(no subject)

[inahandbasket]

Well I found an open-box version of the motherboard I'd been eyeing up on Newegg for $60 off retail, so I jumped on it while it was there. Thus, my hand is tipped.

New computing core will be:
Intel i7-920 Quad-core CPU (maybe 930, just released, will wait to see pricing)
Prolima MegaHalems Rev.B CPU cooler (Will run just about dead silent while overclocked.)
AsRock x58 Extreme motherboard
3x2gb G-Skill RAM DDR3-1600 (This may change if I find something on sale.)
nVidia 8800GT (from current system)

I'll be dropping all this into my existing desktop case, an Antec Sonata II.
Will probably just fire up XP (MAYBE trial of Win7) on it for now, waiting for Solid State drives to drop into reasonable range and then I'll move to a SSD with Win7.

For awhile I was considering going with the older style CPU socket and an i7-860 as it draws 40w less power under load. The problem is that socket's nearly dead and gone, and I'd like to have some room to upgrade this platform down the road.

Gah! Decisions! Second-guessing! Gah!

Comments

[why-style.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a nice little upgrade. I'd second the vote for Win7 - it really is a nice OS. Stable as XP for em, adn not as bloated as Vista. I sort of regret going the AMD route last year, but the i7's were just out and ludicrously expensive.

I actually have to replace my motherboard right now. (surge protector/UPS apparently stopped working, and it got fried - my building is notorious for power spikes and flashes which is why I got the UPS in the first place.) Debated making the switch back to Intel and the 1366 socket, but decided spending the money to replace pretty much the entire machine a year out from my first build wasn't prudent. Hopefully, after this fix I'll get the 4-5 years out of it I'd originally hoped for. We'll see I guess - kinda bummed and feeling negative about building my own instead of buying a prefab model - gonna need a laptop soon and that's definitely coming from Sony or Toshiba.

[inahandbasket]

It's going to be a lightyear upgrade over what I've got now. heh.

Consider the Lenovo T-series laptops. They're rock solid. Not as shiny as the Sonys of course. Fujitsu also makes some nice solid laptops oddly.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! I'll definitely check out the Lenovo laptops. Thankfully I have time to shop around as I don't start school until June.

Also, I noticed on newegg that the 930 lists at only about $10 more than the 920, but I haven't priced them anywhere else.

[inahandbasket]

Microcenter, VERY cheap CPUs for some reason.

[why-style.livejournal.com]

Yeah I just got an email from microcenter this morning and was going to point you at them.

[jjjiii]

+1 on the Lenovo recommendation. I have a T61p that I've had for several years now, and it's still running quite strong. I love it.

I would never own a Sony laptop. I think if someone gifted one to me, I'd hit them with it. That would maximize the satisfaction that I'd get from it.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for the recommendation. I think you Sony reaction is a bit strong though! Say what you will about overpaying for a name, but Sony does use top quality parts in their machines and in our experience they're really solid. My wife is on her second Vaio. The first lasted over 8 years, and the current one is still going strong after 4. And I haven't found the bloatware to be any worse than any other off-the-shelf model. Still I'll check out the Lenovo T series for sure.