A new pc waits to be born...

[chzlchp]

I'd like to garner opinions on the correctness of the following listed combo:

MOBO, CPU (and cooler) & MEMORY
===============================
* ASUS M3A78 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

* ZALMAN CNPS7000B-ALCU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fanl

* AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor

* CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual
Channel Kit Desktop Memory

CASE & POWER SUPPLY
==================
* LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (is there any other choice?)

* Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready
Modular Active PFC Power Supply

OTHER STUFF
===========
* EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600 GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

* Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

* LINKSYS LNE100TX 10/ 20/ 100/ 200Mbps PCI EtherFast LAN Card 1 x RJ45 - OEM

* Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM
40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM '

I use my 'puter mainly for hacking. I'm learning both Linux and Python, and this is going to be purely a Linux box. My older computer (the one I'm on now) dual boots between Linux and (when absolutely necessary) Windows XP. I'm gonna give it over to full-time Windows, so I can go over there when necessary to twiddle away with apps that are Windows dependent. I'm gonna connect the two of them with a router; then, I'll have two boxes folding for the Stanford University Protein Folding study (Abit Team, for anyone who's curious).

For what it's worth, this all adds up to around $800 over at NewEgg (and, why go elsewhere?)

So, what's the concensus of the discerning minds gathered here? :D

[RickyTick]

I use my 'puter mainly for hacking.


Is that metaphorically speaking? :confused:

[chzlchp]

Is that metaphorically speaking? :confused:

That would be 'hacking'...as in blissfully plumbing the depths of a computer's nuances, vs. 'blackhatting', which is blissfully plumbing the depths of other people's computers.

[The Wise Monkey]

Or ethical hacking as it is also known. :)

[chzlchp]

Actually, according to a book I once read:

* Hackers publ. 1984
* Auth: Steven Levy

The geekdom magnet at M.I.T. in the 1950's was a humongous model train layout planted somewhere in the bowels of some hall, and those prone to such exploration delighted in creating ever more subtle electronic connections thru-out the layout, in order to control/switch/crash the model trains. Those guys were known collectively as the "Tech Model Railroad Club"; new members were admitted into the 'sanctum' as they were deemed compatible, and as older members graduated and moved on (some having to actually go get real jobs).

They were known on campus as 'hackers'. When the University became the adoptive parent of a mainframe TX-O, the model railroad 'hackers' thought they had died and gone to heaven. All the energies vented on the model railroad found a new outlet. Thus did computer geeks become 'hackers'.

Bad people who get into mischief are 'crackers', or 'blackhats'.

But I (we) digress. What I really came here for was to get some considered opinions on the computer parts that I am contemplating nailing together in the near future. :rolleyes:

[RickyTick]

In that case, it looks good. The video card is somewhat weak, but will work fine for just hackin around. :D

[chzlchp]

In that case, it looks good. The video card is somewhat weak, but will work fine for just hackin around. :D

...what would your [alternate] recommendation for a video card be, and why?

[RickyTick]

The 8600GT is a low end video card that offers a core clock of only 540mhz, and only 32 stream processors. While the 9600GT has a core clock of 650 mhz, plus 65 stream processors.

Typically prices are 8600GT for $50 and 9600GT for $80. Not a big jump in price for an epic leap in performance. imo

[chzlchp]

The 8600GT is a low end video card...While the 9600GT has a core clock of 650 mhz,...

Typically prices...Not a big jump in price for an epic leap in performance. imo

EVGA 512-P3-N860-TR GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (as always--NewEgg)

Consider it done. Thanks for the comments. (Actually, it's not as easy to find bench marks that will compare one card vs. another where the playing field is a CAD application, so I don't have a lot of literature to access for recommendations and perspective. My alternative is the wisdom garnered around Rob's camp fire.) So...I am taking your thoughts on face value and adjusting accordingly. ;)