Calling All Nerds...

I think my computer is dead, it won't boot (its not with me rite now). the PSU might be gone :idk: basically the green LED on the motherboard is lit but nothing happens when the power button is pressed. (checked the power button wire). Its about 2 years old so by geek standards its a relic (AMD athlon 1.8 ghz :lol:, 1 gig RAM) anyways instead of bothering with that POS...I figure as long as I've got an intel employee discount I might as well build myself a new box. I haven't looked at hardware for a while so I need some advice on good companies/ components. I've had SO much trouble in the past with bad equipment (bad gfx card, motherboard fan stopped running, memory incompatible, PSU went bust once already, case with terrible cooling that caused problems) and I'm definitely not making the mistake of buying from no name companies with sh/tty support. here's what I came up with in 5 mins: CPU: Intel Core2DUO E6700 or possibly Q6600 Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128050 RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145590 GFX: XFX PVT84GUDF3 GeForce 8600GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814150228 PSU: Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC ATX 430W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817153023 (is 430 W enough??) HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148140 DVD: LITE-ON Black 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827106072 total is about $750... I wouldnt mind spending a little extra if something is worth upgrading. I'd use my old case and my old 19 inch monitor. I don't need much power for gaming (thats what a ps3 is for), but a decent gfx card is good, something that will run CS:S at max settings without too much trouble. I'm also thinking of upping to 4GB RAM. what do you think? what should I spend more/less on? are all the manufacturers good? :help::help::help:

I would go with AMD(Just personal preference) Heres what I have (Playfulgod built mine) OS: Windows Vista Professional 6.0 (Build #6000) CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4600+, 2.41 GHz, 512KB Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS (1024x768x32bpp 70Hz) Sound: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device) Memory: Used: 1227/2046MB HDD is a 500gig Just make sure you build something that you can get a while out of. And most of us prefer Geek to Nerd :P

Just buy a Mac...They are awsome...My old comp was a Mac and I miss it so much....I bought a vaio instead..I'm never buying a PC again.

Intel rules, AMD drools :lol: I get vista free from school... but I'm thinking of just sticking to XP for a while since vista seems to be having trouble.

Laptops are so freakin cheap now. Dont build your own . Dont waste your time. I built a desktop before. It was a good deal and it still works today, but I have 2 destops at home and hate them both now. I prefer to work on my laptop.

hmm I was considering a laptop. but if I got a laptop it would HAVE to be something ultrathin/light. makes it easy to carry around campus and on the bike. and those usually run over $2K. any recommendations?

I would go with AMD(Just personal preference) Heres what I have (Playfulgod built mine) OS: Windows Vista Professional 6.0 (Build #6000) CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4600+, 2.41 GHz, 512KB Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GS (1024x768x32bpp 70Hz) Sound: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device) Memory: Used: 1227/2046MB HDD is a 500gig Just make sure you build something that you can get a while out of. And most of us prefer Geek to Nerd :P Just buy a Mac...They are awsome...My old comp was a Mac and I miss it so much....I bought a vaio instead..I'm never buying a PC again. Mac's are good chyt but ppl dont writing software for em :lol: Intel rules, AMD drools :lol: I get vista free from school... but I'm thinking of just sticking to XP for a while since vista seems to be having trouble. eh I've used both n didnt really see the perf. difference between the two. AMD cost is less and I just prefer it :lol: What you have picked out sounds good. I'd go ahead n get a new case too if it were me. I run Vista Ultimate w/o any problem really. The stoopid take focus chyt is about the most annoying thing about it. In most instances where I seen people having probs with was the loose wire between the chair n keyboard :lol: I have 3GB of RAM in my atm n thinking of upping it to 4 myself, tho I dont really need except for PS or video encoding.

hmm I was considering a laptop. but if I got a laptop it would HAVE to be something ultrathin/light. makes it easy to carry around campus and on the bike. and those usually run over $2K. any recommendations? I have an HP(Compaq) nc8430. Its thin but not real light. It has a big battery that weights it down pretty good. 17in widescreen display. The only way its going on the bike is in a back pack. I doubt it will fit in any tank bag.

Laptops are so freakin cheap now. Dont build your own . Dont waste your time. I built a desktop before. It was a good deal and it still works today, but I have 2 destops at home and hate them both now. I prefer to work on my laptop. I'm just the opposite I rather sit at my desk on my desktop than on my laptop. And I dont care what anyone says a laptop wont run as good as a desktop. They cant cool as good n when they get hot they get slow.:2cents: hmm I was considering a laptop. but if I got a laptop it would HAVE to be something ultrathin/light. makes it easy to carry around campus and on the bike. and those usually run over $2K. any recommendations? Aleinware has some good lappys, even under $1k. And I dunno about ultralight ones but most of your books in college will out weigh a laptop these days :lol: And when it comes to desktops I rather build my own than buy a brand name that uses the lowest bid parts.

Right now, there's no contest between AMD and Intel - Intel's Core 2 Duo processors far outperform what's on the AMD market. That may change, but this is speaking for right now. A couple of things I noticed from your build: - your power supply is a little bit underpowered for that build. You really want to go with at least 500W for a Dual or Quad core, especially with an 8-series video card. I would even go with 600W, in case you ever want to add or upgrade components. Your PSU is really important, you shouldn't skimp here. - Are you planning to use Vista or XP? - The 8600GT is like the mid-range card of the 8-series. You probably will get so-so results with maxed settings on the brand-new games, but you'll get excellent results with current games. If you have a widescreen or high-res monitor, you may want to bump this up if you are going to be playing games like Crysis, etc. at high settings. - Also, I would consider going the EVGA route for a video card. They come pre-OC'd and are eligible for the upgrade program. Meaning if you decide in a month you need a higher end card, they let you trade it in for a different model, and credit you the cost. Really nice and helpful. - I always preach the more RAM, the better, though right now few things require more than 2-3gigs of RAM. If you have the money, by all means do 4gigs...but know that 32-bit OS's will not recognize all 4 gigs.. - I second PG's suggestion of a new case. I've had awesome success with Coolermaster Centurion cases. They're like $45 on newegg, very much worth it. edit: Also, for laptops, the Alienware models are not a great choice for the $1k and under budget. Clevo and Sager are boutique brands that make nice, well-rated gaming laptops for a great price. They're highly respected by the gaming set. http://www.xoticpc.com/ If you're going to look for retail laptops, make sure it has a dedicated video card, a lot of consumer laptops come with integrated graphics.

I'm considering something like the dell XPS1330 if I were to go with a laptop. BM: Centurion would be my choice for a new case. but tbh I don't need to see the insides of my computer (window), I just want it to look clean. good point about the PSU, wasn't sure about that.

I'm considering something like the dell XPS1330 if I were to go with a laptop. Centurion would be my choice for a new case. eww you said Dell :puke: :lol:

haha well... it seems like a nice laptop... :idk: but I'm with PG, laptops are convenient but I prefer sitting with a desktop anytime I'm going to be using it for more than 20 mins... ideally I'd have both.

haha well... it seems like a nice laptop... :idk: but I'm with PG, laptops are convenient but I prefer sitting with a desktop anytime I'm going to be using it for more than 20 mins... ideally I'd have both. Why cant you sit with a laptop? I have a docking station A full keyboard/mouse connected and a 19 in flat panel display setup so that I have different things displayed on the flat panel and the laptop screen.

This is the case I used on my own custom build about 6 months ago: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119047 I really liked it. It has great airflow, simple without being gigantic, and the blue accents are nice. They also have it with silver accents. It does not have a window to the inside of the computer.. Keep in mind people are experiencing long delays with the 1330 from Dell. Its in high demand right now, so you may be waiting longer than a month to get it. Personally, I think the price for the specs you get with that model sucks. I'm not a fan of Dell at all, but if you must go that route, the 1420's are better choices for a smaller (not as small, though) laptop with good specs. You can pimp it out pretty nicely at around $1200. I ultimately decided to build myself a great gaming desktop rig and keep my notebook sexy and simple.

This is my case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156180

I'm considering something like the dell XPS1330 if I were to go with a laptop. BM: Centurion would be my choice for a new case. but tbh I don't need to see the insides of my computer (window), I just want it to look clean. good point about the PSU, wasn't sure about that. I have the Dell XPS1710 I'm using right now, It's the best Laptop I've bought. Way better then the other SONYPC POS computers I've bought before. I've had it for almost a year now and I've only had a few problems. The battery has went once and this year it suddenly starts to overheat at some games. One game was BF2142 and World of warcraft. I bought a Notepal (metal underlaying for under the PC with a fan too cool it off) and I haven't had a problem with it since. They're really fast too, great graphics card (nvidia Geforce go 7900 GTX) and 2gb of ram. I also recently bought a black Macbook for university, The most easiest OS to learn from my experience. I'm anti-Vista cause that OS is completely garbage compared to XP. So if you game XPS is really a good choice, and if you don't I really recommend a Macbook!

haha well... it seems like a nice laptop... :idk: but I'm with PG, laptops are convenient but I prefer sitting with a desktop anytime I'm going to be using it for more than 20 mins... ideally I'd have both. thats me. I mainly use my laptop while laying in bed watching tv/movies so I can check on TWF :lol: or shop for parts :lol: And of course use when away from home instead of using some jackedup PoS :dthumb: And I have 3 desktops at my desk hooked up thru a KVM. Heres a pic.. http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p34/playfulgod/geekspace.jpg The Mac has been upgraded with a dual G4 500Mhz Quick Silver running OS X The 15" LCD has a 19" LCD in its place now. My laptop is a cheap acer running Vista Enterprise on it w/ 1GB of RAM. Thinking of upping it to 2Gb. :jacked:

thanks for the advice everyone! appreciate it!!! :thx2: I ultimately decided to build myself a great gaming desktop rig and keep my notebook sexy and simple. thats really what i wanted to do. i almost never need mobile gaming power... but the laptop should be thin and light and at least able to handle an occasional game of starcraft at a friends place or something :lol: SO I want to build this desktop now and then possibly get a new laptop later when I've got the $$$$ for it.

Nice setup, PG. My main system: Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz dual core OC'd to 3.0Ghz 4GB Kingston HyperX RAM Seagate 500GB 7200RPM x 2 EVGA 680i SLI mobo EVGA 7950GTX Samsung 22-inch widescreen LCD It's blazing fast and was well worth the money. You save so much building a desktop over buying it from a major retailer, it's not even funny. Plus it's way more fun. But I am a geek, and I fully admit that. My laptop is a Sony CR120 in the Sangria color. It's dead sexy. Core 2 Duo T7100 @ 1.8Ghz (no plans to OC) 2GB DDR2-667 Intel GMA X3100 WXGA w/ XBrite 160GBHDD I'll post up some pics later. But yeah, I'm a computer nerd, so feel free to post up your questions, Crazy. Edit: even though it's running an X3100, my laptop can handle City of Heroes/Villains, so I think you'll be able to play Starcraft pretty well on any new system.

1st question: how much did all that cost?? and :drool: nice sh*t PG

1st question: how much did all that cost?? Even I dont wanna figure all that up :lol: I've acquired it all over the last 4 years tho :lol: The blue Vista box n black FreeBSD box I built, and upgraded both a few tymes :lol: and theres 4 others in the house too. :lol: One my Dad uses, a G3 350Mhz Mac (giving it to Tainted), A old PIII box OC to 1Ghz, and a old dell optiplex.

Even I dont wanna figure all that up :lol: I've acquired it all over the last 4 years tho :lol: The blue Vista box n black FreeBSD box I built, and upgraded both a few tymes :lol: and theres 4 others in the house too. :lol: One my Dad uses, a G3 350Mhz Mac (giving it to Tainted), A old PIII box OC to 1Ghz, and a old dell optiplex. I could figure it out ... :nonod: lol

I could figure it out ... :nonod: lol ya could huh :lol:

ya could huh :lol: mhmmm:wink:

mhmmm:wink: :tt:

I have the MacBook and love it. I don't mind not having a 15 or 17 inch screen. It would be nice for watching movies, but its lighter and a lot easier to carry around. I almost built a desktop PC but decided with going into college a laptop would be a much better choice. I looked around for a while at Toshibas but then glanced at Apple for fun. For a comparable computer, the prices were pretty close and from what I had seen of Vista, I wasn't too interested. And my Mac is absolutely beautiful.