Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 87330 2008-02-17 08:46:00 New Computer bk T (215) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
641194 2008-02-18 00:14:00 1. to run very high resolution with all the eye candy turned on, personally I think 1 card is enough at 1680x1050 ws. SLI can be tricky, and doesn't work for all games. Better to buy a GTX or Ultra IMHO

2.XP 32 bit - compatability with everything, 64 bit - a very few games released patches to improve framerate and detail but there is less driver support to date. I'd stick with 32 bit

3. gives nearly twice the HDD performance, also twice the chance of failure ( still quite small admittedly ) can be tricky to set up as a boot device and if either drive fails you lose all the data. An alternative is to use a small raptor 10,000 RPM drive for the OS and a RAID array for programs, easier to set up and very good performance.

4. if you spend thousands on a pc, why run it of a cheap psu ? everything depends on the psu so quality and a bit of headroom is a good investment - can last through several upgrades

5.Yes :) - bought an AOC myself (cheapskate) but am still very happy with it.

6. Logitech, Altec Lansing, Creative all make good speakers, just pick some.
Surround sound is a waste if you dan't have room to position the speakers properly 		dugimodo (138)
641195 2008-02-18 00:50:00 T
6. What speaker system do you reckon its good for games?

G51 for 5.1 or Z2300 for 2.1.
(Logitech) 		pctek (84)
641196 2008-02-18 09:05:00 G51 for 5.1 or Z2300 for 2.1.
(Logitech)
I have the Logitech Z-2300 (www.logitech.com), they are very good when paired up with a half decent sound card.You can pick them up from Acent.co.nz for $189.78.Id say you would be able to pick them up cheaper if you shop around.Here (www.cnet.com.au) is a review of them from cnet.com.au. 		Krisby5 (13221)
641197 2008-02-18 12:42:00 Thanks for the interesting inputs.:thumbs:

1. Why do we need 2 x GPUs, what are the advantages?

Go to www.slizone.com and then click on the Learn more tab on the front page of the website it will explain it better then what I or others proberly can.

2. OS - preferred to run XP. 64 bit vs 32 bit - advantages & disadvantages?

64-bit vs. 32-bit architectureAddress space64-bit Windows32-bit WindowsVirtual memory
16 terabytes
4 GB
Paging file
512 terabytes
16 terabytes
Paged pool
128 GB
470 MB
Non-paged pool
128 GB
256 MB
System cache
1 terabyte
1 GB


Go to www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit for more info and you can download a trial version of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

64 bit disadvantage not all games will work on it,not all hardwear has 64 bit drivers,so you have to check before you buy.

3. HDD x 2 - Having RAID 0 (?) will give better performance?

Different types of RAID:

RAID-0 is the fastest and most efficient array type but offers no fault-tolerance.
RAID-1 is the array of choice for performance-critical, fault-tolerant environments. In addition, RAID-1 is the only choice for fault-tolerance if no more than two drives are desired.
RAID-2 is seldom used today since ECC is embedded in almost all modern disk drives.
RAID-3 can be used in data intensive or single-user environments which access long sequential records to speed up data transfer. However, RAID-3 does not allow multiple I/O operations to be overlapped and requires synchronized-spindle drives in order to avoid performance degradation with short records.
RAID-4 offers no advantages over RAID-5 and does not support multiple simultaneous write operations.
RAID-5 is the best choice in multi-user environments which are not write performance sensitive. However, at least three, and more typically five drives are required for RAID-5 arrays.Or you could have 3 disks:
1 for windows and programes/apps.
1 for games/movies/music
1 for back up to save/copy your stuff you want to on just in case if 1 of the disks fail.

4. PSU. What are the advantages of having such a 'high wattage' PSU? Isn't it a waste for having those 'extra' power, if the system does't really need it?

If you get a high wattage Psu it will power anything and everything you have at the the present time and for future upgrades as well,so you only need to buy one now and not another one later on costing you twice the price one now and one later for two psu's.

5. Samsung 22" LCD monitor seems to be a good choice - that's what we have in mind. :)

:thumbs:

6. What speaker system do you reckon its good for games? As I'm not a gamer at all and my friend knows very little about computers (but he has some extra cash to spend), therefore, inputs from true games will be much appreciated.

Either of these::cool:


Logitech Z-5500, 5.1 Speaker system, Black/Silver At a glance


Colour Black/Silver Channels 5.1







Overview


When there’s nowhere to go but up, choose the Z-5500. Experience music, TV, movies and games through this THX-certified, 505-watt 5.1 digital surround sound speaker system with digital equalization.


Premium Sound
This is what the top of the line sounds like.

Onboard 5.1 Digital Decoding: Hear every detail of your favorite Dolby® digital and DTS soundtracks.
THX Certified Sound: Settle for nothing less than the THX seal of approval for master quality.
505 Watts: Turn any room of your house into a powerful theater.
10" Long-throw Subwoofer and Tuned Bass Port: Get 188 watts of powerful, distortion-free bass.
Aluminum Phase Plug Satellites: Combine the clarity of a tweeter with the richness and fullness of a separate mid-range.

Convenience
Simplify life.

Digital and Analog Inputs: Add up to 6 components simultaneously.
Digital SoundTouch™ Control Panel: Change volume on all speakers, set inputs and more.
Wireless Remote: Control up to seven sources, even PCs and video games.
Wall-Mountable Satellite Speakers: Just rotate the stands to switch from desktop to wall.

SPECIFICATIONS
Hardware
Drivers:
Satellites: 3” polished aluminum phase plug drivers
Subwoofer: 10” high-excursion ported driver with 6th order bass reflex enclosure
Surround sound effects
Hardware decoding:
Dolby® Digital, DTS®, and DTS®, 96/24 soundtracks
Dolby Pro Logic II (Movie and Music modes)
6 Channel Direct
Stereo x2
Stereo
Supported digital formats:
Dolby Digital
DTS and DTS 96/24
PCM (uncompressed stereo): 4 4. 1 kHz / 16 bit through 96 kHz / 24 bit
Source Inputs:
Digital optical for DVD or CD players, PlayStation®2, Xbox® **
Digital coaxial for DVD or CD players or PC sound cards (requires coaxial cable, sold separately)
6 channel direct (3 stereo-mini connectors) for 2, 4, or 6 channel PC sound cards OR
6 channel direct (3 stereo-mini connectors) for 3 stereo analog mini audio sources, like CD and DVD players, Playstation 2, Xbox, or 2 channel PC sound cards (somedevices may require stereo mini to dual RCA adapter, sold separately)
Analog stereo-mini (on side panel of control center) for portable CD, MP3,or MiniDisc® players

Technical Specifications
Total FTC power: 505 watts RMS
Sub-woofer: 188 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 100Hz, @ 10% THD)
Satellites:
Left/Right: 62 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1khz, @ 10% THD)
Center: 69 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 1kHz, @ 10% THD)
Rear Left & Right: 62 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1kHz, @ 10% THD)
Total Peak power: 1010 watts
Maximum SPL: >115 dB
Frequency response: 33 Hz — 20 kHz
Amplifier: Ultra-linear, high-capacity analog
Signal to noise ratio: >9 3. 5 dB, typical 100
Input impedance: 8,000 ohms
Compatibility:
PC/Mac
CD
MP3
DVD
PlayStation®
Xbox®

Package Contents
Logitech® Z-5500 Digital: 4 satellites, 1 center channel, 1 subwoofer
6-channel direct cable
Digital SoundTouch™ control center
Wireless remote control, batteries included
User manual
2-year warranty

Or

Logitech Z-2300, 2.1 Speaker system At a glance


Colour:Silver Channels:2.1
Overview:

If you love music, you'll love the Logitech Z-2300, a 2.1 speaker system that combines everything you need in a sound system: THX®-certified performance and quality, beautiful looks, and more than enough power to fill your room with great sound.


Features:

200 watts of RMS power (400 watts of peak power) deliver thunderous audio for music, movies, and games
8-inch long-throw subwoofer driver with flared bass port pounds out powerful, distortion-free bass
Polished aluminum phase plug at the center of the driver outperforms conventional 2-way designs
Included adapter lets you connect the speakers directly to your DVD player, CD player, or video game console


Specifications:

Total RMS power: 200 watts RMS
Satellites: 80 watts RMS (2 x 40W)
Subwoofer: 120 watts RMS
Total peak power: 400 watts
Frequency response: 35Hz - 20kHz
Amplifier: Ultra-linear, high capacity analog
Drivers:
Satellites: 2.5" polished aluminum phase plug driver
Subwoofer: 8" long-throw ported driver with 6th order bass reflex enclosure
Speaker dimensions (H x W x D):
Satellites: 6. 75" x 3. 5" x 6"
Subwoofer: 11" x 11" x 15"
Signal-to-noise ratio @ 1Khz: >100dB
SoundTouch™ wired remote control:
Master volume
Subwoofer volume
Headphone jack
Power/Standby

System Compatibility
PC/Mac
CD
MP3
DVD
PlayStation®
Xbox®

Package Contents
Speakers:
2 satellites
1 subwoofer
Cables included:
Power cord
Color coded audio cables
SoundTouch™ wired remote control
User's manual
Video game console adapter 		memphis (2869)
641198 2008-02-18 22:31:00 I wouldn't recommend getting 'high end' anything. For example say you had allocated $600 for a graphics card. $600 today would buy a pretty high end graphics card. Or, you could get a $300 card today and get a $325 graphics card when your current one gets too slow - the $325 graphics card in the future would probably outperform the $600 one today. The prices aren't quite accurate, but keep it in mind.

When it comes to high end parts, you're paying twice as much for only 15-25% more performance. I wouldn't bother with blu-ray for now, it is too expensive.

Having said that, the only items I would spend top dollar on high end components would be speakers (NOT sound card) and monitor. Both items you can carry to any future PC (assuming they are of sufficient quality).

Reason being: if you get good quality, high end speakers, you will never need to replace them. Perfect sound reproduction today is still perfect sound reproduction tomorrow (they don't "degrade" like cpus, graphics etc). Thats why old high quality sound systems sound similar to modern systems.

I wouldn't bother with a sound card, there's little difference in sound quality, even with high end speakers. If you're concerned about the onboard sound stealing cpu cycles, the money you would have spent on a dedicated sound card would give you better performance if you spent that extra on a faster CPU instead.

Secondly, the monitor; its what you look at when you're using your PC, so make sure it is a good one. Again, excellent image quality today is excellent image quality tomorrow. Depending on how picky your friend is about gaming, if you're going high end, avoid TN monitors. These monitors typically have the fastest response times, but the worst colour reproduction and accuracy and terrible viewing angles. VA and IPS monitors have significantly better image reproduction (colour, viewing angles etc) but apparently have ghosting issues, but most people dont notice the ghosting (unless they are especially looking for it with certain backgrounds).

As for recommendations, I'm not up to date with the latest and greatest, but I have the Logitech Z-5500 5.1 sound. They are great, they have multiple inputs as well as digital decoding (so you can plug in your dvd player/playstation/xbox, or whatever else you have which does digital surround sound, in addition to your PC :D).
As for monitor recommendations, if your friend is serious about getting high end parts, any 24" lcd above $1000 will have a quality panel. It will support full HD 1080 resolution. Some examples are Dell 2407wfp-HC/2408wfp, Benq FP241W, Samsun 244T/245T (NOT 245B, it is a TN panel).

Hope some of that helps :D 		utopian201 (6245)
641199 2008-02-18 22:43:00 Thank You all, folks for the valuable inputs. Will discuss with my friend and probably will do our shopping by end of the week. :) :thumbs: bk T (215)
641200 2008-02-24 20:13:00 Good Morning.

Just another question:

If we decide to have 2 GPUs, how do we link the 2 GPUs together? Or, we need to buy 2 monitors? :o

Cheers 		bk T (215)
641201 2008-02-24 22:30:00 If we decide to have 2 GPUs, how do we link the 2 GPUs together?
You link it by putting a "bridge" on top of the GPUs. This technology goes by the name SLi (nVidia) or Crossfire (ATi).

Here's an image: images.tomshardware.com (see that thing sitting on top?)

Cheers :) 		Renmoo (66)
641202 2008-02-24 23:14:00 You link it by putting a "bridge" on top of the GPUs. This technology goes by the name SLi (nVidia) or Crossfire (ATi).

Here's an image: images.tomshardware.com (see that thing sitting on top?)

Cheers :)

I"m seeing an internal server error. :p 		wratterus (105)
641203 2008-02-25 00:25:00 Here's a few images: (Its the small blue chip on top and is SLi for nVidia cards)

i7.photobucket.com
i7.photobucket.com
i7.photobucket.com
i7.photobucket.com -> This is a photo just of the bridge 		beeswax34 (63)
1 2