Graphics Card Recommendations

by Joe
(USA)

I would like to know what graphics card you would recommend for rendering DV-AVI videos on a Dell Dimension E310 3ghz desktop? I have a 230w power supply but I could upgrade that if necessary.
thanks.

Recommendations for Gaming Motherboard?

by Paul
(U.S.)

Need some advice: we are building a new computer for gaming and home use. Considering gaming motherboards: asus rampageiiex58, p7p55de or p6x58 boards with i7 chip. Any other recommendations? Would also like good hard drive recommendations too. thanks

Response from Kris at Build Your Own Computer:

Gaming Motherboard Recommendations

The Gigabyte EX58 EXtreme Motherboard is basically what you need to look for/want to use. This is a very heavy duty and performance-based motherboard. Reviews are very good on this product, but you pay for what you get. Prices range from $320 to 350, depending what country you are in and where you buy. Gigabyte EX58 EXtreme Motherboard Video

Another board, called the Maximus III Extreme, has been getting very good reviews. It is made by ASUS but sold under the partner name ROG (Republic Of Gamers). Pricing is about $395 USD right now (because it's still pretty 'new') but check around to see if you can get a better deal in your area.

The p7p55de and p6x58 boards have been standing up pretty great as well in long term testing. They don't have some of the overclocking and other hardcore features as the previous 2 boards, but their prices definitely make up for that. Pricing of these are around $130-170 which make them a very good value, especially if you plan to use this computer for some everyday basics as well.

As far as hard drives go, Seagate / SATA 750gb are fairly standard and cheap. If you plan on spending a little more than average on this computer you should do some price checking on SSDs (Solid State Drive) haven't checked in a while but they were still too expensive for me last time I checked. They will most likely be the future desktop drive of choice once they become a little more affordable.

Good luck with the Build! And enjoy your system once it's running.

Kris

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Need heavy-use office computer recommendation

by Norman
(Bellevue, WA)

I'd like recommendations on putting together an office PC that can handle the demands of many many Office apps open at once, staying up a long time between reboots.

I typically have open at any given time:
a half-dozen PowerPoint decks, some rather large
a half-dozen Excel spreadsheets, some rather large
a half-dozen+ Word docs
a half-dozen IE windows with 4-12 tabs open on each
Outlook + a half-dozen emails open
OneNote
Lync
3 or so Windows Explorer windows
Windows Media Player or Quicktime or YouTube streaming video.

I already have (from my existing system):
1x 150GB internal SATA drive (for OS & swap)
3x 1TB internal SATA drives
1x 3TB external WD USB 3.0 drive
Blu-ray internal RW drive

and I can get Microsoft software for cost, so I run Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate + the latest Office Pro version.

I understand I'll need lots of fast RAM, so am prepared to buy 16GB or more. But what else can I get to support my lazy practice of keeping a bunch of leaky apps open all the time? An SSD? I'll need a new enclosure, power supply, motherboard & CPU. Will a separate graphics card help?

Thanks in advance!

Super Fast Computer Recommendations

by Lu
(USA)

I need a REAL FAST-super fast computer. I have several photo-editing programs, as well as my latest Pinnacle software. I need to have something that supports the Ultramon dual-monitor software - I have two 25 inch monitors. I want a really outstanding computer. I would like to have an idea of what to buy so I can do so and then have everything ready to take to a computer guy for the finished product. I have been told I am going to spend a lot of money on graphics cards. I am a bit of a novice in this area. Your kind assistance will be appreciated. Thanks.

Motherboard, Graphics Card, Processor and Memory Recommendations

by DuWayne
(USA)

I would like to build a computer for a CAD system. What would you recommend for a motherboard, graphics card, processor, and memory?

Would I build a gamer for lots of graphics or would it be different?