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Budget DS PC

Post Date: 2008-03-16
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Budget DS PC
    Posted: 16 Mar 2008 at 11:03pm
This is what I ordered on Monday, March 10:
Case: Digital Storm 650Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 550W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ 2.6GHz (Dual Core) (2 MB Cache) 
Motherboard: Asus M2N SLI (nForce 5 series SLI Chipset)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 667MHz (Dual Channel) 
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: - No Thanks 
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) 
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL
 / Network Connections)
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8600GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express) 
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 1 (Certified Digital Storm Heat-sink)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks 
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes
 Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video
 card(s)
Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the
 operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) 
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image
 Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks 
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
It shipped on Wednesday, March 12. My only semi-concern is that perhaps it was a rush job? I don't really think DS would sacrifice quality for speed, but I guess I tend to worry a bit  Tongue
Anyway, it's due to arrive on Tuesday, March 18 and I'm hoping this system can last me a few years with simple upgrades along the way until I can afford a power gaming rig. I'm pretty confident that Duke fixed me up with the best setup my meager budget allowed for. My system needs aren't too fierce since I'm not a first-person shooter fan... yet!
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 May 2008
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 1:16am
I agree with the AMD processor, and pretty much everything else Duke selected in that build. There's a *lot* of value for the dollar there.

The only item that has me puzzled...

No Hard drive? Shocked
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 8:58am
bah, nobody needs those things.
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bfrank2me View Drop Down
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Posts: 193 		  Quote bfrank2me Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 9:01am
Lol, talk about a no-win situation, eh Alex?   Wacko
...the first hundred years are the hardest
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traylorc View Drop Down
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Posts: 73 		  Quote traylorc Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 12:16pm
Originally posted by Tyler Lowe

I agree with the AMD processor, and pretty much everything else Duke selected in that build. There's a *lot* of value for the dollar there.

The only item that has me puzzled...

No Hard drive? Shocked


 
I was thinking the exact same thing.
 
 
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 2:15pm
Originally posted by Tyler Lowe

I agree with the AMD processor, and pretty much everything else Duke selected in that build. There's a *lot* of value for the dollar there.

The only item that has me puzzled...

No Hard drive? Shocked




Well yeah, the only way I could get the system better than total rock bottom was by using my old hard drive in the new pc. The old hard drive, SB Audigy sound card and modem are about all that are running well still in my old pc. Duke came up with the idea as a means to allow for more ram, and better processor, while still avoiding the 8500 GT card.

If my old pc were to have held on for another year, I would have gone with much better (Intel Q6600 and 8800 GT graphics), but the mobo has leaky caps and the graphics card is not very happy.Tongue
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Duke View Drop Down
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Digital Storm Customer Service


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Posts: 262 		  Quote Duke Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 5:00pm
Widdlecat and I worked for a while to maximize the performance of her system while keeping it within budget. Rather than downsizing every component, we decided by removing the HDD, we can allocate those savings to better CPU and RAM specs.   

Widdlecat already has a very good 120GB HDD, which I suggested she can re-use/install into this new computer., after she formats it and install Windows.

I hope UPS doesn't leave your system in the middle of the road Widdlecat. Give me a call when you receive it so I can help you out installing the HDD, and Windows.
EMAIL & MSN:
[email protected]
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EdH63 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1826 		  Quote EdH63 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Mar 2008 at 6:01pm
Originally posted by widdlecat

Originally posted by Tyler Lowe

I agree with the AMD processor, and pretty much everything else Duke selected in that build. There's a *lot* of value for the dollar there.

The only item that has me puzzled...

No Hard drive? Shocked




Well yeah, the only way I could get the system better than total rock bottom was by using my old hard drive in the new pc. The old hard drive, SB Audigy sound card and modem are about all that are running well still in my old pc. Duke came up with the idea as a means to allow for more ram, and better processor, while still avoiding the 8500 GT card.

If my old pc were to have held on for another year, I would have gone with much better (Intel Q6600 and 8800 GT graphics), but the mobo has leaky caps and the graphics card is not very happy.Tongue


I hate it when my MOBO has leaky caps!  I think there's an ointment for that.
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Mar 2008 at 1:49am
I'm happy to inform you all that my pc arrived intact and is running well. I've gone from playing C&C3 on lowest settings and getting occasional lag to being able to play at ultra high very smoothly. Still, I'm highly confused over readings Everest and the Asus pc probe II show. I have Vcore reading in the green at 1.54v, +3.3 reading at 2.18v???... +5.0 reading at 3.22v, +12.0 reading at 7.81v???? and cpu temp showing 159 degrees celsius??? and mobo temp of 56 degrees c. oh, and cpu fan speed in the green at 2689rpm. So, is something messed up with my sensor chip, have I got problems with something wired wrong or what? I've been playing C&C3 for a few hours now and the readings really havent changed, nor is the pc on fire... LOL!

Someone help me here pls! my yahoo is widdlecat01
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Mythius101 View Drop Down
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Posts: 134 		  Quote Mythius101 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Mar 2008 at 2:48am
I really like the colored text here.  I suggest everyone be required to do that.
Vista Home Premium 32
Core 2 Quad Q6600
nVidia 680iA1
2GB Corsair Dominator RAM
2x SLI Dual GeForce 8800GTS 512MB
Creative Labs X-Fi Fatal1ty XtremeGamer
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Mar 2008 at 3:40am
K den! I solved the problem with my Asus pc probe II readings. Apparently when I have it running and Everest at the same time, they have a conflict and scramble the sensor. I reboot and only bring up one or the other and I'm fine. pc probe says I'm all green! yay! cpu actually is sitting at 35 degrees celsius atm. I just wish I could quiet down the cooling fan.

I'm very happy! whee! time to try out oblivion!Big%20smile
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Duke View Drop Down
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Posts: 262 		  Quote Duke Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Mar 2008 at 5:48pm
Congrats on the new computer. I will write in lime green.
Widdlecat, checkout coretemp to monitor temps. I find it "most" accurate.    

EMAIL & MSN:
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Mar 2008 at 12:18am
Thanks Duke! Hey, I was wondering when I install my SB Audigy card how it will affect the front headphone jack. Also, in my old pc, the card connected directly to the optical drive. Is that the only connection I need aside from plugging it into the mobo? The lime green looks good, btw!Big%20smile

Edit: I got CoreTemp but I don't think it's working properly... core#0 @10 degrees celsius and core#1 @ 16 degrees celsius, while asus pc probe shows cpu @ 38 degrees celsius. My house isn't that cold and I'm not cooling with TEC or even waterTongue

Edited by widdlecat - 20 Mar 2008 at 12:38am
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