Building new PC, need help!

I would be cautious about getting the 800FSB / HT P4's since the XP service pack 1 actually makes the whole thing run slower. But overall the computer seems to be a beefy machine. I would suggest getting LG DVD and burner instead of Liteon since its a name brand and (presumably) better quality. You could also change your 1 HDD to a 10,000 rpm SATA HDD ~ 18GB for all your applications, and then have another 1 120 gig or so HDD at 7200 rpm for all your data.

Sounds all right,

The only thing I would think about changing is the Wacom size, I'm a big fan of a smaller Wacom. I know you can pick up a graphic 2 Mac/Win Wacom for about $120, it have 512 degrees of sensitive and it about 6" X 7" and a very good Wacom, what I find 90% of the artist I know that do this kind of stuff use. Mainly because of the size and how easy there are to work with.

With the extra money you could then get your 9800 pro maybe.

But if you like the bigger Wacom go for it :)

I agree, you don't need a huge tablet, take it from me, I own a uber 12 x 12 wacom and use about a quarter of the surface area when I texture etc.

Since I paid $800 for it that means I use about 200 bucks worth, doh.

Try Scorptec, they have good prices
http://www.scorptec.com.au/

Scorptec is not that cheap, Makk. Unless by cheap you mean cheap online.

The swapmeet is great to find cheap parts. http://www.comtrader.com.au/ That will give you dates/times of the swap meet. Just be careful when buying from there. You're best to find people who sell there but also have shop fronts. That way if you have any issues you can find them easier.

I have been going to the swap meet for 6 1/2 years now and have not had too many issues. I have been buying all of my gear from the same person there for about 4 years now.

*plug* Universal PC */plug* The woman who runs it - Wendy - is wonderful to deal with. Their prices in some areas are cheaper then others and may be a bit higher in others. But over all the best prices and service I can find.

She has a shop out in Mitchem that is open 7 days a week. Trying looking them up.

Cheers for all the advice, guys. The thing with swap meet that I find is that they sometimes do not have all the latest stuff, tho considering the bargain hunting nature of the event, it's not too suprising. Still, a few dollars here, a few dollars there, next thing u know, a free slab!! w00t..

Hmm.. as for the wacom, I have no idea since I've never owned one before. But I read the specs, and the 1 to 1 translation ration seems to make sense to me, which is why I was interested in the Intuos 9x12. However, if the pros recommend the smaller version, then why not? Could save a few dollars...

Also, another thing I was contemplating, is it worth the extra dollar to fork out for a Radeon 9700pro vs 9600pro, the 9800 just seems such a luxury that I feel pain in the sides just looking at the price tag.. lol

Thanks heaps for all the replies.

My personal experience with the 9600Pro is that it's fairly decent, although it's not really a power-house card. I'd go for a 9800 myself because a 9600 doesn't really have the fill rate to cater for near-future games at any high resolution or detail.

Secondly. I've got a liteon DVD and have had no problems with DVD reading or anything like that and in some cases it does a better job of playing movies than the other more expensive DVD-ROM in the other computer.

Thirdly - can someone clear this up for me -> An 800 FSB is just a 200MHz FSB with 4 times the bandwidth, or is it really just a 800MHz bus (using a clock multiplier or something)???

I'd go for a cheaper tablet since you have not owned one before, and spend the extra on upping to a 9700 PRO or straight 9800. While the 9700 Pro may be an older card now, it is still definately a better performer than the 9600. The 9700 is where the graphics cards take a leap up in performance. If you look a little, you might be able to find a 9700 Pro or a straight 9800 for around 500-550.

In regards to liteon burners, they have been receiving good positive reviews online. I have had a Liteon burner for almost a year now and it has given me no trouble at all. Burns fast, and the cds always work. Built a mates computer and his has LG drives, only because they were the only ones available. Both of these brands work well.

I'd still reccommend sourcing a 9700 Pro or 9800 if you can find one at a decent price. Its a fairly large jump above the 9600 that will keep you going longer!

Get more spare pen nibs while you're at the shop. They cost $11 for a pack of 5 at Video Bytes (Melbourne....I think its near Victory's Square). If you're into illustration then they run out really fast... Intuos2 grip pens have the worst pen nibs...they are so waxy soft and they start to scratch the overlay after about 40 to 60 hours of work. Once the overlay is scratched it doubles as a grater so you'll have to buy more nibs at a faster rate and so on. I guess the life of a pen nib can be extended if you draw on top of glossy photo paper...the sound is less annoying to.

Also get 1 GB of ram if you can.

http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=7&t=153 - Videocard Price watch thread over at the Atomic forums. Lists best prices and from where, as well as a comprehensive store listing. Nice reference point.

Thats a real handy link Brain, cheers for that. Some good prices there! If you are on a budget I've read that the Powercolor boards are quite good. I'd be choosing them over the Gigacube boards, which don't seem to perform as well as the rest. Although, it is usually only 1 or 2 FPS slower, which is nothing. Actually, all of the 9800 boards seem to perform within a few frames of each other, simply because every manufacturer is sticking with ATI's reference board. Guess thats one thing you won't really need to worry about when choosing one. Check out the extras that come with them and see if their is anything remarkably special. I know I can't wait to upgrade, but I'm forcing myself to wait until a new game such as HL2 goes gold!

Hmm.. something just occurred to me. When you guys recommend gettin' a smaller Grafix tablet, is that purely because you don't use much space during texturing? What about illustrations in general, say you want to do a concept sketch? I mean, I never used them before, so I have no idea what to expect.

Well I think the 9x12 Tablet is too big and you probably need a lot of desk space for it as well...but some people prefer it so its really about preferences and drawing style. You'll need it if you do really big long strokes.
The 6x8 one is a good size and you can put it anywhere you like to draw....you could easily tilt it to draw on an angle.

Well I don't see how a bigger tablet will help you draw better illustrations... its all in the skills. I've seen people buy the big tablets and they make shit...I've seen others use a mouse and their work looks way better.....so buy it to suit your deskspace or change your desk.

quote:Originally posted by TequilaBomber

Hmm.. something just occurred to me. When you guys recommend gettin' a smaller Grafix tablet, is that purely because you don't use much space during texturing? What about illustrations in general, say you want to do a concept sketch? I mean, I never used them before, so I have no idea what to expect.

I only have a Graphire2 which is 4x5, and thats all I use. Although I have barely done any illustrations on it, only used it for textures. I mainly reccommend a smaller tablet since you have never owned one before. It'd probably be a better idea to spend less and get a smaller tablet just to see if you like using it at all. Chances are the tablet you buy will be more than enough for you, and when you do find you need to upgrade to a larger tablet, your old tablet will be due for upgrading anyway!

Kewl.. thanx for the advice. I would do most of the concept sketches on paper anyway, an' then scan it in.