Reccomend specifications for a new machine

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BasharOfTheAges
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Post by BasharOfTheAges » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:08 pm

If you want to stick with XP you're going to need to get 64-bit XP if you get a multi-core system, or you won't be able to make use of the multiple cores.
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Post by post-it » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:11 pm

.. Question for trythil about the link to http://system76.com/product_info.php?cP ... ucts_id=62 ..

On that page, linked, it say's "1066 FSB" but the memory for it say's "DDR2 667"

.. ? would it not be better to have RAM at "DDR2 1066" to match the boards speed ( or is that not part of any equation anymore these days? )

.. the reason I ask is I'm building a Bare-Bones Computer from scratch and I've seen these two "FSB 1066" and "DDR2 667" together and it is keeping me from buying the MotherBoard I want -- because my mind see's THAT combination as Wrong!

.. Could you help me understand why these two "FSB 1066" and "DDR2 667" together are designed for each other ... please!???

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Post by NeoQuixotic » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:55 pm

BasharOfTheAges wrote:If you want to stick with XP you're going to need to get 64-bit XP if you get a multi-core system, or you won't be able to make use of the multiple cores.
What? Who told you that? You do NOT need 64-bit for a multi-core system. A 64-bit OS is only needed for addressing more than 2Gb of RAM per app and going beyond 4Gb system RAM.

Limitations of processors per OS:

XP Home - 1 physical CPU (unlimited cores)
XP Professional - 2 physical CPUs (unlimited cores)
Vista Home Basic - 1 physical CPU (unlimited cores)
Vista Home Premium - 1 physical CPU (unlimited cores)
Vista Business - 2 physical CPUs (unlimited cores)
Vista Ultimate - 2 physical CPUs (unlimited cores)

Two physical processors means having two CPU sockets on the motherboard. This is generally only used for server based motherboards. Although, Apples uses a 2 socket design in their Mac Pro desktop. Their quad core uses 2 dual core CPUs and their eight core uses 2 quad core CPUs. Yes, eight cores of processing dewm! :twisted:
JazzyDJ wrote:I was actually thinking of going with that Intel Core2 Q6600 2.4Ghz. How does that perform for you?
Like I said, this is a system I plan to build. I don't have it yet :cry:. Intel just released their E6850 Core 2 Duo. It runs at 3Ghz, has 4MB L2 Cache, and a 1333Mhz FSB that sells for about $300 or less. The quad core will benefit with apps that are multithreaded, such as Vegas and Premiere. Although the faster speed in the E6850 is also very good. It will be better with apps that aren't optimized for more than 2 cores. Games are especially the case. PC games are generally just starting to utilize dual core effectively. But in a year or two this will change.

One thing to remember is that just because it has four cores doesn't make it twice as fast as a dual core. That is why I plan to OC the Q6600 to 3Ghz and make it truely shine ^_^! But yeah, overclocking can be dangerous, so be advised. The same can said about having multiple video cards (SLI or Crossfire).

As far as the video card goes, if you want excellent gaming performance now, get the best you can afford. I'd suggest the Geforce 8800 GTS 640Mb card. Still kind of expensive at $350+, but awesome performance in DX9 and DX10. Oh yeah, so far DX10 has shown to give little improvement on visual quality, and it kills performance. This is the reason I chose a high end card from the last generation. I still get very good performance and save a bundle while I wait for the 2nd Gen DX10 cards.
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Post by BasharOfTheAges » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:31 am

anubisx00 wrote:
BasharOfTheAges wrote:If you want to stick with XP you're going to need to get 64-bit XP if you get a multi-core system, or you won't be able to make use of the multiple cores.
What? Who told you that? You do NOT need 64-bit for a multi-core system. A 64-bit OS is only needed for addressing more than 2Gb of RAM per app and going beyond 4Gb system RAM.
Apparently I misunderstood what several people were telling me when I build my last system. :oops:

At the very least it's rather foolish to run a system that you plan to keep for an extended period of time that has a RAM limit of 4GB - especially if you're doing video editing stuff.
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Post by post-it » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:38 pm

anubisx00 wrote:.. That is why I plan to OC the Q6600 to 3Ghz and make it truly shine ^_^ .. SLI or Crossfire .. I'd suggest the Geforce 8800 GTS 640Mb card.
.. ? don't you mean the GeForce 880 GTX card ??? .. the price was reasonable and I'm building around THAT framework ^_^

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Post by NeoQuixotic » Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:16 pm

post-it wrote:
anubisx00 wrote:.. That is why I plan to OC the Q6600 to 3Ghz and make it truly shine ^_^ .. SLI or Crossfire .. I'd suggest the Geforce 8800 GTS 640Mb card.
.. ? don't you mean the GeForce 8800 GTX card ??? .. the price was reasonable and I'm building around THAT framework ^_^
If you consider $500+ reasonable. My god, might as well go with two 8800 Ultras in SLI. It only costs $1200 for the video cards alone :roll:.

I suggest the GTS model because you get top of the line performance, without spending half a grand on a video card. But hey, if you've got the cash, do it. Poor college students like me don't :cry:.
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Post by post-it » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:42 pm

hehe
.. Crying out loud so hard my sides are hurting ;^___^; .. pay off your debts as quick as you can and get rid of that Student Loan Pay-Back Plan before you buy/build that newest Computer -- trust me.

.. take a real good look at that computer your building today ..
.. what could you afford six years from now ?
.. think twice, you can only be in debt for the rest of your life :twisted:
or is there a better way of doing things at your age 8-)

.. I got out of college with only $120.00 to my name, a borrowed car from my parents and no debts of any kind! The hourly wages at that time were $2.35 per hour.
.. the year was 1981 and the Middle Class was starting to vanish. My first job was at KMSP TV9 behind the SouthTown Shopping Center.
( kmsp is no longer at that location! ) which is ok because neither am I 8-)

.. take a real good look at that computer your thinking about building ..
.. what could you afford six years from now ?
.. think twice, you can only be in debt for the rest of your life :twisted:
or is there a better way to have lived by the time your my age 8-)
.. nobody can afford anything when they need it if something is holding you back!

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Post by trythil » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:08 am

JazzyDJ wrote:What do you guys think about the arrival of Vista?
I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't need it.

Also, this may seem like pedantry but I really think it needs to be pointed out: Windows NT wasn't really a forgettable flash in time -- its kernel is at the core of Windows XP.
As for graphics card, I was looking at going with one of the best just to be safe, but you guys tell me if it's unnescessariy... is getting a Nvidia Geforce 8800 GSX overkill? Will something like a Geforce 7950 suffice?
Do you have a more specific idea of what you'll be doing with your computer besides "a multitude of tasks"?

Both of those are fast cards, and will probably last you a while, but depending on your planned usage, you could be sinking money into the graphics subsystem that you could better apply elsewhere.

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Post by JazzyDJ » Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:00 pm

Thanks to all you guys this thread is a wealth of knowlege and is going directly into my favorites. Thanks to you, I think I'm making better decisions in my plans to get this new PC.

There is one thing that has thrown me off, though, with the processors. Like I said, I was looking at the Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB), but I'm also taking a look and comparing that to the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6700 (4MB L2 Cache,2.66GHz,1066 FSB) because it looks faster at 2.66Ghz, albiet it doesn't have the 4 cores. Which one would generally perform faster under those specs?

Also about that, what I don't quite understand is that Dell has the Duel Core 2 E6700 $150 more EXPENSIVE than the Quad Core Q6600. Does anyone know the reason why? I mean wouldn't they be relatively close in peformance or is the E6700 actually that much faster?

And how would the E6700 perform in Vegas compared to the Q6600 pre-render? (I know the quad core is 52% faster during rendors). Advice, please? I'm leaning towards the Q6600 because it seems like a better value (less expensive) but I really could use the most power and speed I can get for my buck.

The tasks that I'll be doing the most are
-Creating alot of videos
-Video dubbing (dubbing japanese shows into english with english speaking actors)
-ALOT of Audio editing and creation
-A decent amount of gaming (Mostly MAME/emulation type stuff)
-Alot of photo-editing (photoshop)
-Alot of web browsing/stream listening/viewing
-running security software at all times in the background.
-CD/DVD burning (gotta distribute my creations to my friends! :D )
-Viewing/listening to media
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Post by JazzyDJ » Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:01 pm

Oh yeah, I forgot to provide the link to the Dell page with that processor pricing I was talking about....

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/ ... WZK7&s=dhs
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