Looking for advice on a new computer - Page 2

**Long Bow** · 04-28-2008, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fignut

Ordering from a local company www CanadaComputers-dot-com--cannot post websites yet

They seem to be the cheapest in my area, with great customer service. (keep in mind all prices are CDN dollar and not US)

The Galaxy GeForce 8800GT Chipset (600Mhz) 512MB DDR3 (1800Mhz) Dual Dual-Link Display PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card $219.99 (with a $50 mail in 169.99).

The Galaxy GeForce 9800GTX Chipset (675Mhz) 512MB DDR3 (2200Mhz) Dual Dual-Link DVI Display PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card $334.99 ($25 mail in 309.99)

and the ASUS P5K is just the basic : Asus P5K Socket 775 Intel P35 ICH9 Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 1066/800/667Mhz SATA 3.0Gb/s 12x USB 2.0 $129.99. It seems kinda cheap but a lot of the non-TG forums had not so nice things to say about most of the other variations of the P5K's. I don't know if I am foolish sticking with the P35 boards, but they seem to stable and reliable.

I have bought through www.canadacomputers.com before and been happy. I have also been in one of their retail locations (Vaughn I think) and it was like a geek porn shop

There prices aren't bad. I have also bought from www.NCIX.com and been very happy. They are in BC so you only pay one tax and they have fast shipping, usually one of the cheapest. I have had some items next day with them

to Ontario. Also www.tigerdirect.ca is cheap and they have local stores as well. I have only dealt with them once to build a system for a friend but their prices are pretty good.

Im not aware of what Galaxy is like as a company, you may want to go with eVga, XFX, Asus, MSI etc. Just check the warranty info and be sure to get a few years to be safe.

Fignut · 04-28-2008, 05:06 PM

Thanks for the heads up Longbow,
Especially on the video card companies. The sad reality is that companies like Zotac and Galaxy (who????) seem to have the cheapest products, the worry is...is that there is a good reason they are the cheapest.
On another topic, is the PCIE 2.0 on a motherboard worth the expense. It would mean going from a p35 board to an x38 (considering the ASUS P5E). Will the PCIE 2.0 make that much of a difference. I know that technically it doubles the bandwith. However, we see a lot of "technically" with our computers that never stand the test. Is the PCIE 2.0 something a few years from now that will make a difference or does it have drastic improvements now?

**Bamboo** · 04-28-2008, 06:39 PM

Right now I think the only improvement is that it can supply more power to a video card. I think I read somewhere that it means you don't have to add a 2nd power cable to your vid card.
That board you mentioned gets pretty good reviews on newegg, and is pretty much what I paid for my p35 board.
Just looked it up on wiki,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Exp...CI_Express_2.0
Again, I am happy with p35 and you will be too, but if you are in it for the LONGGGGGGG haul, like 4-5 years, might be worth it.
I am really feeling though the way tech is improving so fast and prices are dropping, it may be pretty cheap to build a new computer in like 2.5-3 years.

**Long Bow** · 04-29-2008, 02:39 PM

I don't believe that PCI-E 1.x is being fully saturated currently so the extra bandwidth of 2.0 is not even an issue. It's, as Bamboo said, really just a future consideration.

Honestly if you bought a decent p35 system today you would be able to upgrade the video card in a year and keep the whole system for 2 maybe 3 years without anything else and be happy. At that point there is going to be a whole bunch of new tech out you will want to get and possibly programs that take full advantage of whats offered currently. Obviously the longer you wait the better deals there will be and better hardware but eventaully you have to pull the trigger.

You may have no issues with the Galaxy cards. Here is a good deal on an evga 8800gt but its only valid until tomorow. However I have seen the evga card go on sale several times over the past two months.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=eVGA

04-28-2008, 05:06 PM	#17 (permalink)
Fignut Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 37 Posts: 36	Re: Looking for advice on a new computer Thanks for the heads up Longbow, Especially on the video card companies. The sad reality is that companies like Zotac and Galaxy (who????) seem to have the cheapest products, the worry is...is that there is a good reason they are the cheapest. On another topic, is the PCIE 2.0 on a motherboard worth the expense. It would mean going from a p35 board to an x38 (considering the ASUS P5E). Will the PCIE 2.0 make that much of a difference. I know that technically it doubles the bandwith. However, we see a lot of "technically" with our computers that never stand the test. Is the PCIE 2.0 something a few years from now that will make a difference or does it have drastic improvements now? __________________ \|TG-Irr\|fignut

04-28-2008, 06:39 PM	#18 (permalink)
Bamboo Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: On the beach north of Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,400	Re: Looking for advice on a new computer Right now I think the only improvement is that it can supply more power to a video card. I think I read somewhere that it means you don't have to add a 2nd power cable to your vid card. That board you mentioned gets pretty good reviews on newegg, and is pretty much what I paid for my p35 board. Just looked it up on wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Exp...CI_Express_2.0 Again, I am happy with p35 and you will be too, but if you are in it for the LONGGGGGGG haul, like 4-5 years, might be worth it. I am really feeling though the way tech is improving so fast and prices are dropping, it may be pretty cheap to build a new computer in like 2.5-3 years. __________________ LINKS 10th Tactical Guard Server Rules and SOP * Kicked? Banned? READ THIS FIRST!* Contact an Admin * Nominate your teammates for a ribbon Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at. -Carlos A. Urbizo-

04-29-2008, 02:39 PM	#19 (permalink)
Long Bow Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Age: 30 Posts: 1,429	Re: Looking for advice on a new computer I don't believe that PCI-E 1.x is being fully saturated currently so the extra bandwidth of 2.0 is not even an issue. It's, as Bamboo said, really just a future consideration. Honestly if you bought a decent p35 system today you would be able to upgrade the video card in a year and keep the whole system for 2 maybe 3 years without anything else and be happy. At that point there is going to be a whole bunch of new tech out you will want to get and possibly programs that take full advantage of whats offered currently. Obviously the longer you wait the better deals there will be and better hardware but eventaully you have to pull the trigger. You may have no issues with the Galaxy cards. Here is a good deal on an evga 8800gt but its only valid until tomorow. However I have seen the evga card go on sale several times over the past two months. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...nufacture=eVGA __________________

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