alrighty folks........words from my computer guy earlier today after sussin out my old pc..."yeh i.ts fu(ked"....lol..........have been waiting to hear that since saturday when it first died, i also have, with the help of a mate, and recommendations from pc guy, selected components for my next pc, which i plan to get in the next month

goal was, something thats going to last, be able to handle vista upgrade in the future (run xp for now)....and pretty much take most things i could throw at it....im currently second year engineering.....so yeh, maybe a few bigger programs, some graphic modelling, but nothing too complex for now

edit: unnecessary old plan list

Get more RAM. 1GB is good for XP, but if your runing apps and looking at Vista, I'd recommend a 2GB kit. I picked one up for just under $200 (Corsair).



Also look at a better graphics card. I'd look at an 8600 or similar if you can budget it. Should cover you for a fair while, plus can run DX10 - Vista etc.

cheers

both of those are future upgrades on the books

i've also decided to get the WD320gig HDD, extra ten bucks....and especially after i've found MSY....adding the extra 70gig, i still save 20 bucks going through them

has anyone got any opinions on either Umart or MSY?

both 5 mins off the path i take twice a day for uni. MSY dont keep all of the items, but they do keep most, and for a few bucks cheaper

id probably change the power supply, if thats the thermaltake 430watt im thinking off, its just a rebadged generic power supply with 18A on 1 12v rail,there toughpower series are quite good but pricey,

but if you want a cheap decent power supply i'd sugguest a coolermaster extreme 430watt which is think is about 55bucks at msy, hey it matches ur case too

maybe change your video card to a 7300gt if ur to a bit of mild gaming

cpu = good
mobo = good
ram = as suggested, get 2gb. can behad for under $150 at msy (a-data)
hdd = good
gfx = 8600gt are overpriced and do not perform too good, i would get a 7300/7600gt for now, and look at the ati cards when they come out - should be well priced and hopefully perform better than equivilant nvidia. or by that time, the 8800 may have dropped enough to be affordable.
cooler = nothing wrong with the orb, though the tuniq tower and thermaltake big typhoon are very good options.
psu = i agree with above, the coolermaster 430w extreme is a very good psu (and quiet)
case = personal choice (you could save money and get the coolermaster cac-t05 for under $100, saving u money plus its a very good case (quite, good air flow, cheap, can fit the BIG 8800 vid cards)

yeh looking at what is said here, i'll just reitterate firstly goodwork on sussing out the parts..

ok RAM: if running vista (which might not be the wisest move at present) then you need more ram. There could be places on the net where vista/xp can be had for free - I can't say for sure

HDD: that will be well worth the upgrade

case: if you plan to upgrade in the future, does the case accommodate that. For example, the most common upgrades are optical drives (cd, floppy, zip etc) or hdd upgrades. I could nearly guarantee that you'll most likely upgrade the Hdd but I don't know your usuage. Media is space hungry:P

Cooling: Although those fans look alright. In a properly cooled case, you need to plan airflow (just like an amp ). So you need air coming in and air coming out. For example, the side of my case has holes and at the front there is a fan mounted backwards so that it is sucking in cool air. At the back, I have a fan throwing hot air out. The VERY important thing to consider is where the air moves inside the case. See, video card/cpu also have a fan and you need to take into consideration what they do to the airflow. Overall, no brand $20ish fans will be super quiet and super effective, the neon is a bonus if it suits your theme

Video: If running vista, do yourself the favour and get a better video card for that aeropro (or whatever they call it) effect. Also if you want decent fps in games, the card will do you justice. It will also make videos looks heaps better if they are the right quality.

motherboard: Like the case, make sure it will allow for future upgrades e.g. ram, sata ports are the two main ones that come into mind atm

ergonomics: depending on how much (and what purpose) you use your keyboard/mouse, i'd give more thought into what you buy. After all, all your computing is done through those two input devices. A decent microsoft/logitech won't set you back more than $50-60

That's all I can remember but it should help you finetune your pc - any q's, hit us up with a pm goodluck.

hmmmm....i'll post up new bits now lol...i've posted this on pcuser forums too and've had some similarly good constructive criticism

if i get this 320gig hdd, i'll have 620gig total space.....enough for now
ram, corsair stuff was chosen so in the future when i add another stick, i'll be able to chase it up, rather than having unmatching generic brand sticks
no, more than likely i will not be doing gaming enough/at all which will need anything more than the x3000.

edit: unnecessary old plan list

i would def upgrade the video card, alot of engineering/tech drawing programs are fairly resource hungry, espicaly if you do any form of 3d modeling, CAD, VIS ect.

its a bugger i cant suss out my old pc now lol....but i've never had a video card which didnt come with my mobo...the other one handled it alright......so i dont think for now im going to be able to tell the difference

similarly to the ram, this will be a weak spot in the future to be upgraded
thanks

edit: will be going for the x1050, bottom of the range vista-capable card

edit edit:unnecessary list

edit: see further down for new list
edit: changed speakers
edit: updated prices

you might be able to save on ram at msy, i think its 97 for 2gig ddr2 667mhz kingston, not bad at all

you might not like the idea but just like car audio, second hand pc parts are good too. stuff like second hand ram is awesome. hell my pc was new but i decided that another gig of ram wouldn't do too much harm, got it off a mate for $10. I think that price could still come a little lower. Another good idea is to go to the specialist shops around town and see what deal they would do you. the best thing is pcs are nowhere near as hard to put together compared to car audio - or maybe that is just my opinion:P but there are heaps of internet how-to's to help you out at each step. any q's send me a pm

yeh im pretty confident at the moment......have checked out prices at various places....and if u can find ones cheaper than msy AND umart.....let me know becuase i'll be impressed

the reason the ram is more exy is because its ddr2 800 stuff, as opposed to the 667........have picked the higher speed stuff to increase the potential for overclocking....

google the tunq tower...its a beast lol.......thats there because i had my heart set on the blue lights inside the mystique case i originally wanted, and well.....the tuniq jus adds that extra touch of bling to it that the freezer 7 pro didnt lol......o and dont forget its a top class cpu cooler to boot

cheers wisdom.....i might have a poke around for some extra ram.....800mhz ddr2 might be more common when ddr3 comes in though, for the moment im not sure how available it is second hand

Have you tried http://www.itestate.com.au

I have found there prices on most things to be very good

not bad (beat em with cpu by 10 bucks), but im in QLD

which means its $33 bucks a box....pretty much making any savins pointless

thanks anyway

+1 for gigabyte motherboards. I've had one a few months now and after going through 3 msi boards i can definately say the gigabyte is infinitely better.

I'd look at a better video card also, for not much extra you can get something a lot better. That one looks like a major bottleneck on your system.

You could save some money by possibly considering an amd x2 as opposed to the intel core2duo. I know the intels are way better performers but the amd x2s are also bloody good and awesome for the price you pay.

I recently put a new computer together for my dad:

amd x2 4400
1gb corsair ram
250gb sata2 hdd
msi k9n neo motherboard
nvidia 7600gt videocard
antec case and psu
pioneer dvd burner
lg 19" widescreen lcd
microsoft multimedia keyboard
logitech speakers with sub
all for $1250..

All that would need an upgrade in the next few years is ram when he decides to go to vista, and thats easy enough!

cheers

i think i mentioned it up there, but im not overly concerned about the graphics for now, i've only ever had onboard

when the time comes its probably going to be a 1k graphics upgrade, with new psu, 22" and the 8800GTS (320mg, maybe higher for the larger monitor)

got pics bezz?

there ya go mate.. i took one for ya

that case is very tidy hey, like it

this is the first time i've put a computer together wholly myself....so im lookin to make it a little flashy lol

update: edited list with new prices.....they're dropping..woooo

thanks for goin to the effort mate

just to let u know, i picked up the following system just this week, and if u take out the cost of the screen and assembly it comes in at ~$950

intel e6420
gigabyte 965p-ds3
2gb kingston 800mhz ddr2
xfx 256mb 7600gt (o/c'd to 650mhz)
western digital 250gb sata2 16mb hdd
coolermaster centurion v case (with 430w coolermaster 'extreme' psu)
samsung 19" lcd

Total - $1109

edit: old list

ergh...been a little while...and i've done a lot of reading....lol

here's the new list....hopefully......shouldnt stray too far from this in the next couple of months....seeing as the new intel line is out now....and there shouldnt be too many changes before xmas (i hope crysis is sweet on the GTS)

but pretty much, i've bit the bullet and decided to get everything all at once.

edit: more old stuff

nice setup

i wouldnt bother with the data cable upgrades... ide is obsolete now, just get sata hard drives and dvd burner

already got the burner.....ah well

That system looks good but here is what I would do. I was suss out the rrp of each component and then start slashing it as you're most likely buying from the same guy (kind of like buying everything and getting the install done at a car audio shop). I would then see if you can source various parts from other places that give you a great saving.

For example I have the logitech z640 5.1 surround speakers. They retail here for about $120 odd. I had a friend who was upgrading so I picked them up for $30 perfect condition. You could easily get that $2466 down to 1900 if you started doing that

i dont know too many people upgrading unfortunately.....i havent really checked out second hand gear atm either....coz the warranties sound good.......

prices are as follows, if u know of any cheaper let me know.....but most places staticice.com finds are interstate, and would work out more expensive once u add postage

edit:changing crap again

edit: heres the new/last list. >>>time until ocau ban - 4 hours 12 minutes<<<

Manufacturer, Model, Retailer, Price
Antec Nine Hundred, Umart, $168.00
Corsair HX-620, Umart, $169.00
Asus P5K-E Wifi ,MSY, $225.00
Intel Q6600, MSY, $329.00
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (with Scythe fan), PCCaseGear, $99.00
Western Digital WD5000AAKS (500Gig, SATA2), MSY, $169.00
Western Digital WD800AAJS (80Gig, SATA2)x2 ,MSY, $114.00
Crucial Ballistix 2Gig PC2-8500, 1066Mhz, DDR2 ,PriceGuideNetwork, $230.00
Chimei 221D ,MSY, $339.00
Antec Vcool Slot Cooler ,PCCaseGear, $25.00
A.C. Ryan 75cm SATA Cable x 3 ,CoolPC ,$15.00
A.C. Ryan 45cm Rounded IDE cable, CoolPC, $10.00
Zalman ZM-MFC1 Plus, PCCaseGear, $49.00
Logitech X-530, MSY, $75.00


Postage Costs, PCCaseGear, $15.00

$2,031.00

without a video card.

if the 9800GTS is released around $500, i'll be all over that like **** on velcro. otherwise, the minimum i'd look at would be a 320MB 8800GTS. Pretty much, the best $500 will get me around the G92 release, woooo

also plan to pick up a Brother HL-2040 laser printer, cheap, quick and small......good for uni

just picked up my nine hundred.......woooooo.......wicked lookin case

pics dont do the top fan justice...its friggen huge!!!!

*gone to suss out dismantling it for painting*

well, its definately inspiration to keep saving for the insides for it!!!

will add pics soon

That system is going to hurt. Nice stuff thur, wallet must be in pain tho!

If your modding the case, keep dust and noise in mind. Low RPM large fans shift a lot of air (CFM) n keep the deebeez down. If your using stock fans and theyre hella loud, you can get cheap fan controllers that sit in an optical slot. Ensure the induction fans are filtered. If you have any dynamat lying about, the shut computers up nicely too.

Good luck with it, pix away.

yeh the wallet is going to cop it....im hoping i might get a chunk of it looked after when i get my tax back (still waiting on group certificates grrrr)

yeh for now im jus guna strip it to paint the inside black. looking to add another 120mm fan, making it a total of, 2x120mm LED fans, 1 top 200mm exhaust fan, 1x120mm LED fan on the cpu cooler, shift the stock 120mm LED fan onto the bracket on the side of the case, and in its place put a mean 98CFM (@36.5dB lol) 120mm Sunon fan as the rear exhaust fan. (will be putting a filter material over the intake ones, possibly stocking material)

a total of 6 fans, and plan to control them all using the zalman item on the list. get the black version of it, and it'll sit under the dvd burner. see here

and, the pics (there'll be more when the inside is done)

the side isnt on because i was fiddling with it. and again, pics dont give that top fan justice. 20cm across.

Click to view attachment

quite a solid case. make sure you have enough inflow to balance the outflow. You could also do up bits of the inside with neon since you have a fair nice side panel. As kirbo said, dust might be a problem so keep it higher than usual off the ground.

Awesome Case. Nothing beats Antec's value for money!

now i know why well ventilated areas are recommended for spray painting lol. freezing in my room (old garage) with front and rear doors open, though, i think i woulda fallen over by now had i not opened them before i started.

hard drive cages, pci bracket cover things, side panel without the window and the two visible faces of my dvd-rw have all been primed and top coated twice. i taped up and got to prime the main chassis tonight too. (practise taping/painting on cars helped )

colour for the inside of the case...."deep pearl blue"....comes up good, metallic but not. nice colour. will post pics maybe sometime 2morrow, if i get a chance to hit the main chassis with a coat.

should go good with the internal light. that being the blue light coming from 5 of the 6 120mm fans which will be in the case. have decided to leave the inside of the windowed panel original colour, figure it will reflect the light better than the new paint would.

should be HOT!!

Nice man! looking forward to the pics!

I <3 my 900. It's teh best.

the blue has a much sweeter smell....mmmmmm

loose pieces are finished now, sitting to dry. i'll let them set for a couple of days atleast before i try put them back in i think.

main chassis just got its first blue coat, will be interesting to see how it all turns out, im just crossing my fingers that the blue lights inside bring out the dark blue of the case too. its alright, from 2m away it looks black anyway. i wanna reassemble it all now lol.

using the "deep blue pearl" from Power Plus. its a small 150g touch up paint can. im very happy with the finish of it on the dry components so far (likewise, the seprone Etch Primer i've used and will use again). but my one gripe is the ridiculous amount of crap which comes out of the can initially!!! both tin's i've had now have sprayed chunks for 2-3 seconds on first push.

pics, in my next post in a few mins.

all of it disassembled

Click to view attachment

the hard drive cages taped and primed

Click to view attachment

im happy with my idea to put a strip of tape over a section of the cages, there is writing etched onto it, TOP, FRONT ----->

Click to view attachment

the main part before painting, before priming

Click to view attachment

the main part after first coat. the picture makes it look shocking, might be the light. to the eye there's no big patches seen.

Click to view attachment

and i'll say it again......taping and painting something this small is so ridiculously simple and short after working on entire cars lol.

Click to view attachment

pictured - Nine Hundred with the Ultra 120 Extreme sitting happily on top, can also see the zalman fan controller below the dvd burner.

Awesome, can you confirm whether the U120X fits the 900? I was of the assumption that it wouldn't but hopefully you can verify that it does?

well i can stick it in now with no mobo there and it clears it no worries

i actually chased up this question for nearly a bloody week, but what i gathered was yes, it will fit.

i'll try and find where i got it confirmed.

and, i'll be mighty mighty pissed if it doesnt fit...

I hope to be upgrading my PC later this year .... and it looks like the hardest decision will be which case to buy ..... there are so many of them ..... wierd and wondefull, ugly and cool ones ..... decisions, decisions

<$180 Performance = Antec Nine Hundred
<$220 Pretty = Antec P182
>$200 Performance = Coolermaster Stacker

hmmm...alrighty....more dramas lol

good news however.....after hassling my last employer......should only be about 1 more week until i recieve my final group certificate...at last

anyway....have now decided...uhh....to get an xbox 360

lol.....downgraded a couple of components of the PC (only spend 3-400max on video card)....etc etc...and yeh, intend to trade in my xbox. i think i was being silly, even i know im a console boy at heart.

here's the plan
antec Nine Hundred (inside repainted, plus a fan controller, plus extra case fans) <own already>
corsair hx-620
asus p5k-e wifi
q6600
thermalright ultra 120 extreme <own already>
OCZ system elite ddr2-800
WD 500gig SATA2 HDDs x 2 (one to be an identical copy of the first)
Logitech X-530 speakers (i also plan to pick up a pair of Ultimate Ears Super Fi3 Studio canalphones)
8800GTS (pretty much,whateva i can get for around this value at the time of the G92 release, i'll be holding out on buying a decent card until then)
microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse <own already>
brother HL2040 b&w laser printer (im a uni student, it'll be cheap and quick, handy)

annnd......now i just have to decide on a monitor

i think i'll be going with the the Chimei 222H, a newer monitor. it has multiple inputs and an onboard card reader etc etc blah blah blah......pretty much, i'll be able to plug the HDMI output from the xbox directly into it ......and the PC input somewhere too.

choices have come down to the above mentioned 222H and the Samsung 226BW....which, seems to be the current pick out of the 22's.

if anyone has an opinions on either of those i'd love to hear it. getting close to being able to get it now...driving me insane!!!

I know this isn't 1 of the monitors you're looking at, but you could still consider it:http://www.extremepc.com.au/product_info.p...products_id=910

It's a 28" with 1920x1200 res and it's got 1080p, which is perfect for the 360. I was thinking about saving up for 1 of these since i got a 360 as well, but i hardly play it anymore so i didn't see the point really lol.



Tim

yeh.....i did for a little while consider that one lol

but im not really wanting to spend over 500 bucks if i can help it

they viewsonic there is a ripper for the price though

cheers tim

why not get a good lcd tv hooked up to the pc with some wireless xbox controllers... be just as good as an xbox

22" lcd monitor = 400ish

22" lcd tv = 900

Samsung 226BW. I did my research and it's the best of the 22's.
You'll also find that the monitors with speakers + USB + Card readers are a MAJOR PITA. You'll find that:

1) There's an insane amount of cables over your desktop from the back of the monitor

2) not all the additional input devices can function simultaneously.



I use the Viewsonic VX2835 at work and for a budget monitor it's fine for workstation use.

The Samsung 226BW which I have at home eats it in Video playback and Black reproduction.



Also if you really need a cardreader put one in the floppy bay unless your comp is hard to access.

cheers

yeh everyone really loves the samsung

main attraction to it for me is the warranty

i guess i'll make the decision when i buy

(fingers crossed price drops on the samsung a little hey lol)

You'll find a lot of "budget" monitors may have Samsung panels. It's the remaining components & quality control that are questionable in most warranty cases.