New Computer

[Zyth]

Originally posted by Nazon
Should you decide to go for SLI solution, make sure that you get an adequate power supply to run both cards and your hardware. 350W should do it for the setup you mentioned above (with two graphic cards), but if you plan to add more devices in the future, you may want to go bigger.

As for Vista, I cannot foresee how soon dx10 will be absolutely required, but I still recommend being on the safe side and getting a graphic card(s) that support it, to get all the shiny new content. It would be a shame if you had to miss out on some features in a few months after getting a new rig.

Quoted for emphasis - for instance, I have 2 7900gtxs in my rig, and at load, -each one- takes 150W. This means you need about a 650W power supply to make sure your system's running great. You probably won't need anything quite that big, but just check before hand.

[Halyanne]

Since I am hardly a computer geek, I will just give you the bare bones of my knowledge of computers and also what it says on the welcome page!

This year my husband decided to bite the bullet and get us both new gaming PC's We have Intel Dual Core CPU 6600 @ 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX cards. I do know we have a 630watt power supply. The new 8800 GTX cards are MASSIVE, they are very long, so your case will be big as well.

We are running Vista Ultimate. So far, I think everything is working properly. I game a bit and nothing crashes.

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Zyth
Quoted for emphasis - for instance, I have 2 7900gtxs in my rig, and at load, -each one- takes 150W. This means you need about a 650W power supply to make sure your system's running great. You probably won't need anything quite that big, but just check before hand.

Absolutely, do -not- skimp on the power supply.

If you'll be running 2 vid cards, plus a dual core processor and all accessories (all that RAM will not be power-light), you will need at least a 500 watt PS... Right now I've got a similar setup to what you're proposing (though I've only got 1 geforce 7800GT card and an athlon x64 3500), and I'm running a 550 watt PS.

Also, I've never trusted Seagate drives, I've always had problems with any that I've owned. I always use Western Digital (though, everyone will have their hardware preferences, it's just my opinion )

As for RAM, if you'll be using Vista you may want to seriously consider more than 2 GB.

OCZ is a good brand, though the XMS series that Corsair makes is a bit cheaper (and has faster timing), as well as the stuff made by Patriot .

[Valec]

It's a bit off of the current topic, but I was wondering (since you all know your computers), are Macs still the devil in the form of a computer?
The commercials and the price have me considering buying one when I upgrade, or simply to have a laptop for writing papers, etc. Opinions?

[Khirmint]

Welp, looks like I'm going to bookmark this thread and come back to it in a couple of months. There's too many compelling arguments to wait till the next gen of video cards come out.

I'll have to do some checking in on SLI and Vista though. Heard that SLI isn't worth the bang/buck and a looot of bad things about Vista

Thanks everyone!

[Rosuav]

Originally posted by Valec
It's a bit off of the current topic, but I was wondering (since you all know your computers), are Macs still the devil in the form of a computer?

They're not the devil insiliconate. I don't happen to like them, but they're quite viable. However, the change from PC to Mac is quite significant, in terms of programs, interface, etc, etc. Move if you want to, but it's a definite move.

If you are happy to pass up on Vista, you can get yourself an inexpensive secondhand laptop with XP on it for very little ($A400 around here). There are dodgy secondhand sellers around, but there are a lot of legit, helpful, not-too-expensive sellers too.

[Savaric]

Originally posted by Khirmint
I'll have to do some checking in on SLI and Vista though. Heard that SLI isn't worth the bang/buck and a looot of bad things about Vista

Did he mean SLI isn't worth the money for a vista os only?

Also, doesn't heat become a problem with those high-end systems? How do you handle the heat- just get a good case and fan? Are water-cooled setups hard to install? (I'm looking at you Zyth)

[Halyanne]

Also, doesn't heat become a problem with those high-end systems? How do you handle the heat- just get a good case and fan? Are water-cooled setups hard to install? (I'm looking at you Zyth) [/B]

When my husband was talking to the guys who were building our system he said he didn't want a flashy or over the top casing, we aren't going anywhere with it and its not like we need it for show off reasons. But the casings we have a fairly big with 2 fans in it with a black mesh like front and other air flow things. I will find out later and post a link. We also have a seperate fan on the motherboard too. So at least 3 fans with room for 2 more I believe.

[Leshrak]

Originally posted by Savaric
Also, doesn't heat become a problem with those high-end systems? How do you handle the heat- just get a good case and fan? Are water-cooled setups hard to install? (I'm looking at you Zyth)

I've never installed a water-cooled system, but a case such as this should provide sufficient cooling. You may need to upgrade the stock processor fan, though you may find that the stock processor fan does a good enough job (I've got a Zalman that runs my processor at a whopping 2 degrees cooler than stock). Of course, you'd want to keep it in a cool place, on the floor, away from cramped areas.