New Desktop post
 

I just customized this desktop at dell.ca:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6800 (8MB L2 Cache,3.2GHz Factory overclocked) English edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition edit
MEMORY 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-4 DIMMs edit
HARD DRIVE 320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache edit
SOUND CARD Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card edit
GRAPHICS CARD Dual 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability edit
MONITOR No Monitor edit
Essentials
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft Works 8. DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD edit
INTERNET OFFERS No ISP requested edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE PC-cillin Internet Security with AntiVirus and Spyware removal 36-months edit
MODEM No Modem Requested edit
ONLINE DATA STORAGE 10GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Year edit
FLOPPY DRIVE & MEDIA READER Dell 13-in-1 Media Reader with Bluetooth edit
WARRANTY 1 Year Next Business Day Onsite/In Home Service and Tech Support edit
Accessories
SPEAKERS No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system) edit
KEYBOARD Dell USB Keyboard edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Option 1 No Digital Music Software Requested
Option 2 No Digital Imaging Software Requested





its going to cost around 4,000 CDN

I want it for playing poker and running large PT databases, running my 30 and 20 inch screens maybe playing a vid game here and there but I dont really game much, watching some movies and playing music while I play also.

Am I missing anything? I also want it to last as long as possible but I know that's hard to predict with this kind of thing.

Is there maybe something I should add or something different I should look into? Im pretty incompetent at this type of thing in general

thanks everyone!

Re: New Desktop post
 

You don't need 4G of memory or the on-line storage. I'd call them up and double check that the video card will run the monitors you want before ordering it so you can blame someone if it doesn't work when you get it.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
You don't need 4G of memory or the on-line storage. I'd call them up and double check that the video card will run the monitors you want before ordering it so you can blame someone if it doesn't work when you get it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I asked a customer service rep on the online chat feature who said that the card would run 4 30inchs at once if I wanted, maybe I should double check that somewhere else.

I think the online storgae thing comes with it for free but Ill double check that.

Why dont you think I need 4GB of memory? I like to have lots of applications open at the same time wouldnt it be best to have as much memory as possible?

Re: New Desktop post
 

Gaming nerds would kill for this system. It is just about as balla as it gets and overkill for your needs, but you're neglecting your hard drive. You should get a 10k RPM drive if you're going to be dealing with larg databases. I don't know if dell offers a 10k drive, though. 4gb of RAM may not help much over 2gb, but it certainly won't hurt anything.

Ditch microsoft works too, even if it is free.

Edit: It will definitely run four 30" if you want.

Re: New Desktop post
 

Here is the list of HDs offered... what exactly does teh 7200 and 10k #s mean? is that the speed that it will access the stored info?



160GB - WD Raptor 10000RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache [add $100 or $3/month1]
320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache [Included in Price]
500GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache [add $50 or $2/month1]
More space to store your music, photos and videos
750GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache [add $210 or $6/month1]
1TB - Hitachi 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 32MB Cache [add $360 or $9/month1]
320GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 160GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $40 or $1/month1]
500GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 250GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $110 or $3/month1]
320GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 160GB WD Raptor SATA 1.5Gb/s 10,000 RPM HDDs) [add $610 or $16/month1]
320GB Data Security RAID 1 (2 x 320GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $210 or $6/month1]
640GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 320GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $210 or $6/month1]
500GB Data Security RAID 1 (2 x 500GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $370 or $10/month1]
1TB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 500GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $370 or $10/month1]
750GB Data Security RAID 1 (2 x 750GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $610 or $16/month1]
1.5TB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 750GB Seagate SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $610 or $16/month1]
1TB Data Security RAID 1 (2 x 1TB Hitachi SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $910 or $23/month1]
2TB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 1TB Hitachi SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) [add $910 or $23/month1]

Re: New Desktop post
 

I don't think Vista makes much use of anything over 2.5 or 3G so paying for more than 2 just doesn't give you the performance boost for the money. Downgrade to 2 and get faster disk drives.

Re: New Desktop post
 

How many monitors do you want to run? (dual graphics cards for faster games, not much else other than >2 monitors). Do you mind how loud the system is? (10k drives louder, dual graphics louder). 10k/7200 is the RPM the drive spins at. 4GB is fine.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
Here is the list of HDs offered... what exactly does teh 7200 and 10k #s mean? is that the speed that it will access the stored info?

[/ QUOTE ]

Much like a CD drive, inside a hard disk there is a bit that spins around where the data is stored.

the 7200 and 10k numbers are the number of times that platter spins per minute - thus, the faster it spins, the faster you can get data off the hard disk.

on the downside, faster spinning drives make more noise, use more energy and are slightly hotter. that said, they're better for what you want, and i suspect that the cost is not much of an issue.

the one that you want is:

[ QUOTE ]
160GB - WD Raptor 10000RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache [add $100 or $3/month1]


[/ QUOTE ]

in addition to that, you may also want to buy one of the slower, larger hard disks for storing video and stuff. that'd be where the 320gb disk would come in handy.


other comments:
a) 4gb of ram is not going to give you much better performance than 2gb.
b) getting two 8800gtx video cards is ridiculously excessive for what you're likely to use it for.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Here is the list of HDs offered... what exactly does teh 7200 and 10k #s mean? is that the speed that it will access the stored info?

[/ QUOTE ]

Much like a CD drive, inside a hard disk there is a bit that spins around where the data is stored.

the 7200 and 10k numbers are the number of times that platter spins per minute - thus, the faster it spins, the faster you can get data off the hard disk.

on the downside, faster spinning drives make more noise, use more energy and are slightly hotter. that said, they're better for what you want, and i suspect that the cost is not much of an issue.

the one that you want is:

[ QUOTE ]
320GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 160GB WD Raptor SATA 1.5Gb/s 10,000 RPM HDDs) [add $610 or $16/month1] for database purposes / game installations


[/ QUOTE ]

in addition to that, you [ QUOTE ]
will certainly[/b] want to buy one of the slower, larger hard disks for storing the operating system, a database backup, video and stuff. that'd be where the 320gb disk would come in handy.
also another 320GB+ external HDD for more backups

other comments:
a) 4gb of ram is not going to give you much better performance than 2gb.
b) getting two 8800gtx video cards is ridiculously excessive for what you're likely to use it for.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

For the most part, I agree. Given the price, I'd go 4GB over 2... but I'd sooner get 8GB and Vista x64. That *will* make a difference on large databases, but only when a x64 postgreSQL for windows is available, IIRC not yet.

EDIT: The additional price for the second Raptor is ridiculous... much more economical to not buy any Raptors from Dell, just a 320GB or whatever.. then fit a pair in "Performance RAID" mode for database use yourself aftermarket... but you'd have to be comfortable doing so.

dave.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
FYP [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

For the most part, I agree. Given the price, I'd go 4GB over 2... but I'd sooner get 8GB and Vista x64. That *will* make a difference on large databases, but only when a x64 postgreSQL for windows is available, IIRC not yet.

EDIT: The additional price for the second Raptor is ridiculous... much more economical to not buy any Raptors from Dell, just a 320GB or whatever.. then fit a pair in "Performance RAID" mode for database use yourself aftermarket... but you'd have to be comfortable doing so.

dave.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

this reminds me of watching poker, with the railbirds always saying to "Call, call, call!"

It's always much easier to put money into the pot when it's not your money.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
b) getting two 8800gtx video cards is ridiculously excessive for what you're likely to use it for.

[/ QUOTE ]


can you elaborate on this?

In my current setup I only use one dell 30inch and one dell 20inch screen but I would like the ability to have a third monitor in the future if I should choose to add that again as I have in the passt and I was under the impression I would need a sceond card for that purpose?

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
can you elaborate on this?

In my current setup I only use one dell 30inch and one dell 20inch screen but I would like the ability to have a third monitor in the future if I should choose to add that again as I have in the passt and I was under the impression I would need a sceond card for that purpose?

[/ QUOTE ]

According to newegg.com, you're going to be paying something in the order of $600 for each 8800gtx.

By comparison, one of the cards listed here at newegg will give you the functionally equivalent result. these cost around $75 (get one with a dvi plug) or so.


getting two 8800gtx cards is somewhat like buying a Ferrari F430 - and then getting a second F430 one to go to the shops as well. Sure, get a supercar for your fast driving, but if you also have a secondary need, get something like a Toyota Corolla to carry the shopping.

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]
but I'd sooner get 8GB and Vista x64. That *will* make a difference on large databases, but only when a x64 postgreSQL for windows is available, IIRC not yet.

[/ QUOTE ]
mmm, fwiw I am running a 64bit postgres db. Of course I'd never hobble such a beast of a computer with windows [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: New Desktop post
 

Josem,

What do you disagree with here?

I don't believe a am merely a "railbird" in these matters [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I do spend a good deal of time messing with computer hardware and on occasion postgres databases.

Are you suggesting it is not worth running raid for database applications?

or that running Postgres 64-bit is pointless?

Because both have significant performance gains, when used on databases of a size > 2GB - which many PT / HM databases are.

Or is this more of a financial issue? I did note it was overly expensive to purchase this setup from Dell - but as I read it, this is a HSNL player who doesn't bat an eyelid at a 8800GTX SLI setup just to run a third monitor... Doubling DB performance for minimal cost I shouldn't imagine is a big issue here, no?

EDIT: If it makes me look like less of a "railbird putting not my own money in" - lose one of the 8800GTX cards, get an 8500, spend the change on a second Raptor and some more RAM. If you value data security over $100 - get an external HDD for backup too. Better?

dave.

Re: New Desktop post
 

Ok, here are some changes I have made based on everyones suggestions:


Components
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Extreme QX6800 (8MB L2 Cache,3.2GHz Factory overclocked) English edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition edit
MEMORY 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-4 DIMMs edit
HARD DRIVE 160GB - WD Raptor 10000RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache edit
SECOND HARD DRIVE 320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache edit
SOUND CARD Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card edit
GRAPHICS CARD 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable edit
MONITOR No Monitor edit
Essentials
PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition edit
INTERNET OFFERS No ISP requested edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE PC-cillin Internet Security with AntiVirus and Spyware removal 36-months edit
MODEM No Modem Requested edit
ONLINE DATA STORAGE 10GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Year edit
FLOPPY DRIVE & MEDIA READER Dell 13-in-1 Media Reader with Bluetooth edit
WARRANTY 1 Year Next Business Day Onsite/In Home Service and Tech Support edit
Accessories
SPEAKERS No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system) edit
KEYBOARD Dell USB Keyboard edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 7.0
Option 1 No Digital Music Software Requested
Option 2 No Digital Imaging Software Requested





The total of this setup is 4,427 before 15% tax [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

I understand that I am overpaying for some stuff like the raptor HD but I have no clue how to install something like that unless its as easy as installing a vid card which Ive done before, plus I dont rly want to spend time doing all that.

I ordered just the one vid card since its all I need for now anyways and Josems ferrai point was well taken, ill just order another card as needed.


One question I do have though... is the HDs I picked a good choice? I dont understand what RAID means, can someone quickly explain what that is and what the benefits are?

I really want the 4k mem and its only 450 more so Im going to go with that,.. advice to have vista use it as it should? I read a little about it online and it sounds like the kind of thing that will be easy to do soon after some drivers come out or something.

I also switched the to get the MS office student edition.. I think that has excel and word maybe... good call?

Re: New Desktop post
 

Looks like a baller rig [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]

I dont understand what RAID means, can someone quickly explain what that is and what the benefits are?


[/ QUOTE ]

I speak only of "performance" mode, RAID0 - basically is splits the data across a pair of drives, resulting in a near doubling of read speed, and an improvement in write speed too.

This is vary valuable for database applications (like PT/Postgres), since it will increase performance significantly - but since two mechanical devices are involved in the data storage, chances of irrecoverable error are doubled (one drive fails, you lose everything) - thus my recommendation to use a normal HDD as a database backup too.

[ QUOTE ]

I also switched the to get the MS office student edition.. I think that has excel and word maybe... good call?


[/ QUOTE ]

Meh, I'd sack it off to save money and use OpenOffice instead unless you have a good reason... although Student edition is indeed a bargain. Can you really get away with the student licensing?

dave.

Re: New Desktop post
 

I guess so, its an option on the site so they must offer it to everyone. Basically its word and excel for 160 bucks... is that too much?

What is open office?

Re: New Desktop post
 

[ QUOTE ]

I guess so, its an option on the site so they must offer it to everyone. Basically its word and excel for 160


[/ QUOTE ]
Over here, one must actually be a student (or teacher) to legally use the student/teacher version.

Using it in a business scenario is an offence, and the thing stamps *NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE* on anything we edit / print [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]

What is open office?

[/ QUOTE ]

A Free MS compatible office suite. Not as flashy, but perfectly workable... and Free [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Basically, If you were happy with Office 2000 - OpenOffice is great. If you were happy with Office 2003, OpenOffice is a bit old skool, but still workable.

www.openoffice.org

Re: New Desktop post
 

Wouldn't a RAID 0 setup with two 7200 RPM disks outperform a 10000 RPM drive by in effect giving you a 14400 RPM drive?

Re: New Desktop post
 

I was curious, so I did some research into RAID0... Some points I took away:

* It looks like you'll be wasting space if you don't have two equally sized drives. You can only RAID the size of the smallest drive, so if you have a 160GB drive and a 320GB drive, you'll only be able to use 160GB of the 320GB drive as a RAID0 array. However, I don't know if that means you can still use the additional space as non-RAID space or not...

* The empirical performance gain isn't even close to twice as fast. According to this article, it's about a 1/3 speed gain at best.