Software, Computers, Video Games and D&D UtilitiesGeneral discussion on computer software and hardware, PC and console games, and RPG utilities such as eTools, PC GEN, etc.
I would, personally, stay away from any SLI/Crossfire solution, and just get a single, powerful video card (GF GTX 275 or something in that region).
I would also get Nvidia over ATI, because of better driver support, but ATI also makes good cards.
Also, RAM is cheap enough to just get 2x2GB dual channel (for the first), or even more.
Why is the 2nd HDD on the second one so small?
Other than that, both look good. With no price given, it's difficult to say more.
Ah, yes, make sure you get an upgrade option for Windows 7 (AFAIK that's possible currently, to get Vista with upgrade option to Windows 7, once it is available).
Bye
Thanee
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The first system sounds a bit better - newer and faster CPU, better power supply, more storage (also has matched hard drives so you can RAID them if desired). It's missing a sound card, but unless you're an audiophile you'll probably be satisfied with the onboard sound.
Graphics card choice is probably the most important factor for gaming, and should be determined by your monitor's resolution. If it's 1920x1200 or less, a single Radeon HD 4870 or 4890 with 1GB graphics memory should be sufficient; dual GPUs are usually overkill unless you're running at higher resolutions, and you can always add a second card later if you feel the need to upgrade. ATI cards are generally a better value than Nvidia cards right now, and I've never had any issues with their driver support. In fact, ATI releases new certified drivers every month with new features, optimizations, and bug fixes, while Nvidia doesn't follow any regular schedule (which can be frustrating if you happen to run into a problem).
I'd also recommend adding more RAM to this system... it's cheap and you'll be running a 64-bit operating system, so there's no reason to limit yourself to 3GB. Go for 6GB at least.
On a letter grade scale I would probably rate it a B- (80/100).
Pros
There are tons of places to put fans. The front fan LED is blue.
No door to lose or break.
Basically tool-less. Bonus: no bag of screws to lose; all are hiding on the right and left side of the case.
Lots of expansion room for 3.5 hard drives and 5.25 dvd/cd drives.
Cons
Construction can feel cheap in some places. I broke the 3.5 cover. You probably don't need a floppy (I didn't need one either, but I figured for a few bucks, why not?) so this may not apply to you.
Holes in case bring in dust, a lot of dust.
Can be noisy, pick your heatsink and fans wisely. The stock fans are okay, not quiet or noisy.
The manual is mostly junk. It doesn't explain things very well. Support from Coolermaster was mostly non-existent.
When mounting the motherboard, you can remove the plastic cable runs. This was not clear in the manual.
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