Build a new Core2 Quad PC

Ericbass, the point is not whether Q9550 is high - the point is that it's already out and prices will drop. And there's always the 2.5GHz version of the new Quad.
 
i understand man.... but if he need it... hoot it lo... if not he will be forever waiting, new come out drop price, den newer thing come out again, is a cycle man
 
As I said, I agree with you that it's a cycle - if it's just an increase in processor speed. Things like that comes out every few months - and so no point waiting. But in this case, it's a major leap, not just another processor speed increase. It's a new processor. And it's just round the corner. It may be that their starting 2.5GHz speed is not too much more expensive than the current Quad processor - and it will be really disappointing if that hits the market in a few weeks. We will be stuck with a slower (and larger) processor for the next 4-5 years (for many people, a longer period).

I'm already shooting myself in my foot for getting a Core Duo tablet 2 years ago instead of the Core 2 Duo. Salesperson told me he did not notice a big difference in speed. My colleague got the exact tablet I had 1-2 months later but with Core 2 Duo (looks exactly the same, similar features except the CPU) - and the speed difference is significant esp in tablet mode. The slight lag in tablet mode is actually quite irritating. And I'm stuck with mine until it dies, which is not going to be anytime soon. The price she paid isn't too much more than what I paid for.

The lesson I learned is that when there's a entire new processor coming out soon, be patient and wait. If it's the same processor with just an increase in speed, then I agree waiting is futile. But then again, this is only my opinion.
 
Hi Soft,

For your config you can consider getting RAMs that are at least 800mhz. Note that 1066 is not a standard config yet, but you can get RAM modules that are rated to 1066. Video rendering is highly stressful on the memory bandwidth component, which describes how fast information can be accessed from memory, thus having a faster RAM speed would help this process.

Do you really need a cpu cooler, most boxed intel sets come with a cpu cooler anyway, and most aftermarket ones are aimed at overclockers and stuff. If you arnt an overclocker, its best not to get those as they come with faster fans which create more noise.

For video, you could also consider RAID to speed up the hard drives. RAID is a system where multiple hard drives are linked to speed up or create data redunduncy. There are different levels of RAID ranging from 0 to 6. Do search online for more information on RAID, as its a little too technical to be explained here, but RAID does provide benefits for content creation workstations.

Im using a pretty similar core2 quad system here.
 
Why are you still talking about fake quad core when there is true quad core?!

PHENOM!

Mr James, if you haven't made your purchase and can afford to wait a month more, please get an AMD Phenom. The 9550 onwards upto the 9900 will be the B2 Stepping, and they're coming out soon. Compared to Intel, where they have 2 dies with 2 cores each, AMD has 4 native cores in 1 die. And that's not all, you can get a motherboard bundle together with the processor as low as $500 :)

Or if you want something more workstation/server-oriented, an Opteron of any series will be good. Xeons always fail. Nevermind. Your current config is good enough, just slot in Phenom+Mobo bundle instead of the Intel one. Don't worry about anything else. DDR800 RAM isn't going to do you any kind of favour. 667 is good enough. If you can, get a WD Raptor (the smallest size) for the OS. The specs are exactly like what I configured for 2 ppl recently.

Please take note, NEVER pay in full if they're patching it up for you. Deposit $50 or something, then let them do their job. If you pay in full, and if something happens (like motherboard not POST-ing), they will force you to buy something more expensive and lie that they're out of stock. That is if you're going to purchase it from somewhere like Sim Lim. But Fuwell is good.
 
Last edited:
James, the 45nm penryn processor is officially out. Fujitisu announced it on a few of their notebooks and notebook replacement. We should be seeing them very soon.
 
Ha..ha.. I must stay home during the Lunar New Year, this way, I dont have to give out too many Ang Pow.
 
Ha..ha.. I must stay home during the Lunar New Year, this way, I dont have to give out too many Ang Pow.

I'm not in the country. So definitely don't have to give ang pow!!! :D Even if you stay at home, people can visit you. Must bring my 3 kids to visit you the next CNY!
 
You can try Hitachi (used to be IBM) Deskstars 250GB /500GB or 1TB. They are really silent/stable and are quite good. If you read up a lil more on harddisks you'll notice that from the past til now, Hitachi (IBM) made a lot of technological advances in the HD industry and hold the most patents. Even simple things like vibration absorbers/ruduction etc are important esp when doing recording stuff.

If on a tight budget, get 250GBs as those 250GB ones are the best price:space ratio.

Btw, you will be using 64bit based Vista right?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top