Age/Occupation/Location?
24 / Sound Engineer/Computer Technician/Web Designer  /   Vancouver Canada

How long have you been a member of Guru3D forums?
For over a year now I think..

What did you first come here for?
Originally to discuss problems I was having with an old FX5600 and hopefully get some help.. Been hooked ever since!

What do you mainly use the system for?
I honestly use it for most everything. Since I have a background in audio and recording, I use it lots for sound mixing and the like. I’ve written soundtracks for two films and recorded and mixed them on this rig, so it’s been a huge help. I’ve always used my system for games as well, and will continue to do so. I also make flash websites, so I’ve used it to do that as well. And of course, entertainment wise; watching movies, television, as my stereo, and just general web surfing.

How much did you spend on the rig?
After all is said and done, I would say somewhere in the ballpark of 1½ to 2k

How often do you update/buy a new rig?
Not as often as I’d like to. I’ve been steadily upgrading part by part of this rig for some time now, so before I make the leap to pci-e, I want to get as much use out of my current setup as I can. I tend to do larger upgrades every couple years so that I can grab parts for cheaper when they’re not brand new. Of course, doing that means that they’re not new for very long, so I upgrade bit by bit generally. I won’t be able to upgrade until after this coming year since I will be backpacking in Asia, but will build a new rig when I return.

What components are used?

• Pentium 4 2.8C Socket 478 Northwood with a Zalman AL-CU Heatsink and Arctic 5
• Asus P4C800-E Deluxe 875 AGP 8x SATA
• Enermax 480 watt Noisetaker PSU
• 2(4 x 512mb)gigs of Geil Ultra Platinum DDR400 PC3200 @ 2-3-3-6 Dual Channel
• PNY 6800 Ultra Extreme AGP 8x (450:1.20)
• Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
• 2 120gb SATA Seagate Barracudas @ 7200 8m
• 1 200gb Western Digital ATA @ 7200 8m
• Benq DVD Burner and LG CD Burner
• Nexus 4way fan controller
• Mercury TV Tuner
• X-Case Modded 4 fan Black Tower

 
Why ATI or NVIDIA, why Intel/AMD?
I can’t say that I’m a fanboy of either ATI or Nvidia. I tend to grab what I think will be the best possible upgrade at the time, keeping cost and performance in mind always. I’ve had good and bad experiences with both companies, and believe that both have lots to offer. I got this card because I feel like it’s probably one of the best cards that I could get for my AGP mobo.
I prefer Pentium, or at least I have up until this point. I’ve always had Pentium chips in my machines, and honestly, they’re solid performers, especially when you use them to do many different functions simultaneously. Again though, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second in buying an AMD chip and giving them a rip. I will most likely be doing just that with my next machine.

Does the system work as expected?
I don’t think I’ll ever be perfectly satisfied with a PC unless I spent thousands of dollars, but for what I need it for, this machine really does achieve what I want. I’m capable of playing games, writing music, recording, surfing the web, and it gets the job done for me. I’m also happy because I’ve reached a point where my system can stay stable and I’m able to keep in on for days on end with no lag or problems. I found this much more difficult to do with older technology and operating systems that I’ve had.

What's the best part of your rig?
I can’t say that I have a favorite. The whole unit together has been a labor of love on my part. Hours spent searching for parts and placing and replacing them, shipping other parts out for RMA, etc. So I would say the best part is that it’s my baby. It’s the first machine that I’ve built from the ground up and in that, I know exactly what goes in and what comes out. It’s inspired me to learn more about computing in general, and never fails to hold my interest. It’s taught me so much and will continue to do so.

What sucks and should not have been bought?
I’ve been happy with most of the purchases I’ve made for this machine. The only thing I’m not thrilled about is the fact that I feel like I overpaid for some parts. Generally speaking though, a couple extra bucks here and there to get something you want is justifiable. The one piece that I’m not happy with is the nexus fan controller. I thought it would fit the case well(and it does..) but I was a little too quick in picking it up without researching it. The controller doesn’t allow the fans to be turned completely off, which would have been a great feature. I didn’t think of it at the time and now I wish I would have got a controller that did. Some of the Video cards that I had before this one shouldn’t have been bought either. I was expecting better performance than I got out of a 6600GT and an X800XL, so I sold them and picked up the card I have now.

Modified cases/video cards/other? Did you do it yourself? Walk us through it.
No real crazy mods, as this was my first endeavor into building a system by myself.
I bought and installed some UV stuff just to light up the inside, and I’ve liked how it looked in other people’s rigs, so I thought I might as well. I put in a couple fan grills too, that are UV reactive to add a little extra glow to it. The only other modded part is my video card, which has been overclocked permanently and refitted with a bigger heatsink.

3DMark scores?
2005: 5913
2003: 13,294

Future upgrades?
To this machine, probably not much. I think this unit is about as good as could be without changing the motherboard out and changing chipsets. This machine will turn into my strictly audio machine, and I will be building a new rig mainly for games.