VM Options on 1500 or DualX

[Sir Robin]

Being an older "married with children and mortgage" type I believe I would not have the time or energy to safely build my own new PC. I have been looking at Dell and Velocity Micro and starting to lean towards VM despite the Dell discount I get through work.

However I am not sure on the best setup to get?

Basically I am torn between the GE 1500 and GE DualX, thought I could swing a good $2500 but my better half has the "guilt gun" on full-auto so I am trying to keep it under and still get a gaming PC that will last a few years with good performance.

Of course I also want to avoid "bottlenecking" from any of the components so I want to get a good balance.

500W PSU
I imagine 500 is fine but the XPS 700 having a 750W or 1000W got me wondering.
Asus M2N SLI Deluxe nForce 570
I figure is good in case I decide to move up to dual a couple of years from now.
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ AM2
Should I be aiming higher or would lower be fine?
2GB DDR2 800
Is there a really noticeable difference between 667 and 800?
Geforce 7900 GT 256 MB
I think the 7900 GT will give me a few years of good performance or should I really be aiming for the GTX?
250 GB 7200 rpm
Is a 10K rpm that much better?
3 Yr VelocityCare
Best balance I figure between cost and length.

Do you feel this is a good balance or should I be lowering one to raise another?
If so, what should I be lowering and what should I be raising?

Thank you for the help.

 

[InorganicMatter]

Of course I also want to avoid "bottlenecking" from any of the components so I want to get a good balance.

Don't worry about that, everything bottlenecks at the CPU anyway (see the [H] comparison from a while ago).

500W PSU
I imagine 500 is fine but the XPS 700 having a 750W or 1000W got me wondering.

Excessive. A good 400W PSU is all anyone needs today, and most 500W units are just fine.

2GB DDR2 800
Is there a really noticeable difference between 667 and 800?

None, just overclocking headroom.

Geforce 7900 GT 256 MB
I think the 7900 GT will give me a few years of good performance or should I really be aiming for the GTX?

GT is fine, both are awesome cards.

250 GB 7200 rpm
Is a 10K rpm that much better?

No, go for the 7200.

3 Yr VelocityCare
Best balance I figure between cost and length.

Good boy. Most people don't get a warranty since they are expensive, but it's worth it to protect your investment.

I imagine 500 is fine but the XPS 700 having a 750W or 1000W got me wondering.
Asus M2N SLI Deluxe nForce 570
I figure is good in case I decide to move up to dual a couple of years from now.
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ AM2

No, no, and no. Wait until Intel releases Core 2 in July. It's chalking up to be way faster than X2's, at a lower price. No sense in spending $2500 on a computer when it will be old tech in less than a month.

 

[Sir Robin]

Don't worry about that, everything bottlenecks at the CPU anyway (see the [H] comparison from a while ago).

Never realized that, I'll look for the article.

Good boy. Most people don't get a warranty since they are expensive, but it's worth it to protect your investment.

I have had way to much stuff die mere days after the warranty expired and then spent hours on the phone trying to get them to honor it anyway. VM looks like it has a good reputation for solid PC's but I have been burned to many times in the past to ignore the value of a longer warranty.

No, no, and no. Wait until Intel releases Core 2 in July. It's chalking up to be way faster than X2's, at a lower price. No sense in spending $2500 on a computer when it will be old tech in less than a month.

Thank you for the info, but I really wonder about the Conroe. While I am no AMD fanatic I have just had better luck and less problems with them than Intels. Same for nVidia, I have just had bad luck with ATI. If the Conroe is as good as Intel is claiming I figure good old supply-and-demand will soon drive the chip's price above my price range.

While the retail market will probably see the old-chips' prices drop in July or August, at the latest, I expect it to be October or later before we see the price drop at Dell, HP, Maingear, or Velocity Micro.

Of course I might be way off there, please correct me if I am, but my window of opportunity to get this past the spouse will be long gone by then. So its more of a need to get the best system I can within the next few weeks or the heat is on at the homefront. I thought I had longer but I can tell that the wife is starting to line up some optional purchases that will make for some serious "guilt artillery."

On the other hand, is the 570 Conroe compatible or was that just the 590?

 

[ditzilla]

If time is an issue, then I say go ahead and configure a system and call Velocity. I'm sure they'll help you get the very best system you can for your budget.

I am an AMD fan myself. Like you, in general I've just had better luck with them than intel.

As far as Conroe, 2X, all of that. Seems to me just from reading the forums here that no matter what you get there will be something new within a matter of months (if not sooner).

Go for what you want and get it before your wife decides to spend the computer money on something else (us women will do things like that occasionally )

 

[Deleted member 103397]

Sir Robin,
Always remember it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

 

[kilgore777]

One thing you should consider concerning the power supply... if you plan on upgrading, make sure you have plenty of leeway. This is probably a non-issue for you and the 500 watter is probably fine- but it is something to keep in mind. If you are considering SLI, added HDDs, etc. you might want to look into it. On the other hand, you could upgrade the PS later...

There are some sites that allow you to add components to calculate the minimum power requirements...but I can't find the link.

Good luck and enjoy your new PC! (Your wife will get over it!)

 

[Sir Robin]

Go for what you want and get it before your wife decides to spend the computer money on something else (us women will do things like that occasionally )

I do love her but she definately has learned how to be helpful at the worst possible times. She does it just to annoy me. Of course she is already starting to drop hints about more expensive daycare (not a chance that place she wants is a dump), switching to HD Cable (more female channels Noooo), and getting a new TV (thank god she hasn't figured out PIP yet so she can't watch the Lifetime and Family channels at the same time).

Always remember it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Very true, but I know it can't be easy for her to put up with someone as hunkarific, as masculine, as brilliant, and as humble as I so I try to keep my contributions to her not completely stable mental state to a minimum.

This is probably a non-issue for you and the 500 watter is probably fine- but it is something to keep in mind. If you are considering SLI, added HDDs, etc. you might want to look into it. On the other hand, you could upgrade the PS later...

Good point, I have run into issues in the past when trying to upgrade with too weak psu's.

Of course my namesake's cowardly nature will make me try and hold out until the last moment as well.

 

[lovemyPC]

Sir Robin,
Always remember it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

ha ha - been married long?

 

[lovemyPC]

500w psu should be fine. but since vm doesn't use a proprietary psu - you should be able to upgrade easily.

Best of luck with your decision - keep us posted.

 

[Velocity_Micro]

If you're in doubt, call a sales rep and get their take on your decisions. We want to be sure you get the best system for your needs. Looking at your system, I'd say everything here is very well balanced. The HD might be an inexpensive upgrade, and I'd suggest the 400GB for it's speed and size, and I'd go with your instincts on everything else. This is a great system, and very easy to upgrade since we use industry standard architecture for everything (on purpose) so you can continue to work with the system as your needs and apps change.

 

[Sir Robin]

Cool, thank you.

I have received a couple of setups through email from Pete and spoke with Tracy(?) on the phone about the Conroe release.

I am going to try and hold out for the E6600 or E6700 to be an option before ordering though I heard a rumor they might be pushed back to September.

I might be able to bribe the wife with a very nice gift on Mother's Day. If I can pull that off it should buy me some time. Oh the joys of marriage, finding that one special person you can annoy for the rest of your life.

Edit: Wow I am such a guy... I meant our anniversary on July 15th... ugh.

 

[ditzilla]

Sir Robin,

I saw mother's day and was like whaaaa? Yes a really nice anniversary gift might be a help. Day spa? if she's into that sort of thing. I'm lucky, I guess. It's just me and my cat to annoy each other.

Just FYI, I spoke to Pete when I was configuring my VM computer. He was very clear and helpful. He never once tried to "upsell" me into anything he didn't think I'd need or would be necessary. He asked questions on what the computer would be used for, what type of internet connection, basically he covered all the bases.

I found that refreshing, as in general whenever you go to purchase anything expensive, the person on the phone/email/in the store will usually try either the bait and switch ("we don't have that, but we have this and it's only $$$ more) or try to talk you into something more expensive that you don't need.

Whether to push your purchase back to September, you'll have to decide if it'll be worth it and if you'll still be able to get the new system then.

 

[drizzt81]

I think one thing the the OP should consider is who will be using the PC. I think that if you have kids that use the PC a good 'quick-nuke' of the install could prove as an easy way to save headaches in the future.