[Troy]

Hi there,

I have no experience with these keyboards, so there's no comment from me on this one. As far as I'm concerned, it comes down to your personal choice.

Troy

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i think this is the final pc:
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-215DBK - OEM
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
XFX PVT96GYDSU GeForce 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog Eddition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
Saitek PZ30AUR Red USB Wired Slim Eclipse Keyboard - Retail
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400LLK - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Scythe SY1225SL12L 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan - Retail
I think this is going to be my final pc with my 320 gb existing hard drive(that i will format before i put it in), my 19" widescreen monitor, my razer diamondback gaming mouse, and my 2.1 awesome speaker system that i got for $1.00 at a garage sale.
YAY!!!!!
im so excited!
thanks for all the help again, tell me what you think about everything!

[hoopsman]

i think this is the final pc:
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-215DBK - OEM
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
XFX PVT96GYDSU GeForce 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog Eddition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
Saitek PZ30AUR Red USB Wired Slim Eclipse Keyboard - Retail
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400LLK - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Scythe SY1225SL12L 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan - Retail
I think this is going to be my final pc with my 320 gb existing hard drive(that i will format before i put it in), my 19" widescreen monitor, my razer diamondback gaming mouse, and my 2.1 awesome speaker system that i got for $1.00 at a garage sale.
YAY!!!!!
im so excited!
thanks for all the help again, tell me what you think about everything!

[Troy]

and my 2.1 awesome speaker system that i got for $1.00 at a garage sale.

SWEEEEEEET deal you got!

The specifications you have posted look great!

Just a quick question - is the Seagate 320GB hard drive SATAII?

Keep us updated.

Cheers

Troy

[hoopsman]

um well im not really sure. is there any way to find out if its SATA I or II?

[hoopsman]

i was wondering. is it worth it to upgrade to vista just for direct x 10, and also so i dont have to in the future? I have heard a lot of negative things about it from reviewers, but is it worth it? or should i just stick with XP Pro?

[Troy]

Hi there,

I like Vista and wouldn't use XP again if I ever had the choice... But in all honesty, DX10 alone is probably not a convincing argument for using Vista if it's your only reason.

For your hard drive, I or II isn't as much a problem, as long as it's SATA. The IDE interface is too slow. If you really want to double check, have a look at it and put the model number as a search query into Google - you'll probably find some information on it.

Cheers

Troy

[hoopsman]

well, i mean, i am going to have to upgrade in the future, so should i now, regardless of direct x 10(its a nice feature, but if vista is better than xp, than ill go vista no prob). If you recommend vista, ill go with it. With the way technology and pc games are going, im probably going to have to upgrade to it anyway. tell me your thoughts.

[Troy]

Hi again,

Plenty of research and arguments to be read online. All you need to do is search XP vs Vista on Google and you'll get plenty of thoughts!

Like I said, I love Vista, so my thoughts are to go with it!

Cheers

Troy

[hoopsman]

well, for the time being, i think im gonna stick with xp. also, for some reason, i have a gut feeling that i should be going sli, but you didnt recommend it because im not buying two graphics cards at the same time. but i was thinking, when the time comes, the 9600gt will be cheaper, and when im like, hey, my graphics card is not able to keep up with games, instead of buying another card and not using the 9600gt i have, i can buy another one. but i went on newegg and tell me if you think this mobo would be a good choice instead of my current gigabyte one: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813135047
i read the review of it on pc perspective, and it seems like a solid board, but some of the customer reviews stated otherwise.
let me know what you think, and other opinions would be great also, as i will proabably be ordering the parts next week.

[hoopsman]

scratch that. i have made some changes, and i have one question that i would like anyone who has a knowledge of graphics cards to answer: Should i get the 8800GTS 512mb(http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814134037) or the 9600GT 1GB(http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150302)?
I really need an answer soon because i am ordering the products by like Wednesday.
Thanks

[stettybet0]

The 8800GTS 512mb will outperform the 9600GT. A mid-level card (such as the 9600gt) doesn't have enough horsepower to let you run at the super high resolutions that would require more than 512MB of VRAM, so the 1GB is pretty much just a marketing gimmick. That ECS 8800GTS is cheap for a reason though. I can't think of a worse graphics card manufacturer to buy from. I strongly recommend going with a more reputable brand such as EVGA or XFX to get a lifetime warranty and a higher quality card. The same goes for the ECS motherboard you said you were considering. The Gigabyte one you had before is a lot better than it, and you should definitely stick with it.

Oh and as for your "Why buy a new card and trash my old one when I can get another old one for SLI?"... Most of the time, the single new card will dominate the two older ones in performance, especially if they are mid-range, such as the 9600GT. This is why SLI is usually not a good idea unless you are already have a top-level graphics card and want even more power.

Oh, and also I'm going to have to second going with Vista, especially since this is a gaming machine. DirectX10 is something you don't want to miss out on. More and more developers are beginning to learn to use it to its full potential, so games not only look better, but they run faster too (more FPS). And whether you like it or not, XP's reign is coming to an end. Microsoft is stopping distribution of XP on June 30th, 2008. I really think that if you get XP, you will be wanting Vista in a year or two, so why not just save the money and get it now?

Edited by stettybet0, 14 June 2008 - 08:18 PM.

[hoopsman]

ok, so what your saying is that i should stick with the gigabyte motherboard, get a 8800GTS from EVGA or XFX, and get vista. i gotcha, but what version of vista is the best and most stable?
heres what my pc is probably going to be:(with the gigabyte board and the 8800GTS)

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA

NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

Saitek PZ30AUR Red USB Wired Slim Eclipse Keyboard

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400LLK

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600

EVGA 640-P2-N829-AR GeForce 8800GTS SSC 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

Tell me what you think, any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Edited by hoopsman, 14 June 2008 - 10:39 PM.

[stettybet0]

Look out there. You have listed the 8800GTS 640MB. The one you want is the 8800GTS 512MB. It uses the more powerful G92 GPU, while the 8800GTS 320MB and 640MB use the older G80 GPU.

As for Vista versions, I'd go with Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

[hoopsman]

ok, so this card would be good your saying:
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150261
but when i go to newegg, i have two options for vista home premium 64-bit. i can either get the upgrade for $122 or the "system builders version" for $95. what should i go with? and also in the customer reviews, it said that you have to hunt around on the manufacturer's website for 64 bit drivers so you can run your stuff! is this true, or just a lame horror story? thanks, im just a little scared to move to windows vista because i have heard and seen bad stuff on it......
by the way, what is the difference between the 32 and 64 bit versions besides being able to recognize more RAM?
about my mobo, it says it supports pci-express x16, but not pci-e x16 2.0. will that matter, or do i need to find another board to run with it.

Edited by hoopsman, 15 June 2008 - 12:45 AM.

[stettybet0]

Alright, I'll try to take these in order:

1. Yes, that's a good choice, but I'd go with the EVGA as it's $15 cheaper after the rebate.

2. Get the OEM (system builders) version. The Upgrade version is only for if you have XP installed on your system already.

3. I have Vista 64-bit, and I never have had to hunt for drivers. Vista has automatically recognized and installed every piece of hardware I throw at it, including my wireless network card (can't say that for Ubuntu!).

4. Yes, the chief difference between 32-bit and 64-bit right now is being able to utilize more than the ~3.25GB that 32-bit OSes are limited to. However, a 64-bit OS can also run 64-bit executables, which, if coded well, can perform better than their 32-bit counterparts. Not a lot of executables are 64-bit now, but two gaming examples are Far Cry and Crysis, which both have options to run in 64-bit mode. Basically, 64-bit is much more future-proof.

5. A board with PCI-E x16 slots can run PCI-E 2.0 cards, but just at PCI-E x16 speed. This is fine, as no card yet has ever been able to fully saturate the PCI-E x16 bandwidth.