joeyf Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hey everyone, first post. I'm running some old gear. I do a lot of web work - Wordpress, template coding, a little PHP and some Photoshop. Was looking for a new desktop and am intriqued by the possiblility of utilizing tools like TextMate and Coda on the Mac side for possibly working more efficiently. Also, dual monitors is an absolute must. Figured I'd give it a shot and if things don't work out, then at least I should have a nice little XP or Win7 box to keep right on trucking. BTW - not a gamer at all. Will most likely go for a dual boot with XP. Anyhow, after lurking for the past 24 hours I came up with the following as a reasonable setup. Was quite surprised at how cheap it all was as well: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ZOTAC ZT-95TEH2P-FSL GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 DVI:2 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V V2.2 Logitech Black USB Wireless Desktop MK300 Keyboard and Mouse Other than a few extra wires and thermal compound my total with shipping was $510. Would have been less if I didn't need a new keyboard and mouse. I would think that this should do reasonably well for my intended purpose. Any comments? I may still have time for changes. Guess I've got a lot to learn while I wait for the shipment. I have no idea what all I need for installation discs, or good sources for OSX install discs. If someone could provide a few key links to get me going it would be much appreciated. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
broken Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Good looking build and very similar to mine. Retail install should be easy and trouble free. Only possible gotcha is if the motherboard is a revision 2.x as they changed the onboard NIC to something that isn't yet supported in OS X. On the other hand if its a rev 1.1 (like mine) it should be great. But if you get a 2.x rev, you can always get a cheap-o supported NIC. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1259441 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyf Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 Good looking build and very similar to mine. Retail install should be easy and trouble free. Only possible gotcha is if the motherboard is a revision 2.x as they changed the onboard NIC to something that isn't yet supported in OS X. On the other hand if its a rev 1.1 (like mine) it should be great. But if you get a 2.x rev, you can always get a cheap-o supported NIC. LOL, missed that one - I'm sure it won't be the only gotcha. I've got an old Linksys LNE100TX NIC kicking around that I can try to get working. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1259503 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Get better RAM (1066 or 1200MHz if the MB supports it). 800MHz is really slow, especially with pro apps. Also, buy a single platter Seagate 7200.12 HDD. It'll perform much faster than WD's old Caviar Blue. Thermaltack is not really renowned for its power supplies. A Corsair CX400 would be a smarter choice. It's cheap and very efficient. FYI, this setup would need about 200W on load. Edit: typo. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1260060 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I can vouch for that Thermaltake PSU- my own user review of it is from 10/12/2007 (Page 8 of 23 if viewed 100 reviews at a time) Even back then I'd been using that PSU with two systems for over a year- and guess what- the same two systems (in nearly constant 24/7 use ever since -HTPCs-) are still going strong with the same PSU, even though since upgraded to much newer components. (One is currently running my EP35-DS4 system with an E8500 processor and 8600GT video card.) The Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC is a workhorse- it won't let you down with the above spec'd system. Yes, there are plenty of other great PSUs to choose from, but there's little to worry about in choosing that one for the build list you have. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1260374 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I didn't say it was total {censored} like Chinese OEM stuff. You won't set a fire with that one, but on the other hand, 2 80mm fans must be quiet… noisy and I don't see any 80 Plus logo. I know that you Americans usually don't give a sh*t about environment, but at least think a second about your power bill and all this coal that won't have to burn down our only world. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1260566 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyf Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 I know that you Americans usually don't give a sh*t about environment, but at least think a second about your power bill and all this coal that won't have to burn down our only world. Good point. Even though I may be adding some drives from my old box I might still be a little over powered. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1260592 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I didn't say it was total {censored} like Chinese OEM stuff. You won't set a fire with that one, but on the other hand, 2 80mm fans must be quiet… noisy and I don't see any 80 Plus logo. I give people enough credit not to be complete morons, and to look up simple information that's right in front of them for themselves, and make thier own judgements. Also, I hate to make proclamations about things I don't *ahem* actually own myself. On newegg, you can filter over 2000+ (!!) user reviews for the words 'noisy' 'silent' and 'quiet' if you have any doubts about how noisy or quiet this PSU is. I know that you Americans usually don't give a sh*t about environment, but at least think a second about your power bill and all this coal that won't have to burn down our only world. Oh please, let's not get too preachy. Anyone who's looking to save the planet, should just turn off ALL their PCs, and go outside. No, it's not the most efficient PSU on the planet, but it's energy use is very minimal to begin with. Gee, you think in nearly four years I might have noticed if two of these in constant use added anything significant to my electric bill? If someone doesn't want to burn down the planet with their PC- use a single core CPU rather than a quad, don't *ahem* use higher speed RAM, don't overclock, and heck- just use an ATOM-based system- and sit back and enjoy saving the planet! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1260724 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 You can't trust people about noise. They don't have a sonometer in the head, and even if they did, 25dB mean nearly silent for most of them and already noisy for other ones like me. About environmental concerns, well, I'm sorry for the preachy thing but obviously you don't care much about it. I'm not fluent enough in English to argue with you and it would be a huge loss of time for both of us, so watch Home on YouTube if you didn't. It's a great movie anyway. So you won't save the planet with a power supply, but if you always buy efficient devices and shut them down when you're not using them, you could save a lot of energy, some hard earned money and start being eco-friendly. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1261120 Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirloui Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 BTW, the Corsair CX400 has a 12cm fan, is 80+ certified, cost about 40€ with tax and had good reviews. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1261173 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 You can't trust people about noise. They don't have a sonometer in the head, and even if they did, 25dB mean nearly silent for most of them and already noisy for other ones like me. People have ears- those matter more to most people than a sonometer. Sorry, even though I greatly respect your opinions, I'll trust what I also know MYSELF to be true from actually owning something myself, PLUS the comments of over 2000+ other people- look up that PSU on newegg, it's one of the most trusted PSUs EVER MADE, and one of the single most successful designs. About environmental concerns, well, I'm sorry for the preachy thing but obviously you don't care much about it. No, it's just that this isn't the place for lame environmental preaching. Presumably we all build and use computers here. Preaching at each other about our energy use, when we're all building and using what could be considered non-necessary computers, is the height of lameness. I wasn't telling him NOT to get an 80+ certified PSU or whatever else he wants to use- just saying, "Hey, I OWN THAT PSU- it's not bad quality. I've been using them for years. And NO, it does not use that much power." An 80+ cert PSU in the same low-power application to begin with might save you $5.00 year. Go for it. So IF you ordered it -as the OP said he did- don't worry about it. Sorry to inject actual user-review of something I OWN into a forum about recommending computer parts. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1262001 Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyf Posted September 11, 2009 Author Share Posted September 11, 2009 So IF you ordered it -as the OP said he did- don't worry about it. Sorry to inject actual user-review of something I OWN into a forum about recommending computer parts. Yeah, I ordered everything I listed. I don't plan on overclocking and went with the stock fan. I believe the board would support 1066 RAM if I were overclocking - which I'm not, so I think I'm good with my RAM choice. So if I'm a little heavy on the PSU, then big deal. Ultimately I just hope to be in decent shape for a successful attempt at my first Hackintosh. I'm happy with my $500 price point for my intended purpose. I do appreciate the comments so far - you guys have given me more things to consider for my next build. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/185359-just-ordered-my-system/#findComment-1262183 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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