Woo! New Computer time!

[Blind_Io]

I am going to install XP Pro since I already *cough* have a copy. *whistles*

As for the case, I have a Thermaltake Tsunami Dream case and I love it. Paco, no offense, but obviously you've never seen a Thermaltake in person - your components would be more vulnerable if you installed them in a steel ammo containter (trust me on this, I did it).

TechZ With memory I believe in quantity over quality. I've spent the dough on Corsair RAM before and never noticed a difference from the off-brand stuff.

[GTV V6]

That's amazing, I'm just speccing up my new PC and it's almost exactly the same as yours...

Differences are the wireless edition of the motherboard, I think it has a little USB daughter board with a b/g wireless set on it, I hate USB dongles outside the case...

Asus 8800 GTS graphics card, 2Gb OCZ Memory, Enermax PSU.

I agree with Paco above, I have a thermaltake case at the moment but it's just too loud, garish, bulky and the fan controller was a complete f**king wiring nightmare, I'm thinking of going with a

Lian Li V600B

As I want the USB , etc on the top, the case is a bit wierd though and I don't know if the motherboard will fit...

On another front, I completely agree with you on the choice of the Athlon 64 X2 6000, the equivalent performing core 2 duo is almost exactly double the price over here in Spain...

[Blind_Io]

Your link is broken. I fixed it for you

My modem sits on top of the computers, so I don't need the wireless. As for the Thermaltake cases, I have been very happy with my Tsunami Dream - the installation was a cinch and the removable drive bays are make HDD swaps incredibly easy.

I'm not too worried about the fan controller, after all, how many times will you have to re-wire it? The Thermaltake is big and it's heavy - but I like heavy <Russian accent>Heavy is sign of reliability</Russian accent>. This case is aluminum, in the past the larger cases were steel - however this one has a liquid cooling which will make it a beast. I don't care, it sits on my floor; if I wanted portability I'd buy a laptop.

The case you posted is an odd setup with the boards up top and the processor below. I'm not sure why they did that; I cant quite visualize your airflow.

EDIT: one other thing, I like having a large case because it makes installation easy and you can fit the larger and more powerful graphics cards without bumping into your HDDs or other components.

[efoolution]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Considering I'm still running an AMD 2600+, this will be a hell of a leap.

I´ve updated from a 2500+ to a C2D6300, and the Changes are rather small under stuff like Office and Windows. So don´t expect armageddon ...

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

I am going to install XP Pro since I already *cough* have a copy. *whistles*

The only problem with 32 bit XP Pro is that it doesn't handle more than 2GB of RAM very well, but there may be a work around I'm not aware of.

Originally Posted by efoolution

I´ve updated from a 2500+ to a C2D6300, and the Changes are rather small under stuff like Office and Windows. So don´t expect armageddon ...

Well, yeah, Office isn't a really a CPU intensive program, so it's not going to be that noticeable there, but where you'll notice the difference is gaming, encoding audio/video, etc.

[Paco]

Originally Posted by Adunaphel

Um, you do know that the front of the Thermaltake case is solid aluminium and not plastic?

Yes, the front door is aluminum, but the part of the case that actually houses the components is plastic.

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

obviously you've never seen a Thermaltake in person - your components would be more vulnerable if you installed them in a steel ammo containter (trust me on this, I did it).

I've seen my share of Thermaltake cases (I worked as a residence hall network tech and computer consultant at Penn State for the past 4 years) and I've never liked their build quality or aesthetics. As for steel cases, the weight is a major pain as my buddy found out lugging his old thermaltake back and forth to college.

I'm not trying to bash your choice of case. It has good expandability and the integrated liquid cooling is nice if that's the cooling solution you prefer. I never liked the hassle that came with changing components in a liquid cooled chassis. As for the door, my current case has a door that does nothing but get in the way.
Regardless, I'm sure you'll be happy with that case, I just prefer a well sorted lian li.

Of course, the v1000b that I linked isn't without it's faults either as the inverted mobo mount doesn't play well with heatpipes that come with many of today's mobos. But the build quality and airflow are winners in my book.

[efoolution]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

Well, yeah, Office isn't a really a CPU intensive program, so it's not going to be that noticeable there, but where you'll notice the difference is gaming, encoding audio/video, etc.

I totally agree, but some People have wrong expectations ... that´s what I wanted to warn about ...

[Paco]

Originally Posted by jeffy777

The only problem with 32 bit XP Pro is that it doesn't handle more than 2GB of RAM very well, but there may be a work around I'm not aware of.

Some computers will recognize up to 3.5gigs with the /3g switch, but it is a limitation of the 32 bit architecture that keeps the computer from using more than 2gigs. Even though the system will recognize the RAM it won't ever write anything to it because it doesn't know how to write to that address. If you want to use over 2gigs in your computer you need the 64bit version.

I know that M$ will send you a DVD of 64bit Vista for the cost of shipping (~$10) if you have a valid key, although it took them almost two weeks to get me mine.

[chaos386]

Nice setup! The only thing I would have done differently would have been to upgrade to a 24" LCD to get a 1920x1200 resolution and buy only 2x1 GB of RAM (so I could add 2x2 GB later to have 6 GB total).

Originally Posted by Paco

Some computers will recognize up to 3.5gigs with the /3g switch, but it is a limitation of the 32 bit architecture that keeps the computer from using more than 2gigs. Even though the system will recognize the RAM it won't ever write anything to it because it doesn't know how to write to that address. If you want to use over 2gigs in your computer you need the 64bit version.

With PAE enabled, you can use up to 64 GB on a 32-bit OS. The only drawback is that each process is still limited to 4 GB. XP and Vista 32-bit still limit you to 4 GB total, though.

[Blind_Io]

I have access to the 64 bit version of Windows, but I don't want to mess with it. A buddy of mine installed Win64 and found it to be buggy as hell - especially when running certain games.

[cvrefugee]

Looks good but I still would have gone with Intel...AMD is phasing out sockets left and right, leaving motherboards obsolete.

[Blind_Io]

That's just the nature of the beast. What is state-of-the-art today is tomorrow's closet dwelling file server and download workhorse. If I was worried about it going out of date I would never buy electronics again.

[Adunaphel]

Originally Posted by Paco

Yes, the front door is aluminum, but the part of the case that actually houses the components is plastic.

You obviously don't really know what you're on about. There is only one plastic part on the case, and that is the inner door, where all the bezels are. It would be nigh impossible to make this out of aluminium. I can understand you don't like the designs, it's a love/ hate thing, but please, if you're going to bash something, do it for the right reasons.

[cvrefugee]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

That's just the nature of the beast. What is state-of-the-art today is tomorrow's closet dwelling file server and download workhorse. If I was worried about it going out of date I would never buy electronics again.

AMD released...

Socket 462 (A)
Socket 754
Socket 939
Socket 940
Socket AM2
Socket AM3

...in the same amount of time as Intel released...

Socket 478
LGA 775

I'm only talking about desktop CPUs, too. There are lots more (for each manufacturer) but it gives you an idea of how unstable AMD is to me.

[Blind_Io]

Well, I get a new machine about every 5 years or so and I tend not to skimp on parts; but I do look for the best performance for the money. Right now the AMD offers almost the same performance as the Intel, but for half the price. By the next time I upgrade it will be time for a new motherboard anyway, so what's the point in spending twice as much now?

[fbc]

^ That's always been my logic when I've built a new pc - I know it will be several years before I upgrade it, so it's most likely going to involve a new motherboard anyway. So why not get the best performance for my dollar right now?

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Right now the AMD offers almost the same performance as the Intel, but for half the price.

To be fair, (and trust me I'm not trying to nitpick) you can get a C2D E6550 (competes neck and neck with the 6000+) for about the same price you paid for the 6000+, and an E6750 for a bit more ($30 or so more). The E6750 is certainly a better CPU, and that's without overclocking brought into the equation, which is another field where the C2Ds really shine. They're a really good deal because these CPUs are just begging to be overclocked.

You can get a similarly priced Intel mobo as well.

But as I said before, your PC is going to be really good, regardless