Well I have been reading a bunch lately here and other forums. Still have a few questions. I plan on using my new PC for burning & playing HD DVD's a little of game playing but mostly using it with my Cam/Cad software. I have a link for the one I am looking at.
(1.) What is the benefit of more GHZ? (The one listed is a 2.5 GHZ is this enough?)
(2.) Do I need a bigger power supply then 400 watt's?
(3.) I don't like fan noise but have read that water cooled PC's still have fans ,is this true?
(4.) Is it important to have a case with extra fans & a temperature gauge?
(5.) What operating software would you recommend right now for my usage XP, Vista, Windows 7?
(6.) Do they make a video capture card that has HDMI input and will record from a satellite receiver?
Well I have been reading a bunch lately here and other forums. Still have a few questions. I plan on using my new PC for burning & playing HD DVD's a little of game playing but mostly using it with my Cam/Cad software. I have a link for the one I am looking at.
(1.) What is the benefit of more GHZ? (The one listed is a 2.5 GHZ is this enough?)
Your link is invalid. But the basic question is enough for what. What Cam/Cad software. Your exact applicaiton is rather vague.
If you get a motherboard with a AMD 790gx chipset will cover your HD decoding and reduce your CPU load. It'll decode video even if you buy the lowest speed CPU for this motherboard class. Here is one example (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366).
It'll do games, and it'll do HD very very very well. It might even suit your CAD needs, but without knowing the software you're running it's hard to be sure.
(2.) Do I need a bigger power supply then 400 watt's?
This is a function of what hardware you're running. Once you decide on a CPU, Graphics card, drives and such, THEN you figure out your watt requirements.
http://www.journeysystems.com/psu.php
Use this link to get yourself in the ballpark.
(3.) I don't like fan noise but have read that water cooled PC's still have fans ,is this true?
If talking Koolance products, this is true. You "can" get triple and quad 120mm fan heat exchangers, and I imagine with some form of cool n' quiet technology, as in variable speed fans based on case temp, you can lower the noise level. But such units are generally reserved for 1000+watt rigs.
You can get power supplies that auto sense system temp, and kick into high gear only when needed. These are moderatly common.
(4.) Is it important to have a case with extra fans & a temperature gauge?
It depends. Given you want to lower your fan noise, it might be wise to consider a case that will accept 120mm intake and exhaust fans. Or a 250mm fan. The stock AMD fan these days isn't too bad, but you can always swap that out for something bigger that makes less noise.
Motherboards have onboard thermoters, and software to use them.
(5.) What operating software would you recommend right now for my usage XP, Vista, Windows 7?
Your power applications decide what OS you need.
(6.) Do they make a video capture card that has HDMI input and will record from a satellite receiver?
This I don't know, but given HDMI encryption, I'm not sure this is an option. What may be an option is a receiver with firewire onboard. You "should" be able to pull the compressed stream directly from the box.
To give you a concept of a "base" Phenom system this is what I bought recently.
Add about $80ish for a case, $80ish for a PSU, $125ish HD, pair of DVD burners 65ish, and we're at $630ish.
But without knowing your budget, if you have a monitor already, it's hard to offer real advise.
oblioman
08-15-2009, 12:03 PM
[quote=stinkfist69;921348]Well I have been reading a bunch lately here and other forums. Still have a few questions. I plan on using my new PC for burning & playing HD DVD's a little of game playing but mostly using it with my Cam/Cad software. I have a link for the one I am looking at.
(1.) What is the benefit of more GHZ? (The one listed is a 2.5 GHZ is this enough?)
Cam/cad software requires intense calculations. The higher the GHZ processor, the faster the cpu will perform.
(2.) Do I need a bigger power supply then 400 watt's?
As IGE explained, this is contingent upon what you run from it. A 400 watt might be enough, but 600 is better. Personally, me believes a little overkill is okay in this department.
(3.) I don't like fan noise but have read that water cooled PC's still have fans ,is this true?
Some do, some don't. Went the water cooled route meself a couple of years ago but found no inherent benefits. Todays fans run much smarter, faster, and quieter than those of a couple years ago.
(4.) Is it important to have a case with extra fans & a temperature gauge?
Not that important anymore. Most of it's just for show. As long as the case is vented and your cpu fan is working (and vid fan) you should be fine. Even with a stock amd or intel fan rated for the cpu you are using. Now if one wishes to start overclocking, it's a different story.
(5.) What operating software would you recommend right now for my usage XP, Vista, Windows 7?
me personal choice is win2000 and XP. Vista is being replaced by Windows 7 scheduled for release sometime this fall. So in that context, me would stay away from Vista.
(6.) Do they make a video capture card that has HDMI input and will record from a satellite receiver?
Rbinck is the resident expert on this issue, hopefully he will chime in. Good luck with your purchase.
kegobeer
08-15-2009, 10:20 PM
I know of one video capture card that has HDMI in, and is affordable - the Blackmagic Intensity Pro. However, it cannot process any HDCP protected content, which means you won't be capturing any video from your DVR, unless your DVR doesn't utilize HDCP or any form of content protection.
stinkfist69
08-18-2009, 02:43 AM
Great thanks for all of the advice. I will be running mostly MasterCam and using Solid Works to look at files from customers. So I don't think a really top end video card is needed. I have about a $1000 budget. I will be doing 2d drawings and tool paths. Some Solids & Surfaces. I am looking at this PC on eBay. I will also be using burning software for HD DVD's. So will XP be fine for all my software needs? Or should I wait to get Windows 7? I guess I could always put Windows 7 on later.
You can get Vista now with a free upgrade to Win7. I like XP, but if you need a new OS, then going with 7 is your best move. It's stable, has some nice features (learning curve, though). The Media Center is worth the price of the OS (main reason I tried it). I've been running the RC and have been impressed with the speed and stability (and this is on an old system I put together out of upgrade leftovers and some NewEgg specials). Only drawback is they did a lousy job of networking - hard to make work with XP systems, but I had Network Magic and that solved the problems.
kegobeer
08-22-2009, 12:25 AM
Only drawback is they did a lousy job of networking - hard to make work with XP systems, but I had Network Magic and that solved the problems.
What problems did you have? Once you install LLTD Responder onto the XP computer, networking is pretty easy. A common problem is that the workgroups usually aren't the same (Mshome was the default XP workgroup, but in Vista/7 the default is Workgroup). It's even easier if you create identical users on all of your machines - the workgroup acts more like a true network (any network running a server that controls access to the network, like in a business environment), and suddenly the computers start sharing and acting like they should.
lsilvest
08-22-2009, 08:10 AM
What problems did you have? Once you install LLTD Responder onto the XP computer, networking is pretty easy. A common problem is that the workgroups usually aren't the same (Mshome was the default XP workgroup, but in Vista/7 the default is Workgroup). It's even easier if you create identical users on all of your machines - the workgroup acts more like a true network (any network running a server that controls access to the network, like in a business environment), and suddenly the computers start sharing and acting like they should.
I know all of that, it still wouldn't work right. 7 could see the router OK, but flaky with other XP computers. The 7 forum is filled with people that had the same problems. Let's face it, it was poorly thought out by Microsoft - by default only works with other 7 systems? As I said, easiest solution was to install Network Magic which I already had. There are a lot of interface aspects to 7 that Microsoft changed not for the better. Event viewers for instance was straight forward in XP, now MS redesigned it and made it far more complicated to find problems. It's no wonder businesses are reluctant to upgrade, the learning curve is steep and expensive. I only used 7 on the one system since I didn't have an OS on it. Other than that I wouldn't change until it was necessary. My other HTPC works perfectly with XP as does my main system and laptop. Other than Media Center, there is nothing in 7 that I need or want that's worth the cost of upgrade. This isn't a complete knock on 7 as some of the issues will get ironed out from the beta and RC and it is stable, so if a new OS is needed then it's the way to go.
