anti wants a new computer - details inside (2 Viewers)

[SashatheMan]

i also saw this at fluidtak

6600 GT PCI-E $199

 

[Casmira]

careful considering generic RAM brands and nforce-2 boards, initially had lots of problems

 

[anti]

A friend said Gigabyte can be flaky .. is that true?
My current one is a gigabyte and I've had no probs with it though, just wondering if he's talking crap ^^

 

[SashatheMan]

flaky? as in peels of bit by bit?

 

[pLuvia]

u think umart doesnt exist in NSW anymore. Queensland or goldcoast only.

doesn't umart exist in NSW anymore??, lol, last time i went there it should have been closed down ages ago lol, it looked so so dodgy

 

[insert-username]

A friend said Gigabyte can be flaky .. is that true?

Gigabyte is one of the more reputable motherboard brands. I think he's talking crap.


I_F

 

[anti]

flaky, in that its performance varies over time.
i know he's talking about throwing everything at it that he can possibly do (he's like that) though.

i'm not concerned about locations people getting it won't be a major hassle at all.

 

[MedNez]

A friend said Gigabyte can be flaky .. is that true?
My current one is a gigabyte and I've had no probs with it though, just wondering if he's talking crap ^^

Eh, they're probably the leading brand (them or Asus, anyway). All my boards have been GB without issues =D

 

[ReaveR]

Umarts website just changed, it's now http://umart.net.au instead of .com.au

My Gigabyte board is rock solid.

 

[MajinR]

Thanks guys!

I currently have 1gig of corsair ram in my other comp which runs like a dream *hugs* so I feel paying for the brand is worth it - plus when this comp is outdated I'll probably be throwing it in an older machine (for the sister.. heh) so I'd want it to be relatively long-lifed.

What does dual-channel RAM do/mean and how's it different to ..other.. RAM?

I was thinking about a 6600GT but I've heard that a) it's AGP only and b) its drivers dont work so well with some games (compared to the ati ones). True/false?

Oh I have one more wishlist question - any suggestions for a sexy lookin' black case? Primary objectives are quiet and good looking, weight isn't an issue since I have a lighter case for lanning (if I even GO to LANs) and preferably cheapish since the other one pushed $200

Corsair is already a good brand, if you want to pay a little more id say go ddr2 ram or simply buy 1.5GB

The advantage of DDR2 over DDR SDRAM is its ability to run at much higher clock speeds due to an improved electrical interface. With a clock frequency of 100 MHz, SDRAM will transfer data on every rising edge of the clock pulse, thus achieving an effective 100 MHz transfer rate. Like DDR, DDR2 will transfer data on every rising and falling edge of the clock (double pumped), achieving an effective rate of 200 MHz with the same clock frequency. DDR2's clock frequency is further boosted by an improved electrical interface running twice as fast as the memory clock, on-die termination, prefetch buffers and off chip drivers.

If you plan on using linux then you definetly should choose nvidia as ati is a POS under linux, 5 times slower then nvidia in some cases....since ati supports only the bare minimum driverwise...

6600GT is a native PCI-express card but you can also by an AGP version of it...i dont know about compatability issues since im not much of a gamer...

Ask the others about the case

PS. lol i didnt know there was more than one page

 

[insert-username]

The advantage of DDR2 over DDR SDRAM is its ability to run at much higher clock speeds due to an improved electrical interface. With a clock frequency of 100 MHz, SDRAM will transfer data on every rising edge of the clock pulse, thus achieving an effective 100 MHz transfer rate. Like DDR, DDR2 will transfer data on every rising and falling edge of the clock (double pumped), achieving an effective rate of 200 MHz with the same clock frequency. DDR2's clock frequency is further boosted by an improved electrical interface running twice as fast as the memory clock, on-die termination, prefetch buffers and off chip drivers.

For the time being, ordinary DDR RAM is faster than DDR2 RAM. At the moment, DDR2's high latencies leave it lagging behind DDR. Until they can start jacking the clockspeed upwards, stick with ordinary DDR - cheaper, and for the moment, comparable if not better performance. If you're looking at a laptop though, DDR2 runs at a lower voltage and thus consumes less power to run.


I_F

 

[MajinR]

For the time being, ordinary DDR RAM is faster than DDR2 RAM. At the moment, DDR2's high latencies leave it lagging behind DDR. Until they can start jacking the clockspeed upwards, stick with ordinary DDR - cheaper, and for the moment, comparable if not better performance. If you're looking at a laptop though, DDR2 runs at a lower voltage and thus consumes less power to run.

Hmm part of that statement is wrong...you are right on latency timings but that is only with respect to AMD processors which i guess applies here.... but you cant say DDR Ram is faster than DDR2 Ram as well...

DDR2 has its advantages and disadvantages...one disadvantage being with lateny timing and also price...its advantages are that it features on chip termination which yields better EMI characteristics, DDR2 memory can be clocked significantly higher than DDR1 memory given the right circumstances and lower power consumption (basically three sought after traits for ram)...

 

[SashatheMan]

i'm not concerned about locations people getting it won't be a major hassle at all.

this great place in perth sells every part for half price this week only.

 

[Templar]

Corsair is already a good brand, if you want to pay a little more id say go ddr2 ram or simply buy 1.5GB

DDR2 is not yet available for current AMD CPUs. Plus you don't really get a choice with which one to use, AMD will only use DDR for the time being and Intel DDR2 (provided it's the 775 socket).

You also cannot use 1.5GB of RAM on an AMD platform like that. You'll have to buy 2 768MB modules, which I don't believe is widely available. Using all 4 modules will see a decrease in RAM frequency and speed. However provided you do not need low latency you could purchase 2 1GB modules, should you need that much RAM.

 

[anti]

I wouldn't need more than 1gig, I'm pretty sure that will handle everything *I* throw at it.

If DDR2 isn't available for AMD cpu's then why do the boards say they support it?

Also - I assume this is correct though - one can use DDR sticks on a DDR2-capable board, right?

 

[insert-username]

Hmm part of that statement is wrong...you are right on latency timings but that is only with respect to AMD processors which i guess applies here.... but you cant say DDR Ram is faster than DDR2 Ram as well...

I said for the time being, DDR RAM is essentially faster than DDR2 because of the latencies. Once they start clocking DDR2 higher, then it'll outstrip DDR no problem. For the time being though, there's no real performance advantage.


If DDR2 isn't available for AMD cpu's then why do the boards say they support it?

AMD processors use a built-in memory controller, and thus far AMD has not incorporated support for DDR2 memory. Intel processors on the other hand, use an external memory controller, and all Intel has to do is release new motherboards to support the new spec. For the time being, no AMD board should say it supports DDR2, since it requires a change on the processor, not the motherboard.


Also - I assume this is correct though - one can use DDR sticks on a DDR2-capable board, right?

No. DDR2 RAM modules use a different form factor, and are incompatible with DDR RAM and vice versa.


I_F

 

[insert-username]

nope, ddr are 168pin and ddr2 are 175 i think. ddr2 has more pins, and the retainer on the memory stick is positioned differently... plus ddr2 puts out more power, so if u put a ddr stick in, it would fry your stick and probably motherboard too...

DDR2 uses 240 pins, and as you said, their retainer is placed differently, so there's no real way to shoehorn one type into the other.


I_F

 

[anti]

Ah okay. So would it be worth waiting for DDR2 to become a more acceptable standard?

 

[insert-username]

Not really. DDR2's already more expensive than DDR, and if you're not looking to run applications that need the ultra-high-spec components, you may as well buy now. Besides, AMD will most likely only add DDR2 support into its high-end processors, which aren't in your target range.


I_F

 

[RUB!X]

nows a great time to buy a pc anti ... great rig for <1k, id suggest 6600gt ... its so good its worth the extra ... u can pick up 6600gt's around the 200 mark anyway ... id suggest 2-5-2-2 latency RAM and 1gb of it, also around 200 range, ive had great exp with gigabyte mobo's ... although asus is also good, watch the designs though ... and how many pci-e slots, and how close it comes to ur graphics card ... ok a good power-supply is essential 400w and above ... id get 120gb as u will find 40gb more than 80gb for around 50c more a gb ... defenetely get a dvd burner ($70ish) and ur set