Alright guys, the wait may finally be over. I’ll be building myself a new computer soon, hopefully I’ll be able to order the parts in a week or two.
Here’s the stats:
Intel Core 2 Duo 3 ghz (still debating whether or not to go with that, or spend $20 more for quad core 2.45ish ghz, please post your thoughts).
4 gigs ram, 2x 2GB (heh)
2x 250 gig hds with 16 mb cache
512 mb Nvidia geforce 8800gt pci express x16
730 watt psu(probably a bit overkill, but figured I’d play it safe if I decide to upgrade later)
A basic case with a good ol’ motherboard that will suite me well.
A basic DVD burner.
In addition, I’ve decided to spend the extra $100 and get Vista Ultimate for a few reasons -
#1 it includes both the 32 and 64 bit versions (if i decide to upgrade to 8 gigs ram later, i can simply install it without worrying bout getting the 64 bit cd from micro$oft),
#2 - It includes built in software for backing up - I’m lazy as hell with backing up my computer.
And #3 - Why not?
In total it’ll cost around oh $1230 or so with shipping and lovely NY state tax.
I’ll probably also pick up another 20″ monitor at some point, so that’ll be another $200. Right now I’m using a 20″ @ 1680×1050 and a 15″ @ 1024×768. Needless to say, it’s annoying. So that’s oh $1450 or so total.
Hopefully this baby will serve me well for a few years. Seeing as how I’m been using a $299 computer from compusa with an upgraded video card and ram for 3 years, this new one should last at least 6. That is, unless I hope to run Crysis 2.0, that’ll require a quantum computer with a 1 terrabyte video card 
I also have a bit of an odd question. I’m thinking of running my current crap computer as a local server or something. Is there any easy way to measure the amount of power it draws - for example something that plugs in inbetween the desktop and the power supply and gives me a reading? I’d probably enable all the energy saving features, but I’d like to get a good idea of how much juice it’d need if I run it 24/7.
I apologize if this post is written fairly crappy. I’m fighting off a bit of nasty cold - feels like I have the friggin flu.
Please subscribe, or else I will cry. Do you really want to make a programmer cry?
July 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Check out the Kill A Watt - http://tinyurl.com/killawatt (gotta love that custom alias feature).
* Electricity usage monitor connects to appliances and assesses efficiency
* Large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour
* Calculates electricity expenses by the day, week, month, or year
* Displays volts, amps, and wattage within 0.2 percent accuracy
July 19th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Excellent! thanks
July 20th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Good luck with the new rig. Thats a lot of power supply, and I honestly would not recommend any flavor of Vista. XP is still the best windoze build so far. Otherwise, I think your going to love your new PC. Now you got me jealous.
Oh and I highly recommend getting a ‘friendly’ case, one that is easy to open and work on.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I personally don’t mind vista to be honest, I’m one of the few who thinks it’s probably the best windows shipped thus far. With that said, I might try dual booting with xp as well.
As far as the PSU goes, yes that is quite a bit, but I figure its better to be safe, especially after going through the overheating issues with my current computer. I’m probably going to throw a crapload of fans in there, and may even add on a second optical drive and a couple more hdds at a later date.
Hmm getting a friendly case never did cross my mind, any in particular you’d recommend (full ATX, preferably)?
July 20th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Oh yeah, and I think I’ve decided to pick up an OEM Home Premium CD instead of ultimate to save a few bucks. Use the extra $200 for more memory or games or something.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I say you go for the quad core. It’s only $20 more.
Also, I agree with Jeremy. I don’t mind Vista. My husband swears by XP. He even opted to get a Dell Business laptop just so he could keep XP. It would be nice to be able to run both.