My New Maingear Order - Thoughts?

U

Unionrep

n00b
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
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This is my first post. I discovered this site recently and have found it very helpful.

After some research (especially here) I chose Maingear for my new gaming PC. I have very little computer knowledge or relevant skills. I really need a quality build and, more importantly, quality support. Maingear, I believe, meets both those needs.

What I have ordered is rather plain vanilla I realize but I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions etc. regarding the machine described below:

F131 SLI
Customizations:
Exterior Automotive Color: Black Brushed Aluminum Finish
Power Supply: 750W Silverstone Strider Power Supply
Motherboard: NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 (3.0GHz x 2) 45nm 6MB L2 Cache
CPU Cooling: Zalman Ultra Quiet CNPS9500 LED 92mm CPU Cooler w/ Copper Base
Memory: 2GB Kingston HyperX 8500 DDR2-1066
Do you want us to Redline™ your CPU?: YES
Hard Drive One: Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
Optical Drive One: 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/ LightScribe Technology - black
Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800GT 512MB GDDR3
Do you want us to Redline™ your GPU?: YES
Sound Card: Integrated 8-channel High Definition Audio
Network Card: Integrated Gigabit Network Card
Game: FREE! Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32-Bit)
Keyboard: Logitech® Internet 350
Mouse: Logitech® Optical Mouse
The Final Finesse: Flawless Hand-crafted Wiring and Cable Management
Warranty: 1 Year Maingear Warranty
 
Only changes I would recommend are upping the CPU to a q9 series, and the OS to 64 bit :)
 
Yea, it's pricey, as is the Creative sound card selection. $109.99 for the XtremeGamer is not worth it IMO. The rig is nice, though -- I have a Velocity Micro as my rig since August '07 and even though it's been running smoothly for the last few months (had to do some self-tinkering on my own for that), I wish I'd gone for a Maingear or, better yet, AVADirect.
 
0mega said:
Only changes I would recommend are upping the CPU to a q9 series, and the OS to 64 bit :)
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I don't think you need a quad, unless you're encoding. I would recommend a 64 bit OS, since at this point there no reason NOT to IMO. I would also consider 4GB of RAM, seems to me to be the sweet spot right now for DDR2. Also, if you're going to OC your video card it would probably be worth it to go with the 8800GTS, since it has much better stock cooling, and the fan on the 8800GT does get loud when it's running at full throttle.
 
I recently bought a Maingear rig and am recounting my experiences here. I've just gotten back from a business trip and have begun putting the computer through its paces, so I can't really give a detailed description of how well it runs, but at first blush, this is one VERY nice machine.
 
I really appreciate your running account regarding your Maingear purchase, especially as I have just taken action on a F131 that is fairly similar to yours. I look forward to hearing how your machine actually performs when you get an opportunity to use it.

I did notice you went with XP Pro rather than a version of Vista and I am interested in your thinking on that matter (the whole Vista 32 vs. 64 thing as well).

You redlined your CPU but not your graphics card. What was your reason for that?

I was told 3 to 4 weeks for completion of my machine and that is the standard Maingear estimate.
 
Unionrep said:
I really appreciate your running account regarding your Maingear purchase, especially as I have just taken action on a F131 that is fairly similar to yours. I look forward to hearing how your machine actually performs when you get an opportunity to use it.

I did notice you went with XP Pro rather than a version of Vista and I am interested in your thinking on that matter (the whole Vista 32 vs. 64 thing as well).

You redlined your CPU but not your graphics card. What was your reason for that?

I was told 3 to 4 weeks for completion of my machine and that is the standard Maingear estimate.
Click to expand...

3-4 weeks? What happened to 10 days?
 
While I would certainly like to have the computer sooner than 3-4 weeks, the important thing is that things are done with quality and quality takes some time. The more time Maingear is willing to spend on testing the computer, for example, the more pleased I'll be. I would really like them to discover any problems prior to leaving their possession since I have such limited abilities to address issues once it is in my possession. Another reason why quality after-build support was so important to me and a major reason I chose Maingear.
 
Unionrep said:
I really appreciate your running account regarding your Maingear purchase, especially as I have just taken action on a F131 that is fairly similar to yours. I look forward to hearing how your machine actually performs when you get an opportunity to use it.

I did notice you went with XP Pro rather than a version of Vista and I am interested in your thinking on that matter (the whole Vista 32 vs. 64 thing as well).

You redlined your CPU but not your graphics card. What was your reason for that?

I was told 3 to 4 weeks for completion of my machine and that is the standard Maingear estimate.
Click to expand...

I went with XP Pro because I need this machine for business purposes and Vista isn't stable or useful enough to warrant installing. Plus, many of my business apps are finicky with Vista even though they're stable on XP. That's the same reason I'm sticking with 32bit, The programs I use for work wouldn't benefit at all from 64bit and might become unstable.

I redlined the CPU to get as much power for as little money as I could. since the graphics card is already far more than most of my apps can take advantage of there was no need for me to overclock it.
 
MightyGeekMan said:
I went with XP Pro because I need this machine for business purposes and Vista isn't stable or useful enough to warrant installing. Plus, many of my business apps are finicky with Vista even though they're stable on XP. That's the same reason I'm sticking with 32bit, The programs I use for work wouldn't benefit at all from 64bit and might become unstable.

I redlined the CPU to get as much power for as little money as I could. since the graphics card is already far more than most of my apps can take advantage of there was no need for me to overclock it.
Click to expand...
My F131 will be most taxed by gaming software so I was concerned about the GPU and therefore attracted to redlining it. I have read a great deal about Vista 32 vs. Vista 64. Much of the information is a year or more old and doesn’t reflect the current state of the debate. I find it a difficult decision to make. While there seems to be an acknowledgement that 64-bit is not of much value now (especially in gaming), it is the future and why wouldn't I want to position myself now for the future? On the other hand, others argue that 32-bit is certain, has less current problems and it will be sometime before 64-bit becomes really useful in my situation. I wish there was some sense of consensus among knowledgeable folks (unlike me) about the best approach here. If going to 64-bit in April to 2008 is basically benign but not real useful, I would lean towards having it installed (and increasing my memory). Are the 64-bit negatives pretty much a thing of the past or still a real issue?

I’m deciding whether to risk a separate thread on this site on the Vista 32-bit vs. 64-bit issue. Will I just be admonished for not doing my homework and raising an issue that has been beaten to death?

Anyway, I would appreciate thoughts folks have regarding this issue.
 
I think the Vista 32-bit vs. 64-bit issue has been laid to rest now, at least from what I have read. When I get a new computer later this year, I'll be getting Vista 64-bit.
 
Agreed. It's now more of a personal preference than an issue of which is better/worse. Just a word of caution, though...do a little research, just to make sure there aren't any compatibility issues with any software packages or specialized peripherals prior to purchase. Some things don't have 64-bit drivers available for whatever reason, and it's good to know that in advance.
 
Unionrep said:
I’m deciding whether to risk a separate thread on this site on the Vista 32-bit vs. 64-bit issue. Will I just be admonished for not doing my homework and raising an issue that has been beaten to death?

Anyway, I would appreciate thoughts folks have regarding this issue.
Click to expand...

There have been quite a few threads on it in the OS section. IMO, there really isn't any reason NOT to go to x64 unless you have specific software or hardware that you need and is incompatible (which is rare these days). I've been very happy with vista x64.

Also, I would go ahead and have them redline your GPU if you're interested in it. Like I said, if you do that it may be worth looking at aftermarket cooling or the 8800GTS.
 
aethelwulf said:
There have been quite a few threads on it in the OS section. IMO, there really isn't any reason NOT to go to x64 unless you have specific software or hardware that you need and is incompatible (which is rare these days). I've been very happy with vista x64.

Also, I would go ahead and have them redline your GPU if you're interested in it. Like I said, if you do that it may be worth looking at aftermarket cooling or the 8800GTS.
Click to expand...

I am going to have the GPU redlined. And getting additional cooling.

As to Vista 64-bit, I think people are correct that 64-bit is the future so why would anyone not get it on a new system? Yet, some boutique integrators do not encourage it, discourage it or recommend against it. I am not concerned about peripherals not working with my new computer; I have already conceded my older printer. But the debate about drivers, software not being supported etc. is somewhat of a concern.

My speculation is that integrators might have mixed feelings about Vista 64-bit because of any accompanying hassles their customers might have with Vista 64-bit. If I were an integrator I wouldn’t want to deal with software issues. Some integrators actually say that directly.

Meanwhile, some integrators on various forums have encouraged the use of Vista 64-bit. I am still searching for a consensus that may not exist. I have read lots on this but would still value any further thinking on the issue of Vista 32-bit vs. Vista 64-bit as of April, 2008.
 
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