[elky] Re: Building a PC

  • From: "Jim" <jdos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 07:55:47 -0600

Don't' buy a Maxtor hard drive.
Not sure about wd anymore, but look for a 5 yr warranty.. hitachi, seagate..

I'm usually partial to asus mainboards, but there are some other good ones
too.. good luck with msi also.

jim

-----Original Message-----
From: elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:elky-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Chris Lindh
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 4:52 PM
To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [elky] Building a PC

I decided I needed a laptop, to be able to work around the house -
keep an eye on the boys, etc.  As I shopped I came to realize there
are two classes of laptops: $300 Walmart specials or $1000+ fully
featured laptops.  Since a computer is a vital part of my business I
need a workhorse, so as I shopped looking for power and light weight I
found myself deep in the $1000 to $2000 range.  The Sony Vaio Z series
and Lenovo T400s were at the top of my list.

As we've discussed before a laptop is a compromise, out of necessity
to fit in such a small form factor.  So I'm now thinking I'd rather
build a powerful PC and buy a cheap, small laptop.  Not a netbook, but
a little larger - around 3lbs.

I also like the ability to troubleshoot a PC... I can swap parts out
if I have a hardware issue (which is rare in my experience with a PC).

Build versus buy: there is no doubt I can buy a prebuilt PC that will
do all I need, but these typically use the cheapest components.  My
Shuttle PC was a barebones built with quality components (I bought it
built and upgraded parts along the way).  My Shuttle has been very
reliable - it's been on for almost the entire 4 years I've owned it.
I will be building a full size PC, or possibly a mini ATX, but I doubt
I'll do small form factor again - I just don't need the portability.

I was impressed with my RMA experience with Corsair so I'm looking at
Corsair ram and a little reading indicates Corsair is also one of the
best manufacturers of power supplies.  I'm thinking about the new i7
processors and Windows 7 Pro.

I use a PC for spreadsheets, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, etc and the
backend for my website, among other tasks...  I usually have several
programs going at once.  I don't game but I'm going to get a decent
graphics card.

I'd be interested to know your opinions about other components... my
focus is reliability first.  Thanks!

-- 
Chris Lindh
http://www.PartsForSpeed.com


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