Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955 |
I haven't looked into Windows 7 a whole lot yet but I believe I will convert my PC. Like you, XP is still doing everything it needs to do for me. However, after skipping Vista, I'm just craving to try a new interface. In any case, here is one thought that came to mind from your listed specs.
Not a deal breaker unless you need it but if your wife's laptop does indeed have 4GB, not 3, then hers will run the 64 bit version of Windows 7 because of her core 2 duo processor. That may or may not inspire her. Certain apps like Flash in the 64 bit browser are not working yet but I expect you could still use an old browser and this similar cure would probably suffice for any other compatibility issues. She would also be able to add more memory (assuming her MB allows for it) and actually utilize it for performance gains it because the 4GB barrier will be broken.
Either way, I wouldn't panic to load Windows 7 as you appear to be still happy with XP. In a year or two, you may need a new PC and it will undoubtedly come loaded with 7. That being said, if I got a copy for free, I'd be unable to resist loading it on something.
With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877 |
Yeah, I only get one copy and if I use it I must decide which computer to put it on. I'm leaning towards the laptop, but my wife says she hasn't even "gotten used to" vista so hates to upgrade.. it seems like the interface is pretty similar so maybe she wouldn't have a problem at all.
It may be 3-6 months before my school offers windows 7 for free anyway...
-David
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,361
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,361 |
That's a really nice build Zimm. What speed is your CPU running at, and is it stock or have you overclocked yet? I have not overclocked it because I need it rock solid stable; and it is plenty fast for me as I have never had to wait for it. But I think it is 2.66Ghz, could be wrong.
Panny 3000 PJ, 118" Carada, Denon 3300, PS3, Axiom QS8, PSB 5T, B&W sub, levitating speaker wire
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,357
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,357 |
David, I highly recommend Windows 7. I've been using it for maybe three months now in a dual boot setup with XP as my other OS, and I haven't booted back into XP; I like it that much more. It's a very user friendly operating system, and I haven't had any problems with a yet.
To give you an idea of my specs, I have a core two quad Q6600 overclock to 3.2 GHz and sometimes 3.6 GHz (stable passing prime, OCCT, and 20 tests of "maximum" IBT,), with 4 GB of ram.
The only reasonable argument for owning a gun is to protect yourself from the police.
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,898
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,898 |
I beta tested Windows 7 too and really liked it compared to XP. I would consider the upgrade for any computer I owned, but not for my wife. She's more of a creature of habit and probably wouldn't appreciate the improvements. She'd just be annoyed with the change.
I ended up getting impatient in the interim and built a system on Vista x64, so I'm a bit leery of running an upgrade to Windows 7 just because an upgrade never seems to be as reliable as a clean OS install, and I'm not willing to do that at this point because the pain of reinstalling everything would be too time-consuming.
Regarding SSD & Windows 7, to the OP, if it's just the idea/cool/geek factor of SSD that you like, more power to you and you have my envy. If you're really looking for huge and noticeable performance boots in everyday tasks, I'm not convinced from everything that I've read that it really will deliver a huge difference versus the extra cost you pay for the disk, even with Win 7's enhanced focus on SSD devices.
Obviously, that's just my opinion, but when I built my system ~6 months ago, I could not justify the price premium. Though maybe a lot has changed in 6 months. I haven't kept up with it as much since then.
I ended up with an Intel i7 920 (2.66 ghz, running stock), MSI X58 Platinum SLI LGA 1366 mobo, 4x1TB HDD, 6GB Patriot DDR3 1600, GIGABYTE GV-R485MC-1GI for the graphics card. I also picked up a combo Blu-Ray/HD combo drive from LG as it was very cheap at the time.
The graphics card I chose because it was one of the few (only?) reasonably capable cards that was fanless, and my primary requirement was silence vs. major gaming performance since I use it primarily for office/video editing rather than for major gaming.
Incidentally, I've recently started ripping Blu-Ray disks and streaming them to my PS3 from my hard drive over the network (using Twonky). I am still amazed that I can stream those videos with absolutely no distinguishable difference from the original disks. The rips do take up a lot of space (15-25 GB / movie), but for having your favorite movies at your fingertips without the need to insert disks, it's very cool.
Jason
Epic 80-800: HG Cherry
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,877 |
Myrison,
Can you stream the HD surround sound formats with no problem?
-David
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
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OP
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7 |
Regarding SSD & Windows 7, to the OP, if it's just the idea/cool/geek factor of SSD that you like, more power to you and you have my envy. If you're really looking for huge and noticeable performance boots in everyday tasks, I'm not convinced from everything that I've read that it really will deliver a huge difference versus the extra cost you pay for the disk, even with Win 7's enhanced focus on SSD devices. Nice to see you around, Jason. SSDs are getting cheaper, and I'm also buying it at a discount. Yes, it's still more expensive than a normal hard drive, but besides the performance gains, I'm sure I'll appreciate the silence and low power consumption. As for video card, I imagine I'll go for one of the new DirectX 11 cards. It would be so nice to go fanless, but I doubt I'll have the option. We'll see. Who knows. In the end I might go for something from the last generation with the plan to upgrade it when there are more options available. That's great to hear about ripping Blu-rays. I would love to do that at some point, but I'm not to the point of really looking into it.
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,898
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,898 |
Hey Charles, good to hear from you too.
David, to your question, no, the PS3 can only stream 5.1 AC3 [at least as far as I can figure out], so I convert the audio from whatever the original format is to AC-3. I honestly can't tell a difference, though I haven't done a ton of testing yet. At some point I might do a blind A/B test to see if I really can tell the difference, but for now I'm really just playing with it.
For Blu-Rays that I listen to often, it's nice to have them available at the click of a button without getting up to change disks (especially for music/concert Blu-Rays. The one other downside to streaming them is that the chapter markers do not remain in the streamed versions, so even though the PS3 can FF at 120x speeds, it's a little annoying compared to just dialing up the chapter you want.
Jason
Epic 80-800: HG Cherry
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,466
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,466 |
You've figured out correctly. The PS3 can only do AC3 in streamed or from USB media. It takes a disc (AVCHD or Blu-ray) to put the PS3 into the other player mode which supports DTS and other lossless codecs.
Pioneer PDP-5020FD, Marantz SR6011 Axiom M5HP, VP160HP, QS8 Sony PS4, surround backs -Chris
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Re: Windows 7 PC Build
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
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OP
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7 |
If I do go with the Antec P193 case, I probably won't go for such a huge CPU cooler, just to be on the safe side. What are my options? I'm not really looking to overclock, anyway, so I just need something that performs well enough for the i7-975 processor. What's quiet and not too big?
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