<blitzkrieg> testing, testing, 1 2

[I.S.T.]

PC components don't really need much wattage. I've got my dad running a GeForce GTS 250, a Athlon X2 940 or something like that(Don't recall the exact model number. One of the few Phenom based Athlons that has an L3 cache), and 3 gigs of ram on a 380 watt PSU, and he's not running into any fucking issues at all.

Of course, I'm using a good PSU, rather than a shit one. yay Earthwatts.

Anyway...

650 is more than enough, and the PSU is higher quality than whatever you had. Corsairs are fucking wonderful PSUs.

HDs... Replace the Baracudas. Seriously. Get some form of WD or Hitachi. baracudas have been having reliability problems for about two lines now, and don't seem to be letting up. =\

[funkyass]

if you aren't doing any high-end gaming or rendering: Radeon 47xx series.

[odditude]

You sure 650W will be enough ?

most definitely, if it's a quality power supply like the one you've selected.
check out http://www.antec.outervision.com/PSUEngine for a recent PSU calculator. it's actually returning a lower figure than i expected (closer to 300W than 350/400W).

Nach pointed out that the vid card was typically way too hot without further work, which makes it a huge ass no-no on my list. What do you all advise that has decent drivers but won't end up as a massive waste of potential ?

for nvidia, the previously mentioned gts250.

for ati, a 4770 or 4830 (the 4770 is the replacement model - it runs cooler and draws less power, but availability's still rough and it's more expensive).

i'm not going to comment on driver quality from either camp.

[grinvader]

Video card demands are higher... even if you are trying to get something adequate (as in, not the fastest thing out there).

Nowadays, video cards have options to tweak the fan... for the casual users, it's the simple "use more power when needed". So, you shouldn't have to worry about heat in general unless you're actively playing something heavy.

tl;dr

j/k, i actually read all that, but you're only repeating yourself. I got it the first time.

----

Ok so

new psu: corsair tx 650
new gfx card: gts250 1GB (Gigabyte GV-N250ZL-1GI)
new hdds: 2x caviar greens 1000GB (guess i'll buy a third when i get those full :/)

Any final objections ?

[odditude]

thumbs up

[grinvader]

kthx bbl mugging old ladies for $infinite


btw @funkyass: no ATI, sorry. Kinda like vegetables, you know. Not.

[Deathlike2]

Oh

Linux is in his cards, so that's the prime reason there's no ATI option.

I've not yet set up the a Seagate drive that I bought (I forget if it was the 1TB or 1.5TB model). If you're buying ~1TB, you should be fine. I can only imagine what crap you'll put in it.

[creaothceann]

SNES trace logs?

[grinvader]

uh huh keep thinking just that

[mudlord]

That's not a trade I'd consider a very good idea.

The Core is cheaper to operate than a P4, since it's so much more energy-efficient. Which also makes it cooler-running, so it doesn't heat your house as much in the summer(or winter, but AC costs more than heat).

Yeah, if you don't need the power, the best route is to go to one of the Atom net-tops. ~30w for the entire system, and it's fanless (without the 945 chip, at least.) Even better during a power outage, a small UPS will keep it going for many hours, compared to ~10 minutes on modern desktops.

Thank YOU!
Sounds perfect for my needs!

[byuu]

Thank YOU!
Sounds perfect for my needs! :o

Sure. Best value now is a dual-core Atom @ $149:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6856167037
Just add HDD+RAM.

The nVidia ION has a much better GPU, but costs twice as much so it's dead in the water.

To be honest, I'd probably wait if I were you. The above system is getting long in the tooth, we're bound for a hardware refresh soon. I'm also hoping for a nice ARM Cortex A8 nettop by 2010. They only use ~500mW.

[mudlord]

I guess I better state more my needs.

My intention was a system long in the tooth, on purpose. I have zero intention in a very recent system. My system I had previously, which was

* 3GHz C2D
* 4GB RAM
* 512MB 9800GT
* 500GB SATA HD

did not make me satisfied. So I gave it away, free of charge, to some family members who now use it for multiplayer game botting :/ (not that I approve of that, but hell, its their property now)

It made programming WAY too easy, since it was able to run basically anything :/ I am after a system with intentionally crap specs, to enforce my programming ethics. So really, the system should be single core, a vid card with minimal shader abilities like a GeForce FX (which has shit shader processing power), etc.

[I.S.T.]

ION is 4.0 capable, but probably not as fast as a GFFX 5800 Ultra. It's a slower version of a 9400 GT, which itself is basically just a dieshrunk 8500 GT. I've got one of those, and they're only good for older games/playing everything at low settings with one or two things turned up to medium if you're lucky.

The Atom will burn far, far less power than any P4, and be as fast as many of them. The ION would be the same. I would go with it. The 945 has too damn many driver bugs, it's useless for development. Shit just doesn't work right on it.

[mudlord]

ION is 4.0 capable, but probably not as fast as a GFFX 5800 Ultra. It's a slower version of a 9400 GT, which itself is basically just a dieshrunk 8500 GT. I've got one of those, and they're only good for older games/playing everything at low settings with one or two things turned up to medium if you're lucky.

1) I am not interested in SM 4.0. It is unneeded. SM3 is okay. Ish
2) Sounds nice and crippled.

The 945 has too damn many driver bugs, it's useless for development.

Wouldnt hurt in making seperate render paths in applications for those chipsets?

[I.S.T.]

*shrug* did I mention ION burns less power than a GF FX?

also, I dunno if that's possible. =\ Shit is that broken. Not much actually works on it. OGL is broken, and DX9 don't work too well. It's a semi-abandoned line, only kept around for Atoms, and I believe it's slated to be replaced next year.

[mudlord]

So basically, its a Intel Atom/ION combination.
Thats still supporting the shit Intel/Nvidia push out But oh well, if people keep pushing power consumption when I couldn't care less (like I said repeatedly....).......what choice do I have?

Note: I am NOT interested in upgradability or any commercialist shit. I want a shit PC for a mentally unstable person like me that gives a fuck about how much bytes my apps take, no matter the cost >.>

If that labels me a "troll" for not fitting the norm, so be fucking it.

[I.S.T.]

I did not see the not giving a damn about power consumption part, sorry.

Well, then I have no advice for you. =\ Other than avoid the 945. The newer intel IGPs have less broken drivers, but they still have trouble running stuff like Far Cry, which was released about 5-6 years ago.

[mudlord]

but they still have trouble running stuff like Far Cry, which was released about 5-6 years ago.

Couldn't care less.

Well, then I have no advice for you. =\

That's what I expected from people. People always go for the most efficient, fastest, most bloat filled, expensive, crap/turds/whatever they can afford. No one remotely gives a damn about fucking commonsense when coding.

Which makes me a troll, in the eyes of some >.>

Can some person disable this account, if thats feasible? I don't see any "ignore user" feature here, so I have no other option. It seems my programming ethics are never welcome here, so I should stop visiting this place.

[Deathlike2]

Why not just buy a refurbished system? You'll spend a little to get some semi-POS comp. It would fit your criteria AFAIK.

[I.S.T.]

but they still have trouble running stuff like Far Cry, which was released about 5-6 years ago.

Couldn't care less.

Well, then I have no advice for you. =\

That's what I expected from people. People always go for the most efficient, fastest, most bloat filled, expensive, crap/turds/whatever they can afford. No one remotely gives a damn about fucking commonsense when coding.

Which makes me a troll, in the eyes of some >.>

Can some person disable this account, if thats feasible? I don't see any "ignore user" feature here, so I have no other option. It seems my programming ethics are never welcome here, so I should stop visiting this place.

it was an example, mudlord, as in it has trouble rendering 5 year old games because the drivers are messed up and the game looks weird. If you're doing graphics coding, then it's best to get something that at least shows what you're trying to do properly.

But fine, label me a troll.

[creaothceann]

[...] people keep pushing power consumption when I couldn't care less

[...] am not interested in upgradability [...] a shit PC for a mentally unstable person like me that gives a fuck about how much bytes my apps take

Get a 486er / Pentium, 64 MB RAM or so, and a matching OS to boot (e.g. Win98).

Then write your own ASM OS + programs on that if other programs are still too bloated.

[funkyass]

hack an xbox.

Or bug schools for old PC's

[AamirM]

My intention was a system long in the tooth, on purpose. I have zero intention in a very recent system.

You know, you could've just "simulated" a slower/crap PC using Bochs or something.

[adventure_of_link]

But fine, label me a troll.

No, mudlord was saying HE was the troll. But it could be worse.

[mudlord]

My intention was a system long in the tooth, on purpose. I have zero intention in a very recent system.

You know, you could've just "simulated" a slower/crap PC using Bochs or something.

I prefer something authentic.
Or maybe I can just downclock plenty, disable some cores, use onboard only....(ick).....