DIY PC Spec replied by astria @ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:37:08 +0800

astria — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:37:08 +0800

Originally posted by IT-Newbie-Logy:

TS might wanna look at the E7200 or the E8400 Processor, coupled with a ATi4850

which cost so freaking cheap like 279$ same price as a new 9600gt. Cheap than a

8800Gt.

Board,i no idea. depends on your needs,Rams i prefer Corsair XM2. Crucial Tracers.

Some add ons/info on 4850,some brands come packed with DVI to HMDI adapter.

4850 DDR3 Core is lower than 4870 DDR3. The rest like transistors and memory is the same.

So,what the hell is TS waiting for? =D

the reference design of HD4870 uses GDDR5... that's wat u re paying the extra money for compared to HD4850...

theoratically, GDDR5 has at least twice the bandwidth of GDDR3... the fastest GDDR5 that i know of can run at 6000MHz (1500x4) stable... fastest GDDR3? not even 2000MHz...

in fact HD4870's bandwidth (GDDR5) is on par with, if not more than, that of GeForce GTX 280 (GDDR3)... do take note that the former still uses a 256-bits memory interface while the latter is using a 512-bits memory interface...

DIY PC Spec replied by astria @ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:28:01 +0800

astria — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:28:01 +0800

Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

If u are talking about graphic card, i tink when they put dual DVI, HDMI, it mean 2 dvi outputs, 1 HDMI output. in the box, there would be converters from dvi to vga, or dvi to hdmi.

They are called dongles

my ATI radeon HD3870x2 comes with 3 dvi, 1 HDMI, 1 S-video output on board, and on the box they say:"triple DVI, HDMI"

And HDMI comes with cable, if u ar talking about the nvidia graphics card, i heard that the HDMI dongle does not support audio, and the ati HD series ones support audio out of the HDMI, 1080p

most ATi Radeon HD cards come with HDMI as the GPU has got the codec of HD audio integrated, thus audio from the sound card can output to the GPU through PCI-E and to the HDMI port...

for Nvidia cards, u'll need to connect the graphic card and sound card by S/PDIF cable in order to output as HDMI... anyway, all Nvidia cards are designed to output sound through DVI as well, but this doesn't make sense as all DVI cables do not carry sound, thus they require a special dongle/converter in order to output both sound and video thru HDMI...

however, it seems that ATi is also adopting this approach (less the S/PDIF part) lately with the launch of Radeon HD 4850 (ie needs a dongle to connect thru HDMI), which is not surprising to me since for every HDMI port created, they'll ve to pay royalty fee...

DIY PC Spec replied by astria @ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:20:59 +0800

astria — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:20:59 +0800

Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):

ok new question.. hehe.... so what is the diff between dual DVI and HDMI... always read it for GPU and Monitor.... if it dun come with HDMI... only with DVI.. then got anyway to convert it to HDMI too...and lost in quality?

basically, HDMI was developed based on DVI... the video signal that HDMI carries is exactly the same as DVI... but the advantage of HDMI is that it can also carry audio signals at the same time, thus eliminating the ugly sight of chunks of wires...

so since the video signal of DVI and HDMI are the same, there are DVI-HDMI converters in the market that allows u to switch from one format to the other... that's how i connect my Radeon X1950GT, which has only DVI out and HDTV(Component) out, to the LCD TV in my living room... however, if u connect this way, then u'll have to connect the audio with another cable...

DIY PC Spec replied by IT-Newbie-Logy @ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:24:03 +0800

IT-Newbie-Logy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:24:03 +0800

TS might wanna look at the E7200 or the E8400 Processor, coupled with a ATi4850

which cost so freaking cheap like 279$ same price as a new 9600gt. Cheap than a

8800Gt.

Board,i no idea. depends on your needs,Rams i prefer Corsair XM2. Crucial Tracers.

Some add ons/info on 4850,some brands come packed with DVI to HMDI adapter.

4850 DDR3 Core is lower than 4870 DDR3. The rest like transistors and memory is the same.

So,what the hell is TS waiting for? =D

DIY PC Spec replied by MyPillowTalks @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:18:34 +0800

MyPillowTalks — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:18:34 +0800

If u are talking about graphic card, i tink when they put dual DVI, HDMI, it mean 2 dvi outputs, 1 HDMI output. in the box, there would be converters from dvi to vga, or dvi to hdmi.

They are called dongles

my ATI radeon HD3870x2 comes with 3 dvi, 1 HDMI, 1 S-video output on board, and on the box they say:"triple DVI, HDMI"

And HDMI comes with cable, if u ar talking about the nvidia graphics card, i heard that the HDMI dongle does not support audio, and the ati HD series ones support audio out of the HDMI, 1080p

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:11:37 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:11:37 +0800

ok new question.. hehe.... so what is the diff between dual DVI and HDMI... always read it for GPU and Monitor.... if it dun come with HDMI... only with DVI.. then got anyway to convert it to HDMI too...and lost in quality?

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:21:43 +0800

ceecookie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:21:43 +0800

OEM motherboard is not designed for aftermarket modification so there's no guarantee of sucess.

And please,stick to original TS's post.Other questions - other threads

DIY PC Spec replied by SBS7484P @ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:45:21 +0800

SBS7484P — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:45:21 +0800

hmm

since this is the pc spec thread

hokays, i'll ask a question of my own

im planning to insert a ASUS EAH3870 into my HP m7390d PC.

i have a few questions regarding this:

will my motherboard be able to support such a powerful graphic card? my pc's 2 years old as of june 08, the mobo's a ASUS P5LP-LE aka LITHIUM

how big a power supply will i need if i am coupling this upgrade tgt with an extra 2gb's of ddr2 ram (533, abit slow i know..)

DIY PC Spec replied by jack0077 @ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:10:03 +0800

jack0077 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:10:03 +0800

Hey guys I was googling and found this helpful post!

I have a question for anyone who can give a bit of advice here.

I want to get the intel core 2 quad but the game I play UT99 goty cheat protection rejects 64bit systems and kicks/bans. So I need to use 32bit xp or vista32bit if there is one. Does anyone know how a 32bit xp windows software runs on a 64bit core 2 quad system?And also would this affect the performance of the machine?Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

DIY PC Spec replied by MyPillowTalks @ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:47:26 +0800

MyPillowTalks — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:47:26 +0800

hmm

if u are getting for gaming, for now it is good for core 2 duo, but heard that newer games are optimized for quadcore

crysis is already optimized for quadcore, gace driver grid's minimal requirement is core 2duo

GPU u can get 9800gtx or gx2.

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:32:41 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:32:41 +0800

anyone else with comments? GPU can? whole spec ok? mobo?

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:13:29 +0800

ceecookie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:13:29 +0800

PSU the more wattage the better,but do note the necessity of having a too large a wattage PSU and the increasing power consumption!

Casing does not influence much on the heat dissapation, what matters most is a effiecent fan and a good HSF.

GPU - suggest you ask the IT geeks at HWZ's Hardware Zone, they do know a good deal about the beforementioned products.

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:34:37 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:34:37 +0800

ok got it on the DVD part...i will try to get one.. but will not go for those super drive or whatever..just a cheap normal one.. dun plan to write or burn alot of things.. just wan to read...

got it on the Quad thing too.. and nope no money to burn.. so that mean willl stick to core 2 duo....

and ya E83 and E82.. same speed.. ..so maybe like u say.. will get E83 then overclock when needed...

As for heat.... will using coolermaster casting help? or need to use other cooler??...

ok will get XP Pro.... as long as it's not vista...

ya so have to find one with HDMI lor..maybe more ex.... my side no HD programme yet so i still can wait b4 i got a HD tuner box..

as for HDD.. i plan to get extra when i need in future lor.. HDD is getting cheaper everyday.. and everything in 1 HDD.. i got too many sad experience with HDD dying on me.. so dun trust big disk anymore..

as for PSU.. so how much u think it better? 650W? or what?

GPU u dunno ar?.. then my question on price drop after 9800GTX+ u also cant answer right? sighz.. anyone know? should i wait??

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:15:52 +0800

ceecookie — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:15:52 +0800

Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):

what about all the other part??? ok bo?

Sorry for the short reply,was busy so didnt have time.

For the Optical Disc Drive,as DVD Drive is very widespread and common on Personal Computer, it would be of good logic and sense to go for a DVD-RW Optical Disc Drive.Be sure to look out for the "-RW" indicator on the DVD Drive as this would means that it is a geunine DVD Re-writer and not a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive which is now obsolote and if u are not careful can be cheated by Sim Lim shops.

It is ok to go for a Quad-Core Processor but do ask yourself if you need the extra processing power over the Dual Core variant.Quad Core is best for extreme multimedia and extreme gaming so if you're not to that, a Wolfdale is fine(unless of course,u have money to get rid of)

Consider only the Yorkfield Q9 series and not the older Kentsfield Q6 series as that is the older 65nm model and cannot compete with the 45nm Wolfdale.

The only difference(at least to me) for the different Wolfdale varients is that of the different clock speed and the tied multiplier.Do not consider the E8190 and the E8500 as that is the "budget" version without Virtualization Technology while the latter,though top of the line is not worth the costly price difference for a mere clock speed difference of 133Mhz.

Since you are DIY-ing the PC,the Wolfdale processor would be then multiplier unlocked so what i advice is to buy a E8300 and overclock to the clock speed that of the E8400's.It seem the price of the 82 and 83 is the same so i assume they phased out the E82- model?

Another thing, there seems to be rumours of heat issue in the Wolfdale processor so do monitor your Wolfdale's temp and invest in a good cooling system(or a HSF,whichever up to you) to prevent overheating.

XP Professional is the way to go, Home is hardly enough for the IT savvy.For some reason, i noticed that XP contains less Video Codecs and decoder(maybe not) than Windows Vista which make DVD-playback in the PC more troublesome.

Yes,you will need HDMI to watch HD content(take note of the resolution too) since there's no Component for monitors.Im not sure which brand does have HDMI output for 22" and should u want to watch HD content in future,u need a Set-Top-Box with HDMI output(pretty common) to recieve the channel.

Also common in mainstream and high end PC is large HDD sizes amounting to 500GB-1TB so i advice u get a HDD capacity of that range.Buy too small a HDD and u may regret in future when ur HDD get maxed by the number of HD clips,movies,dramas etc etc inside.

Im afraid you have to approach someone else for the graphic card as i do not have much knowledge on it.

And obviously with all the juicy and powerful parts in your PC, a 500W or more PSU will definally be required.In fact,just having a Nvidia 8800GT on a normal PC requires that wattage for safety reason according to a expert who came to my poly for a speech.

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:13:56 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:13:56 +0800

oh ya... with the new release of 9800GTX+ how long do u think i have to wait b4 the price will drop for 8800GT?? u think can wait? or wait long long also dun have?

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:23:38 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:23:38 +0800

Originally posted by ceecookie:

Unable to support 4GB does not means it cannot accomodate the RAM.The limit is around 3.25GB and it is up to you if you need the extra 1.25GB of RAM.

Get a mainstream sound card(integrated is fine but at least Intel HD) but for the actual speakers, there are many variety of 2.1ch speakers that depend on your budget.For a good one allocate about $100+ for it,while if u want a budget one u can get the Altec Lansing ATP3 for $60-$70 but provide good bass and sound.

what about all the other part??? ok bo?

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:00:03 +0800

ceecookie — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:00:03 +0800

Unable to support 4GB does not means it cannot accomodate the RAM.The limit is around 3.25GB and it is up to you if you need the extra 1.25GB of RAM.

Get a mainstream sound card(integrated is fine but at least Intel HD) but for the actual speakers, there are many variety of 2.1ch speakers that depend on your budget.For a good one allocate about $100+ for it,while if u want a budget one u can get the Altec Lansing ATP3 for $60-$70 but provide good bass and sound.

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:32:23 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:32:23 +0800

Ok ok.. after more research with all u guys advice.....below is my draft spec... pls advice, comment and anything lah..... how much u think this will cost mi?? haha

Intel core 2 duo E8400 .... or should i get E8300 or E8200? ... Quad not worth it yet right?

XFX 8800GT 512MB .....or should i get 1GB? alpha dog or zalman any different? or any other brand? MSI? Leadtek?

320GB SATA .... or is it SATA II nowadays? any brand to intro?

22" monitor... should need HDMI if I wan to watch HD tv in future right? and any brand? .. actually 22" can be Full HD? or need 24" and above?

Sound card just a built in one will do, should get a subwoofer right? any to intro?

XP32bit ..... home? pro? or business? which one better?

2GB DDR2-800 ....XP SP3 can support more than 2GB ram? u guys saying cant have 4gb if using xp 32bit right? this one.. no special brand right? all about the same right?

PSU 500W enough?? or need more? any brand?

DVD/CD .. just a cheap one will do...

Casing ... coolermaster?

so left with a mobo... any intro? .. GigaLan got use??

planning to use it for game, watch future HD tv programme, multi task... especially watching alot of different AV at the same time...

DIY PC Spec replied by MyPillowTalks @ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:50:05 +0800

MyPillowTalks — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:50:05 +0800

top up ur budget, get a 9800gx2

4gb ram is abit overkill, but im on 4gb

useful cos i open alot of ram intensive programs

and running vista, 4gb ram provides alot of elbow space

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:55:31 +0800

ceecookie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:55:31 +0800

Originally posted by hiphop2009:

64 bit some software and games cannot support wor~

And thats why i recommend doing homework, a.k.a reading up before buying 64bit.

And anyway, >4GB RAM is not really necessary for home usage unless ur running a server there

DIY PC Spec replied by hiphop2009 @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:53:57 +0800

hiphop2009 — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:53:57 +0800

64 bit some software and games cannot support wor~

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:33:45 +0800

ceecookie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:33:45 +0800

Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):

hai meh?? really?? i go research...

Other than reading the actual RAM used,it has no effect whatsoever.

DIY PC Spec replied by ceecookie @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:02:03 +0800

ceecookie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:02:03 +0800

Originally posted by I-like-flings(m):

ok got the core 2 duo thing... also got the xp64bit thing.. that mean dun need it lah as the different is only abit compare to xp32bit..

ok then for monitor.. try to get one with HDMI the best right?? what about other spec?? need to care?

and mi looking for a lcd monitor lah.. not lcd tv so should be ok to close close look at it right???

ok.. what about other part?? ram? mobo? psu? any good one to intro? thanks .... actually each core 2duo is good?? as in value for money.. not super new.. but not outdated too..

In addition to the HDMI ports, be careful to check the contrast ratio,response time and resolution.The latter two is the most important ones - response time measure how fast the pixels can react to the image(something like that).

A slow response time means that fast action scene(i.e soccer match) there will be ghosting and trailing because the pixels cannot catch up with the speed of the video speed.Thats why this is also very impt for LCD TV,though Plasma take the lead here due to it's technoloy.

Anyway, if you are a extreme gamer, pick a monitor with 2ms response time - its can do you well during extreme gaming scenes,while if you just want average/good everyday performance,a 5ms is acceptable.Be careful not to buy from 3rd Tier brands(ulu,unheard and lousy quality) because they are not as good as the 1st Tier(Acer,Samsung etc) brands.

In fact i heard certain 3rd tier brands even got their lcd screens(just the screen) from the 1st tier brands when the particular batch of lcd is defective or does not pass the stringent quality control. The warranty terms is also not as good.

For Resolution,try to take full HD resolution of 1920x1200.Yes that is not "exactly" full HD because there's an extra 120pixels but they will be divided into two black bar top and bottom should u view HD contents.If this is not possible, the 2nd best quality is 1680x1050. Gone are the day of XGA and WXGA resolution because that is only for LCD TV now

4GB RAM should be suitable for now due to limitation of 32bits XP unless you want to use Vista.2x2GB sticks recommended for dual channel,something that theoretically improve performance.

I suggest you approach someone else for help(particulary HWZ's Hardware section) because i do not know much about motherboards.But with all the high-end parts,a 500W PSU is recommend.Scrimp on this essential part and risk a fire anyday during high workload

There's many variant of Core 2, each targeting each segment of the market. Low end variants include the Allendale E4 series and E6 lower end series while main stream are the Wolfdale E7/8 series(as said in the previous post) and highend one is the Quad Core Q series.

Yes,virtually each of them is better,and newer one is getting better by the years.

DIY PC Spec replied by I-like-flings(m) @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:23 +0800

I-like-flings(m) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:00:23 +0800

Originally posted by Hanagata:

why do want to use a 64bit os? alot of things cannot support leh... anyway now xpsp3 can read up to 4gb ram...

hai meh?? really?? i go research...

DIY PC Spec replied by Hanagata @ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:47:48 +0800

Hanagata — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:47:48 +0800

why do want to use a 64bit os? alot of things cannot support leh... anyway now xpsp3 can read up to 4gb ram...

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