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The Perfect Machine
Workstation: dual Intel Xeons (3.5ghz each, overclocks to 8.2ghz total) wth NVidia's GeForce 6800 ultra (PCI-X) with Windows XP Home/SP2 and 6G of RAM (it can support 16, im going for 8 next month).
My gaming computer: Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition (whoa!!! extreme!!!) @ 3.72ghz and another NVidia GeForce 6800 and of course, Windows XP Home/SP2. This one only has 4G of RAM, but can boot up windows in 25 seconds 
(I timed it, I'm such a nerd...)
It only cost four month's salary! 
.
Post your machine's stats here, I wanna see if I'm caught up yet...
Comments
25 seconds to boot up windows is not fast, just in case you didn't know.
Other than the Intel processor for your "gaming" computer, the rest is very good.
Looks nice, but for the gaming system I agree with Xzaro. I'd go with an AMD Athlon 64 or FX. The Intel is a good proc for gaming too, but the Athlon 64 edges it out when it comes to gaming performance. Both Intel's and AMD's dual core systems rock hard. Intel's are cheaper though at the moment when it comes to dual core. Overall, very nice systems.
Incidently, WinXP boots in roughly 14.5 seconds on my machine, but the 10K raptors help boost the boot time. I'm assuming you do alot of video encoding and work if you are getting 4gb of ram otherwise i'd shoot for 1gb to 2gb on the gaming machine.
My specs are in my sig.
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oops sorry. Got an error when posting and double posted.
Ya, I was thinking the same thing. My machine boots up Windows XP in less than 25 seconds, easily. I'm running a AMD 3800+ with only 1 GB RAM and dual SATA drives in RAID+0 configuration, which is why I think I boot so quickly.
I thought windows XP Home and Pro could only support 4 gigs or ram tops.. but Widows Server the higher end ones, can support up to one terabyte. I may have read the site wrong but I read it from Microsoft.com cuz I was wanting to get Win 64 and they compared it to XP pro. Here is a site that shows the specs
www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx
Good luck with the systems..... I would deff go Amd 64 for gaming. I just orded my 2800 yesterday and I cant wait. Its goign to be a hell of a difference to what I have now... LOL 400mhz p2 overclocked like hell.lol
My gaming machine is crap because I have no money, but once I get a job, i'm going to build a beast.
Here's mine for now..
P4 2.4ghz, 1GB Ram, Radeon X800 XT 256MB Platinum Edition (got that for free).
The graphics card is god, but everything else in my computer is weak.
If yours is crap then mine isn't even worth a fraction of shit.
i havea amd 64 bit 3,2 HT procesor.
2 gigs ram
2 7200 80 gig hard drives.
A asylum model 5950 256 card.
i like my system i run most games at high graphics with no trouble.
the asylum model Bfg tech cards are awesome i never want to use anything else.
i got the whole thing 1 year and a half ago for 900 bucls(hehe, very very good friend).
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Vampyr, How long did it take you to save up 900 bucks? It would have taken me forever at that age. Well if I wasnt hardcore into skateboardiing and smoking weed maybe I could have afforded that in like 6 or so months. But I really wanst into computers back then like I am now.
Yeah Im eventually getting an OK system together... Im getting My AMD 64 2800, Asus K8V-X VIA K8T800 mobo and 512 of some DDR 400 PC3200 Geil Value Ram on friday.It may not be the totall shizzle but Im not going to be playing any newer games... but I plan on getting more ram later on and most deff An Asylum or a 6600 or maybe better if the drop in price before my birthday.
I will still be running a Geforce2 for the time being so I might just get a better Graphic card before I upgrade to more ram. It would probobly help more than getting another gig of ram for the time being.
Peace
As for me, Im running on an NVIDIA 6600 GT (suggested as "Best buy for your buck" by people on the WoW forums).
i raised the money in about 2 months. I did a lot though, but i did sell my old comp for 200, and i think i sold one of my antique knives..... and i had some other miscellaneous stuff that went for 400 bucks. Then the other 300 i helped my uncle set up his bar, and i also helped him build a brick wall.
but ya im happy with ghostwheel.
but the parts then were actually valued at like 1800 bucks, the card AT THE TIME, was 500 cus it was best geforce, motherbaord(this was right when 64bits firts came out) was about 200. processor i forgot how much it was.
but overall it totaled from 1400-1800 in parts. but my friends dad owns a comp USA, and i got them for a low low low low low price.
but i didnt pay for any of the windows or software either. i got it all for free from my Microsoft great plains/solomon accounting system. Seller dad.
and i built ghost myself.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you''re one of the 2% who hasn''t, copy & paste this in your signature.
Yeah I probobly could have helped out family to make money back then... But I was to into skateboarding. It was fun at the time but back at that age I didnt really care about getting hurt. Now Im paying for it my ankles are screwed up and Im sure ill have many health problems later in life.....
I was more in to D&D and Magic the Gathering at that time also so any money that didtn go to skateboarding whent to magic the gathering cards... I spent so much money on those damn cards and now they are worth shit Unless you got a Black Lotus.
I wish I would have gotten into computers at an early age like my cuzin.... He build his first computer at 13 and now hes the head IT guy at a Medical company.. But after I get done with school hes gettin me a job at the company doing help desk stuff.
So yeah basicly im a nerd that was a punk skateboarder. lol..... A cool nerd if you want to call it that but If you into rpg's youve got some nerd in you.
Sorry, in 10 years, computers won't even have these kind of hardware, any computer now will be ancient in 10 years.
My gaming machine bites ass.
Mostly because im to cheap to get myself a new one.
Its more or less.. a blender with a decent processor.
Typical conversation in my house whilst gaming
Jmonster: ''The hell is this! why am i lagging all of a sudden!!''
Jmonsters Friend: 'I was making a smoothie.''
Jmonster: '' EFF!''
I got a crapy 2.4,512ram,GEFORCE 5200, And umm. nothing else special
http://www.mozilla.org
AMD 64 3800+
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
1 gig Corsair XMS Low-Latency PC3200 @ 400Mhz
256MB Nvidia 6800 GT (may get another for dual SLI setup)
Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum ZS2 7.1 Surround sound
PC Power and Cooling 580 Watt PSU
Scores 6570 on 3d Mark 2005. Not the best, but not bad at all.