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PmDematagoda
September 16th, 2007, 10:58 AM
I'm going to buy a new computer these days and just wanted to get the advice of the members of the forum in choosing the right brands and types for each part of the new computer. Here's what I'm planning on getting:-

Intel Quad Core processer G0 model
Intel mainboard
nvidia 8800 GTX VGA card
Plextor DVD-ROM
2 GB RAM Kingston HyperX
Onboard Audio card

One thing I'm really not sure about is the brand of the hard drives I'm going to use. So I would appreciate any help on this as well.

Thanks.:)

Spike-X
September 16th, 2007, 11:07 AM
Seagate and Western Digital are the leading HD brands. Although I did have a Western Digital fail on me recently. I could read from it just fine, but couldn't write to it reliably. And whenever I went to run the diagnostic software (under Windows, of course), it would cause the computer to spontaneously restart.

Spr0k3t
September 16th, 2007, 11:32 AM
I like Seagate for the warranty (5yrs). My oldest working drive is a Seagate 40MB (yes, still in use). If you go "westdac", I would avoid the caviar drives and go one step up for quality.

regomodo
September 16th, 2007, 11:34 AM
if you want quiet hdd's you can't go wrong with Samsung Spinpoints

I have 3 of them (x2 500GB sata x1 200GB pata) and i have had no problems with them whatsoever (except for human error)

slimdog360
September 16th, 2007, 11:36 AM
seagate > WD

Samsung make a good silent hdd too.

Pancetilla
September 16th, 2007, 11:41 AM
I made a "quiet" (no silent) pc a year ago. Everything worked nice, I'm more than happy

Abit 32n motherboard (for AMD 3800 X2 64 bits proccesor)
Gigabyte Nvidia 7600 GT

Passive cooled both of them

Antec p150 tower with the stock power source (very quiet)
One of those Samsung HD mentioned

Now I can listen to my music :lolflag:

sp0onman
September 16th, 2007, 11:58 AM
hdd is personal choice really, i go with western digital cause ive never had one fail. Vid card brand doesnt really matter as nvidia keeps a tight leash on what the distributors can change, only dif usually is the packaged software and the heatsink/fan.

if you want the best mobo go for a Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6. do a little research yourself, always the best way.

izanbardprince
September 16th, 2007, 12:10 PM
I'm going to buy a new computer these days and just wanted to get the advice of the members of the forum in choosing the right brands and types for each part of the new computer. Here's what I'm planning on getting:-

Intel Quad Core processer G0 model
Intel mainboard
nvidia 8800 GTX VGA card
Plextor DVD-ROM
2 GB RAM Kingston HyperX
Onboard Audio card

One thing I'm really not sure about is the brand of the hard drives I'm going to use. So I would appreciate any help on this as well.

Thanks.:)

I would use:

AMD Phenom X4 (I hate Intel)
Nvidia Motherboard (Nvidia motherboards are the shiznit!)
ATI Radeon (AMD's ATI Radeon drivers are going open source, so expect full 3d acceleration and compositing out of the box in Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, Nvidia users will still need to compile kernel modules)
Cheapie Lite-On DVD writer combo drive deal from Walmart (They last forever, really, they do!)
2 GB of whatever RAM is in the Open Box list at Newegg (it's all the same, just the price is higher on name brand sticks)
Onboard audio is dandy
Seagate Barricuda hard disk

PmDematagoda
September 16th, 2007, 12:15 PM
Does Seagate make SATA hard drives as well?

And what kind of cooling system would be recommended for the Intel Quad-core processor, and what advantages, other than a lesser price would I get by getting the AMD Phenom X4?

sp0onman
September 16th, 2007, 12:16 PM
as the phenom is not out(also there are goin to be 3 core phenoms), the core 2 duo's are the best around. hardware should be chosen on its performance and compatibility. dont get cheap ram, dont get the most expensive go in between. i always go for corsair. ATi's current gen cards are second best atm to nvidia, but izanbardprince said the drivers are now opens source.

izanbardprince
September 16th, 2007, 12:36 PM
as the phenom is not out(also there are goin to be 3 core phenoms), the core 2 duo's are the best around. hardware should be chosen on its performance and compatibility. dont get cheap ram, dont get the most expensive go in between. i always go for corsair. ATi's current gen cards are second best atm to nvidia, but izanbardprince said the drivers are now opens source.

I'd say Phenom is worth sticking with what you have and waiting for.

Spike-X
September 16th, 2007, 12:43 PM
Does Seagate make SATA hard drives as well?


Yes.

newman
September 16th, 2007, 12:46 PM
I've had good luck with Seagate and worst luck with WD. I've had good luck Kingston, Crucial, and Corsair memory.

afonic
September 16th, 2007, 12:53 PM
I used to trust Seagate as all their drivers I got are still working, some after years and years. However when I read they bought Maxtor I lost that trust. You can't be sure what they manufacture where, and I had bought 3 Maxtors and 2 of them died (one of them caught fire - REAL fire).

Of course Seagate offers 5 years warranty but imo what is imprortant in a hard disk is not to fail, cause the data are irreplaceable than getting a new one when the old fails.

Spr0k3t
September 16th, 2007, 12:56 PM
Does Seagate make SATA hard drives as well?

And what kind of cooling system would be recommended for the Intel Quad-core processor, and what advantages, other than a lesser price would I get by getting the AMD Phenom X4?

As for SATA drives from Seagate, read the reviews: On Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150014+50001305+1035915133&name=SATA+3.0Gb%2fs)

For cooling, unless you plan on building a total gaming package, your best bet is to stick with air cooling systems. I prefer the Zalman 92mm cpu fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223), hands down one of the best air cpu coolers ever made.

newman
September 16th, 2007, 12:58 PM
All hard drives will fail - it's just a matter on how long before that happens.
If your data is important, then back it up!

PmDematagoda
September 16th, 2007, 01:29 PM
Is it possible to achieve proper coolng by just the CPU box? If so, what would you recommend?

regomodo
September 16th, 2007, 04:26 PM
Is it possible to achieve proper coolng by just the CPU box? If so, what would you recommend?

very likely but don't you dare try overclocking as it'll get expensive when that cpu fries.

i wouldn't worry about keeping your hdd cool. Google's report on failing hdd's found no link to heat and is something which quietpc.co.uk has picked up on and have stated by their hdd cooling products.

PmDematagoda
September 16th, 2007, 04:37 PM
I usually tend to experiment with software and OSes, but when it comes to stuff like processors I prefer to keep the factory defaults, especially if that processor is an Intel Quad-core.:)

samb0057
September 19th, 2007, 01:57 PM
I would recommend a gigabyte motherboard for sure, they are by far the most compatible with linux I have dealt with. As for a hard drive, most major brands are about the same, reliability largely depends on how the drive has been handled (shipping, etc), so i would recommend buying this from a local store, rather than ordering online.

As for video card I would go with mostly NVidia, but keep in mind ATI is releasing an open source driver so you might want to check that out.

Check out www.ubuntuhcl.org if you want to check on hardware compatibility.

PmDematagoda
September 19th, 2007, 02:18 PM
How are nvidia mainboards and SLI?

merlyn
September 19th, 2007, 02:49 PM
Gigabyte or Asus for mainboards, WD or Seagate for HDDs Corsair for memory, Antec do indeed make nice cases though if you've got the readies check out Lian Li.

Cheers.

Nano Geek
September 19th, 2007, 02:59 PM
If I were you, I wouldn't buy a quad-core. They don't have much of a performance gain over dual-cores, and they cost a lot more. I have a Core 2 Duo and I love it. Its perfectly fast enough for me.

Bachstelze
September 19th, 2007, 03:01 PM
Gigabyte or Asus for mainboards

MSI makes very Linux-friendly ones, too - I'm perfectly happy with my new K9N SLI Platinum.

nowshining
September 19th, 2007, 03:02 PM
for hard drives

Seagate :) I bumped, knocked and dropped my hard drive and it's still a rockin'

Nano Geek
September 19th, 2007, 03:03 PM
Here's the motherboard (http://www.pcworld.com/product/specs/id,29709-chid,6287/specs.html) I bought recently.
It runs perfectly under Ubuntu.

Bachstelze
September 19th, 2007, 03:03 PM
+1 for Seagate drives, though I always use a 36 GiB WD Raptor to install my OSes on, 10,000 rpm is cool :D

nowshining
September 19th, 2007, 03:05 PM
Hymm yeah Seagates are tough My second Drive is a Western Digital Too and well it sucks even tho it has a bit more storage than the seagate - the performance is awful. Both are 80GB drives. IDE oh 10,000 rpm - I have 7500 or so, 10,000 must be sweet. Lucky you. :P

notwen
September 19th, 2007, 03:17 PM
For HDDs I prefer Maxtor or Seagate.

Gfx cards I prefer Nvidia over ATI.

In the end it's all the same, just a matter of opinion. =]

LaRoza
September 19th, 2007, 03:20 PM
Most hardware will work, but I use WD drives (no problems), Kingston RAM (no problems), and Mad Dog optical drives (no problems). Get the processor that fits your needs, I would get a dual core 64 bit, because they are not that expensive, and are the future.

I haven't used hardware which would have driver issues, so can't help there.

PmDematagoda
September 19th, 2007, 03:23 PM
Here are my changes to what I'm getting based on the advice I got until now:-

Consideration of Core2Duo for Quad core
Use Seagate for data storage, Raptor for OS.

MSI or Gigabyte mainboard.

Do MSI or Gigabyte motherboards support SLI?

Bachstelze
September 19th, 2007, 03:27 PM
Do MSI or Gigabyte motherboards support SLI?

Like with all vendors, some models do and some don't.

ingis
September 19th, 2007, 03:29 PM
Next my computer will be Dell or Lenovo I think.

glupee
September 19th, 2007, 04:03 PM
Here are my changes to what I'm getting based on the advice I got until now:-

Consideration of Core2Duo for Quad core
Use Seagate for data storage, Raptor for OS.

MSI or Gigabyte mainboard.

Do MSI or Gigabyte motherboards support SLI?
I have it understood that SLI is overrated and more expensive than beneficial.
Check these pages out. One is for single card setups the other is for dual-quad card setups. Wish they were on the same page, but it's easy to tab beside each other to compare performance. The gain isn't normally worth the price of a second card (the performance doesn't double or even come close to), but the choice it yours ;)

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_sli2007.html

merlyn
September 20th, 2007, 12:23 AM
MSI makes very Linux-friendly ones, too - I'm perfectly happy with my new K9N SLI Platinum.

Perhaps they've picked up their act then.

I help a mate of mine out in his OEM business when things get too much for him. Which is handy cause I get all my hardware @ wholesale.

I can tell you that he's not a fan of MSI boards, or any other MSI component for that matter.

Frankly with the kinds of problems I've experienced helping him out I'm not surprised, mostly with regard to build quality.

Cheers.

Frak
September 20th, 2007, 12:25 AM
Intel, Intel, Intel, Intel, Intel, Nvidia, Intel, Intel

jimrz
September 20th, 2007, 03:12 AM
Does Seagate make SATA hard drives as well?

And what kind of cooling system would be recommended for the Intel Quad-core processor, and what advantages, other than a lesser price would I get by getting the AMD Phenom X4?

yep ... have 2x 250 Gb SATA2 Seagates on this box, only 11 months old but never a problem and relatively quiet

Compucore
September 20th, 2007, 03:31 AM
Drive wase I would go with seagate or Western Digital. both are good I find. ANd it depends on preference. interface onto the hard drive themselve. Regular users Sata or EIDE are good. with larger hard drive. But preference wise I would stick with SCSI. Call me an old folgy on this in dealing with repairing servers that are running raid array 4 or 5 on them. I would go with scsi personally. Since they can go as high as 10-15000 RPM on each drive. I've worked with both AMD and intel. I would probably work with AMD again. Probably go through with a dual chip with dual core or quad processors. And of course memory and OS afterwards.

Compucore


P.S. before I forget over here. as well. SCSI wise. They can take a harder beating with large reads and writes to the drives. And I find that they can take the beating over all. Not to say that Sata cannot do the same thing. But I have always seen SCSI drives mostly on server side for small, medium and large companies. I am just basing it on my personal preferences.

As for buying a standard workstation or laptop. my next computer would most likely be from Lenovo/IBM and not with Dell or HP for their computers.