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Nowadays just upping processor speed doesn't get much performance increase, especially when you are talking about media and internet pauses and jitters. Those are almost always caused by the hard drive, which is the slowest part of any computer. Adding RAM is the best performance increase per dollar in cases like this. But it's hard to deny the new computer itch.
Yeah I upgraded ram recently...and reformatted my whole computer. But after using Vista at work recently...I've known I wanted Windows 7 once it came out.
If you've got a really fat pocketbook and want to max your speed, Intel makes what is purportedly a kick-arse solid state drive (SSD). No moving parts, far less heat, less energy to power, absolutely silent, and about 40% faster than the fastest hard drive.
Bah. It's not really your computer until it's got your blood in it.
Ya, I don't see the point in paying 80 bucks to have someone put it together. If you know enough to pick out the right parts why pay someone to put it together? Assembly is half the fun.
I'll be a tiny bit contrarian here. No problem with Phenom II. I agree on a good motherboard - but more from a stability perspective than performance. As for DDR3 - I do not see how it is a must have. Benchmarks show just slight improvements over DDR2 at a higher cost.
I think a desktop is still the best way to go for a system that doesn't need to move. It is faster, more upgradeable, more reliable and servicable, and cheaper than a laptop anywhere close to the same power.
For a non-gaming system there is no need to spend stupid money on a video card. My Radeon 3650 series card would be laughed at by gamers but it is dead silent because it doesn't have a fan, it plays HD flawlessly, and scores 5.9 on the Windows 7 scoring.
I think a good DIY computer starts with the case, motherboard, and power supply.
A good case is designed for efficient cooling, not bling. An efficient cooling case doesn't require many fans for cool quiet operation. Good power supplies not only supply stable power - they efficiently convert AC to DC - which generates less heat - in turn requiring slower and quieter fans.
Cases like the Antec Sonata, P150, P180 series are examples of good cases. Power supplies like Seasonic, Antec, and Corsair are very good. Choose power supplies with a single 120mm fan on the bottom. Two fans do not cool better than one.
Right now I am a bit confused as to if I need a dual or quad core CPU.
At most I'd be using up to 10 web pages, streaming from online music, or my hard drive or even listening to Itunes while downloading multiple 80MB .rar files all at once. Maybe also sorting through pics.
Right now I am a bit confused as to if I need a dual or quad core CPU.
At most I'd be using up to 10 web pages, streaming from online music, or my hard drive or even listening to Itunes while downloading multiple 80MB .rar files all at once. Maybe also sorting through pics.
Should I focus on getting a quad or dual?
If you have the extra money for a quad get it. But I would only do that after taking care of hard drive and memory needs.
Right now I have a cart on newegg for $667 shipped.
It includes:
XCLIO case with 500w power supply
WD Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 1600
AMD Phenom II x4 945 3.0GHz
MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI
I'm figuring with the tax they will make me pay, I can get something nice for $700 shipped.
Have not figured in a OS yet, but I will be running W7.
Is 6GB overkill right now on ram? It was only $50 more for 2 more gigs.
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