I am thinking about selling both my computers and replacing them with a custom built PC and an Apple notebook.
Reasons? (If you don't care about my reasons, skip to "Computer two: Homebuilt, dual-boot PC tower" to get to the hardware geekery
)
- I don't like having two Macs. I was craving a powerful Mac after three years stuck with an aging PB G4, and I overkilled. I use my Mac for managing my movies/music/TV, the basics, (internet, email, word processing, etc) and web design and programming. Having a single, speedy notebook and an external hard drive to hold extra media would suit these needs perfectly. The Mac Pro is huge overkill, and keeping my MacBook and Mac Pro synced is a massive pain. Not just contacts and calendars, but movies and music.
- Where I do need the horsepower, though, is on the Windows side of things. I game a lot. I always have the latest consoles and games, it's just who I am. It's an expensive hobby, I know... but at least its not crack!
- I've always wanted to build a computer. I feel like its a rite-of-passage into more hardcore geekery.
My current situation, therefore, is not only needlessly expensive, but also less than ideal. Instead of having a $3000+ tower and a $1800 notebook, I could have a $1800 tower and a $2000ish notebook which would suit my needs better. A KVM switch and a docking station for the notebook might also be necessary - it depends on how much I miss 1920 x 1200 compared to 1440 x 900.
The answer, then, is clear: Apple notebook; homebuilt, dual-boot PC running Vista and Linux.
Computer one: Apple notebook.
13.3" is too small for me on a regular basis. I need a 15.4" screen. I do not, however, need 90% of the rest of the differentiating features between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. A 15.4" MacBook would be ideal, and rumors of such a machine continue to float. I won't be doing any of this until late summer, so I can wait it out and see what happens - if nothing does, then its MacBook Pro for me.
Computer two: Homebuilt, dual-boot PC tower.
Why homebuilt? Easy: cheaper. You can save quite a bit by doing it yourself. The components I have selected would cost about $2,500 in a comparable brand name PC.
However, I have never built a PC before. A friend of mine has, and has offered to assist me. Where I need your guyses help is selecting the components. While I know plenty about CPUs and GPUs, it is the things like the motherboard and the cooling system that I am having some trouble with.
Without further adieu, the list of components in my theoretical PC:
And the HTML version, for the purposes of live links:
Warning: Excel mangled HTML ahead.
The components I am unsure of:
The case. That one is really more of a placeholder, as the case hunt will be ongoing. I know I want aluminum. I would also like smaller. If anyone knows of a good case that is ATX compliant, has at least 2 PCI slots and sufficient cooling (two 120mm fans would be ideal), and is small or just plain goodlooking, please, share your knowledge.
The motherboard. Overkill? Or just right? That board gets gushing reviews everywhere I look. The WiFi is irrelevant, since I hardwire anyway.
The power supply. Don't know much about power supplies, but that one looks powerful, quiet, and dual-GPU ready. Look good?
The GPU. Is it better to have last generations top of the line (a GeForce 7950 GTX in this case) or the current generations middle of the line? Of note is the fact that the 8800GTS is DirectX 10 compatible, but also of note is that I would be saving $90 with the 7950 GTX, but getting what is potentially a more powerful card.
The fan + heatsink. I know NOTHING about fans and heatsinks. That one is getting the best reviews. Do I need something better given the heat this computer is potentially giving off? Do I need to cool other components other than the CPU and GPU?
Thermal paste... I am going to replace the stock stuff with some
Arctic Silver 5 because its dirt cheap ($6 for 3.5 grams, only .2 is the recommended use), but it can REALLY cool your CPU down.
Windows. XP, Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate? XP is tried and true, and free since I have discs, but if I'm paying for a DX10 card, I wanna be able to use it. Finally, for only $70 more, I can get Ultimate, which is supposed to have some sort of extra gaming tools for optimizing performance. Sounds like a way for MS to fleece their
loyal balls-in-a-vice customers, but I'd like to hear if anyone has experience with Ultimate or Home Premium, and the significant differences, if any.
Well, this was a long post. But if anyone has advice, comments, or if you simply wanna laugh at me for spending nearly $1800 on this little project of mine, go nuts.