E6420 does have the extra cache, you are thinking of the E6400.. and the extra cache is only 2-3% in real world benchmarks anyway
After reviewing the input here and from a few other sources these are the main parts I decided on: E6600 Asus P5W deluxe Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 CL4 (4* 1g) Seagate barracuda 320g Sata2 hdd Geforce 8500gt video Antec Sonata3 case w/ 500w PS Vista 64bit business The power supply in the case is a good name brand and quality. It will run a 22" widescreen and a standard 19" to start with a later upgrade to 4 monitors if needed. I'm a little worried about going to Vista but after reading up on it I think I should be able to get all my app's to work not problem, even excel 2003. Thanks for the assistance will post on how it works out in a week or two. It should arrive some time this week. Andrew
I'd recommend multiple disk drives if you can afford it. I have my OS on the fastest drive at the time and my data stored on a RAID 1 disk array--again using the fastest disk drives with the longest warranties at the time. As far as Vista goes, I'd recommend setting up your machine so you can dual boot between Vista and XP Pro. When I invest $$$ into a new machine I like to have the option of using it right away
Yes I plan on upgrading to a raid set up later. So far my worries about Vista have been over done. Every piece of software I have tried so far has worked fine. Most programs are still 32 bit but vista has no problem running them. Of course I have only tested it for one day so I may still run into problems. And I still have XP on my old machine. The only piece of hardware I am not really happy with is the video card I should of spent a little more for a better quality one. Andrew
Hi:Andrew I am thinking of doing the same thing first time ever. I don't have much experience on PCs. I wonder if you can kindly enough give me some hints on the following questions: 1. where do you get your parts? It seems to me you got a good deal. online canadian sites or american.(I am at Toronto) or local stores? 2. you said you go with Vista64, Do I need a 64bits motherboard to support Vista64 or 32bit mobo will do. 3. How can I get OEM Vista64? I noticed OEM is much cheaper than retail one. 4. Can 500W power supply support 4 24" LCDs? Thanks
1. www.ncix.com use their pricematch function and find the best prices of www.pricenetwork.ca 2. there are no such thing as a 32 or 64bit motherboard, it's only the processor, if you have a AMD64 or Intel 64 than you can instal a 64bit windows OS 3. I belive you can order a 64bit disk, if not than buy a 32bit than order the cd from ms for 10 dollas, the license is the same for 32/64bit as long as you only use one coppy at a time. 4. PC power supplies have nothing to do with monitors.
I recommend Abit IP35 pRO for motherboard. $185. you may have to disable the J Micron controller in the bios during the install, then enable it when you boot up windows. http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030