Chesapekae PC Users Group

One of the things that I am involved with is the Chesapeake PC Users Group. I am President of the group, and have been since 1998. It's one of the ways that I try to stay in the public eye. Another reason for my involvement is that I give my time back to the community. I'll probably comment on some of the things that take place from time to time.
The next big thing that will be coming up is that we will be building PCs with various other members. These are realtively powerful PCs. The date to do this is the weekend of April 21-22. I hope I will be in town to be able to participate. Below is the PC specs that we will be building:

Project: Build the best bang for the buck Vista Ultimate capable PC

As promised I have updated some parts and prices below. All of these prices were quoted on NewEgg.com which I would recommend. I was hoping for some lower prices at this point. Basically I think some of the higher end products have come down. This means you get a better system for the same money. With that, remember build weekend is April 21-22. You will need to bring your own tools, #0, #1 Phillips screwdrivers, medium and small flathead screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, and any other small hand tools that you think you may need.

With the release of Windows Vista, it’s time to consider an upgrade. With this iteration of Windows, more attention should be paid to the amount of RAM and your video card. Recently there have been a lot of news about new hardware, and quite frankly, it can be confusing to get the most out of your dollar.

I am proposing that in the early spring (after Vista has been out for a little while) that we take a weekend and build Vista capable PCs. I brought this up at the last meeting and there seemed to be a fair number of members interested in the project. Before you commit to participate in this project, I want to clarify some of the details.

First off, this is not a ‘cheap’ PC. For the hardware alone it will cost about $1500. The goal is to give you the most bang for the buck, but this is not a ‘bleeding edge’ system. The PC will have a solid operation and should last you for 3-4 years (with regular maintenance). Regular maintenance may mean adding some more RAM or upgrading the video card. So with all of that said, if you are still interested, let’s jump into what you will get out of the project.

You will gain valuable experience and insight to the assembly of a modern PC. This includes learning some of the latest PC technology and trends when working with these systems. This experience will last you well into the future for your next system or an additional PC that you may want to build.

You will also gain the camaraderie of the other members that build a PC in the same workshop. If you have problems down the road, or would like to make modifications to your system, some of the other attendees of the workshop can assist or may want to make similar modifications to their own PC.

So what will $1500 buy you? Below is a list of the hardware and some comments.

CPU: Intel E6600 @ 2.4 GHz Core 2 CPU $315

This CPU offers the most bang for the buck of the newer Intel processors, do the research online and you will see what I mean.

Motherboard: ASUS P5B-E $157

I think this MoBo offers the most bang for the buck. It can be setup with a RAID array and comes from a reputable manufacture.

Video card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $310

NVIDIA has released the 320MB version of their 8800 series card. This isn’t much more then the card that was previously recommended and is the only video chipset that is DX 10 compatible.

RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $207

As with the motherboard, the exact memory will need to be decided upon when the time gets closer. Right now there are several decent 2 GB memory solutions. The current cost with shipping and before rebates is about $220. Hopefully this price will fall.

Hard drive(s): Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (320 GB) $95

The full name of this on NewEgg is: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive. This sums it up. I will recommend the at least two of the drives be purchased for building your RAID array.

Case: Rosewill R6AU6-BK ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $50

This seemed to have a lot of nice features and should last you a while. A case is a personal choice, but I didn’t see any issues with this one.

Powersupply: ePOWER ZU-550W ATX12V Version 2.0 550W $55

This seemed like a nice middle of the road powersupply. The important thing is the current available on the 12V supply line (rails). This powersupply has 18A and 16A on two separate rails. This is a great way to distribute the power to your components.

CPU Cooler: Tuniq Tower 120 $65

I am currently using this CPU cooler and can recommend it. It’s quiet and really helps to keep the CPU cool. The one issue to keep in mind with this cooler, its HUGE! It stands about 8 inches high and just clears the case that I am using. But once it’s in your system, you probably won’t overheat the CPU any time soon.

DVD Drive: ASUS Black 18X DVD+R SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe $45

It’s important to get a SATA DVD writer. There is only one PATA port on the MoBo so save it until you really need it. Besides, you have 6 SATA ports.

Miscellaneous: Add about $100

With any project, there are always overages.

At this point the total is $1494. Some things may be able to be reduced here or there, but this is a firm number.