Hello Missy,
Your list looks fine, and I can't add anything as I'm unfamiliar with what
your needs might be, re: your vision. I just wanted to add 1 idea. If
you're going whole-hog on this build, and it looks like you are, then I
don't see a back-up drive on your list. I keep a 200 Gig drive in an
external enclosure, just for hooking up on USB and periodically backing
everything up. Even a new hard drive can go out on you. Also, even though
you have a big hard drive, mp3 files can quickly eat up a lot of space, so
extra storage can come in handy. Here's one option:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136022
Good Luck,
Milt deReyna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Missy Hoppe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 8:00 PM
Subject: [PCBUILD] new subscriber needing advice regarding building a
computer
> Hello. My name is Missy, and I'm 33 years old. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio
> and work at Fifth Third bank as a customer service representative.
> I'm a blind computer enthusiast, and am writing to this list in order to
> get some advice. I'm preparing to buy a new computer
> , one that I hope will last me for at least as long as my current system
> has. The last computer I got was
>
> in 2002, and it is still more or less functional, but I'm wanting to get
>
> something that is not only more up-to-date, but also more responsive. I do
>
> a lot of work with audio files, mostly mp3 and midi. I also do a lot of
> web
>
> browsing, word processing
>
> , and I play online text-based games. I've been trying to do my homework
> with regards to parts to include in my
>
> dream system. I've decided that even though it will probably be more
> expensive, I'd rather "hand-pick" every aspect of my new system to insure
>
> that I know exactly what I'm getting and also to insure maximum
> compatibility with my screen reading
>
> software.
>
> With all that being said, I was hoping that I could get advice from
> members
> of this list with regards to my final parts checklist.
>
> I'm planning to purchase all my parts from newegg.com, and then get the
>
> system assembled by an "expert" in my local area.
>
> Basicly, what I'm hoping to attain from this forum is guidance in making
>
> sure that I haven't picked out incompatible parts, or that I haven't
>
> overlooked something. My primary questions at this point are:
>
>
>
> 1. Is there better quality, more stable ram availible than the brand/model
> I've chosen? I really would like to use Kingston ram if at all possible
> because I use one of their cf flash cards in a portable book reading
> machine I have, and it's never given me a second's trouble. I've been
> encouraged to get the hyper-x kingston ram instead of the value ran and
> vantec heatspreaders, I've tried using memory configurators online, but
> haven't had any luck making sense out of their results. As much research
> as
> I've done over the past month or so, I still don't understand all that
> stuff about timing, and have no plans to overclock,
>
> as my screen reading software doesn't access the bios, so I would have to
> rely on someone with better vision to do all the playing around, and
> nobody
> I
>
> know would even have the slightest clue how to do any of that stuff. So,
> what I'm looking for is maximum stability and responsiveness. I've read in
> several places that the Intel motherboard specifically requires ram that
> runs at 1.8V, which is why I picked out the value ram kit, but the ram
> that
> other people are recommending me to switch to runs at 2.0 V. So, in my
> situation, should I upgrade to a different model of ram, or would I be
> better off just getting the Kingston Value Ram and heat spreaders that
> I've
> already chosen?
>
>
>
> 2. Do I have too many fans, or not enough? My plan is to get a 4-pack of
> Thermaltake 80MM Blue led fans, as well as 2 of the Thermaltake 120
> thunderblade fans, also with blue leds. Along these same lines, I picked
> out CPU and chipset cooling components because I read that the stock
> cooling that comes with most cpus and motherboards isn't worth having. I
> don't want to run the risk of anything overheating if I can at all avoid
> it, but on the other hand, if I buy so many fans/cooling devices that they
> aren't going to work
>
> efficiently, I'd appreciate tips on what to get rid of.
>
>
>
> 3. Is my choice of case going to be a good one? Although I am totally
> blind, I do have light and color perception, and since blue is my all-time
> favorite color, I would really like to have a nice blue case sitting on
> the
> desk beside me. While the concept of the side window is
>
> interesting, I could easily do without it if I can get a better quality
> case that is not only as blue as possible but also will keep my system
> running cool and quiet. Ideally, I'm hoping to find a case that is
> indigo/cobalt in color; I have a set of indigo Bose Mediamate speakers
> which are the only component I'm planning to keep from my old system, and
> if my new case could match them, it would be incredibly awesome!
> Unfortunately, the nature of my vision is such that I can't make any
> useful
> determinations regarding case color by looking at pictures. I've been told
> by several people that the case I've chosen in the list at the end of this
> message is the one that will best meet my needs, but then, I've also been
> told by other people to avoid Apevia cases, so more input regarding this
> would be grately appreciated.
>
>
>
> These are the only questions that I can think of at the moment, but I'd
> really appreciate any
>
> and all feedback people might be able to provide.
>
> This new system is going to be a huge investment for me, so I want to make
>
> sure I'm only spending what is strictly necessary to build the best PC I
>
> can. My goals for this system, in order of importance, are maximum
> reliability, maximum responsiveness and as much future proofing as
> possible. I'm prepared to spend up to $3500, possibly a little bit more if
> necessary if there are any changes that people recommend that would
> significantly improve the system's performance/stability. I'm not planning
> to upgrade to Windows Vista right away, primarily because my screen
> reading
> software doesn't fully support vista yet. However, I'd like this new
> computer to be completely ready for vista whenever I am.
>
> So, with all that explanation out of the way, here is my list of parts;
> I've also made my newegg.com wishlist public so that people can look it
> over and provide feedback that way if that's more convenient. Thank you
> all
> in advance for any assistance you can provide, and I hope that everyone is
> having a really great day!
>
> Missy
>
>
>
> _________________________________
>
>
>
> APEVIA X-PLEASURE-BL Blue Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
>
> Model #: X-PLEASURE-BL
>
>
>
> Thermaltake A1926 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
>
> Model #: Thunderblade A1926
>
>
>
> Thermaltake A2387 80mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
>
> Model #: A2387
>
>
>
> Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
>
> Model #: BOXD975XBX2KR
>
>
>
> EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video
> Card
>
> Model #: 320-P2-N815-AR
>
>
>
> Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 MCE PCI Interface 1042 Tuner Card - Retail
>
> Model #: 1042
>
>
>
> ETASIS ET850 ATX12V / EPS12V 850W Power Supply - Retail
>
> Model #: ET850
>
>
>
> Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe 2.93GHz LGA 775 Processor
>
> Model #: BX80557X6800
>
>
>
> Silverstone FP34-B USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail
>
> Model #: FP34-B
>
>
>
> Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
> Dual
> Channel Kit Desktop Memory
>
> Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
>
>
>
> SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive
>
> Model #: MPF920 Black
>
>
>
> Seagate Barracuda ES ST3500630NS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
>
> Model #: ST3500630NS
>
>
>
> SAMSUNG 740N-BK Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail
>
> Model #: 740n-Black
>
>
>
> SONY Combo Drive Black IDE Model CRX320EE/B2S W/O SW - OEM
>
> Model #: CRX320EE/B2S W/O SW
>
>
>
> SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe
> Technology
> Black SATA model
>
> Model #: SH-S183L
>
>
>
> Creative 70SB046A00000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Blaster X-Fi
> XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
>
> Model #: 70SB046A00000
>
>
>
> Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b
>
> Model #: M93-00439
>
>
>
> Microsoft Office Professional 2003 SP2 1pk
>
> Model #: 269-13253
>
>
>
> Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM
>
> Model #: Ceramique
>
>
>
> VANTEC ICEBERG DDR-A1A Aluminum Heatsinks only - Retail
>
> Model #: ICEBERG DDR-A1A
>
>
>
> Thermaltake CL-C0034 Copper Fan&Heatsinks - Retail
>
> Model #: CL-C0034
>
>
>
> ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
>
> Model #: CNPS9500 AT
>
>
>
> ZALMAN ZM-NB47J Aluminum Heatsinks only - Retail
>
> Model #: ZM-NB47J
>
>
>
> VANTEC HDC-701A-BL Aluminum Aluminum Hard Driver Cooler - Retail
>
> Model #: HDC-701A-BL
>
> Visit our website regularly for FAQs,
> articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more
> http://freepctech.com
>
Visit our website regularly for FAQs,
articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more
http://freepctech.com
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