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Lexa Xase - Jeantech Phong 2 (Good cooling and nice layout)
Thermaltake Golden Orb - Ninja Scythe/Zalman (Had a Orb was good but these are better)
2 x 8800ultra - 1 x 8800GTX (with a view to a second when first is struggling, Ultras = waste of money)
1 x 150 gb Raptor - 2 x 75 gb Raptor (Raid 0, faster than single Raptor) + 300 GB storage
Audigy - X Fi Gamer (Still far superior to Audigy for music)
So far, no news on exactly when the 8900 series will be released. It is said that they will debut "after" the budget cards - which has already happened.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UNDIESRULES
Personally i would change the following bits.
Lexa Xase - Jeantech Phong 2 (Good cooling and nice layout)
Thermaltake Golden Orb - Ninja Scythe/Zalman (Had a Orb was good but these are better)
2 x 8800ultra - 1 x 8800GTX (with a view to a second when first is struggling, Ultras = waste of money)
1 x 150 gb Raptor - 2 x 75 gb Raptor (Raid 0, faster than single Raptor) + 300 GB storage
Audigy - X Fi Gamer (Still far superior to Audigy for music)
Agreed. Listen to UNDIES and some of these other guys - they know what they are talking about, particularly when it comes to hardware. Ask lots of questions before you invest an obviously large sum of money. I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to answer them.
I took undiesrules recommendations too the guy designing my comp and here is what was said.
The Jeantech case is fine, but not particularly good build quality. It retails for about £40, so I wouldn't expect much from a case this cheap. The build quality of the Lexa, Temjin and armor is much better. Centurion is probably comparable to the Jeantech.
Ninja sythe fan/heatsink, if it is the one I have found on the internet, large square stacked heat fins? I would not add to a system. We won't do it for you. Don't mean to be rude by saying that, but I have dealt with this config type of fan before and they are bad news. The fixing brackets are rubbish, and any movement after they are attached has the potential of damaging the motherboard, coming unstuck and the cpu overheating and eventually damaging itself. We have had these problems in the past and the small benefit from improved cooling just isn't worth the risks. The orb is an excllent choice.
I wouldn't say the ultras were a waste of money. They are more expensive and faster than the GTX versions. You always pay slightly more for the top components available so you'd expect a higher price. As always with technology the newest card releases are 3-6 months round the corner at any point. The advantage of buying now is that 8 series cards are still new and it will be some time before 9 series cards are out. I would guess a year from now, most probably much more.
We can do the 74GB raptors and in a raid 0 as well. I would bear in mind firstly that 150GB raptor would be £50 cheaper than 2 x 74GB drives. Second that Raid can be a pain to set up again should you want to reinstall. It requires the use of a floppy drive, of all things and a driver disk. Lastly you double the chance of data loss, which although unlikely is increased.
We could get an X-Fi Gamer sound card if you wanted. We have the X-Fi extreme music, fatal1ty and elite pro cards as standard anyway.
1. Jeantech cases aren't especially brilliant in my experience. The Phong 2 seems to get good reviews, but they mostly emphasise value for money given the £40-£50 price tag; rather than it being a quality product. Plus it must be said, it's awful looking.
2. (When a fan is installed) the Scythe Ninja is one of the best heatsinks around. He says that he has no experience of that particular heatsink, and then goes on to say that all heatsinks of that style are rubbish? How exactly does that make sense?
3. They are a waste of money. nVidia is charging a premium, the supplier will be charging a premium...and he will be charging you a premium. Remember that he is making money from you and his advice will be tainted by that. Expensive products that command a premium price increase his margins. A single GTX can play any game on the market without breaking a sweat. You don't need two 8800 Ultras. Period.
4. I don't see the point of using RAID at all.
5. Creative cards aren't brilliant. I'd stay away from them - go for something like an M-Audio 2496 (£50) or Auzentech X-Meridian (£120). Having said that, if you're not that bothered about audio quality then an Audigy SE will be fine - not much point spending any extra money. What speakers are you planning to use?
I wouldn't say the ultras were a waste of money. They are more expensive and faster than the GTX versions. You always pay slightly more for the top components available so you'd expect a higher price. As always with technology the newest card releases are 3-6 months round the corner at any point. The advantage of buying now is that 8 series cards are still new and it will be some time before 9 series cards are out. I would guess a year from now, most probably much more.
Just because something is more expensive doesnt mean its better. The Ultra is faster than the GTX.....but almost by a hair, and certainly is NOT worth the extra 300 dollar price tag. Hell you can get 2 GTX's and overclock them yourself to Ultra speeds with the right cooler. Thats basically all the Ultra is.
I take it the amp has RCA inputs? In that case I'd certainly recommend the M-Audio 2496 as a decent, cheap sound card. It's certainly superior to an Audigy in terms of sound quality.
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