windows on windows help...

[g30ffr3y]

havent built a pc in a million years, but have the itch
for a project...

would this all work, any recommendations on where not
to skimp as much? i dont plan on taxing the system that
much, but would like to run some audio apps and maybe
play a game...

also, whats the deal with this system builder version of vista?

thanks.

 

[rogersmj]

If you're not looking to do much, that's certainly overkill. That would be a pretty decent gaming system. If you're not going to run that box as your primary workstation and want to save money, you could cut the RAM back to 1GB. Windows doesn't improve quite as much as OS X does when going from 1GB to 2GB.

That version of Vista you picked out is for OEMs/System Builders. It means exactly what it sounds like. You get a bit of a discount on the OS because you're buying new hardware to put it on. HOWEVER -- and this is a big "however" -- OEM versions of Vista are permanently bound to that hardware. The license cannot ever be transferred to a new system. So be sure you're sticking with that computer for awhile, or are willing to sell Vista with the computer when you decide to get rid of it.

 

[g30ffr3y]

would i be able to use that version of vista for boot camp?

 

[rogersmj]

Yeah, it should work, but once it's activated you won't ever be able to install it on anything but your Mac.

 

[balamw]

Or are willing to sell Vista with the computer when you decide to get rid of it.

Strictly speaking you're also responsible for support of that install too, so it might just be worth eating the license on system resale.

Plus, the jury's still out on 32 bit vs. 64 bit for XP or Vista. Personally, I'd sick with 32 bit unless I knew there was something that wouldn't work without 64 bit.

B

 

[richard4339]

I have a lower end Asus mobo with the AMD Athlon X2 64 5000+ and 1 gig of equivalent DDR2 800 ram...

Vista Business 32 bit FLIES. I've never had a machine run nearly as quickly as this (including a Mac). I had XP 64 on here for awhile, and it didn't even come close to working half as fast as Vista does.

Unfortunately, its still Vista, and I don't really enjoy using it. Too damn buggy and problems in other areas.

Edit: Your case has an included power supply; while I don't know this from first-hand experience, when I built this one, one of the main pieces of advice I got was to buy a power supply separate, and to not get less than 450W.

 

[rogersmj]

Edit: Your case has an included power supply; while I don't know this from first-hand experience, when I built this one, one of the main pieces of advice I got was to buy a power supply separate, and to not get less than 450W.

That's a good point there richard, I should have mentioned that...

Never trust power supplies that come with cases. They're crap. A power supply is often overlooked but it can be one of the most important components in your system. It has the ability to introduce voltage fluctuations that can kill hard drives, motherboards, any number of components. So get a good one. However, for what you have, you don't quite need 450W. A decent 400W will do, but whatever you find above that will be find. Antec makes excellent power supplies, as does Enermax and PC Power & Cooling. ThermalTake's are usually decent as well.