Help me make a computer!

[ChikenKannon]

A few weeks ago my parents computer broke down, it just stopped turning on. I swapped all the bits out into a computer that worked and the parts that are broken are as follows:

Hard drive
Power supply
Video Card
Motherboard

From a my perspective (which has been reinforced by KT and Hieyeck) is to just buy a new computer. My parents figured the same thing and are willing to spend around $700.

KT has been very helpful and reccommended this setup (http://pc.ncix.com/pcbuilder/index.php?action=getprice&id=2755291&platformid=1000) for $700.27 (after tax and shipping). As I read the details I noticed that this computer is better than mine. But since they want a laptop I took it upon myself to selflessly give them MY laptop and take the fall for this computer.

The parts I have are a tower, a moniter, mouse and keyboard. The rest is either broken or terrible quality.

And this is where it comes to you, any reccommendations? If you can find anything cheaper for the same quality or better quality for the same price I would love to hear it, but please don't make the price go any higher. The higher it goes the better I have to weasel.

[The Killing Joke]

<magic>

*Waves hands and says incantation* POOF! You're a computer!

</magic>

[ChikenKannon]

Hooray! Wait... how much?

[Mike-KT]

A little disclaimer, the NCIX 'build a PC' is great for getting a view of the overall process. For some reason the database they pull from is outdated and doesn't contain all the stock they have. The price will be down from posted when looking at sale items, but 'build a PC' is a really good feature for getting a scope of what's out there at a macro level.

I'm worried a 450w PSU won't handle this load.

[ChikenKannon]

Anyone have any thoughts? I don't want to buy a $100 PSU and then it won't work when I get it.

[FrankTheTank]

you should go with a power supply with at least 500w, just so its upgradeable, other than that, everything else looks good

[ORION]

*sigh
as is to be expected I'd suggest going Intel over AMD, what's your budget?
I'll happily post a link-by-link system to suit your needs.
Right now if there's one in your area staples has the HP Slimline s3200n for $250
which sucks at start, but it will support up to 4gb PC 6400 and runs that same AMD X2 5000+
and has support for a PCI-E 16x card, however it's limited to low profile, nothing a rotary grinder to the case panel wont fix though.

[Sweetlou]

nothing a rotary grinder to the case panel wont fix though.

lulz and yes go intel if u can i have too wait till after hockey/bball too be over so i can get a new comp :lol:

[BlossoM]

I know ! Get the most expensive parts of everything and make sure they are all compatable with one another and you'll be the coolest kid around :)

[ORION]

Wesley has him beat in that respect.

[ChikenKannon]

Yeah, my friend Goatse reccommended a good set up, I can't figure out how to link them as one so I'll link them seperately.

Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.2GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25412

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25369

EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GT 600MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27704

Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX 12V 33A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25472

Buffalo Certified 2GB 1X2GB PC2-5300 DDR2-667 CL5 200PIN SODIMM Memory
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27441

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive 5YR MFR Warranty
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25667

Just over 700$

[SKULLCRUSHER]

Personally I would up the PS to say something around 550 to 750watt to accommodate future upgrades and I would go with either Corsair or Crucial RAM.

Maybe this one for the PS:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23934&vpn=OCZ600SXS&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology

[lefty]

e4500?

[iheartyou]

e4500?

srsly? conroes dead mahn. Wolfdale replaced it, get a wolfdale chip or dont bother imo. a meeger $200 for a beautiful dual core(if you can find em in stock)
err SODIMM memory? isn't that for notebooks?(The Certified memory line is built to the highest standards possible, ensuring immediate system enhancements and a lifetime of reliability. Buffalo Certified memory modules are manufactured for laptops, using only the latest components from leading semiconductor companies. Each module is thoroughly tested in-house and endures extensive quality testing in the Motherboard Production tests, which place each module under booting and speed tests on today's most popular motherboards.) lulz hate for you to get home and be like duh, this no workie.
You can get upscale entursist ddr2 6400 ram for $60, corsair, ocz, crucial, get a name brand imo. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18580&vpn=TWIN2X2048-6400C4&manufacture=CORSAIR or seomthign similar
and the egva 8800gt i still $250? really if you're not playing on a large monitor i could even be better off going for a evga 9600GT (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28509&vpn=512%2DP3%2DN862%2DAR&manufacture=eVGA) as its close to the same proformance as a gt until 1600x1200 resolutions and evga has a step up program so if you do adventually go widescreen to a 22-30" monitor you can step up your card to meet taht demand.. Could use the extra $50+ for a better psu/cpu/ram/hooker w/e

[ORION]

DirectCanada Motherfuckers. Use it.
I`ll set to work with a $700 target, no monitor, periphs or case.
**Auto-merged Double Post**
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD0343 180
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD0986 134
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13000BD0335 78
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12040DR1700 86
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10720BD5102 188-20MIR
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC4384 109

Fuck it, I tried, that should be 800ish, chince out on the motherboard if you must, but there are soo many flaws with the unit you posted...

[lefty]

the video card (198) is actually 167.

[Wesley Crusher]

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s19/celluzzu/IMG_8446.jpg

[Crayola]

ERROR

[Sweetlou]

#1 wesley dose that thing really work

#2 where can i get one =)

[Wesley Crusher]

SYS 64738

EDIT:
That's not my setup, but I do have one new style version in storage with matching Commodore monitor and the version 1 floppy drive :)

[Xy1]

LOAD "*",8,1

LOL

what's wrong with the Gigabyte DS3-L Orion?! It's a great overclocker and I haven't had any problems with it... have read tons of posts with people having great results... plus its roughly 30$ cheaper.

For the HD, i'd go with Seagate for the same price, 5 yrs warranty, 32megs cache :
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14120DR9680&vpn=ST3500320AS&manufacture=SEAGATE

any word on when the E8200 will be available... its only 180$

[ORION]

LOAD "*",8,1

LOL

what's wrong with the Gigabyte DS3-L Orion?! It's a great overclocker and I haven't had any problems with it... have read tons of posts with people having great results... plus its roughly 30$ cheaper.

For the HD, i'd go with Seagate for the same price, 5 yrs warranty, 32megs cache :
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14120DR9680&vpn=ST3500320AS&manufacture=SEAGATE

any word on when the E8200 will be available... its only 180$

Well played.

I just don`t like gig, Asus has a pretty solid history for making good mobo`s, but if it`s tried and tested, go for it.

[MiNdWaRp]

Gigabyte HAD a terrible reputation, but they've proven themselves worthy since.

I remember the age of OH MAN MY COMPUTER IS BROKEN! OH, Gigabyte motherboard... No wonder!

But, that age is gone! They're doing a great job now. Mine's been working flawlessly for a long time.

[GreenEnvy]

I have 2 systems with gigabyte board, one intel based and one amd based. Both have been fine.
I've actually had more problems with Asus stuff in recent years. I've had to exchange a couple of their boards that were either DOA or had major issues. Another one the chipset fan died after a year.

[Sweetlou]

yeah my asus mobo the chipset fan got stuck all the time so i use my trusted pen too make it unstuck but it died long ago and never got it fixed still works good i think =)

[Nekkris]

Yo chiken I'm rely gud wid lego so imma put it 2getha 4 u k?

[DeathSniper]

Gigabyte still has shitty customer service. Here (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=1978297&enterthread=y) and here (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=2170377&enterthread=y) are just one example.

[fab]

You provided two links. Doesn't that qualify as two examples?

And I didn't bother checking the links. Blame it on Slashdot syndrome (i.e. nobody ever RTFA).

[ChikenKannon]

This is the setup

MOTHERBOARD
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard (90.08)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25369

HARDDRIVE
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive (88.99)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25667

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.2GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail (125.84)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25412

DVD READER
Pioneer DVR-212D Black DVD-RW 18X6X18 DVD+RW 18X8X18 DL 10X SATA 2MB OEM DVD Burner No Software (25.81)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23283

MEMORY
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory (64.99 or 49.99 [if the damn thing would let me use it's spring savings])
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18580

PSU
OCZ Stealthxstream 600W ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23934

VIDEOCARD
EVGA E-GEFORCE 9600GT Superclocked 675MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28509

[Xy1]

are you going with NCIX cuz you paid the 50$ to have lifetime free shipping?! Cuz Direct Canada usually has the better prices and shipping is free for orders over $300!

[Wesley Crusher]

What $50 free lifetime shipping???????????

[ChikenKannon]

Checking Direct canada now.

Yeah, the prices are what the Price matcher equals, I'm calling NCIX today to see what the deal is with PM because if it gives me the price matcher AND the mail in rebate that saves me $60 ontop of the RAM (possibly) being 49.99 instead of 94.70

Direct Canada costs 711.24
NCIX costs 729.24 (Without Rebate and sale price)
NCIX costs 639.24 (With rebate and sale price)

But what worried me most is that Direct Canada doesn't seem to have insurance on it's products.

[Wesley Crusher]

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj137/eLracho/Beast%20Toast/Motivational/wat.jpg

[ORION]

This is the setup

MOTHERBOARD
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard (90.08)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25369

HARDDRIVE
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive (88.99)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25667

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.2GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail (125.84)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25412

DVD READER
Pioneer DVR-212D Black DVD-RW 18X6X18 DVD+RW 18X8X18 DL 10X SATA 2MB OEM DVD Burner No Software (25.81)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23283

MEMORY
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory (64.99 or 49.99 [if the damn thing would let me use it's spring savings])
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18580

PSU
OCZ Stealthxstream 600W ATX12V 20/24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23934

VIDEOCARD
EVGA E-GEFORCE 9600GT Superclocked 675MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28509

<img src="%theinternet%/facepalm.jpg">

1. get a good PSU aka the one I linked, don't fuck around with trendy companies like OCZ or Tt with something like massive quantities of electricity.
2. Don't get a 9600 instead of an 8800GT... if you can justify otherwise please link you reasoning
3. Why are you going for a CPU with <1333 FSB?





Checking Direct canada now.

Yeah, the prices are what the Price matcher equals, I'm calling NCIX today to see what the deal is with PM because if it gives me the price matcher AND the mail in rebate that saves me $60 ontop of the RAM (possibly) being 49.99 instead of 94.70


Be prepared to wait.



But what worried me most is that Direct Canada doesn't seem to have insurance on it's products.

wat?

[Xy1]

What $50 free lifetime shipping???????????

oops my bad! I had read it quickly (cuz i wasn't really gonna buy at NCIX)... it's $50 per year... and it's only for RMA shipping... LOL!
http://www.ncix.com/article.php?mode=VIP


took me a while to find it tho...

[ORION]

oops my bad! I had read it quickly (cuz i wasn't really gonna buy at NCIX)... it's $50 per year... and it's only for RMA shipping... LOL!
http://www.ncix.com/article.php?mode=VIP


took me a while to find it tho...

Greasy.

[Xy1]

<img src="%theinternet%/facepalm.jpg">
3. Why are you going for a CPU with <1333 FSB?


I'm guessing he wants to overclock and it should overclock easily to 1333 FSB?!
I'd ask why choose a processor with less L2 cache ;)

[ChikenKannon]

I don't know what the hell 1333 FSB means, people keep going TAKE THIS!! TAKE THIS!! IT'S BETTER!! NO NO TAKE THIS! NO NO NO NON O TAKE THIS!!! LOLOL WHY U TAEK DAT!?

Can someone please get on IRC or Vent and talk me through this?

[Wesley Crusher]

Get an E8400 and some RAM that can do at least DDR2-900 for 4 GHz happiness.

[ChikenKannon]

I'm starting to get pissed off guys. Can someone please get on Vent or IRC so I can go through this step by step?
**Auto-merged Double Post**
I was told to take the 9600 GT because I don't have a huge moniter so I wouldn't be getting much extra awesome from the 8800 GT.

I took a FSB with <1333 because that's what I was reccommended.

[iheartyou]

chiken, the e4000 series is no good. get an e8000 series cpu with fsb1333. the e8000 family has replacing(or in the process of replacing) the e4000/e6000 conroe chipset. So please please please get an E8300/E8400/E8500 cpu. You will not regret it i and everyone else here will promise you that.
And as i suggested to chiken the 9600ssc will do him well as it preformes teh exact same for less money on every game below 1600x1200 res. Essetailly saving him $50+ and through EVGA gives him the ability if he wants to get a new monitor in the future to upgrade his gpu to anything he wants as well. Great option imo.

[ORION]

I can understand where the pissed off is coming from, hope someones helpin' you out, I'm at work so no venty...
You really, really need to post your budget, because that's going to play a huge roll in this, Wesley's suggestion is a good way to get electric sex in PC form, but if you're overclocking you'll want a good PSU like the one I posted

also that 9600 costs more then the 8800 I posted, and would be out-performed by the 8800.

Also the e4/e6 series are perfectly good chips, but for the money the e8 series is well worth it.

[iheartyou]

I can understand where the pissed off is coming from, hope someones helpin' you out, I'm at work so no venty...
You really, really need to post your budget, because that's going to play a huge roll in this, Wesley's suggestion is a good way to get electric sex in PC form, but if you're overclocking you'll want a good PSU like the one I posted

also that 9600 costs more then the 8800 I posted, and would be out-performed by the 8800.

Also the e4/e6 series are perfectly good chips, but for the money the e8 series is well worth it.

Well it seems the BFG card has a great sale on right now with the mir as well. Really can;t go wrong except wth evga you have a double lifetime warranty and a step up program anytime you wish(once mind you) not the 3 month window GFB gives you. The 8800gt will definitely be the better choice as Orion suggested.
The difference between decent, good and great chips is the difference between the e4/e6/e8 series chips.

[M Kraft]

Whatever you make, make sure it has a couple of these (http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/) babies.

And of course, remmeber to regularly check for spys.

[iheartyou]

Whatever you make, make sure it has a couple of these (http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/) babies.

And of course, remmeber to regularly check for spys.

I hear they also ward off lag and spyware.

[ORION]

Well it seems the BFG card has a great sale on right now with the mir as well. Really can;t go wrong except wth evga you have a double lifetime warranty and a step up program anytime you wish(once mind you) not the 3 month window GFB gives you. The 8800gt will definitely be the better choice as Orion suggested.
The difference between decent, good and great chips is the difference between the e4/e6/e8 series chips.

XFX is double lifetime, OC + Mod friendly. Register within 30 days of purchase. ;)

[Rez Prophet]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24495
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23689&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23509&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24126&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26778&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27784&promoid=1061

the ram is cheap but that can be fixed later on

[ORION]

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24495
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23689&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=23509&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24126&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26778&promoid=1061
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27784&promoid=1061

the ram is cheap but that can be fixed later on

You best be trollin'

[Rez Prophet]

You best be trollin'

eh?

[ChikenKannon]

Orion, your set up looks stable. The NCIX said it will work, I decreased the harddrive space to keep it under budget ($800). What kinds of sexy things can I do with it?

[ORION]

based on the reactions to the gigabyte mobo, I'd consider checking that out. it should be able to do just about anything, that RAM should OC to 900 MHz as Wes said, but on that CPU you wont hit 4GHz, you'll be in the mid to high 3's before hitting the 900MHz DDR mark. However running at 3.5+ w/ an 8800 gt should set you up at roughly 80-100 fps with everything maxed on TF2 under Vista (my 3.7 quad and 8800GTS512 hover just above the 100 mark)

Also if you've got the balls for it try 64 bit, it's lickety quick and alot of fun... not to mention it will soon be phasing out 32-bit.

[ChikenKannon]

Wait I'll need vista for yours?

Please tell me I can run it on XP because if it can't....

I've already got my setup decided on. Thank you for the help.

[ORION]

It will run on XP no probs, but I run Vista 64 bit because it has decent driver support, feels very stable and lets me use all 4, soon to be 8, GB of ram, that kit I linked is a 4gb kit but any 32 bit OS will only use 3/4 GB's of it (shouldn't cause any problems, kind of like disabling on-board video)

[Xy1]

http://www.northernresistance.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3273

He is selling a used E6420 for $80. That's a pretty good deal. Dunno if it comes with cooler and fan tho...

[ORION]

http://www.northernresistance.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3273

He is selling a used E6420 for $80. That's a pretty good deal. Dunno if it comes with cooler and fan tho...

better to spend an extra $25 on a freezer7 Pro with that one anyway, it would help with the OC'ing.

[Xy1]

better to spend an extra $25 on a freezer7 Pro with that one anyway, it would help with the OC'ing.
+1 ...hehe I was gonna suggest that too... ;)

[Mortivex]

lets me use all 4, soon to be 8, GB of ram, that kit I linked is a 4gb kit but any 32 bit OS will only use 3/4 GB's of it

Home Premium (64bit) as an OS supports up to 128GB of RAM. I emphasize "supports" because if you can tell me where to get a 32GB or 64GB chip of RAM, I'll tell you where to get the OS to run this amazing machine.

Microsoft is awesome /sarcasm

They claim to have support under 64 bit for machines you could never dream of, and in this day and age all you can do is that, dream of them.

I have worked with a few 64bit machines...and yes they're effin' amazing with 4GB of RAM running a dual or quad core. I've never seen a faster machine...honestly. The only problem is they do claim (as others here have) "good driver support." "Good" doesn't mean they'll have YOUR drivers...they have most, but not all.

Just be careful with 64bit, if you do your research and find out that all the hardware/software you want is compatible, OMG - you're INSANE not to go with it. You're also INSANE if you don't -do the research- tho! Not everything is 100% working as of yet, but if the stuff you have is, you'll never see a faster computer - period.

[ORION]

Home Premium (64bit) as an OS supports up to 128GB of RAM. I emphasize "supports" because if you can tell me where to get a 32GB or 64GB chip of RAM, I'll tell you where to get the OS to run this amazing machine.

Microsoft is awesome /sarcasm

They claim to have support under 64 bit for machines you could never dream of, and in this day and age all you can do is that, dream of them.

I have worked with a few 64bit machines...and yes they're effin' amazing with 4GB of RAM running a dual or quad core. I've never seen a faster machine...honestly. The only problem is they do claim (as others here have) "good driver support." "Good" doesn't mean they'll have YOUR drivers...they have most, but not all.

Just be careful with 64bit, if you do your research and find out that all the hardware/software you want is compatible, OMG - you're INSANE not to go with it. You're also INSANE if you don't -do the research- tho! Not everything is 100% working as of yet, but if the stuff you have is, you'll never see a faster computer - period.

I haven't found a desktop board that supports over 8GB (cue the Wesley), I wouldn't mind getting some software in place to emulate a disk drive using the other 4GB.

[lefty]

I haven't found a desktop board that supports over 8GB

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/canadastore.woa/9534005/wo/0y4WwWmuT7QK2nvd8VH1vS8DqiY/1.?p=0

:)

32GB ftw.

[ORION]

Apple uses server boards where necessary... the NR servers can handle way more then 8GB, 2 processors = not a desktop board.

[DeathSniper]

The support for that equipment is called "in-house" support.

[ORION]

?
Implying that you can't have servers in your house?

[DeathSniper]

Nono, response to Mortivex's post


" Originally Posted by Mortivex View Post
Home Premium (64bit) as an OS supports up to 128GB of RAM. I emphasize "supports" because if you can tell me where to get a 32GB or 64GB chip of RAM, I'll tell you where to get the OS to run this amazing machine.

Microsoft is awesome /sarcasm

They claim to have support under 64 bit for machines you could never dream of, and in this day and age all you can do is that, dream of them.

I have worked with a few 64bit machines...and yes they're effin' amazing with 4GB of RAM running a dual or quad core. I've never seen a faster machine...honestly. The only problem is they do claim (as others here have) "good driver support." "Good" doesn't mean they'll have YOUR drivers...they have most, but not all.

Just be careful with 64bit, if you do your research and find out that all the hardware/software you want is compatible, OMG - you're INSANE not to go with it. You're also INSANE if you don't -do the research- tho! Not everything is 100% working as of yet, but if the stuff you have is, you'll never see a faster computer - period."


C'mon Andrew, I would be the LAST one to say people can't have servers in their house :p

[Wesley Crusher]

At work we have stupid servers with 16 cores and 32 GB of RAM

[DeathSniper]

They're stupid because you guys still have hamsters running them. Upgrade to gerbils and watch'em go! I've heard guinea pigs are good value too, although I think they use up more energy.

[GreenEnvy]

Nono, response to Mortivex's post


" Originally Posted by Mortivex View Post
Home Premium (64bit) as an OS supports up to 128GB of RAM. I emphasize "supports" because if you can tell me where to get a 32GB or 64GB chip of RAM, I'll tell you where to get the OS to run this amazing machine.

Microsoft is awesome /sarcasm
......
The only problem is they do claim (as others here have) "good driver support." "Good" doesn't mean they'll have YOUR drivers...they have most, but not all.

Just be careful with 64bit, if you do your research and find out that all the hardware/software you want is compatible, OMG - you're INSANE not to go with it. You're also INSANE if you don't -do the research- tho! Not everything is 100% working as of yet, but if the stuff you have is, you'll never see a faster computer - period."


C'mon Andrew, I would be the LAST one to say people can't have servers in their house :p

You're criticizing Microsoft? or just 64 bit software in general?
1-The OS supports more ram then currently physically possible on a consumer motherboard, thats bad?
2-3rd parties haven't written 64 bit drivers? Thats not MS's fault. Vista has been out for over a year and the driver model was done a year before that.

[DeathSniper]

Er...Mortivex posted that, not me :p
Unless you're talking to him. lol

[Hieyeck]

clearly, DS fails at quoting :3

[DeathSniper]

*looks around*

You're ALL WHORES!

*runs away*

[Nekkris]

2-3rd parties haven't written 64 bit drivers? Thats not MS's fault. Vista has been out for over a year and the driver model was done a year before that. But isn't that the same reason mac isn't a gaming platform? Sorry for nitpicking! :D

[Mike-KT]

The reason is that companies use DirectX instead of OpenGL

[ChikenKannon]

Thank you to everyone who helped hold my hand through the ordering and setup.

I've put it together and am now waiting for a copy of Windows to come in the mail.

[SKULLCRUSHER]

lol, hmmmm

[fab]

/crosses fingers

Man, if my laptop is shittered, I guess they'll replace it under warranty and all, but bah. I'm thinking I might have to go the route of the desktop. I guess I should've known -- laptops + games = asking for trouble?

/sigh