Need help with college computer configuration.
Printed From: CyberPower
Category: Hardware
Forum Name: Build & Compability Questions
Forum Discription: Not sure what componets to choose? Post here for expert advice
URL: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=347
Printed Date: 08 Sep 2010 at 2:23am
Topic: Need help with college computer configuration.
Posted By: Shane2208
Subject: Need help with college computer configuration.
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2008 at 12:47pm
Hi, I'm finally getting around to buying a computer for college. I bought an Alienware 4 or 5 years ago, it was a good computer but very pricey and I had a few problems. So I figured if I'm going to have problems I might as well get a huge bang for my buck and ended up here. I don't have time or the trust with my handywork to build my own. Also I plan on using this computer for future gaming at top levels and of course the usual school work.. but I want a top end gaming computer first and foremost!
Here is my build, I'll put my questions below it.
*Recently updated to show new specs, barely a change*
*BASE_PRICE: [+655] CAS: ($10 off Mail-in Rebate) New! Sigma Gaming Unicorn Mid-Tower 420W Case w/ Side-panel Window [+5] CASUPGRADE: 12in COLD CATHODE NEON LIGHT [+10] (BLUE COLOR) CS_FAN: Default case fans CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache 64-bit [+24] CD: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR) CD2: NONE CABLE: None FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR) FA_HDD: None FREEBIE_CU1: FREE! CyberPower Multi-Purpose Carrying Briefcase ($19.99 Value) FREEBIE_CU2: FREE! Cyberpower Unleash The Power T-Shirt ($19 Value) FAN:
($10 off Mail-in Rebate) Thermaltake V1 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan
(Excellent Overclocking + Silent Proof + Smart CPU & System Thermal
Monitor) [+49] FLOPPY: NONE FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Halo 2) Game HDD: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD) HDD2: NONE IEEE_CARD: NONE KEYBOARD: NONE [-7] MOUSE: NONE [-5] MODEM: NONE MONITOR: NONE MONITOR2: NONE MOTHERBOARD:
($20 Mail-in Rebate) MSI P7N SLI-FI 750i SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports
LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)4GB (2x2GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory [+150] (Corsair or Major Brand) NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Basic w/ Service Pack 1 [+89] (64-bit Edition [+19]) PRINTER: None PRINTER_CABLE: None PRO_WIRING: None POWERSUPPLY: 635 Watts Power Supplies [+69] (($30 off Mail-in Rebate) Sigma Shark SP-635W PSU - SLI Ready) RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS SOFT: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More) - Windows Vista™ Required SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS 24/7 LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO SPEAKERS: NONE [-5] TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN) TVRC: None UPS: None USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports USBHD: NONE VIDEOCAMERA: NONE VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express [+92] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA) VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express [+177] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA) VIDEO3: NONE WNC: NONE
My first question is should I go with dual 8800gt's at 512mb or just one at 1gig? The 1gb 8800 would save me a bit of cash, would it give me similar performance though?
Hard drives, is the 10,000 rpm really that useful? I'd much rather get a large 7,200 rpm one as I did.
Do I need a floppy drive these days? I remember using one on my Alienware when I ran into the problems but can't I just set my BIOS to boot from CD?
Ok my main concern. Network Cards. I will be using these in the dorms where there is a strong wifi signal. So a normal network card is useless, correct? Do I need a wireless network card? An external wireless network card? Which would give me the top performance?
I will be buying speakers/monitor probably on newegg or something, I am kind of hoping to keep it all under $1,500 so if I could drop a bit that'd be great. Any help is much appreciated. If you even read this far I thank you.
|
Replies:
Posted By: joe11
Date Posted: 12 Jul 2008 at 2:27pm
The build itself is pretty good. The performance difference between 1gig 8800gt and 512 is negligible.
10,000 rpm drives are nice as they speed up the load times. I would personally just get a 7200 rpm, perhaps 2 in a raid-0 configuration.
Floppy isn't necessary with bootable removable devices (flash drives) and cd-rom although some setups may be finicky and require floppy to load certain drivers.
network cards - It depends if your dorm room has an ethernet cable for you to hook up to your connection or if your dorm room only has wifi. If anything, just order an internal wifi network card. Use the onboard network card if your dorm supplies you with a ethernet cable for internet.
|
Posted By: Shane2208
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2008 at 1:10pm
Did you mean the difference between 1gig 8800gt is negligible to a single or dual 512mb 8800gt?
I looked into and the dorms have the cables for me to hook it up. So these network cards don't really affect performance at all (ie:lag) and you recommend the on board one?
Thanks for the response by the way.
|
Posted By: ggorrell
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 6:56am
|
He meant the differcne between one 8800gt with 512mb, and one with 1gb is negligible. Two cards will be faster then the one card is most instances (although one higher end card is usually better, the ATi 4850, or 4870 come to mind).
The network card is rarely the source of lag on a system. I would just use the onboard network card.
|
Posted By: covertcycle
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 12:24pm
|
depending on your monitor resolution, i would go with the single card setup. the 2 cards will perform better if youre running higher resolution, (say 1600x1200 or 1920x1200). But if youre running at a lower res, say 1024x768, or 1152x864 the single card will be better, and as you said, save you some money.
|
Posted By: Shane2208
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 3:46pm
|
I'm kind of trying to future proof myself as this will probably be my computer for the next 4 years. I'm trying to take full advantage of the quad processor/dual video cards. Also I may get some of those graphic intensive games(Crysis) just to play for the graphics. The one very nice part I want is graphics cards.
|
Posted By: joe11
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 8:47pm
|
Well if you plan to future proof, I would go with 1 fast video card setup and purchase another in a few months or when you have the extra cash to do so. Like ggorrell pointed out, the ATi 48xx series are pretty fast cards for their price. However, if you are an Nvidia guy, a 9800GTX is a pretty nice card for the price they're going for at the moment. I would either get 1 4850/4870 (ATi) or 1 9800 GTX (Nvidia) and buy another in a few months or when you need Sli to run the more graphic intensive games.
|
Posted By: sheltom
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 11:57pm
|
Shane since you are using air to cool your system, I would make very sure that case is best for air flow. A full tower might be better. See what others think about that.
You might also consider better RAM with heat spreaders since that setup will probably run warm inside.
|
Posted By: Shane2208
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2008 at 6:50pm
Should I maybe add extra fans? It seemed like all the other rams were a huge price jump. I found a way(taking advantage of the specials) to get this setup+shipping to $1199(exactly, funny it turned out that way). I'm kind of stubborn about the video cards now and afraid to go inside my system after I buy it. After this month I will no longer have money for computer parts for the next four years! hah
Also any opinions on the towers?
Oh also forgot, I've moved onto monitor research now. I like CRTs usually as I don't mind the space they take up and dig the quality/price but I heard LCDs may possibly be easier on the eyes. CRTs also seem to be a thing of the past as I can't find any new ones. Any recommendations for a good gaming monitor for under 250$?
Speakers too. Any sweet(possibly 7.1 surround) speakers for under 100$?
|
|