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CLW
05-10-2011, 10:10 AM
Perhaps I'm odd but I actually like/prefer using a desktop over my laptop. My laptop is nice for traveling but when I am home I like/prefer using my desktop.

My desktop is now nearly 6 years old and has recently started getting slower and doing "dumps" (at random times the screen just turns blue and give a big long explanation on what happened). I power down and back up and it works for a day or two only to require a rinse/repeat at some point.

I think I'll likely be in the market for a new desktop once I move and get my job situation figured out. Any of you guys have any suggestions/recommendations?

JBHuskers
05-10-2011, 10:21 AM
You looking very high end or something to surf?

CLW
05-10-2011, 10:47 AM
You looking very high end or something to surf?

Probably closer to "high end". I am really hoping that my job search pans out to where I can afford to splurge and buy the following for a gaming setup:

(1) HDPVR or some sort of HDMI capture card (Black Magic Intensity Shuttle)

(2) A 2nd 27" monitor to go with my current monitor so that I can have both my CPU and PS3 on at the same time (if the Component to HDMI converter doesn't work I'd need a monitor with Component inputs)

(3) A new desktop to make highlight videos and stream live games on sites like JTV

(4) Any programs necessary for #3.

(5) A set of decent gaming headphones

(6) Speakers for my computer monitor(s) that would hopefully also work when my PS3 is on.

oweb26
05-10-2011, 10:52 AM
Well I can tell you what I am currently building and it might give you some ideas but my current build is more towards the high end as I actually plan on using this one for awhile:

ASUS P6T motherboard
Intel Core i7 960
Tri-channel DDR3 (12GB) total <-----using every slot available pretty much
2 Radeon HD 6970 cross fired
Corsair 1000 wt power supply, might go back down to a 750 not that big of a price difference though
Obsidian 800D Case
27' LCD monitor and probably a second monitor more than likely smaller.
1TB HD & an 80GB Dedicated HD

I wont list the disck drives or anything as they aren't that special

I have purchased everything except the video cards and the screen. Go figure the two most expensive pieces. lol
I am not in a big rush so it might not be until Sept or later when I finish as I am having a baby in June so money is going to baby stuff for the time being.

oweb26
05-10-2011, 10:54 AM
Probably closer to "high end". I am really hoping that my job search pans out to where I can afford to splurge and buy the following for a gaming setup:

(1) HDPVR or some sort of HDMI capture card (Black Magic Intensity Shuttle)

(2) A 2nd 27" monitor to go with my current monitor so that I can have both my CPU and PS3 on at the same time (if the Component to HDMI converter doesn't work I'd need a monitor with Component inputs)

(3) A new desktop to make highlight videos and stream live games on sites like JTV

(4) Any programs necessary for #3.

(5) A set of decent gaming headphones

(6) Speakers for my computer monitor(s) that would hopefully also work when my PS3 is on.

The build I just posted is capable of all that and more. You can probably drop one the video cards, or just buy the 5970 which has 2GB of video Ram but is crazy expensive.

CLW
05-10-2011, 10:59 AM
Yeah I have heard allot of people say "have someone build you a CPU" instead of buying from Dell; HP; etc... The problem is I have virtually ZERO clue about what specifics I would want in a CPU. I.e. all that stuff you listed above I have no clue what any of that means.

Basically, I use my CPU to surf the web; email and I'd like the ability to stream/post video with my capture card.

I do NOT use my CPU for gaming as I do my gaming exclusively on my PS3.

oweb26
05-10-2011, 11:06 AM
I didnt have a clue either I just did alot of research and followed others builds, Yeah I dont think you will as much juice as the one I listed but you will need a decent one to capture video.

I would say just get a decent setup from Dell,HP or whatever. You will more than likely need the one that says gaming in the footnote but you really cant game on it. lol

Maybe the one that is designed with movie editing in mind, without something to look at I'm purely speculating right now.

gschwendt
05-10-2011, 11:29 AM
Actually capturing the video with the HD-PVR isn't all that intensive because all of the processing is actually done on the device itself. WHere you'll need to make sure you have a decent rig (though doesn't have to be all that fancy) is when you're editing videos. Here's my current setup and I can play pretty much every PC game on Very High and then also run my video editing smooth as butter.

MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290)
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402)
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500173)

As for the software you'll need for editing HD-PVR videos, you'll want Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4ZQKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003L4ZQKQ)... not just because it's quite a good piece of software at a reasonable price but also because Sony designed one of the proprietary formats that the HD-PVR uses (M2TS).

morsdraconis
05-10-2011, 12:15 PM
Actually capturing the video with the HD-PVR isn't all that intensive because all of the processing is actually done on the device itself. WHere you'll need to make sure you have a decent rig (though doesn't have to be all that fancy) is when you're editing videos. Here's my current setup and I can play pretty much every PC game on Very High and then also run my video editing smooth as butter.

MSI 870-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290)
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402)
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500173)

As for the software you'll need for editing HD-PVR videos, you'll want Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4ZQKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003L4ZQKQ)... not just because it's quite a good piece of software at a reasonable price but also because Sony designed one of the proprietary formats that the HD-PVR uses (M2TS).

+1

Pretty much exactly what I was going to post though I was going to recommend going with MSI products as much as possible as they are VERY good manufacturers when it comes to video cards/motherboards.

The 1090T Black Edition is SWEET (currently my processor as well). I only have 4 gigs of ram instead of 8 (will be solving that soon) but even with 4, it's ridiculously fast at video processing and such.

As for the GTX 460, as you can see from the link, Newegg no longer carries the 768MB RAM versions, but I bought the 1GB RAM one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510) and I'm QUITE happy with it. Video gaming has never been so wonderful.

You could definitely purchase the above, with this case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068), this power supply, (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152036) and 2 of these case fans to replace the default ones that come with the case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150037) and you'll be golden.


Price Breakdown


Component | Cost
AMD 1090T CPU | $189.99
MSI Geforce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 | $194.99
MSI 870-G45 Mobo | $74.99
8gigs of DDR3 RAM | $104.99
Coolmaster Case | $54.99
RAIDMAX 730W Powersupply | $59.99
2x MASSCOOL 80mm Case Fans | $9.98
3-day UPS Ground Shipping usually from New Jersey | ~$23.15
Grand Total Price: | ~$713.07 (depending on shipping costs)

CLW
05-10-2011, 12:25 PM
O.K. if I go the route of buying all the parts seperately who do I get to put them all together and make them work? Also would I also need to purchase Windows seperately?

gschwendt
05-10-2011, 12:29 PM
O.K. if I go the route of buying all the parts seperately who do I get to put them all together and make them work?
You. Seriously... these days, everything is color coded and ridiculously easy (especially compared to even 15 years ago when I started really messing around with it). All you need is a phillips screw driver. So long as you buy all of the right components to work together, you really won't have any difficulty.
I didn't watch all of it, but this looks like a really good walkthrough of putting together a PC

http://vimeo.com/5685229


Also would I also need to purchase Windows seperately?
Yes. I would recommend Windows 7 64-bit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986&cm_re=windows_7_64_bit-_-32-116-986-_-Product) ($100).

CLW
05-10-2011, 12:50 PM
Wow that is quite a bit cheaper than some of the desktops from the manufactuers I was looking at:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/studio-xps-9100/fs ($1000 - $2300)


http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do;HHOJSID=S5SVNJ6Vs18D1vTw7y2g7TGHDNVt NXM16L8vQgZ6DsW2h1sChKTG!-1737170116?storeName=computer_store&landing=desktops&a1=Category&v1=High+performance&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/High_performance

($600 - $1550)

morsdraconis
05-10-2011, 12:52 PM
Yeah, putting together a PC is really easy. There's really only a few things you need to watch out for and the video goes over all of them except that you need to make sure that the case has what the video calls standoffs. They screw into the side of the case and are what lines up with your motherboard to keep it in the air away from the metal part of the case (metal touching the top or bottom of the motherboard is VERY bad). The cases usually come with them pre-screwed in, but sometimes not so you need to make sure that they are.

Also, forgot to add a SATA harddrive to the above, but newegg has plenty of them of varying sizes (I personally have a 650gb SATA drive that isn't even anywhere close to being full and I'm one pirating mofo when it comes to music/games/software ;) ).

morsdraconis
05-10-2011, 12:54 PM
Wow that is quite a bit cheaper than some of the desktops from the manufactuers I was looking at:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/studio-xps-9100/fs ($1000 - $2300)


http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do;HHOJSID=S5SVNJ6Vs18D1vTw7y2g7TGHDNVt NXM16L8vQgZ6DsW2h1sChKTG!-1737170116?storeName=computer_store&landing=desktops&a1=Category&v1=High+performance&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/High_performance

($600 - $1550)

Exactly. Buying a computer from a manufacturer is, for the most part, a total ripoff. Pretty much buying one from anyone that's not Alienware (one of the most expensive places to buy PCs from) is asking for shitty aftermarket parts in at least two of the most important parts of the computer (REALLY shitty Motherboards are the normal spot for manufacturers to skimp on and screw you over with along with shitty powersupplies).

CLW
05-10-2011, 02:45 PM
I'll definitely have to look into it. I presume there would also be "reputable" sources (I'm thinking Ma and Pa computer repair stores) that would also build one for me for the price of parts + some fairly reasonable labor charge which would still be better and cheaper than buying from HP/Dell?

oweb26
05-10-2011, 02:59 PM
You can honestly do it yourself. The hardest part is installing all the damn drivers and then its not really hard as it is time consuming. Take the computer build challenge man.

CLW
05-10-2011, 03:13 PM
You can honestly do it yourself. The hardest part is installing all the damn drivers and then its not really hard as it is time consuming. Take the computer build challenge man.

Yeah I know allot of people do it. However, I always think of pro se litigants who think they can do law w/o a license or some idiot that thinks they could do a surgery w/o going through medical school; residency; fellowship etc... b/c they saw some program (Greys Anatomy) on t.v.

Perhaps I am just thinking it HAS to be more complicated than it looks. Have all of you guys built your own PCs?

If so, how long did it take you / how long would it take a complete noob who's only experience working on PCs was when I had to replace the memory on my Dell a few years back and the Indian service rep walked me through the process? (which was actually pretty easy just flip the little "latch" and pull out pop in new push down the "latch" and make sure everything was lined up properly)

gschwendt
05-10-2011, 03:30 PM
10-15 years ago, you'd be right that it was much harder than it should have been. Today though, they specifically design it so that things really only work one way. So long as you order all of the right parts (just give us a run down of everything you're ordering and we can confirm for you), then you really can't screw it up so long as you half a sense of carful.

I've been building PCs for 15 years and never once bought a "brand-name" PC... only brand-name stuff I bought was my netbook and you can't really build one of those.

Hell, with replacing RAM, you're more experienced than a lot of the rest of the world. I promise you, it really isn't that much more difficult. You just put all of the pieces together (like that video shows), plug it in, put the Windows DVD in the drive, then when it boots up, it will read the DVD and begin Windows installation from there.

I'll even volunteer that you can call or text me if you get stuck during the process.

CLW
05-10-2011, 04:04 PM
10-15 years ago, you'd be right that it was much harder than it should have been. Today though, they specifically design it so that things really only work one way. So long as you order all of the right parts (just give us a run down of everything you're ordering and we can confirm for you), then you really can't screw it up so long as you half a sense of carful.

I've been building PCs for 15 years and never once bought a "brand-name" PC... only brand-name stuff I bought was my netbook and you can't really build one of those.

Hell, with replacing RAM, you're more experienced than a lot of the rest of the world. I promise you, it really isn't that much more difficult. You just put all of the pieces together (like that video shows), plug it in, put the Windows DVD in the drive, then when it boots up, it will read the DVD and begin Windows installation from there.

I'll even volunteer that you can call or text me if you get stuck during the process.

Be careful what you wish for as I'll have you on speed dial and take up all of your cell phone minutes when I forget to plug the power cord in. :fp: :nod:

gschwendt
05-10-2011, 04:35 PM
Be careful what you wish for as I'll have you on speed dial and take up all of your cell phone minutes when I forget to plug the power cord in. :fp: :nod:
I'll give you the burner cell phone that I always have on me in case of psycho women :)

morsdraconis
05-10-2011, 05:37 PM
:D

I've built the last 3 computers I've owned so don't hesitate to hit me up either man. It's a process, but, truthfully, it's so damn simple, it's ridiculous. Especially with a fresh install of Windows 7 64bit. Windows 7 has pretty much every driver you'll need except for the ones that come with your motherboard and those are just on a CD that you pop in (forgot to add a DVDrom drive to the above list as well) and go through the process of installing. It's really nothing too big of a headache, but definitely set aside a few hours the day that you're expecting the delivery because it can take a bit of time once you get it up and running to get it where you want it.

One thing you'll definitely want to do is have a backup available of whatever anti-virus software you use (or the install CD if you use one that you actually pay for - personally, AVG is better than 95% of the pay ones and it's completely free) and a backup of a different browser than IE8 (biggest mistake you could possibly make is logging onto the internet with IE8 on a fresh install - that's where a good 50% of people get their first virus).

CLW
05-10-2011, 06:01 PM
LOL O.K. I'm going to need the COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR OWN P.C. I keep noticing "Oh yeah I forgot you also need ..."


EDIT: LMAO - wife came in from work saw me watching videos on how to build your own PC and then laughed and said "You are NOT doing that" .... "You will have it in a million pieces and have no CPU" :smh:

I OU a Beatn
05-11-2011, 10:36 PM
Don't listen to her. It's a general rule of thumb that when your wife or girlfriend says you can't do something - you can do it.

JerzeyReign
05-12-2011, 05:09 AM
I normally just go to all the 'cheap' ones and then buy the most expensive one... Dude, your getting a Dell! :) (Remember those commercials?)

morsdraconis
05-12-2011, 07:22 AM
LOL O.K. I'm going to need the COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR OWN P.C. I keep noticing "Oh yeah I forgot you also need ..."


EDIT: LMAO - wife came in from work saw me watching videos on how to build your own PC and then laughed and said "You are NOT doing that" .... "You will have it in a million pieces and have no CPU" :smh:

First off, you can't possibly have it in a million pieces unless you took a sledgehammer to it. Secondly, seriously, it's retarded easy. It's so easy, you'll think you did something wrong, but you didn't.

oweb26
05-12-2011, 07:49 AM
First off, you can't possibly have it in a million pieces unless you took a sledgehammer to it. Secondly, seriously, it's retarded easy. It's so easy, you'll think you did something wrong, but you didn't.

I agree with this and once you finish if you need to swap some things out you can because you will not have some crappy parts and then not be able to upgrade anything but you RAM, it even saves money in the long run.

CLW
05-12-2011, 01:08 PM
Yeah I am probably going to give it a whirl (after I secure a job in Houston which I am working on this week) I have notes down and once I decide on a potential setup I'll post it here and see what you guys think (areas to improve areas I could save $ on etc...)

gschwendt
05-14-2011, 10:47 PM
CLW, as you go through putting together your system, I highly recommend subscribing to RSS feeds from Techbargains.com, Dealnews.com, & Slickdeals.net. All three post various deals and you can easily put together a great system from what they post... this is especially true if you're patient enough to buy things one at a time (ie get the case today, a week later get the motherboard & cpu, etc.)

morsdraconis
05-17-2011, 09:22 PM
So, a bit off topic, but what's the best (for a decent price) PVR/video capture card that you guys recommend? I'm going to actually make use of my beast machine once I get around to getting my 360 fixed and I'd like to get a decent video game recording/editing setup going. I've already got the video editing software, I just really need to figure out what price point I'm lookin' at having to achieve for a decent capture software from an outside of my pc source. Suggestions?

gschwendt
05-17-2011, 09:27 PM
So, a bit off topic, but what's the best (for a decent price) PVR/video capture card that you guys recommend? I'm going to actually make use of my beast machine once I get around to getting my 360 fixed and I'd like to get a decent video game recording/editing setup going. I've already got the video editing software, I just really need to figure out what price point I'm lookin' at having to achieve for a decent capture software from an outside of my pc source. Suggestions?
Hauppauge HD-PVR (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018LX0DY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0018LX0DY) is the best/simplest capturing Component. If you have a rig (I assume ours qualifies), the Blackmagic Intensity Pro will capture HDMI though I have no experience with it and eventually, the HDMI capture will eventually be shut down if not already.

As far as video editing software, which do you have? I highly recommend Sony Vegas (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4ZQKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003L4ZQKQ) because the captured footage out of the HD-PVR is near proprietary to Sony and works seamlessly with Vegas whereas you might have to convert first in order to edit.

morsdraconis
05-17-2011, 09:45 PM
Hauppauge HD-PVR (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018LX0DY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0018LX0DY) is the best/simplest capturing Component. If you have a rig (I assume ours qualifies), the Blackmagic Intensity Pro will capture HDMI though I have no experience with it and eventually, the HDMI capture will eventually be shut down if not already.

Yeah, I figured the Hauppauge HD-PVR was going to be the one to go after. Not sure if I'm going to be willing to throw down that kind of money on it right now though. Definitely will keep that in mind.


As far as video editing software, which do you have? I highly recommend Sony Vegas (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L4ZQKQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thegamtai-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003L4ZQKQ) because the captured footage out of the HD-PVR is near proprietary to Sony and works seamlessly with Vegas whereas you might have to convert first in order to edit.

Yeah, I remember you saying that the default footage from the HD-PVR was a proprietary enclosure that Sony used. I actually already have that software haven't really used it very much though.


Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely have the rig for the setup just gotta save up the money for capture setup (and deciding if I really want to do that).

Boucher
05-23-2011, 09:51 AM
Id rather use Imovie or final cut express than vegas