My 1st Build - Need Suggestions & new to TechSpot

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i actually do appreciate the people's comments...i been on other forums n people dont really respond...if they do...not in a very..'nice' way...

so kudos to techspot n its members! ;)

thanks for the clarification on the video card...lol i said 'thanks' again :p

o here's another question...if i build my own PC..and if I have to reformat my computer, do I just pop in the windows xp disc I bought? Or is there another method on formatting it?

I read somewhere on another thread that..someone wants to buy the PCs from retail because it comes with a manufacture reformatting disc and it's easier that way...

any clue?
 
OH MY GOD I LOVE YOUR AVATAR!!!! :D!!!!

ok...now that i have that out of my system...

here's the deal with discs and stuff:

typically if a manufacturer gives you a restore disc and stuff, that means that your operating system is literally tied to that computer.

lets say you buy a new computer like...7 years from now, and you want to move your copy of XP from the old computer.

if the copy came from the manufacturer, you're not allowed to move it. it's actually illegal based on the End User License Agreement that windows has.

if you have a separate disc, it's much easier. all you have to do when you move your copy is delete it entirely from the old machine. and when you're installing on the new one, there's actually an option in the setup that asks if you want to reformat your hard drives. so you can just pop in the disc and do it from there. that is much easier than dealing with stuff that came with the machine that you're not allowed to mess with.
 
i love Gir and i love Invader Zim! hehe

Ok back to your comment, so as long as I have the FULL edition of Windows XP, I can pop it in and it will ask me to format?

One of the issues I dealt with previously was that, when I pop the FULL edition of Windows XP, it doesn't format. There's two options, upgrade or partition. So I'm guessing it's sthe partition screen is where I'm suppose to erase the hard drive?

If only I can format with MSDOS, or is that possible? I tried to look for instructions, but couldn't find much.

I can only install XP on one system right? Or is it up to 3 different systems?

Thanks!
 
i...do believe it's the partitioning area..yes. understand, it's been a while since i last reformatted my hard drives because i've managed to find a way to keep my system stable for a long period of time.

i think the way it works with partitioning is...you have to tell it to create 1 brand new partition, and you can set the size. so set the entire size and that will do the trick. that will delete everything...etch-a-sketch style.

as for how many different systems you can install it on, i have no idea. i just know that in order to move the copy you have, it has to be an install made from a separate copy not from the manufacturer, and that it has to be completely removed from the old system.

the exact wording is that it can be transferred, but it cannot have 2 copies running on the same processor at the same time, or something like that.
 
The 8800GT would be overkill as far as gaming is concerned for her, unless she plans on playing Crysis or Gears of War or other upcoming titles at maximum detail, which'd look good undoubtedly but if she's not such a big gaming fan, why bother with such an expensive card at all? So thing is judicious, if you're a heavy gamer, get the 8800GT or else the 8600GT will be fine.
As far as a 'weak' northbridge or southbridge is concerned, well that depends on your definition of weak. If a northbridge or southbridge is missing features that you'll probably need most, then by your standards it's weak, but for someone who doesn't need those extra features, it's quite okay. The GA-P35C-DS3R has a P35-based chipset, as does the Abit IP35 Pro, which means they have a P35 northbridge. The P35 northbridge allows for Crossfire, DDR2 & DDR3 functionality and has support for Intel's new Penryn 45nm CPUs. How many of those features are enabled on the motherboard depends on the manufacturer of the board. For example, the Gigabyte board has DDR2 & DDR3 support, while the IP35 Pro supports only DDR2. The southbridge of a board usually decides the I\O features, such as the number of USB ports, onboard sound, number of IDE and SATA ports etc.
I hope I helped. :)
 
aha....interesting...

that helps somewhat.

the only reason i suggested the GT was because judicious mentioned buying more games. and that means buying more of the modern games. and modern means high quality graphics. which means, high quality graphics card.

with all the graphics cards and advances in graphics being made, i'd say that the 8600 will be left behind fairly soon. it's already considered too weak to play crysis. and if graphics like those keep coming up, then the 8600 will be too weak to play anything. i'm planning for the future essentially. that GT will extend the life of the system by a VAST amount. it won't need upgrades for years. the 8600 will soon need replacing.

that's pretty much my reasoning. yes, the 8600 is more than capable of doing what judicious wants right now, but...will it be able to in the future? i'm not so sure. i have greater confidence in the 8800GT than the 8600.
 
You can save alot of money on the AMD build by getting a athlon 6000 instead of the 6400 (a little OC on the 6000, and youve got a 6400 anyways - 200mhz isnt worth it) , and you could used that money to bump yourself up to a HD3870 or a 8800GT. Much better performance overall.
 
thanks for the replies guys..took awhile for me to respond back...

u guys all got good points..kudos to that...right now..i'll eagle eye on the prices...
 
joyful_winner said:
use intel.....go for better brands for rams...like Kingston or Chosir...
for graphics i will think 8800gt if you have budget
Click to expand...

No need to go for the more expensive brands of RAMs. Just make sure they operate at at decent speed with not too high voltage and timings.

Avoid the more costly alternatives as well as the non-name brands
 
Intel all the way! :)
make sure youve got a good powersupply like a 500watt, good coolers etc
try and get ddr2 ram and if you can find a board try dual channel memory from at least 2gb

x :)
 
thanks! does anyone know if I have to have 4gb ram to run adobe CS3? Or will be 2gb will be sufficient?

Thanks!
 
If you want 4GB of RAM you will need to change your OS to a 64bit OS such as XP64 or Vista64. In reality you can run normal XP on 4gigs, but it won't let you use all of it, and will only show up as somewhere around 3 gigs. I'd say you'll be fine with 2 gigs.
 
Adobe CS3 will run fine with 2GB. 4GB just for that program would be overkill IMO.
And you use a 286, either the 'you' in your name refers to yourself, or you're a former PR guy for Intel. Either way, you're not much help at all, so refrain from posting unless you have something useful to contribute to the thread. Or else, you've got to face the mods.
 
o...that's interesting...i also went to look some info about the x64...it says I have to run a 64bit processor..how do i find out if my processor is just that?

in that case..if it has better security..why doesn't everyone use that?

maybe i'll just stick with the 2gb...

thanks again!
 
hi again :)

urm with regards to your processor most cpus now are 64bit and especially dual cores
so you should be all safe :D

if your unsure then post up here again hehe im sure people will be happy to help
usually you should find the specs on the site that you find it.

with regards to the 64bit xp ... i duno really lol
to be fair most people tend to opt for aftermarket security tho if your gonna do that then avoid norton like the plague!! it'll thieve all your ram and half your processing power :(

if your going 64bit OS wise youve gotta think on what you really want Vista looks cool and is new but if you look at requirements on games etc they always double the RAM requirements if your using vista .. so i can only assume its a ram hungry OS
xp 64 has been about a bit an in comparisons between xp64 and vist 64 xp seems to run all the current programs more efficiantly because there are very little programs specifically designed for vista yet

so its up to you on the OS

vista has all the frills like media centre but xp has the years under its belt


im giveing vista a couple of years before i take the plunge just so microsoft has a chance to iron out the creases

lol

good luck :D
 
o boy....

who would of known building a pc is so much research..i feel like i'm in school again..haha...

i know there is going to be sp3....will that be applied to only XP Pro or to Vista users as well?

I think with your comment and my little knowledge on 64bit...i'll opt to the regular XP Pro :D

mucho gracias!
 
:) yea...i only know how to type spanish...don't know how to type in chinese...or french...

anywho, i am planning to buy my parts sometime next year...when the sales come...i'll take pictures as i progress to assemble it since i don't even know how to assemble it. it will be a slow build process...but i'll get there! :grinthumb

kudos everyone!
 
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