# 20% gaming, 80% multitasking



## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

I'm interested in building my own computer and would like some helpful hints on what components would suit my needs best. I will answer the sticky questions first:

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Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?
-I'm willing to spend up to $1,500 USD or so, but price isn't a huge deal.

Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?
-Not off the top of my head.

Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?
-Yes, I usually run multiple programs at once and multitask 80% of the time.

Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?
-I don't game much because I've never had a computer to do so with, but I'd like to be able to run all of my old games (like Halo 1) at max settings and maybe play some of the newer games at low settings.

Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?
-Not really.

Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?
-Not necessary, but I'd like to have the option to be able to overclock SLIGHTLY. I'm more concerned with longevity and stability, not max performance.

Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?
I would like to start off with 500GB - 1TB but I can always add more later. Storing mostly music and videos.

Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices?
-I'm not sure?

Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?
-I would like to run Windows. I have XP Pro, Vista Ult. and plan to get 7 as well.

Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?
-I think a mid tower will suit me well, and suggestions never hurt.

Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?
-I can get those wherever, not a critical decision.

Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?
-Just a mouse, if anything.

Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?
-I could use my HDTV as the monitor, as long as my computer can output via HDMI. This is a must have for my build. I can also just add a monitor later if I feel the need.

Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?
-Newegg mostly. I have a friend that can get good discounts at Best Buy also.

Location: What country do you live in? 
-USA
__________


Basically I want a work horse that can game if need be. I want to run an Intel Quad-core CPU (i7 maybe), I want to run a 32-bit OS with 4GB of DDR3 RAM, I want a single high-quality graphics card, and a motherboard that can support RAID and the ability to run dual graphics cards in the future, if I wish to. Must have HDMI output. I plan to have a Blu-ray drive and CD/DVD burner as well.

I think that my build would need 750-850w so I am liking the Thermaltake Toughpower W0117RU 750 watt PSU. Other than that, I don't have anything specifically picked out, mostly brainstorming at this point. Any suggestions would be great


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Look into Seasonic or Corsair PSU's.
Look at the suggested buils to get some ideas.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/f24...-are-6-suggested-models-with-spec-367415.html


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Well I think I've narrowed my choice of processor down between these 2:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L3 Cache LGA 775
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1336

Can anyone sway my decision either way? Pros/Cons comparing the two?

Also, I think I'll go with the Corsair 850TX PSU in the end.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I'm far from being sold on the i7. The performance increase doesn't justify the price over a 775 build.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I too am not bowled over with the I7; its about 2-4% faster than the Q9550 but the I7 is not a mature platform, there are still plenty of bugs and kinks to work out, especially seeing as it hasnt dominated the market, so its maturity is gonna come slower than usual.

I am not saying its not worth a hard look either.

I think I7 cpu's are reasonable enough but decent motherboards are certainly over priced.

I am hearing the soon to be relased I5's will be cheaper and faster than the I7 920 due to turbo mode improvements in the I5 

in the end there will always be faster stuff released in 3-4 months its just a matter of value. I really get miffed when I pay $500.00 for something that can be bought for $250.00 in 4 months!


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Well for my usage, the i7 wouldn't make a huge difference I guess. I think I'll get the Yorkshire and think about OCing to around 3.00 or so. I don't need anything crazy. OK, I'll start with that then and keep browsing for other parts.

A question about hard drives: I noticed a lot of talk about using a ~70GB Raptor 10k drive for the operating system and a larger hard drive for other storage (music, video, etc.) is this generally a wise thing to do? Is it so that the OS has a super fast read speed or something? I'm just assuming. I also read that that Raptor can bring down your "windows score" on vista. Maybe someone can clear that up for me. I plan to get at least 500GB at 7200rpm or more for my main storage drive, if I need to in the future I can always add another! I'm just wondering if I should consider the Raptor in addition...


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the raptor is an over stated waste of $$$$ the regular sata drives are darn near as fast; so much so, a computer user cant tell the diff when sitting at a machine with a raptor or standard sata 300 drive.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Ok, I think I picked out a video card that I would like:

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

I was thinking about getting a card with only ~500 MB of RAM but figured I'd regret it so I bumped it up to a 895 MB choice. I also NEED to have a HDMI port and I believe this one does. SLI-ready for the future if I ever want to use it.

Any thoughts on this one, or do you have any others in mind that I should look at?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

good choice


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Ok I really need some help picking out a motherboard. Keeping in mind my chosen parts already:

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card 

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L3 Cache LGA 775 

I realize for these parts that I need an LGA 775 board and a PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot.

What I am also requesting is a board that has:
*DDR3 capability (Preferably 1600-2000)
HDMI output
4GB+ memory capacity
4+ USB ports
ATX form *

Please give me some suggestions for motherboards, I think this is the most difficult/imporant choice for my build :4-dontkno


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I would use a DDR2 board with that set up you won't notice the difference between DDR3 and DDR2 and it's a lot more stable.
For gaming you need a Video card, the HDMI support will be on the video card not the board.
Asus P5Q Pro or Gigabyte GA EP45 UD3P.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Wrench, are both of those motherboards SLI compatible? I looked a them and saw crossfireX compatible but I didn't see SLI to match my video card.

Also, regarding my video card, what's the difference between a GeForce 260 and a 260 core? The only thing I noticed was that the 'core' was black. Which one is better, if either?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If your using a single card which is the way I would build them simply because a single large card is better both performance and cost wise then 2 lower cards in SLI mode, then the board doesn't matter, The P45 chipset will only support 2 ATI cards but any single card and is a lot more stable then the Nvidia chipset boards.

The Core 216 is the newer core on the GTX260 and the one you want.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

wrench97 said:


> If your using a single card which is the way I would build them simply because a single large card is better both performance and cost wise then 2 lower cards in SLI mode, then the board doesn't matter, The P45 chipset will only support 2 ATI cards but any single card and is a lot more stable then the Nvidia chipset boards.
> 
> The Core 216 is the newer core on the GTX260 and the one you want.






excellent advice ray:

personally I think SLI was a hoax; the theory was good; use two cards that cost $200.00 each in an attempt to rival the $600.00 video card.

But that dog never did hunt! in actuality the user gained 10-15% perofrmnace increase over the first card and then was held hostage by the game you want to play; is the game optimized for SLI ? not many were nor are today, most games "cope" with SLI which is a far cry from benefit from SLI


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Thank you much, becuase there's a great deal from slickdeals for that card, way cheaper than newegg:

eVGA GeForce GTX260 Core 216 896MB PCI-Express Video Card for $200 - 25% code GFDW8472JG1HW3 - $20 Rebate = $130 with free shipping.

I should order that since it's such a great price then (actually, they're out of stock now :sigh: ).

I guess I won't fuss with SLI then, I won't be gaming hardcore anyhow, and those boards look nice. I'll decide between the two in a bit.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the 260 will perform better than any gamer needs ...........unless you migrate to a 30-inch monitor

anything above the 260 on a smaller than 30 inch monitor is wasted $$$$$ IMHO


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The world is upside down when Dell is selling them cheaper then Newegg:4-dontkno


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

I will be running on my Samsung 40" HDTV....


Just to keep things up to date with a current list of decided parts then:

*Motherboard*:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775

*Processor*:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

*Video Card*:
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB

*Power Supply Unit*:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX


Now, with that motherboard, what is the absolute fastest memory speed I can choose? It says DDR2 1366+/1066/800/667 so I assume the 1366 is the fastest I can get then?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the board defaults to 800mhz memory ..........all speeds above that are achieved thru overclocking 

I would get the Corsair Dominator DDR2-1066 2 x 2 gig sticks with Cas of 5-5-5-15 and rated for voltage up to 2.1 volts


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Ok so I read your post and looked at things on newegg and I think I understand what you mean. The mobo will be set at 800MHz but when I put in the 1066 RAM it will automatically overclock itself to make it work? This is completely aside from CPU overclocking then? I just want to make sure I understand.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Ageclipsegt said:


> Ok so I read your post and looked at things on newegg and I think I understand what you mean. The mobo will be set at 800MHz but when I put in the 1066 RAM it will automatically overclock itself to make it work? This is completely aside from CPU overclocking then? I just want to make sure I understand.





no; when you install 1066mhz memory the board on "auto" settings will dumb down the ram to 800mhz speeds


you will then adjust your cpu host controller to a higher number and the ram to a higher ram divider 


example = ram divider = 400mhz ram x 2.0 multiplier = 800mhz ram speed


you increase your ram divider to 400 mhz x 2.33= 932mhz 


you will find your cpu will have all it wants in speed and heat by the time the ram is sitting at near 1000mhz of speed


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

And this would be done in the BIOS?





yup ............. or you could use Easy tune software



Thanks for all the info. I didn't know there was a cap at 800mhz for DDR2. This review on newegg agrees as well:

"...For those who don't know, if you put the speed on auto it will clock it to 800mhz. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS DDR2 1066. IT IS DDR2 800 RAM THAT IS RATED TO RUN STABLE OVERCLOCKED AT 1066. And also, my friend did not know this, it will show as 533mhz because it is DDR2 and is double speed effective..."


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

exactly ....... think of all DDR2 ram of the 1066 and 1100 variety as the hand picked faster runners ....... the 533 x 2 (double data rate memory) = 1066


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

I read a lot of negative reviews on newegg considering dead sticks out of the box and a lot of hassle with RMA, etc. I'm worried about getting a bad set for my first build. Should I really be that worried? Otherwise, the RAM looks pretty cool.

Also, would you recommend the 'D' version or the "DF" version with cooling fan?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If your talking about 1066 most gets sent back because it didn't auto run at 1066 or on the higher voltage modules folks with OEM boards and no voltage adjustments bought the wrong ram.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Just to keep things up to date with a current list of decided parts then:

*Motherboard*:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775

*Processor*:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

*Video Card*:
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB

*Power Supply Unit*:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX

*Memory*:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

Alright then, I need to find a case that will fit all of this. Do you think that it would fit in an ATX mid tower, or would I need to go full?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Mid tower like the Antec 300, 900, or 900II, or a Coolermaster HAF 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16811129042,N82E16811129021,N82E16811129058
Threw a couple of the higher end in here just so you can see what's available.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16811119197,N82E16811119160,N82E16811119138


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

My buddy just built with an Antec 900 so I've seen that. I think I'll go with either the Antec Nine Hundred Two Mid or the Cooler Master Haf 932 Full. I'll take a closer look at the two.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Both are nice cases.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Reading about the 902 case got me worried about the CPU heatsink being too close to the top fan, I might just go with the 900 then. 

As far as hard drives go, is OEM a bad thing? Does it just mean that it comes without cables? For a first time build, would it be better then to get retail with cables?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The motherboard comes with usually 2 cables so for 1 hard drive and 1 DVD drive your good any more drives it's cheaper to buy the cables separate.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

On my build I scavenged a couple of short SATA cables from my old computer. Since my HDD cage is right next to the SATA ports on my mobo I'm using the short cables for my hard drives and the long cables that came with the mobo for my DVD drive. If you want to/can do that it might be a good idea, just keep your cable clutter down some.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Ok, due to a change in job status, I had to put my project on hold for a while, but now I'm ready to finish it. I have decided, however, to switch to an *i7 64-bit* build. Here is what I have decided so far:

Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX
Case:
Antec Nine Hundred
OS:
Windows 7 64-bit Professional for system builders
CPU:
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield

I need help picking a suitible motherboard for this. I would also like to run 4 or 6GB of RAM with this setup. I would still like it to have an HDMI port. Suggestions/ideas welcome.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Have you looked at the i7 860 or the i7 930(the replacement for the 920) both will ramp up the clock speeds on cores in use when the app only uses 1 or 2 cores. The 860 is a 1156 socket Asus P7P55D-E is a decent board and the P6T for the 920/930


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## McNinja (Jun 22, 2008)

Change the video card, Nvidia is now overpriced and the performance is far too low and expensive compared to the ATI cards.

SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$170


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

After researching your suggestions for the last few days I must thank you both; the ahead-of-the-times tip about the 930 replacing the 920 with the increase on cores is great insight, and the video card appears to be quite good for the price range. Since I'm not a hardcore gamer, I can live with the 128 bit only 

I'm still not sold on a motherboard though. As always, the reviews on Newegg have me feeling leery, I will have to think on that a bit more,then decide on RAM. So, as it stands currently:

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred
PSU:
Corsair CMPSU-850TX
CPU:
Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz
OS:
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Video Card:
SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I would not consider any other than the asus P6T for the cpu you have choosen

newegg reviews can be difficult to interpret; unless an item has a high DOA or out right failure or buggy history those reviews are near worthless; too many of those users just dont know how to set the motherboard up


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

linderman said:


> I would not consider any other than the asus P6T for the cpu you have choosen


Which, specifically, are you speaking of; the regular, the SE or the Deluxe V2?

Comparing the three, other than the vast price difference, I notice that the regular has less memory configurations but 2 more SATA connections, the V2 has a different LAN chipset (why do people need dual anyway?) plus 2 USB ports, whereas the SE doesn't seem to offer anything over the other two. What other considerations should I be making between these boards?

Also, I noticed that motherboards aren't coming equipped with dial-up telephone jacks. I would still like to have this option, does that mean I have to add my own network card to the board? (my parents' farm house is still stuck on dial-up) :sigh:

Finally, perhaps you could quell some of the more disturbing, and common, 'cons' for the V2 from newegg:

External SATA ports not working.

Horrible support from ASUS.

Boots slower than other boards.

Dead DIMM slots.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Ageclipsegt said:


> Which, specifically, are you speaking of; the regular, the SE or the Deluxe V2?
> 
> Comparing the three, other than the vast price difference, I notice that the regular has less memory configurations but 2 more SATA connections, the V2 has a different LAN chipset (why do people need dual anyway?) plus 2 USB ports, whereas the SE doesn't seem to offer anything over the other two. What other considerations should I be making between these boards?
> 
> ...



like I said previously; I dont put much faith in newegg reviews and comments unless the comments are complete high failure ratings or DOA etc etc / most fellas leaving a review are too inexperienced to set-up the board properly

this is the board I use for i7-920 / 930

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3131359&cm_re=asus_p6t-_-13-131-359-_-Product

personally; i think the i7-9XX systems cost too much and its abilities are overkill

for the money the i5-750 is a better deal and it keeps pace very closely to the i7-920 ........when you consider the i5-750 cpu is $200.00 and a top shelf motherboard is $150.00 only needs two sticks of memory instead of 3
and it will run games as good and often times better the the i7-920 thanks to second generation turbo mode

I have always maintained socket 1366 is not for anyone "watching the costs" or budgeting the build

as for dial-up ........you will need to add a modem no matter which board you buy! no boards come with built-in dial-up modem

hughes.net satellite may be the best option for you, I love mine :wink:


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

My vote would go for the satellite too. My parents live in the bush and the phone lines are atrocious, so bad that there is a constant hum when talking on the phone. They had dialup for many years, max speed was about 19.6 on a 56K modem. Extreme sludge there. So, on their annual visit last year, I gave them a router and a couple of wireless pci cards, that finally got them to change over and dump the dialup. To say the least, they are pleased. It's, obviously, not anything near as fast as my cable connect, but it's lightyears faster than dialup.


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

I think I've got everything worked out for the build. Please take a final look and make sure there won't be any compatibility errors.

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM
CPU: Intel Core i7-930 LGA 1366
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-850TX
MOBO: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58
CASE: Antec Nine-Hundred ATX Mid
RAM: Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600 SDRAM
VIDEO: SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0GB/s 3.5"
OPTICAL: Lite-On 24x DVD Writer SATA iHAS424-98
MODEM: Rosewell V.92 PCI 56Kbps
COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212

I'm on the fence about whether or not I need an aftermarket CPU cooler. I would like a slight overclock on the i7-930, perhaps to ~3.2GHz or so, and the RAM at 1600.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Cooler> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029
The i7's run warmer then the C2D/Q's do so for a OC yes to the cooler.

I not a fan of anything Rosewill so if the modem is needed to connect to the internet(dial up) it would not be your best choice.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

USR modem everything else looks A+


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

I'm looking at the long list of items on the USR Website and am wondering which would be a good choice for a modem compatible with Win 7 64-bit? I'm assuming one of the V.92 Performance Pro Modems, but there are a few to choose from.

And Wrench, what didn't you like about the Cooler Master Hyper 212? From the reviews, the 212 and the Dark Knight seem very similar :4-dontkno


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

As far as temps go they about the same. I think the Cooler Master is louder is all.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I havent found much performance diff with any of those modems; just grab any ole PCI slot modem


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## Ageclipsegt (Jan 11, 2007)

Just an update for fun. After a year and a half of building the system described in this thread, it is still running strong and without issue. I did eventually pair it with a 1920x1080 23.5" Acer monitor that looks nice. I have never maxed either the CPU or the RAM with normal tasks. I don't game heavy, but the games I have tried (BF:BC2, Portal, L4D2) I have been playing with the settings maxed @ 1920x1080. Very happy with my build.

The only things I'm bummed about I guess is change in technology. USB 3.0 out now, all the excitement over "sandy bridge" and SSDs are becoming a bit more mainstream. Cheers everyone at TSF


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks for the update good to hear the system is running well
Don't fret too much over the USB 3 devices that actually run at USB 3 speeds are far and few between.


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