What do you guys think of my rig now?

illdrag0n

Well, im a student over here in Australia, and a couple of months a go i decided it was time to breathe a bit more life back into my rig. I had set myself a max budget of $500 AUS, and i think i did quite well.

My starting point was:

V-Tech X-Ray Midi Atx Case
Asus A7N5X
Athlon 4200X2 @ 2.5ghz
2gb DDR400 (4x512)
Powercolor X1950pro with Arctic Accelero X2
120gb 2mb IDE and 120gb 8mb Sata
Topower SilentTop 450w
Viewsonic P810 21" CRT 1600x1200

with $500 of my own and a couple of presents i now have
V-Tech X-Ray Midi Atx Case
Gigabyte P31-DS3L
E2180 @ 3.0ghz 300x10
2gb DDR2-800 (1x2048)
Galaxy 8800GT 512mb with dual slot cooler
500gb 16mb Sata (present from gf) and 120gb 8mb sata
Antec Earthwatts 500w
LG W2242T-BF 22" 1680x1050 5ms 8000:1 (present from folks)

what do you guys reckon? did i do good? do i pass it as a guru of 3d?

Neo Cyrus · *Last edited by Neo Cyrus; 05-12-2008 at 01:31.*

You fail for choosing a P31 motherboard over a P35. I don't know if the power supply is enough though (too lazy to check), it most likely is. The rest is all good.

But seriously why would you care what anyone else thinks about it, they can all burn in hell (including me, lol). So long as it works for what you need then it's all good.

illdrag0n · 05-12-2008, 01:30 | posts: 638 | User is Offline

it was $20 cheaper with no real performance difference. I didnt see the point, its the same exact phisical board with just a different chipset.

Neo Cyrus · 05-12-2008, 01:32 | posts: 3,131 | Location: GTA, Canada | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by illdrag0n

it was $20 cheaper with no real performance difference. I didnt see the point, its the same exact phisical board with just a different chipset.

Probably, I just chose a Gigabyte P35 since in all the benchmarks I saw they overclocked the most of all and use solid state capacitors.

WaroDaBeast · 05-12-2008, 02:35 | posts: 1,274 | Location: Réunion | User is Offline

That's a pretty nice monitor you got there. LG's got the best contrast ratios!

illdrag0n · 05-12-2008, 03:25 | posts: 638 | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireKnight

Probably, I just chose a Gigabyte P35 since in all the benchmarks I saw they overclocked the most of all and use solid state capacitors.

same board, including solid capacitors and 7.1 HD audio, just different chipset. IT maxes out at around 480fsb, which i dont even come close to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaroDaBeast

That's a pretty nice monitor you got there. LG's got the best contrast ratios!

yeah looks sweet. It was the cheapest too! even cheaper than BenQ, Chimei, Viewsonic, AOC etc etc

Postalisback

Quote:

Originally Posted by illdrag0n

My starting point was:

V-Tech X-Ray Midi Atx Case
Asus A7N5X
Athlon 4200X2 @ 2.5ghz
2gb DDR400 (4x512)
Powercolor X1950pro with Arctic Accelero X2
120gb 2mb IDE and 120gb 8mb Sata
Topower SilentTop 450w
Viewsonic P810 21" CRT 1600x1200

with $500 of my own and a couple of presents i now have
V-Tech X-Ray Midi Atx Case
Gigabyte P31-DS3L
E2180 @ 3.0ghz 300x10
2gb DDR2-800 (1x2048)
Galaxy 8800GT 512mb with dual slot cooler
500gb 16mb Sata (present from gf) and 120gb 8mb sata
Antec Earthwatts 500w
LG W2242T-BF 22" 1680x1050 5ms 8000:1 (present from folks)

what do you guys reckon? did i do good? do i pass it as a guru of 3d?

The real question is why did you replace a 21" CRT that could display 1600x1200 with a 22" LCD at 1680x1050 (which is a smaller resolution btw), that's pretty much downgrading

MAD-OGRE · 05-12-2008, 14:07 | posts: 2,263 | Location: Alabama | User is Offline

I have that same LG, it is nice, I still have 2 CRTs and i just cant stand looking at them any more, maybe he feels the same.

Nato.dbnz · 05-12-2008, 14:14 | posts: 2,288 | Location: Auckland NZ | User is Online

Quote:

Originally Posted by Postalisback

The real question is why did you replace a 21" CRT that could display 1600x1200 with a 22" LCD at 1680x1050 (which is a smaller resolution btw), that's pretty much downgrading

Because it doesn't matter about the resolution, widescreen gaming wins for the same reason that movies are shot in widescreen...it is more close to how we see out of our own eyes.

LedHed

Not to mention a lot of us don't have room for a huge CRT and LCD is easier on the eyes.

lmimmfn · 05-12-2008, 14:55 | posts: 7,008 | Location: Ireland | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

Not to mention a lot of us don't have room for a huge CRT and LCD is easier on the eyes.

and hair loss from radiation poisoning doesnt kick in lol

LedHed

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmimmfn

and hair loss from radiation poisoning doesnt kick in lol

that's why you have to get the radiation screen protector!

BlackZero · 05-12-2008, 15:29 | posts: 3,873 | Location: England | User is Offline

A lot of gamers including myself prefer CRT monitors because you can adjust the resolution according to the game without any image loss, there is also no conclusive evidence to support the idea of radiation that is harmful to us being emitted.

P.s I have a big desk!

LedHed

I don't know of anyone that would pick a CRT over my 1920x1200 BenQ FP241W

(HDMI 1080p support FTW)

Lethal Abz · 05-12-2008, 15:45 | posts: 1,040 | Location: London | User is Offline

very good set up

Skiddywinks · 05-12-2008, 16:07 | posts: 4,220 | Location: North Wales | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

I don't know of anyone that would pick a CRT over my 1920x1200 BenQ FP241W

(HDMI 1080p support FTW)

Well, the thing with CRT is that is has no single native resolution, so any and all resolutions supported act like native resolutions. Big bonus.

The very best HD CRT will be better than the very best LCD of the same type. However, they are bigger, hotter, and cost a LOT more.

Personally, I would also go with the LCD >_>

LedHed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skiddywinks

Well, the thing with CRT is that is has no single native resolution, so any and all resolutions supported act like native resolutions. Big bonus.

The very best HD CRT will be better than the very best LCD of the same type. However, they are bigger, hotter, and cost a LOT more.

Personally, I would also go with the LCD >_>

You act like all of us don't already know about resolutions with CRT's. I used a CRT for about 10 years before going to LCD. CRT's do look nice and perform great for gaming, but the size + heat makes them unbearable for me. Not to mention my BenQ has some of the best picture quality I've ever seen on any HD device (I've seen a lot of TV's and monitors)

Passion Fruit

lol at those radiation screens, i wouldnt be seen dead with one of those over my CRT (if i had one)

Skiddywinks · 05-12-2008, 16:46 | posts: 4,220 | Location: North Wales | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

You act like all of us don't already know about resolutions with CRT's. I used a CRT for about 10 years before going to LCD. CRT's do look nice and perform great for gaming, but the size + heat makes them unbearable for me. Not to mention my BenQ has some of the best picture quality I've ever seen on any HD device (I've seen a lot of TV's and monitors)

Sorry about making such an assumption, but from your post's lack of info on the benefits of CRT HDTVs I assumed you did not know them. I meant no harm.

There is no doubt that HDTVs are amazing as well, and for the price they are unbeatable.

LedHed

I'm not aware of a CRT with HDMI support.

Skiddywinks · 05-12-2008, 16:58 | posts: 4,220 | Location: North Wales | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

I'm not aware of a CRT with HDMI support.

Well, here's just one SAMSUNG WS32Z409T, and I am fairly sure that is a year or two old.

LedHed

I was talking about a CRT monitor, not a CRT TV.

Skiddywinks · 05-12-2008, 17:03 | posts: 4,220 | Location: North Wales | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

I was talking about a CRT monitor, not a CRT TV.

My bad.

LedHed

I mean the only difference is a TV tuner, but they normally add more inputs to TV's because they are aimed at multimedia devices. However some monitors (like mine) include these same inputs (HDMI, Component, S-Video, RCA) so it truly is a multimedia display, not just a computer monitor. I loving watching HD Cable through HDMI on it

Skiddywinks · 05-12-2008, 17:17 | posts: 4,220 | Location: North Wales | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by LedHed

I mean the only difference is a TV tuner, but they normally add more inputs to TV's because they are aimed at multimedia devices. However some monitors (like mine) include these same inputs (HDMI, Component, S-Video, RCA) so it truly is a multimedia display, not just a computer monitor. I loving watching HD Cable through HDMI on it

HD programmes must be nice

I'm still stuck with SD, unless I upscale a DVD. And even that barely constitutes as HD.