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Please critique my (likely) future computer! (Plus advice about headphones)
atkbob
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'll be getting a new computer for school next year, and I'll be buying from Dell (I don't really have a choice). This is what I've come up with:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vistaâ„¢ Ultimate Edition
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 4 DIMMs
640GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 320GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs)
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX
20 inch UltraSharpâ„¢ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
Dell WL6000 5.8GHz Wireless Rear 5.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer
Kingston 2GB USB 2.0 Memory Key - Enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost
I have a few questions:
1) Is it worth the extra $250 CDN to upgrade the processor to 2.66 GHz? Also, what does FSB mean and why is it important?
2) Is there a problem with the RAM being 667MHz while the processor is 1066 (I don't have a choice, the RAM doesn't go higher)?
3) Dell says that the Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card isn't Vista compatable. Are they wrong in saying this, and/or should I upgrade from what is above?
4) Is the video card going to last me a couple of years, and can I play Crysis and other graphic-heavy games with it?
5) Is the monitor good? I have a 19'' NEC CRT right now. Is the 20 inch monitor going to feel small (size is lost due to it being widescreen)?
6) Can I assume that the dual drives can read and write CDs?
7) Do any of you guys know if the speakers are good? I've read a lot reviews from both sides of the spectrum.
8) I'll be getting the USB key for portable storage purposes, but what does the ReadyBoost do? Can I use that to increase my RAM?
In addition, I plan to pick up headphones so I can listen to music and play games without bothering other people next door in residence. Do you have any suggestions? My price range is about $0 to $150 CDN.
In terms of gaming, I plan to pick up Bioshock, the Orange Box, ESIV:O GOTY edition, and Crysis over the next few months. Should I be fine in terms of systems requirements?
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vistaâ„¢ Ultimate Edition
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 4 DIMMs
640GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 320GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs)
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX
20 inch UltraSharpâ„¢ 2007WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable
Dell WL6000 5.8GHz Wireless Rear 5.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer
Kingston 2GB USB 2.0 Memory Key - Enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost
I have a few questions:
1) Is it worth the extra $250 CDN to upgrade the processor to 2.66 GHz? Also, what does FSB mean and why is it important?
2) Is there a problem with the RAM being 667MHz while the processor is 1066 (I don't have a choice, the RAM doesn't go higher)?
3) Dell says that the Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card isn't Vista compatable. Are they wrong in saying this, and/or should I upgrade from what is above?
4) Is the video card going to last me a couple of years, and can I play Crysis and other graphic-heavy games with it?
5) Is the monitor good? I have a 19'' NEC CRT right now. Is the 20 inch monitor going to feel small (size is lost due to it being widescreen)?
6) Can I assume that the dual drives can read and write CDs?
7) Do any of you guys know if the speakers are good? I've read a lot reviews from both sides of the spectrum.
8) I'll be getting the USB key for portable storage purposes, but what does the ReadyBoost do? Can I use that to increase my RAM?
In addition, I plan to pick up headphones so I can listen to music and play games without bothering other people next door in residence. Do you have any suggestions? My price range is about $0 to $150 CDN.
In terms of gaming, I plan to pick up Bioshock, the Orange Box, ESIV:O GOTY edition, and Crysis over the next few months. Should I be fine in terms of systems requirements?
atkbob on
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Why does this post feel more masturbatory than anything?
"In terms of gaming, I plan to pick up Bioshock, the Orange Box, ESIV:O GOTY edition, and Crysis over the next few months. Should I be fine in terms of systems requirements?"
And did you REALLY just ask this in regards to that machine?
7) Do any of you guys know if the speakers are good? I've read a lot reviews from both sides of the spectrum.
They're the same speakers I'm using right now, and they seem fine to me.
I just noticed that your post mentions that you don't have a choice in regards to RAM speed. You'll probably find that testing a bunch of different configurations on the Dell website will yeild a 'better' machine.
2) No, it shouldn't be the problem if the motherboard supports 667Mhz RAM.
3) I've heard that this is true.
4) You will be able to play Crysis, however I can't see into the future.
5) You will only lose depth :P. You could also do the math 1280x1024 vs 1680x1050.
6) Not sure, what does it tell exactly?
7) A friend of mine has Dell speakers, they're OK.
8) Yes, but its pretty complicated when it actually gives a "boost". You should be fine with 4GBs of RAM. don't bother I would say.
On the headphones, I have good experiences with my Sennheiser HD590. I'm not sure how much they cost in CDN. Sennheiser HD555 probably are and they are awesome. Don't put up with crappy headphone+microphone in one if you are going to listen to music (if you're a little picky like me).
Yes, you should be very fine. Perhaps even too fine
(a) good god skip the dual drive bullshit. You'll never need the second drive.
(b) If you're into console gaming at all, get the 24" Dell 2007WFP instead of the 20" so that you can hook your systems up to the various A/V input jacks on the back, including component inputs for your newest stuff.
(c) Since you're getting 4GB of RAM, don't bother getting a USB key specifically for Ready-Boost. Since most of your RAM will be unused 99% of the time, Vista will do all the Ready-Boost style disk caching there. Ready-Boost is a feature designed for people who can't easily upgrade the amount of RAM they have and want some extra speed, like people using a company-owned computer or using a laptop or who just aren't skilled enough to add RAM.
There's been no change in the price of the processors. When was the price drop? Also, I ask about the monitor seeming smaller because the height of the screen would be smaller, which could be annoying when viewing websites and writing documents.
The 20" has the same A/V jacks as the 24" (at least they both have component). But, neither have HDMI, but they have DVI, so could I buy a DVI-HDMI adapter/plug thingy in the future?
On another note, do most games now have widescreen options? Would it make the viewing area larger, or just stretch it out?
You can dumb down the processor, the RAM, even the graphics card and still get an up to date awesome machine. Buy a huge monitor if you can. It is WAY more worth it than the small boosts the other components can get you. But that is just me, and I do not have cash monies, so I look for value and efficiency over luxuries. But, yeah. Big nice monitor is VERY important for a superpowerful rig. It's not worth all that machine to waste on a 20".
As for headphones: Sennheiser PX-100's have NEVER done me wrong, except that I used them so much I wore out the ear pads. And Sennheiser sent me new ones for about 5 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PX-100-Collapsible-Headphones/dp/B000089GN3/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1334323-0774031?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1185214730&sr=8-1
Best sound/portabilty I've found under 100 bucks. Only downside is they are somewhat loud to the people around you, for headphones.
I got the PCGamer PC building bible for the first system I built. It is not nearly as hard as it looks. Chances are, you would save a ton of money, enough to upgrade to a larger monitor even.
360 : ThePmoney
Battle.net: Pmoney.thereal
Check again, the 20" WFP only has DVI and VGA, but no analog AV inputs whatsoever. On the good side, it's DVD-D with HDCP so you should be able to hook up HDMI sources with an adapter.
The reason I say that the 24" monitor is so damned good is that it's a higher resolution, and therefore you can see a lot more at once. It runs at 1920x1200, and can even rotate (so that you have a vertical 1200x1920 monitor for viewing very tall documents).
He found a place on the website where if I build the computer from there, for an extra $100 I can get the 24" monitor and the Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB). Is there any reason to go Duo instead of Quad (I don't really understand the technology behind either)?
As for Duo vs. Quad, this is the kind of thing you want to do some research on
A Duo is 2 processors, more or less. A Quad is 4 (not really but whatever). Quad isn't going to give you any performance increase at all unless you
A. do multiple things at once (lots of things) that are processor intensive. Like, encode some music while you play a game, and also burn a CD. And run Photoshop. Twice.
B. use multithreaded apps. These apps will take advantage of your 4 cores and run much faster. Unless you routinely render 3d graphics or do complex math calculations it's unlikely any programs you use are really multithreaded.
A Duo is, then, generally your best bet, since 2 cores handles your average user's multitasking really well. The only big reason to go with a Quad aside from the 2 above is to be future-proof: as multiple procs start to get more common, people will write more multithreaded apps to take advantage of them. If you want your CPU to last you until you get Alzheimers or something, a Quad is probably a better idea, but otherwise it might be good to go for a Duo.
I echo the fact from these other guys that you really should get a bigger monitor. At least 22". The price on them have dropped _drastically_ recently. I would recommend not even getting it from Dell and look on tiger direct or newegg for one, since thats where you'll get the deals, ACER's are great value monitors. They look good and cost little.
I've been using JVC HA-NC100 Headphones for like 2 years now (like 5 hours a day) and they are amazing, plus they were only like 30 bucks. They're great for music or single player gaming. If you want one with a mic, I'd get some cheap logitech ones for like 15 bucks off newegg.
That computer will last for at least 2 or 3 years for games.
On another note, looking at the HDD, is it better to get a 750GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢ or a 640GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 320GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs)? I sort of understand how RAID works, but I'm not sure what ATA is or which is better.
The Quad won't run slower than the Duo unless you're talking about a single-threaded heavily CPU-bound process ... like a 3D renderer, single-cpu editions of folding @ home, or a video encoder.
However, in day-to-day usage, the Quad will seem about equivalent to the same speed Duo, but faster in certain situations. For example, it'll make your system more responsive when you have a lot of different things running simultaneously ... or it'll significantly speed up things designed for multi-threading.
EDIT: And if you're really as out-of-date with computer technology as you say, I'd recommend getting a single 750GB drive instead of a pair of 320's in Raid 0 simply because it'll save you a lot of time and hassle in the end. Also it frees up a slot for future expandability. Technically it'll be slower this way, but with 4GB of RAM it's not like you're going to be relying on it for virtual memory as much as you are on your current drive, so it won't be much of a problem.