Building a Computer

[SYNACK]

@Kmount - even for dual VDU I'd challenge anyone to see the difference between a DVI and VGA monitor on screen sizes below around 24". Can't remember the max resolution a VGA signal will support, but until you hit that res. there is no difference between the two.

 

DVI is more resistant to interference and handles colour reproduction better on may moniters so it depends on your environment, your moniter and how much attention you pay to the colours as to how easy it is to notice the difference.

 

As to the OP I would strongly recommend dual moniters, it is an absolute criminal waste to limit a computer with that much processing power to one moniter. From a user point of view the shear visual impact of 2 x 22" moniters actually gives a percived power increase greater than most actual speed upgrades. It is also really handy for both video and image editing as it gives you space to do it in an uncluttered way. Oh and I would also recommend a branded PSU of around the 600W mark.

[mac_shinobi]

Not sure if it's true but have heard a lot of people comment on creative sound cards saying they are better for gaming so what about an m audio or yamaha sound card- obviously depending on your budget Edited January 28, 2009 by mac_shinobi

[somabc]

64 bit XP would be a waste of time, a ZX spectrum has better driver support than 64 bit XP

 

I would use either 64 bit Linux / OS X / or Vista (Win7?)

[SYNACK]

Not sure if it's true but have heard a lot of people comment on creative sound cards saying they are better for gaming so what about an m audio or yamaha sound card- obviously depending on your budget

 

Not as true as it was for XP as Creative really dropped the ball for the new driver model in Vista. The new high deffinition audio system in Vista was incompatible with the built in sound processors in the high end Creative cards so they were all basicly working badly at about the integrated sound level of performance. I don't know whether they have finally got their act together with regard to drivers and redesigning their hardware but I would suggest caution as last I heard their drivers were really buggy and unstable.

[kmount]

@Kmount - even for dual VDU I'd challenge anyone to see the difference between a DVI and VGA monitor on screen sizes below around 24". Can't remember the max resolution a VGA signal will support, but until you hit that res. there is no difference between the two.

 

And if the OP goes above 24" it would make his investment less fruitful. For information, VGA tops out at 2048x1536 versus DVI's 2560x1600 which isn't a large difference but if you're speccing it up you might aswell go for the best if you can afford it.

 

Plus, it seems fairly pointless to have a single VGA and a single DVI connection if you buy matching monitors.

 

It's all about what if as the OP is speccing on behalf of a client.

[mac_shinobi]

Not as true as it was for XP as Creative really dropped the ball for the new driver model in Vista. The new high deffinition audio system in Vista was incompatible with the built in sound processors in the high end Creative cards so they were all basicly working badly at about the integrated sound level of performance. I don't know whether they have finally got their act together with regard to drivers and redesigning their hardware but I would suggest caution as last I heard their drivers were really buggy and unstable.

 

what are the m audio cards like in comparison - or will they still have the same issue due to vista and the whole driver mess ?

[PeterW]

Only problem may be if the PSU is cheap in the case (for £25 this is likely) it may cause problems down the line with the demand especially with that beast of a CPU, the memory and the GFX Card.

 

That case is really poor and the 500w psu is purely jackanory. If he does want to skrimp on the case/psu at least get a decent psu and have a shoddy case, how about this Coolermaster RC-590 Midi Tower Case with Cmaster eXtreme 500W PSU Fitted - Scan.co.uk