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InvisibleAsante
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Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!)
    #13960571 - 02/14/11 10:52 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

My current computer is an oldie but goodie from 2005 which still works pretty nice but its time to get me a new rig since we're in another decade.

Here's the specs:


CPU:  AMD Phenom II 965 (Deneb) Black Edition (overclockable but no plans in that direction)
CPU cooler: standard AMD boxed cooler
Motherboard: MSI NF520T-C35 ATX (max 8GB DDR2)
Memory: 4GB 800MHz DDR2
Harddisk: Samsung 500GB 7200rpm SATA
Solid State Drive: Kingston SSDNow V Series 64GB 200/110MB/sec SATA :rockon:
Media: Samsung DVD player + a Dual Layer burner (DVD is good enough for me)
Graphics card: NVIDIA Geforce GTS 250 1024MB PCI express (was: 9800GTX+)
Power: HKC 580W ATX, 14cm fan, 2x PCI, SLI-support


I intend to run Windows 7 Home 32 bit on it, in tandem with Ubuntu Karmic Koala and hope to make the definitive switch from Windows to Linux on this machine. I'm putting the OS's and their programs on the Solid State Drive to get the most out of speed.

The graphics card is a specific one recommended for the OpenSimulator/Second Life virtual reality platforms, which I make use of a lot, so that part of the equasion is more or less cast in stone, along with my budget for this rig. Other cards in the same price range may be better, but are unsupported either by the VR platform or when switching to Linux. This virtual world stuff is the most hardware intense thing I'll be doing, but I'll probably do a lot of other things simultaneously, hence a quad core CPU instead of a dual.

Guys, does this sound like a stable rig to you? There are always bottlenecks, where do they lie in this configuration and how bad are they?

The limit on what I want to spend on this rig is pretty much reached, so if someone wants to suggest an improvement please also suggest something that can be stepped down :smirk:

Expert opinions and musings regarding this potential rig to be are quite welcome, nothing is cast in stone yet.

I havent been seriously looking at computer specs since 2005 so all this sounds pretty awesome to me :awesome:


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InvisibleHeavyToilet
The Heaviest OfThem All
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Registered: 08/06/03
Posts: 9,458
Loc: British Columbia
Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: Asante]
    #13960703 - 02/14/11 11:16 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

What's your budget?

From what I've seen DDR3 is now pretty much cheaper than DDR2, because DDR2 is old technology so its price has gone up... plus DDR3 is faster.

So I would recommend investigating that.

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OfflineSeussA
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: Asante]
    #13960830 - 02/14/11 11:44 AM (13 years, 1 month ago)

> CPU cooler: standard AMD boxed cooler

I'm not that familiar with AMD, but for Intel, the standard 'boxed cooler' are crap.

> Motherboard: MSI NF520T-C35 ATX (max 8GB DDR2)

Avoid anything produced by MSI.  They are a high volume, low quality company.

> Memory: 4GB 800MHz DDR2

It will probably cheaper to go with DDR3 memory (you have to have a board that supports it, not compatible with DDR2).


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InvisibleShroomismM
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: Asante]
    #13961110 - 02/14/11 12:47 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

I'll third the DDR3 advice. DDR2 is almost obsolete at this point.. and more expensive... and slower..
MSI sucks. Go with EVGA or Asus for a solid motherboard with good warranty/support.
I'd look at the current/last generation of DDR3 mobos so your board/ram is not obsolete in 2 weeks..., not sure what the AMD equivalent is to the i7/i5s... but I'd look at a P55 or X58 platform mobo instead of a 3 generation old one..
your most likely bottleneck in that setup is probably with the CPU depending what you are doing.. but that one should be pretty solid.
Never even heard of the PSU manufacturer, but take my advice and don't skimp on a cheap one,
the power supply is the lifeblood of your system, it goes out it can take anything with it.. and cheaply made PSUs go out often.


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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
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Registered: 04/05/00
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: Asante]
    #13961280 - 02/14/11 01:28 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Personally, I'd drop the SSD, pick up some larger 7200 RPM drives (one for back ups) and a good Corsair or Antec PSU and good HSF (my Zalman is quite nice, comes w/ a fan speed adjuster and is quiet and cool).  I'd switch up motherboards as well, and ultimately download a pdf of the motherboard manual you intend to use and select DDR 3 Ram off its qualified vendor list (i tend to go to with Corsair).


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Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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InvisibleShroomismM
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #13961335 - 02/14/11 01:38 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Why drop the SSD? They are fast as fuck. Although with that MB you won't be able to get max performance from it as there's no SATA3 capability.
Corsair for memory all the way, also very solid PSUs


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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: Shroomism]
    #13961523 - 02/14/11 02:11 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

Personally I wouldn't go with an SSD unless it was large enough to contain all intended operating systems and apps...  With his budget and selections of hard drives in mind (64gb & 500gb), I  see a better value in getting two larger drives (for what i'd imagine would be a comparable price)...  for me, a separate drive for back ups is essential.


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Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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Offlinewoutah
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Posts: 159
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #13961656 - 02/14/11 02:35 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

I'd get a 4xx GTX for GPU, and maybe drop the SSD for overall upgrades (they will drop in price very soon, i mean, price/storage ratio will have at least doubled by next year.)

AMD -> Price/performance
Intel/Nvidia -> Quality brands, trustworthy. I like to go with these.


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InvisibleCosmicJokeM
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Registered: 04/05/00
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: woutah]
    #13961713 - 02/14/11 02:49 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

i didn't really get the impression that he was looking for a gaming rig, so i imagine the chipset he chose would suffice, though would spend a little extra for an evga branded one like shroomism mentioned (they have excellent support, community, and in my experience their cards have a long life span... always read reviews first though)...

not quite sure the big price drops on SSD are coming as quickly as you think, though it is inevitable...


--------------------
Everything is better than it was the last time.  I'm good.

If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence.

I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too.  If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.

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InvisibleShroomismM
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Re: Critique my computer pipe dream (gonna buy a new rig yay!) [Re: CosmicJoke]
    #13962722 - 02/14/11 06:10 PM (13 years, 1 month ago)

I happen to work for the aforementioned e_ _a .. we have 24/7 tech support :grin:
The 250 is a decent GPU for most applications.. I don't know how 3d intensive second life is but it will handle most modern games as well but don't expect it to play the latest 3D games at the highest resolutions with high FPS. A step up from that at about the same price I would probably look at the GTS 450 or 460.
I agree on the data aspect though.. better to have two high capacity drives at first if on a budget, as a backup drive is essential. If you're gonna go SSD, personally I'd just get a MB with sata3 now, and then in the future you could add 2x SSDs in RAID0 for a boot os/apps drive. The SSDs have already almost halved in price and double in storage space since about 6 months ago, they will continue getting cheaper.


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