Somehow the last two don't add up together.

I'm quite a wierd person, but frankly if by "wierd" I'm defined as a pseudo-fit nerd, thats a-ok with me.

I think its time to focus on thrawn's computer, unless anyone has some last minute proposals for me to look over.

do not forget , this week July 4th is a holiday, most places will be closed, so you might not get all your parts until next week!

Don't know, Supcom is one of the game that I can say Future Proof. As in by the time they were released there is no Computer that can pushed them to the max.

Your computer is fine, actually for the most part it's like Scheme computer. But I would make some change to it though:

- First I presume you gonna build later, not now, so you might consider a more powerful CPU at that point, maybe even the 6800.

- Second, find a better HDD, 7200 is the standard over a years ago.

- Third, 2G of ram doesn't tell me anything, needs their branch and speed too. But if you're ordering from Ibuypower I'm guessing you have the Corssair one, and they're good enough if not one of the best.

- Fourth You don't put a name down for your Power Supply so I'm guessing you're using the generic one that comes with case. If that is true, change that thing ASAP.

- Fifth, don't waste your money on that network card!

To Thrawn2787: Your video card will run pretty much anything the game throws at you concerning graphics, even if you have everything set to the max. (I myself have a GeForce 7900 GS, which is a fair step below your DX10 card; I can run everything at the maximum with a little bit of slow down whenever you zoom from strategic mode to the most detailed level, where everything that was once in icon format has to become a tangible object, and the trees have to be fully rendered.)

You have 2 GB of RAM, shouldn't be any problems there, however, your processor will be the closest thing to harming your playing experience with this game. Supreme Commander demands at least a dual core CPU (which you have, thankfully), but I'd recommend if you want to be able to play bigger, longer games, with less stutter that you get the E6600 instead. I believe it is about 80/90 dollars more than the E6400, but it will have a much better chance of chugging through anything you can throw at it. But it's just a consideration; you'll be perfectly able to play smaller games with no problems whatsoever, but up to a certain point I suspect you will face some slowdown. (I have an E6600, and the only problem I recall is when I played against a whopping 7 Supreme AIs...it slowed down to a crawl after a few minutes into the game, then crashed once I killed a commander. rofl)

I don't know all the technical who-ha concerning your motherboard and other stuffs, however, I will say that I don't think it is wise to spend 180 USD for a "lag reduction" unit...it just seems vaguely reminiscent of the physics cards I've heard of (try paying an extra 200 USD for a card that specializes in physics, when only 4 games can utilize the card...talk about an unwise purchase)...you might want to research that some more, though. Also, I don't even know if SupCom can run on Vista...I believe it can, but expect more bugs/less optimization. I use XP, and besides that crash from pushing the processor to its limits, there have been no problems whatsoever.

I've reached a small puzzling dilema, my friend says that I can build the computer without much threat of breaking things or creating an issue, but I dont know if I should. basically the way I see it

Do it yourself
Pros-
-quick
-learn about your computer
-cheap
-fun experience
Cons-
-chance of breaking something
-bringing over the XP OS from my other computer would be a pain in the ass

Small store
Pros
-garunteed to be done right
-system will work at its optimum
-will supply me with an OS most likely
Cons
-costly
-time consuming, at best wouldnt get it for a week

frankly I dont know which to do... if I can put it together with minimal threat of messing up my computer, thats the option I will take.

Thanks! I will look into your suggestions! Although the XP part is a problem: most new computers will have Vista by winter and eventually I would have to upgrade. Also, DX10 is Vista only (If I remember correctly).

which also brings up the question: which edition of vista (and OEM or retail?) is best for high end computers like this?

ok, dont make me swear at you. you #*@$ head.
well, cought something 11th hour, the RAM additions were not compatable with the motherboard. I'm going to check over the mobo seeing as its the newcommer to this.

additionally, the specifications for the mobo say that it has 4x internal SATA, but I dont know if they are the SATA 150 interface that my HDD requires.

This is why I prefer to order mine through bigger companies like Dell, rather than do it myself. While it might be on the order of 20% more expensive, you typically get some form of free/basic warranty (don't get suckered into spending 200 USD for a 4 year warranty, though), and the computers are less apt to break down.

My older computer was a Dell, and we had it for 6 years without a single hardware problem. My current one is also a Dell, and we've had it for almost 6 months...as I recall, though, buying all the parts separately would have run the cost down about 300 dollars, but minimizing the risk of replacing an expensive component is worth it, in my opinion.

I fully agree that assembling your own computer would be an awesome experience, and I look forward to it someday soon, but right now...hehe, I'm rather ignorant about the tech stuffs.

I know everything here will interface, my only cencern is that SATA memory addition slot v SATA150 interface slot.

Well, in that case, have the company build it. I'd say you should only build it yourself if you have experience putting computers together...and I don't think you should start assembling one that costs well over 1000 USD as your very first project...

Ressurecting would mean you had in the first place.

And who are you to tell me to go away.

or its a concept that never got carried through to completion
either way shut up and go away

that you do this is assholish beyond things I've seen in years, this is a serious investment of massive resources.


again, I need the answer on if a 3 gig/sec SATA receptor on the mobo will be compatable with a 1.5 gig/sec HDD?

yep, they are backwards compatible.

yeah, learned that one in my book.

good, so I've got everything all set up, and I think I'll be able to put this bad boy together (I hear its not too hard so long as you dont bend anything and/or drop things) cant wait until supcom is up and kicking some major ass.

I would really argue it's much more flexible then just that and the advantage is not just the price.

You can tinkering with the machine as you like without worrying about voiding the whole machine. You have a warranty for each part as oppose to a single warranty for the whole package. The latter in my experience just translate into a load of hassle.





I can guarantee that a person who has absolutely zero knowledge about PC tech can still put together a PC. Frankly it's just about reading a manual, it's as simple or as complicate as setting up your Home Theater system. In fact, I bet after assembling their first comp most people will laugh at how easy it is.


The non-tech people kind freak out at the idea when in fact it's nothing. Contradicting to normal belief there is little to go wrong since if something doesn't belong to somewhere, it's not going to fit anyway.


You can do it, just be careful when you handling the CPU and placing the Heatsink for it since the Core 2 Duo series requires more work to set up. But if you read the manual twice and watch where your hand going, you'll be fine.

Yea, putting the thing together is not difficult. Most stuff only fits one way so you can't get it wrong.

Just a few things to keep in mind:

1. Never force anything too hard. If if doesn't slide in reasonably easily then there is a good chance that it isn't supposed to. Trying to force it will cause things to break - not good. Take a step back and rethink what you are doing. If you aren't sure, ask someone.

2. Keep yourself grounded. What I'm talking about is static electricity. Those little zaps have thousands of volts and can be very bad for computer parts. Particularly processors and memory. Make sure that you touch something that is grounded (such as a screw on a lightswitch or something) regularly and don't drag your feet on the ground. If at all possible, work on a solid surface like tile or wood floors - not carpet.

3. When working around circuit boards (like the motherboard) with screwdrivers (such as you might do when installing the heat sync) be VERY careful that you don't slip off and scratch the thing. In fact, try to stay away from the mobo with a screw driver if at all possible, only use it if absolutely necessary. This can damage the traces on there and cause the whole thing to not work.

4. Speaking of screw drivers, do NOT use a magnetic screw driver. Things like hard drives work using magnets and exposing them to an outside magnetic field can screw them up.

5. If all else fails, read the instructions.



Seriously though, once you finish you're gonna laugh at yourself for having been afraid of it before. It really is that easy. Other than keeping yourself grounded it's really all just common sense.

Yeah, I have a fear of messing up my special machines.

Best of luck on this endeavor of yours; be gentle with the parts, please! (Don't hurt the pretties...)

I always check visualy to make sure the pieces will go together

as my bio teacher says: if the pieces wont fit, they weren't meant to go together.

easy and obvious

never!

thanks guys, if nothing else I will be the most careful with this piece of purty hardware.

OEM, Original Equipment Manufacturer, simply means you only receive the product. There will be no manual, drivers, or box included with the purchase of the OEM product. DIYers almost always buy OEM (unless they feel retail is warranted). It saves us money and we get the same product as retail.

Thrawn,
Your "future computer" will handle SupCom very well. No need to worry about insufficient memory, incapable processor, or not-powerful enough video card. At this point, your "future system" would be considered a "high-end gaming machine".

Schem,
I would purchase a Seagate hard drive instead of Western Digital. WD's aren't known for stability and reliability, they are known for speed. Seagate is well known for it's reliability and stability well past it's 5 year warranty.

Here's one to consider: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148142

In addition, the WD HD you picked out runs on the SATA150 (1.5Gb/s) interface. Your Intel mobo only supports the SATA300 (3.0Gb/s) interface. The one I picked out above is on the SATA300 interface and has a good 250 GBs of space. As for speed, 10,000 rpm vs. 7,200 doesn't give much of a performance boost unless you were constantly running applications that wrote/read from the hard drive. Most games don't run intensly off of the hard drive (only during loading scenes).

As for your DVD+/-RW DL Lightscribe, here is an better option (in black): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151145

In addition, make sure to check Intel's website for your specific mobo and see if the PQI memory you chose is supported. Intel (as well as ASUS) is "picky" about memory and system stability is guarenteed when you use memory off of their "supported memory" list.


Lastly, purchase several 80 mm case fans (Masscool is highly recommended). Ensure that air flows evenly from the front of your case and out the back and sides. I would also recommend buying a fan controller to help reduce fan noise (turning down your fans when you don't need them blasting on high).

Acreo, you came a bit too late.

its a sacrafice I can make.
hopefully by the time the hardware fails I will be able to replace it, a couple hundred dollars isnt much.

and in case you havent noticed, sometimes the loadscreen is what can make or break a game

I'm going to stick with full retail for the moment, its better than going OEM and not knowing how to do something

I checked with numerous different people, the mobo is backwards compatable in this respect.

I chose a different one on my own. thanks anyhow

Ah, I see. That' okay by me.

Well after a few more builds, you'll begin to learn what's what and what methods work and don't work. Also you'll end up learning what problems may arise during a build and how to solve them.