Desktops: first complete build am i missing anything???
sound
by clingan - 12/24/04 1:33 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinI didn't see a sound card on the list
YES! Suggest a Turtle!
by vasser - 12/24/04 2:28 AM In reply to: sound by clinganWhile a turtle is slow, a Turtle Beach soundcard is not. I do home recording and was astounded at the prices for some of the higher end soundcards. I've been recording professionally since 1968 so I was going to bite the bullet and plunk down $300 plus for a proline soundcard, then I talked to an audio engineer at a radio station where I was working about the sound cards he's used. He never hesitated and said Turtle Beach. First decide on the speaker layout you want. Turtle Beach has cards specially designed for 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 configurations. I got the 6.1 Catalina card and couldn't be happier. I saved at least $350 over what I was planning to pay. Their support is ok too. The difference between on board/integrated audio and a Turtle Beach sound card was like night and day. Prices vary from 40 to 60 dollars on the Catalina 6.1. I could not be happier! Far cheaper than a Sound Blaster and sounds great, especially for recording!
Your prices seemed a little high on some of the items. Check around.
I also prefer the Enermax power supplies personally. They are well made, durable and reasonably priced. Don't skimp on power as that is often a weak link!
Another thing, especially for a system with a side window, you'll need cable ties. You can get them at radio shack. They help to pretty up the view through case window and they help routing the cables to improve airflow.
Regarding airflow, shop around for some of the round drive cables and use them instead of the flat ribbon drive cables. The online auction sites have hundreds listed and they are far cheaper than at a computer store. They also look nice on a case with a side window and some can actually improve performance I am told.
If you are using three fans or more, you might want to look into a fan controller like a Thermaltake x-controller. Which runs about 15 to 20 dollars. They also make one like the one I use with a built in temperature display and temperature alarm which is a handy safeguard to have.
Good Luck!
DSP
by bobpear - 12/24/04 5:51 AM In reply to: YES! Suggest a Turtle! by vasserMake sure the card you get has onboard DSP so it can offload effects processing from the cpu.
DSP
by vasser - 12/24/04 7:30 PM In reply to: DSP by bobpearAs the DSP issue has arisen, I've consulted the manual for the Santa Cruz from Turtle Beach, "8MB DLS synthesizer with scalable DSP" is listed for this card. Again, couldn't be happier. Great product for less dollars than any other around. I paid about $50 including shipping. Thanks and good luck!
OOPS
by vasser - 12/24/04 7:27 PM In reply to: YES! Suggest a Turtle! by vasserCorrection, I bought the Santa Cruz card.
Audigy vs. Turtle Beach
by vasser - 12/24/04 8:12 PM In reply to: (NT) SB audigy... by justchillinI considered an Audigy until doing some careful research including talking to the leading studio building engineer in the state. While an Audigy is compatible with my PENTIUM 4, for home recording and playback I'm very pleased with my $50 OEM Turtle Beach card. He also recommended a $600 card as well called a Echo Layla. Turtle Beach has Stereo 18 bit A/D converters for higher resolution recording than Audigy's 16 bit A/D converters. That was important to me because I record things about as much as playback. Check the specs, Turtle Beach specs out better, costs less and is more widely compatible with more systems as it even works in old Pentium 2's and there are no compatibility issues with AMD either. Many people like Turtle Beach's software better that Creative's. Tbeach software made by their parent company Voyetra is extremely stable and easy to use. By the way, there's been some posts about "The Audigy Scream of Death" afflicting some XP system machines after installing the Audigy card, here's one review where the "Audigy Scream Of Death" is discussed, http://www.pcscoop.com/hardware/audio/SoundBlaster/Audigy/page4.asp
Different psu
by aceman2000 - 12/24/04 1:41 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinI would go with a Antec true power , power supply instead.
Bios revision for 3.2e processor
by karlh - 12/24/04 2:05 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinFirstly, the subject of which processor is a personal one so ignore advice to switch processors to an amd 64 as you will need to change the mainboard also. I am a technician with 20 years experience and swear by Intel processors, ok, Intel are struggling at the moment with the process of the latest chips but they do deliver the goods when it comes down to it.
Secondly, the board you list will require a bios upgrade to at least version 1017 available from the Asus website. It's been my experience that sometimes a board will boot up ok before the upgrade but equally you may find that it will not. It is worth bearing in mind that the board you recieve may already have a later bios revision installed and would therefore be ok. Just something to take into account.
Best of luck fella
First time
by chasrl - 12/24/04 2:28 AM In reply to: Bios revision for 3.2e processor by karlhI personally would prefer a AMD processer and I would make sure the PSU is one of the best today. Also I would use a DVD double sided burner. I prefer Asus motherboard's myself. Looks like a good choice for everything else.
As A Tech?...
by Butch F. - 12/24/04 5:14 AM In reply to: Bios revision for 3.2e processor by karlhI have worked on my own computers since my Apple IIc. I have had Pentiums and Athlons. Both are well done as Karl says, but the AMD 64 with be able to support 64 bit progs TODAY. That means - Build today and NOT have to upgrade the motherboard and proccesser for MANY YEARS.
As far as the motherboard, you can often find great boards for EITHER proccesser at the same prices and same configurations. MY OPINION is the AMD, but it IS your choice.
Enjoy,
Choices
by Yogi-4 - 12/24/04 6:34 PM In reply to: Bios revision for 3.2e processor by karlhThe old debate of processors. First and formost the choice is yours and yours alone. What you read here are only SUGGESTIONS!!! Do your homework and choose what processor is right for you. Only you know what applications you'll be running the most and choose which one is best suited for you. There's so much resources on the net for you to determine the right one for you.
first complete build am i missing anything???
by John Nicol - 12/24/04 2:44 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinIf you add an ASUS 'Radeon' Graphics Card (128Mb) and an ATEC 18.1" LCD Monitor you will have exactly the setup which I built a year ago. I would advise that the system is vastly better since I added extra RAM (now up to 1.5Gb). You will be great with what you propose the motherboard flies !!
Purpose of the new machine
by jbemis - 12/24/04 5:15 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinOne of the first things I ask is what is the purpose of the machine?
Media center - audio/video editting or playback. For editting, you may need more/faster memory and more HDD space. For playback, maybe the WinXP Media Center.
Numerical processing - large, extensive spreadsheets, more memory.
Game machine - AMD 64 bit, for the price.
Heat in the case and CPU, try water cooling.
Adding an additional IDE controller (for the spare 80GB and 120GB) lets you add 4 additional IDE devices (CD/DVD) of different IDE speeds
Also, where are you backing up your files? Tape, HDD, CD/DVD, or online?
back up question...
by justchillin - 12/24/04 3:57 PM In reply to: Purpose of the new machine by jbemiswhy do i need to back up my files??? i'll be using my current HDD's in my new setup...
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