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G'day Mate :)
Personally I wouldn't both with importing US parts
into Australia, the country is awash with Asian
imports as it is (why pay for them to be shipped to
the USA and back) + import duty + GST (sales tax)?
I am reminded of a friend who once went looking to
purchase a high end stereo. Every shop he went
into started talking tweeters, and sub amps etc.
But one, asked a simple question that got the sale
... What sort of music do you listen to?
Likewise, you need to tell us what sort of tasks
you require this machine to do, before we start
talking hardware.
I'll give you some starter questions:
Are you going to be spending a lot of time behind
the screen? - yes, go for a large screen with the
lowest dot pitch and highest refresh rate. It's a
lot easier to replace a screen then a set of eyes.
Are you going to be running lots of apps.
simultaneously?
You say:
> Many apps running
Therefore, one word "RAM", go for as much RAM as
you motherboard can take & get a brand name. Bad
ram will give you permanent system instability.
You say:
> 2GB ram
Ram is very inexpensive at the moment, go for as
much as your motherboard can support. Remember,
RAM speed is quoted in nS, Hard Drive speed is
quoted in mS, that's a 10^6 speed difference.
In layman's terms, if you run out of RAM your
system will start using the HD "swap" as RAM
at its significantly slower speed.
Are you going to be storing data that you need
to load quickly (historical data can grow very
quickly!) - yes, then go for a SATA or SCSI
hard drive, if you budget allows go for a RAID
config, I would suggest 0+1, if you have enough
drives RAID 5 will give you maximum performance
still retaining some redundancy.
You suggested:
> 40 or 80 GB hdrive (x2)
HDD's are dirt cheap at the moment,
I just got a quote 120 GB for ~ AUD$137, get a few.
Are your doing a lot of system optimizing / testing,
back testing?
You say:
> processor (ah?) (well I currently have dual
> P3 860 ....for stability with lots apps open,
> which seems to work) so maybe P4 x2 ?
Yes, then go for high end CPU, go for more than one
if your budget allows. Make sure you have an OS
that understands hyper threading, if not you might
want to turn it off as it confuses some.
NOTE: you can save _serious_ money, going
one or two models back from the latest and
greatest CPU. I usually calculate as follows:
2.6 Ghz, FSB 800 Mhz - AUD$239.48 (base speed & price)
2.8 Ghz, FSB 800 Mhz - AUD$294.76 (CPU +7%, price +23%)
3.0 Ghz, FSB 800 Mhz - AUD$383.49 (CPU +7%, price +30%)
3.2 Ghz, FSB 800 Mhz - AUD$541.00 (CPU +7%, price +41%)
... From this I calculate the 2.8 Ghz is the best
value for money. After 2.8 Ghz, you start paying
30-40% extra for a performance increase < 10%.
> Quietness
This is all about case design & cooling, I have
4 hard drives & five fans in my case, so the
machine is a little on the noisy side.
Options to consider:
Quiet fans are slightly more expensive than
regular, also make sure your Motherboard supports
variable fan speed (or the fan does independently).
Liquid cooling requires pumping and tends to be
the noisiest (and most expensive) way of cooling.
After market "hush kits" are expensive with no
guarantee.
I note you haven't mentioned motherboards, I like
the Abit motherboards, they have a soft BIOS and
have regular factory BIOS updates & good driver
support.
> removal cage for 2nd hdrive (to make backup
> images on)
Inexpensive.
> floppy drive
> CD-rom
Unless you go for a fancy DVD burner, the floppy &
CDR are practically thrown in for free.
> video card for dual monitors
Any reputable audio card will support dual monitor
via an analogue & digital output. Make sure if
your monitor cannot take a digital input you have a
convertor. This _should_ come with your card - but
remember to ask.
> 10 / 100 etherent for cable
Practically a give away item.
> mouse (with at least equivalent of Logitech
> "Smart Move" driver)
Practically a give away item.
> USB for external 250MBzip
Practically a give away item, remember to make sure
it's USB2, the performance between USB2 and the old
USB is staggering!
General notes ...
In most major cities in Australia the computer
market is cut throat like the UK, a lot of shops
are selling at cost and just adding AUD$50 on the
top in the hope the volume of sales will keep them
going.
Things to watch out for: No-name Asian imports are
very popular in Australia, I would personally
stick to name brands.
Illegal Sales Tax trading is also very common with
Australian computer equipment, this may result in a
great price (though a slightly dinted conscious),
though these shops generally don't last long so
your warranty is worthless.
You don't need to get involved in any of this, if
your incorporated, simply claim the GST back
through your LTD company. if your not incorporated,
perhaps now is the time to think about it.
The bottom line with most things in life:
You get what you pay for, and you'll save a lot
if you do it yourself.
You can mail me off list if you need more help,
I have friends in the PC game in Australia who I
can put you in contact with.
Justin
---
jon wrote:
Prices for new Dell's here in Aus seem to be 'way high'. So am
considering alternatives for a new machine.
Do I have it right? ....
Customised a notebook (just for price matching U.S. to Aus. / Inspiron
1100) on the Aus site and came up with Aus$ 2823 (about US$2200). The
closest match I could customise on the U.S. site came to $1688.
That's about a 30% premium if I have it right.
So with regard to desktops; I wonder the cost of building my own,
which I've never done before (buying parts from US). Any suggestions
an dpricings from your recent builds would be appreciated.
Requirements, say;
Quietness
Many apps running
2GB ram
40 or 80 GB hdrive (x2)
removal cage for 2nd hdrive (to make backup images on)
floppy drive
CD-rom
video card for dual monitors
10 / 100 etherent for cable
mouse (with at least equivalent of Logitech "Smart Move" driver)
USB for external 250MBzip
processor (ah?) (well I currently have dual P3 860 ....for stability
with lots apps open, which seems to work) so maybe P4 x2 ?
What internet site would be reputable for OS shipping.
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