Therion
Senior Member
Like you stated previously,unless you have really good speakers, you wont hear much difference. Using Burr-Brown DACs with computer speakers is like buying a McIntosh amp for your Bose cubes.
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Computer purchase advice please
- Thread starter spider
- Start date
Like you stated previously,unless you have really good speakers, you wont hear much difference. Using Burr-Brown DACs with computer speakers is like buying a McIntosh amp for your Bose cubes.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
There are better speakers to be had for the price of those Bose speakers!
AoD
AoD
cacruden
Senior Member
I am not big on cases - I just want boring looking - reasonable quality cases that are well designed..... for something so simple as a case - there is a lot of junk out there.
The last case I bought was an Sonata III 500 (I think - based on look), and it was a reasonably good case for the cost. I just needed an inexpensive case for a computer I was putting together for my father (he needed a little faster computer).
As far as the Mac Pro case - I love it - very solid. The door is several millemeters of brushed alumininum thick (i.e. solid feel) which seems to cut down on the noise (the computer runs quieter than my Cisco 5505 router in the corner of the room). The big thing for me is that inside there - the computer case has a very clean design -- the memory daughter boards are easy to access so I could pull them out and put new memory on them (memory takes up a large amount of space due to heat spreaders on them).
The only thing that would be nice is to have the drives hot (right now, I shut down the computer and pull them - plug others back in).
Ahsun
Active Member
I probably won't pick up a system 'til December when stuff seems to be cheapest, but I was wondering what your comments (AoD!) would be for this setup:
Intel Core 2 Dual E8400 (3.0 GHz, 45nm) - $168.99
Asus P5Q Pro P45 Crossfire MB - $138.88
Diamond Radeon 4870 512MB - $268.32
Antec Sonata III (w/ 500W PS) Case - $111.76
Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 32MB Cache 640GB HD - $79.88
Total price: $813.90 CDN
OCZ Vista Performance 4GB RAM - $75.00 (already purchased)
Free shipping from BC, no 8% PST.
Intel Core 2 Dual E8400 (3.0 GHz, 45nm) - $168.99
Asus P5Q Pro P45 Crossfire MB - $138.88
Diamond Radeon 4870 512MB - $268.32
Antec Sonata III (w/ 500W PS) Case - $111.76
Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 32MB Cache 640GB HD - $79.88
Total price: $813.90 CDN
OCZ Vista Performance 4GB RAM - $75.00 (already purchased)
Free shipping from BC, no 8% PST.
smuncky
Senior Member
Free shipping from BC, no 8% PST.
let me guess...ncix or directcanada?
cacruden
Senior Member
I probably won't pick up a system 'til December when stuff seems to be cheapest, but I was wondering what your comments (AoD!) would be for this setup:
Intel Core 2 Dual E8400 (3.0 GHz, 45nm) - $168.99
Asus P5Q Pro P45 Crossfire MB - $138.88
Diamond Radeon 4870 512MB - $268.32
Antec Sonata III (w/ 500W PS) Case - $111.76
Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 32MB Cache 640GB HD - $79.88
Total price: $813.90 CDN
OCZ Vista Performance 4GB RAM - $75.00 (already purchased)
Free shipping from BC, no 8% PST.
Well, I tried the P5KC motherboard when building my father's computer - and it is the first ASUS motherboard that I had problems with .... never could get it to work properly. I replaced it with the P5Q and I had no problems with it -- so the motherboard seems fine.
I also used the Antec Sonata III case and I was happy with it.
BTW, don't think NCIX does free shipping (at least at the components level) - but you never know.
smuncky
Senior Member
directcanada does free shipping over $300.
i got all my parts from them when i built my computer. the shipping was fast and service was great.
i got all my parts from them when i built my computer. the shipping was fast and service was great.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Ahsun:
Nice - just keep in mind though that if you ever wanted to use Crossfire your 500W power supply could be a problem (baselining 2 Radeon HD 4870).
Some power consumption info on the GPU:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/09/02/ati-radeon-4850-4870-architecture-review/15
AoD
Nice - just keep in mind though that if you ever wanted to use Crossfire your 500W power supply could be a problem (baselining 2 Radeon HD 4870).
Some power consumption info on the GPU:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/09/02/ati-radeon-4850-4870-architecture-review/15
AoD
syn
Senior Member
I probably won't pick up a system 'til December when stuff seems to be cheapest, but I was wondering what your comments (AoD!) would be for this setup:
Intel Core 2 Dual E8400 (3.0 GHz, 45nm) - $168.99
Asus P5Q Pro P45 Crossfire MB - $138.88
Diamond Radeon 4870 512MB - $268.32
Antec Sonata III (w/ 500W PS) Case - $111.76
Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 32MB Cache 640GB HD - $79.88
Total price: $813.90 CDN
OCZ Vista Performance 4GB RAM - $75.00 (already purchased)
Free shipping from BC, no 8% PST.
That seems like a pretty good setup for the price. I might go with a higher end motherboard though.
CGM
Active Member
True... but not if size is important
doady
Senior Member
Yes, Bose is one the best. It's as simple as that. They are more expensive for a reason.
However, the difference in quality of speakers is most visible at very high volume. But if you sit a computer, aren't the speakers are going to be right in front of you anyways? So I don't think much power is needed, even if computer speakers tend to be compact. However, there are people on the bus who play music so loud that I can hear it clearly from their headphones from the other side of the bus. So who knows.
I do have Bose speakers and Klipsch subwoofer for home theatre system, but such high quality for computer system is pointless IMO.
However, the difference in quality of speakers is most visible at very high volume. But if you sit a computer, aren't the speakers are going to be right in front of you anyways? So I don't think much power is needed, even if computer speakers tend to be compact. However, there are people on the bus who play music so loud that I can hear it clearly from their headphones from the other side of the bus. So who knows.
I do have Bose speakers and Klipsch subwoofer for home theatre system, but such high quality for computer system is pointless IMO.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
doady:
I have a pair of Audioengine A2 and they sounded quite big - and certainly loud enough to fill a room. The bass can use some work though - but then again, I haven't gotten a subwoofer.
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1207ae/index.html
AoD
I have a pair of Audioengine A2 and they sounded quite big - and certainly loud enough to fill a room. The bass can use some work though - but then again, I haven't gotten a subwoofer.
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1207ae/index.html
AoD
doady
Senior Member
Thanks, Alvin. Those speakers seem great. I will have to consider them when I get a new computer. Slightly above my price range though, but not much more than my current speakers (was around $120, I think).
Weak bass doesn't bother me. My current speakers (Logitech Z3) have too powerful bass. I only set the subwoofer to 20-30% volume and I also had to turn down the bass volume in Windows...
BTW, does anyone know of a good printer for documents? I start school next week and I heard laser printers are most economical in terms of ink (very important). Any suggestions?
Therion
Senior Member
I think that's the first time I ever read "Bose" and "high-quality" in the same sentence. Sorry to break it to you, but Bose is universally laughed at in the audiophile world. They are more expensive because they spend all their money on marketing. They've been using the same 2.5" paper cone speakers in their little boxes since the mid 80s.
For PC speakers, I'm using the Logitech Z-2300
2.1 system, crystal clear, you can find it on e-bay for about $100. Has adjustable bass knob for the sub. Highly reccomended.
doady
Senior Member
You and Alvin are probably right. I thought Alvin meant that high quality speakers in general are not worth the money. I don't know the difference between brands.