Rate/give your opinions on these 4 components...

[mosdef]

Here are the components, could you tell me if they're quality? I am looking to build a computer for both the summer and next year in college, and I want a fairly powerful system. Here are a few components I need to decide on. Could you also tell me if you thing the price sounds fair?

1. Monitor: Samsung 955DF - $257.90, I like that it's 19" and has a PerfectFlat screen (its of course not flat screen but the glass has no curvature).
2. RAM: 2 Kensington 128MB non-ECC CAS3 PC133 DIMMs - $251.91; I know the CAS2 is better but I this has better price/performance I believe.
3. Sound Card: SB Live! X-Gamer - $54.21; Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the CT4760 version which has both a 5V digital out and a digital input from the CD-ROM?
4. Hard Drive: 40GB DiamondMax Plus 40 EIDE ULTRA-DMA/66 7200 RPM - $224.99; I heard it's fast, quiet, and reliable... what else could I ask for?

If you have any suggestions you want to drop for the other components I'd love to hear them!

 

[mosdef]

It would help if I could get an idea opinions shortly, though obviously don't rush yourself. Thanks to anyone who reads this/responds!

-mosadef

 

[rickn]

1. Good choice, but certainly not a high end monitor. Refresh rate is acceptable up to 1280x1024. I wouldnt even attempt 1600x1200 unless you want your eyes to fall out from the flicker

2. No experience with that brand

3. Best sound card you can buy. Excellent choice

4. Maxtor makes good drives, howerver, IBM would have been my choice. The 75GXP series is extremely fast, and extremely quiet

 

[KarlHungus]

1. I would rather have a high end 17" monitor than a 19" with low refresh rates. They should run around the same price.

2. Sounds good.

3. Sounds good.

4. StorageReview likes the IBM that rickn recommended. You could even consider picking up a Promise FastTrak RAID card and do RAID 0 with 2 20 Gig HDs.

 

[mosdef]

Not to get off track, but unless I go to the higher-end resolutions, do I have to worry about the refresh rate? Also, can this be overclocked somehow? (Can monitors be overclocked?)

-mosdef

 

[Hard_Boiled]

OK, I have the 900IFT which is basically the big brother to the 955DF, they use the same tube I am fairly sure, but the 900IFT has more bandwidth. More bandwidth means higher refresh rates at higher resolutions. So it is a good monitor that isn't the greatest at 1600x1200. I hate that resolution anyways, at least on a 19". It should be a good monitor, a good shadow mask monitor.

1280x1024 at 80 hz would be the highest I would take it, but I'd probably run it at 1152x870 or 1024x768.

 

[Xtremist]

I have the 955DF and love it a lot. I had a generic 17" before and I love this thing now I sit in front of it about 8 hours every day and have had no problems so far (got it when they first came out). Anyway, I think people who goto 1600X1200 or whatever it is are crazy. I think 1280X1024 would be the max I'd do personally, but that's just me Cheers!

 

[LXi]

1. Monitor: Samsung 955DF - $257.90, I like that it's 19" and has a PerfectFlat screen (its of course not flat screen but the glass has no curvature).

Hm... it IS flat, it's flat face monitor just like the Sonys. It's just not aperture grille. Great monitor nevertheless, for a little bit more the 900IFT seems to be a good buy.


2. RAM: 2 Kensington 128MB non-ECC CAS3 PC133 DIMMs - $251.91; I know the CAS2 is better but I this has better price/performance I believe.

128MB PC133 for $251? Sounds way too overpriced.


3. Sound Card: SB Live! X-Gamer - $54.21; Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the CT4760 version which has both a 5V digital out and a digital input from the CD-ROM?

Thats a killer price.


4. Hard Drive: 40GB DiamondMax Plus 40 EIDE ULTRA-DMA/66 7200 RPM - $224.99; I heard it's fast, quiet, and reliable... what else could I ask for?

That's a very good buy, I have a 20GB version of DiamondMax Plus40 and I like it a lot. It IS fast, it IS quiet, and it IS reliable.

 

[MWink]

I would highly reccommend that sound card and hard disk. I have a SB Live! and I love it. That is also by far the best hard disk I have ever used.

 

[randomlinh]

16x12 is what I would LOVE to have. MORE DESKTOP space == GOOD!

But it's hard to find a 19" monitor that will do it at 85hz WEll, at a good price anyway, for me

 

[LXi]

Not exactly, 19" at 1600x1200 looks way too small, the text are so tiny you have lean your head forward to read it clearly. 19" is best viewed at 1280x1024 in my opinion.

 

[IceStorm]

- Never used the monitor. Have twin 19" Diamond Pro 900u's from Mitsubishi. This one sounds like an upgraded verison (flat CRTs are nice).

- Consider www.crucial.com, especially when looking at shipping options. Kingston's RAM is good (I have a stick of PC100 ECC that OCs to 112 no problem), but Crucial's is bought from the source, and has a good warranty/return policy. It's also cheap to ship overnight.

- SB Live! cards are great. I have the Full version, but that's just me.

- The HD is the same one I have, except I see it's $75 less now. Great drive, quitet, not too warm, been going for about four or five months.

Just my $0.02

 

[Mday]

1. no clue.

2. kensington? like the mouse people? or kingston? go crucial...

3. seems fine

4. whatever. i have never used a maxtor. there are some nightmare stories, but those exist with WD, my personal fave.

 

[mosdef]

Whoops, I mean Kingston, and guys that is TWO sticks of the 128MB RAM for that price... is that a good deal?

-mosdef

 

[LXi]

That sounds like a good deal $251 for 256MB, not bad at all.