My PC build

[MrTed46]

Right now I'm thinking of just going with the one drive & using my 40 GB external to back it up. I know it won't back up my programs (which it would doing RAID 0 anyway, right?) but I'm not going to have anything on there that I won't have a disk for anyway. For the moment I think I'm just going to spend my money on RAM instead. If I do this will it be a problem to later add a 2nd hard drive if I wish to do so?

 

 

Raid 0 has nothing to do with backup, Raid 1 is more for backing up

 

I will try my best to explain Raid 0 in laymen terms.

Lets say a program is 100gb installed

 

If you are running 1 Hard drive (SATA at 3.0 GB/s)

The system will get bottlenecked trying to open that program because the processor will be waiting on the harddrive to retrieve the data.

It will retrieve 100gb of data at 3.0 GB per sec

 

Now lets say you have 2 Hard drive (Identical SATA 3.0 GB/s) running RAID 0

The program will install 50GB on Hard drive 1 and 50GB on Hard Drive 2

The system will not get bottlenecked (as much) because now the processor is waiting less time since 50 GB is coming from each hard drive. So its sort of having 3.0GB/s x 2 = 6GB/s to retrive the same amount of data.

 

Now lets say you have 2 Hard Drive (Identical SATA 3.0 GB/s) running RAID 1

The system will be just as bottle neck as having 1 hard drive (if not more). What Raid 1 does is that whatever data you put on Hard Drive 1 will put the SAME exact data on Hard Drive 2. So lets say Hard Drive 1 craps out and dies your system will not shut down or lose any data. You will just get a message stating that Hard Drive 1 is dead.

 

RAID 10 combines both of these together therefore you need 4 Identical Hard Drives

 

I hope I explained it ok without getting technical.

 

Just remember

Raid 0 = performance/speed

Raid 1 = backup/redundancy

Raid 10 = Speed/redundancy (most expensive)

[rajncajn]

Raid 0 has nothing to do with backup, Raid 1 is more for backing up

 

I will try my best to explain Raid 0 in laymen terms.

Lets say a program is 100gb installed

 

If you are running 1 Hard drive (SATA at 3.0 GB/s)

The system will get bottlenecked trying to open that program because the processor will be waiting on the harddrive to retrieve the data.

It will retrieve 100gb of data at 3.0 GB per sec

 

Now lets say you have 2 Hard drive (Identical SATA 3.0 GB/s) running RAID 0

The program will install 50GB on Hard drive 1 and 50GB on Hard Drive 2

The system will not get bottlenecked (as much) because now the processor is waiting less time since 50 GB is coming from each hard drive. So its sort of having 3.0GB/s x 2 = 6GB/s to retrive the same amount of data.

 

Now lets say you have 2 Hard Drive (Identical SATA 3.0 GB/s) running RAID 1

The system will be just as bottle neck as having 1 hard drive (if not more). What Raid 1 does is that whatever data you put on Hard Drive 1 will put the SAME exact data on Hard Drive 2. So lets say Hard Drive 1 craps out and dies your system will not shut down or lose any data. You will just get a message stating that Hard Drive 1 is dead.

 

RAID 10 combines both of these together therefore you need 4 Identical Hard Drives

 

I hope I explained it ok without getting technical.

 

Just remember

Raid 0 = performance/speed

Raid 1 = backup/redundancy

Raid 10 = Speed/redundancy (most expensive)

 

I understood it already. RAID 1 uses the 2nd HD as basically a mirror of the other, RAID 0 divides the data between the two and draws from them both at the same time therefore doubling your load times. However, load times I can live with for now as long as I can back up my personal data (external HD will do that) and I don't have any lag in running the programs (Which is why I want to go with more RAM vs a dual hard drive). RAID 10 would be overkill IMO unless I was both a hardcore gamer & used my pc for business purposes which will not be the case.

[Kid Cid]

Raid 0 = performance/speed

Raid 1 = backup/redundancy

Raid 10 = Speed/redundancy (most expensive)

 

So if you go with a Raid 0 solution you've just doubled your chance at a hardrive failure that would cause you to lose all your data. You still need some type of backup strategy in place, right?

[MrTed46]

So if you go with a Raid 0 solution you've just doubled your chance at a hardrive failure that would cause you to lose all your data. You still need some type of backup strategy in place, right?

 

 

Correct. In Raid 0 if one drive fails you lose all data.

 

At my home PC I have 2 Raptor 10kRPM drives where I store my programs + files (running RAID 0).

Then I have a third drive where I store my important files (non-programs).

[rajncajn]

I'm looking at the 10000 RPM drives & it doesn't look like the price difference is all that bad, but why is the storage space so much less than the 7200s? That really doesn't seem worth it to me.

[MrTed46]

I'm looking at the 10000 RPM drives & it doesn't look like the price difference is all that bad, but why is the storage space so much less than the 7200s? That really doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

 

Performance > Size in terms of money.

 

Raptor drives running Raid 0 are FAST. But for the same money you can probably get double + storage.

 

I have 2 74Gig running Raid 0 so 150 gig total.

I then have 2 250 gig hard drives for additional storage.

[rajncajn]

Here is where I'm at, mobo & RAM are the last components holding up my build, but I want to make sure before I order that I'm taking the right route. The mobo I am looking at buying is the Asus P5N-SLI nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Extreme 1066FSB LGA775 DDR2 ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA and the RAM is Corsair VS2GBKIT667D2 2GB Kit DDR2-667 PC2-5300. I have done a little research and found an article from last July on building a Conroe system. At first I was disappointed that it said the only worthwile motherboards were the 975Xs, which are much higher priced, but then I saw the info on the SLI cards was outdated saying the Nforce 4 edition had pood overclocking capabilities, but the nForce 500 series would be much better "when they come out". The card I have picked out above is an NForce 570, so I think I'm ok there & can still keep that cost down. Below is the rest of my system setup so far.

 

Case

Coolermaster CAC-T05-WW Centurion 5 Mid Tower Case

 

PSU

Coolmax CX-500B 500W Silent Switching Power Supply w/120mm Silent Fan

 

Processor

Intel® Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe Processor 1.86GHz, 1066FSB, LGA775, 2MB Cache

 

Graphics

MSI NX7900GT-VT2D256E HD GeForce 7900 GT PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/Dual DVI, VIVO & HDTV-Out

 

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/16MB Buffer

 

Monitor

ViewSonic VX922 Black/Silver 19" 2ms LCD Monitor 270 cd/m2 650:1 0.294mm Pixel Pitch

 

DVD Burner

Pioneer Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 5X DVD-RAM DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Read

[rajncajn]

I've finally made my decisions & placed my orders. Total build is going to run me right at $1200, which had me cringe until I priced out the same system on Dell.

 

Case

Coolermaster CAC-T05-WW Centurion 5 Mid Tower Case

 

PSU

Coolmax CX-500B 500W Silent Switching Power Supply w/120mm Silent Fan

 

Processor

[http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80859] Intel® Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe Processor 2.13GHz, 1066FSB, LGA775, 2MB Cache[/url]

 

Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 P965 Express Core 2 Extreme/Core 2 Duo 1066FSB LGA775 DDR2 ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA

 

Memory

GeIL GX22GB5300LDC 2GB Kit DDR2-667 PC2-5300 DDR 2 Series Dual Channel Memory

 

Graphics

MSI NX7900GT-VT2D256E HD GeForce 7900 GT PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/Dual DVI, VIVO & HDTV-Out

 

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/16MB Buffer

 

Monitor

ViewSonic VX922 Black/Silver 19" 2ms LCD Monitor 270 cd/m2 650:1 0.294mm Pixel Pitch

 

DVD Burner

Pioneer Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 5X DVD-RAM DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Read

Edited September 14, 2006 by rajncajn

[H8tank]

Looks like a great build, I sure hope you are a gamer at least.

 

That LCD is the best out there, they are beautiful, I woulda suggested the YD WD drive, but the KS is fine, Geil is what is in my machine, 2GB is plenty, and they make a 4mb cache conroe, but the 2mb still scream.

 

MSI makes great video cards, and have excellent coolers, I prefer Nvidia over ATI myself as well. Powersupply is one of the most important parts, so having a good one is a must. A system like that needs some great speakers, I have the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia, they sound great.

 

And dell could't touch that system as far as quality or performance at any price.

 

Enjoy that system, it is a monster.

[rajncajn]

Looks like a great build, I sure hope you are a gamer at least.

 

That LCD is the best out there, they are beautiful, I woulda suggested the YD WD drive, but the KS is fine, Geil is what is in my machine, 2GB is plenty, and they make a 4mb cache conroe, but the 2mb still scream.

 

MSI makes great video cards, and have excellent coolers, I prefer Nvidia over ATI myself as well. Powersupply is one of the most important parts, so having a good one is a must. A system like that needs some great speakers, I have the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia, they sound great.

 

And dell could't touch that system as far as quality or performance at any price.

 

Enjoy that system, it is a monster.

 

Sweet, I get the H8tank stamp of approval. ©

 

Thanks H8 as well as the others who offered up their advice.

[peepinmofo]

Ive ONLY built my own PCs and never have bought anything else. I also have only used AMD, as Intel is always a lot more. If iterested, PM me and I can help out if you ever have any questions on this. Its a hobby of mine that I dont get to do enough of (too expensive).

[MrTed46]

Rajn awesome build its going to be a beast. Please let me know how it is when your done and if you need anything dont hesistate.

[rajncajn]

ATTENTION

 

If your power flickers today it's just me.

[I Like Soup]

ATTENTION

 

If your power flickers today it's just me.

 

 

 

I'm gonna be upgrading my processor to an AMD X2 4800+ ...but when I build my Mom a computer for Christmas, I'll probably go the Intel route.

[MrTed46]

ATTENTION

 

If your power flickers today it's just me.

 

 

How did it come out?

[rajncajn]

How did it come out?

 

I played Oblivion for a bit yesterday at lunch on the highest setting, just to test it out & didn't even have so much as a hiccup. The graphics & physics alone on that game are astounding.

 

So far everything is working great with one exception. For some reason Internet Explorer locks up when I try to open it using any "user" other than myself. When I'm logged in as my wife or daughter it just doesn't work. I should be able to get it figured out eventually though. I've posted something in a support forum, but haven't gotten an answer yet. If worse-comes-to-worse I'll just call them & see if they can't talk me thru a fix.

[MrTed46]

I played Oblivion for a bit yesterday at lunch on the highest setting, just to test it out & didn't even have so much as a hiccup. The graphics & physics alone on that game are astounding.

 

So far everything is working great with one exception. For some reason Internet Explorer locks up when I try to open it using any "user" other than myself. When I'm logged in as my wife or daughter it just doesn't work. I should be able to get it figured out eventually though. I've posted something in a support forum, but haven't gotten an answer yet. If worse-comes-to-worse I'll just call them & see if they can't talk me thru a fix.

 

 

I like using Firefox as my broweser as IE has more faults and less secure (IMO).

 

Try that if you like. The problem will prob be fixed

[rajncajn]

I like using Firefox as my broweser as IE has more faults and less secure (IMO).

 

Try that if you like. The problem will prob be fixed

 

I may try that. I use Firefox at work, but I'm hesitant to introduce a new browser to my wife. Firefox is pretty easy to use though so I may do that if I can't get an answer soon on how to fix the IE problem.

[MrTed46]

I may try that. I use Firefox at work, but I'm hesitant to introduce a new browser to my wife. Firefox is pretty easy to use though so I may do that if I can't get an answer soon on how to fix the IE problem.

 

 

Use the Internet Explorer icon but make the shortcut link to firefox. I did this to my girlfiends computer cuz she is slow and I didnt want to explain the difference.

[rajncajn]

Use the Internet Explorer icon but make the shortcut link to firefox. I did this to my girlfiends computer cuz she is slow and I didnt want to explain the difference.

 

I went ahead & set it up with Firefox, it's working fine so far. I deleted all the IE shortcuts on the desktop & menu so it shouldn't be an issue.

[H8tank]

For some reason Internet Explorer locks up when I try to open it using any "user" other than myself.

 

Were you using FAST USER SWITCHING?

[The Irish Doggy]

Use the Internet Explorer icon but make the shortcut link to firefox. I did this to my girlfiends computer cuz she is slow and I didnt want to explain the difference.

 

 

 

Classic.

[rajncajn]

Were you using FAST USER SWITCHING?

 

I go: Start>Log Off>Switch User, not sure if that is fast switching or not, but it seems so to me.

[H8tank]

I go: Start>Log Off>Switch User,

 

This is a very poor way to use windows, it really can cause performance issues and other kwirks, you should always choose LOG OFF, not just switch users.

[rajncajn]

This is a very poor way to use windows, it really can cause performance issues and other kwirks, you should always choose LOG OFF, not just switch users.

 

Noted & appreciated.