200
30 GB HDD
Onboard audio/video
PNY GeForce FX 5200 DDR 128 MB video card with dual VGA output (not installed since it won't do me any good; for now I've got a monitor on the onboard video; once the machine is up and running for good I'll just use Logmein to remote into it)

Want for immediate future (suggestions welcome)
At least 2 GB DDR (either from the link ^ or from someone on here)
3 more HDDs; 500GB 7200 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145316)
PCI controller card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816150013)
IDE HDD cable (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812104033)

one thing I'm not sure about is how to mount/place the extra HDDs since I don't have any mounting stuff for them; there is one built-in mount.


again, I'll hold off for any video/audio stuff for now.

suggestions are welcome/wanted. anything else I need? thanks again.

any suggestions/guidance on the server software/setup?

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 9:32 PM. Reason : .]

3/9/2010 9:27:55 PM

I am a big fan of WHS

3/9/2010 9:59:05 PM

^thanks, I'll look into that. can you buy WHS alone?

also forgot to mention in ^^ that I would be looking at getting a gigabit ethernet card

[

[Edited on March 9, 2010 at 10:17 PM. Reason : /]

3/9/2010 10:02:33 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116550

3/10/2010 12:20:35 AM

know this thread isn't for laptops but my friend has about $600-650 to spend on a laptop and he'd like to game on it. I found this newer Asus:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220694

Any suggestions? That's the best hardware i could find in that price range.

3/10/2010 7:05:38 PM

:thumbsup: ASUS is better than Apple in terms of reliability. good buy.

3/11/2010 12:55:08 AM

^^ If he is willing to go ebay for a new computer, he can get a MSI with all the same specs with upgraded processor and graphics card http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MSI-A6000-029US-16-Core-2-Duo-T6600-4GB-320-Win-7_W0QQitemZ280458049401QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item414c9a3779 Otherwise your right, thats hard to beat. If would go up to $1000 there would alot of options with much better graphics cards. BTW what games. If its the newer ones he might as well save because that GT 320M wont cut it.

3/11/2010 8:20:34 AM

Quote :

":thumbsup: ASUS is better than Apple in terms of reliability. good buy."

Well i also said gaming. Even the 9600gt on the Mac Book Pros suck for gaming.

Quote :

"If would go up to $1000 there would alot of options with much better graphics cards. BTW what games. If its the newer ones he might as well save because that GT 320M wont cut it."

You'd be surprised. The only other option in that price range is a 4570 and the 320M is a better card than the 4570. And that EBAY one has an 8200m in it. Not as good as a 320M. Although i can't find too many benchmarks for the 320m. It's pretty new. I think it's basically an 8700gt. But yeah in that price range i think that's all he's going to get. He's playing Aion or something. Nothing too crazy.

Actually shit just saw this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220667R

How is that? $400 off for open box? Core 2 Duo p8700 2.53ghz and an ATI 4650. How's that?


[Edited on March 11, 2010 at 7:24 PM. Reason : s]

3/11/2010 7:22:14 PM

does anyone recommend getting 40gb SSD, intel m25, for OS and programs?

Does the SSD slow down significantly when it gets filled up?


also how do you guys partition your hard drives.
Im thinking of getting a new pc and partitioning as such:
80GB XP & programs
100GB Win 7 & programs
recovery partition
the rest for Data

plus 2nd HD for backup

3/11/2010 8:03:22 PM

why bother with XP?

3/11/2010 8:12:01 PM

HES TRYING TO KEEP IT REAL

but seriously, windows 7 is out, dont bother with xp

3/11/2010 11:01:52 PM

^^^^ My bad for the 8200m recommendation. I was thinking that 320M was an Quadro NVS 320M which blow for games and not the new Geforce 320M. I hope you bought that open box because by the time I went to look at it, it was sold.

^^^ I bought an 60Gb SSD and I only installed the OS and programs on it like your wanting to do. Its only got 40Gb on it but I cannot tell a difference from day one. As for only getting a 40Gb drive when now a days Win7 takes 15Gb and one game can take upwards of 10Gb, you will run out of space really fast. It would then defeat the purpose to install programs to a regular hdd.

[Edited on March 12, 2010 at 8:07 AM. Reason : .]

3/12/2010 8:06:49 AM

i still dont trust win 7 for software compatibility reasons but i guess with xp compatibility mode that wouldnt be a problem?

^i see your point, but i only play 2 or 3 games but i would like an 80gb, its just a bit expensive, the intel costs $250
But if you installed your OS and just your hardcore games and most used programs like browsers to SSD and the programs to HD, wouldnt that worth it, since once a program loads onto memory it doesnt really matter anyways?

3/12/2010 12:22:37 PM

Just bough a refurbished Dell 545
Pentium dual core 2.7Ghz
6GB ram
640GB HD
DVDRW
Win 7
for $349 w/ free shipping

i'll add:
GEforce GE240 - ddr5 512mb
500GB HD

is this a good purchase?

3/13/2010 4:14:32 PM

Yea that computer should last you a while. If you can swing a better graphics card, it will last even longer. Though I guess in the future all you will need is to upgrade the graphics card when the a game is reaching unplayable fps or you want more eye candy.

3/15/2010 7:57:27 AM

Ordered this morning, shipped this afternoon. I love Newegg.


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152185

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119160

Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Gaming Mouse - Retail
Item #: N82E16826104178

Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115225

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106335

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131614

CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139010

XFX HD-587A-ZND9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB XXX Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150456

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 998805 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820226121

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116758

Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM
Item #: N82E16820167016

ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824236049

Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16823175001

3/15/2010 6:01:52 PM

you'll have the same keyboard & mouse i have.... LOVE the MX518 and Eclipse II

ASUS monitor is nice as well, really nice build, i think the only thing i would have done different was getting a 1TB drive w/ 5-year warranty. if there's anything i hate, it's when my storage drive goes kaput.

3/15/2010 6:54:03 PM

I am getting ready to build my first computer for the first time in 8 years or so. I am looking to spend around $1200 for a good system that will last me a few years. We are going to use it for surfing the web and light gaming mostly but I do some video editing of family and friends videos and my current system is painfully slow. I am thinking i7 so it will last a while. What other component suggestions do y'all have. Is the post above a good setup for what I am looking for or is it out of my price league?

Oh yeah, I don't need a monitor.

[Edited on March 15, 2010 at 7:01 PM. Reason : monitor]

3/15/2010 7:00:07 PM

^^^i wanted to get an SSD but it was over my budget, nice haul

3/15/2010 10:52:15 PM

i think newegg has made a killing on us all over the last decade or so

i cant really imagine building a computer from anywhere else

3/15/2010 11:41:17 PM

Hey sox that post above is way above your price but you can still get a really nice i7 for less than $1200.
All from newegg.com except for the ram (slickdeal for today)

$474 i7-920 & GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R Combo
$83 Mushkin DDR3 1600 6-8-6-24 http://www.mushkin.com/Memory/Ridgeback/998826.aspx Apply code ridgeback to take 10% off
$150 MSI R5770-PM2D1G-OC
$105 Win7 Home Premium x64
$100 CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX
$75 WD Black 640Gb HDD
$100 Lian Li Case
$100 keyboard/mouse



[Edited on March 16, 2010 at 8:29 AM. Reason : SD code]

3/16/2010 8:23:36 AM

Those Mushkin deals were just price mistakes lol. They're canceling shit now.

3/16/2010 10:31:31 AM

I figured they were price mistakes since they are $220 on newegg. With the killer price it was worth a try.

$131 OCZ Gold DDR3 1600 is the next recommendation but puts you over at $1235. Meh Close Enough!

3/16/2010 1:28:38 PM

Thanks for the info, Looks like I can put together a decent system in my budget.

3/16/2010 2:32:10 PM

I added an old video card (7950gx2) to my desktop so I could have 3+ monitors. It's an old card and power hungry. I cranked it down from 500mhz Core clock and 600mhz memory clock to the minimum NVIDIA control panel would let me (125 core and 150 memory). It's been running fine. Better than buying a new video card. Are there any guidelines on de-clocking video cards? Or can you just clock it at the minimum and forget about it?

3/18/2010 3:49:09 PM

If it's only running 2D, you'll be fine for sure.

3/18/2010 9:03:06 PM

Yeah i'm just using it for a third monitor for browsing/ims. Even at 150/125 clock speed it still plays 1080p videos just fine. Weird. Glad i have that kilowatt power supply though. I did a PSU calculator and it came out to almost 700 watts.

3/18/2010 9:38:02 PM

OK it has been a week and I still haven't been able to accomplish even ordering the parts for my new box yet which leaves me with serious doubts that I will be able to get this done myself in the time frame I wanted to. So heres the question, If I get a list of parts together, let one of you guys review it/ maybe make suggestions, order the parts and have one of you guys come over one Saturday to assemble get an OS installed and get all the drivers worked out what would you charge? I assume most people reading this thread have done it before, but I don't want this to be your first rodeo.

3/19/2010 9:18:25 AM

It's easier than you think. Once you pop in the windows 7 disk it does the rest for you. Installs all the drivers automatically too.

As far as putting together the PC it's really not that complex. Ram, video card, CPU are all pretty self explanatory. It's usually a good idea to install the CPU/heatsink before the motherboard goes into the case. Also seat the video card before you get all the motherboard screws installed too for alignment.

The biggest pain is installing the power supply and figuring out all your wiring. Zip ties are your friend. You don't want to leave cables all over the place to block air flow and/or hit system fans. Also the case pin connectors (power/reset/leds/speaker/usb/firewire) are sometimes trouble but they're all labeled.

If you read your motherboard manual and go slow I'm sure you can figure it out. Save that $100 or so you'd pay someone else to do it.

3/19/2010 1:34:58 PM

Well I finally took some time to organize my order, what do you guys think?

1
LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA Model WH10LS30 LightScribe Support
Item #:N82E16827136181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$159.99
1
Verbatim 25GB 2X BD-R LTH Single Jewel Case Disc (use w/LTH Compat Drive) 96569
Item #:N82E16817130069
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$2.99
1
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Computer Case
Item #:N82E16811129066
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$69.99
1
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822136533
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$119.99
1
CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817139012
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
$119.99
1
XFX Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) HD-577A-ZNFC Video Card
Item #:N82E16814150447
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$179.99
$169.99
1
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$7.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$167.99
$160.99
1
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 310 Laser
Item #:N82E16823126032
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$59.99
$49.99
1
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
Item #:N82E16832116758
Return Policy: Software Return Policy
$139.99
1

Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz LGA 1366 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #: N82E16819115225
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy


GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128423
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$25.00 Combo
$504.98
$479.98
Grand Total: $1,470.90

I haven't heard much about the 6Gb/s Hard drive, but it doesn't seem to cost much more. Is it worth it? any other suggestions? Thanks.

3/19/2010 9:23:24 PM

why have motherboards doubled or tripled in price in 4 years while the average hdd or processor or power supply or memory has stayed the same price?

3/20/2010 5:53:17 PM

motherboards are only expensive if you want them to be. I've never spent more than 150 on one.

[Edited on March 20, 2010 at 8:35 PM. Reason : sdf]

3/20/2010 8:32:22 PM

The $475 is for the Combo of the motherboard and the I7 processor. The motherboard just seemed to have space for everything I want, I guess I can look cheaper though.

3/20/2010 10:03:12 PM

I remember buying this 'top of the line' MSI Titanium motherboard a few years back. I thought I was going overboard with getting a $150 mobo instead of the standard 50-75 boards. Now they are 200-400, without even being the 'top of the line' model.

3/20/2010 10:56:29 PM

Is there any place local to buy a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter? I purchased the OEM SSD not even thinking I would have not way to mount it.

Also, is there any advantage to running and HDMI cable over a DVI cable for the monitor?

3/21/2010 12:20:38 AM

intrex is probably your best bet

3/21/2010 9:56:07 AM

Would it be cheaper to build entirely from Newegg or get a Dell with the bare minimum and then add a better graphics card, hard drive and more RAM afterwards? I need everything - monitor, keyboard, mouse

My budget is less than $1000, would do some gaming but mostly office type stuff and web browsing.

3/21/2010 10:32:54 AM

pretty easy to figure that one out..

although it's really probably going to come down to how picky you are about what you want. if you're fine with picking up whatever is on special this week that's close to what you're looking for then you can probably get something pretty cheap. if you're going to be picky about what you want then you're probably better off just building what you want

3/21/2010 11:40:58 AM

So how ridiculously overkill would it be to build a system with two 5870's? The guru3d review was rather glowing about it.

3/21/2010 2:33:25 PM

Don't think it would be overkill. Especially if you have larger resolution monitors (24"-30").

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422-13.html

There's plenty of newer games that won't even max out at 2560 by 1600 on dual 5870's. Both crysis and stalker only hit around 30 FPS with 5870's in crossfire and that's not even with anisotropic filtering.

[Edited on March 21, 2010 at 3:03 PM. Reason : f]

3/21/2010 2:41:57 PM

$700+ on graphics cards? daaamn

[Edited on March 21, 2010 at 2:51 PM. Reason : s]

3/21/2010 2:51:36 PM

Yeah, I am thinking this beast might rival the monolith from 2001. The Eyefinity stuff looks really damn cool.

3/21/2010 3:00:31 PM

^^^dual 5770 in CF is best bang/buck right now (w/ DX11) only about $320 total

[Edited on March 21, 2010 at 4:46 PM. Reason : ,]

3/21/2010 4:45:24 PM

Quote :

"Both crysis and stalker "

which are both epeen games that are kinda mediocre

3/22/2010 3:39:07 PM