**DWF Searching for Intelligent "Computer Savy" Male :) **

[NJGAMERMOM]

I was on here quite awhile ago with a question & you guys were so awesome & helpful to me- Some were really kind, walking me through some things even as it got very late at night

I dont get to come to this site for the sake of just ENJOYING IT too much because my two kids (12 & 15) are always either surfing on the internet or on xbox live playing Gears of War / Lost Planet,...... We try to take turns online but I usually fall asleep waiting for my turn-LOL (I have this nice new router w/ the computer and xbox 360 attached but am too chicken sh.... to dare try setting them up in a wireless fashion. I figure I'd mess it up)

I am going into the hospital next week for some surgery and for some "treatment" (usually worse than the illness itself.) I am trying to order a new computer before I go in because I've been quite sick & am afraid I'll be even worse when I get out. The computer we have now is really very old, outdated, & behaving quite badly.

My problem is that the more I read/research the more confused I am about it all. If I dare to try and work my way down through a "system configurator" my head starts to SPIN!! I am 42 so when I was growing up you were a "hot shot" if you knew your way around Pong and your Atari 5200!!! I held on for awhile there & kind of knew what all the computer specs meant but in the last 4 or 5 years I've just missed too much!!! So much has changed.

I am not trying to be lazy and if I had a lot more time I would start reading my little butt off until I knew just what to order but I just cant do it. The question I will ask has probably been asked many times in many different ways but I really, honestly do need your help. I know that the people on this site are so smart and have so much computer knowledge

SO..........................................If you were the mom (LOL) of 2 teens, one boy who especially loves his Runescape and his World of Warcraft, things like that, and if by chance, the 3 of you just wanted the coolest, fastest computer you could get and one you hopefully wouldnt have to replace for a long time, and if you wanted an awesome graphics card and processor even if you didnt need it, what would you get? I readily admit I get especially confused about the processors, cooling and these new 2 card options. I have about $2500 I can put into this (more if I really had to) I want to get the kids the best I can get them for that money. Its worth it to me because they really are "gaming type kids" and spend a lot of time online. My one child loves to edit videos and play with photos, etc.

I dont need a monitor for now as long as I'll be able to connect by Samsung 32 inch lcd with no issues(the model that DOES attach to a computer ...53h....)

If any of you could take the time to type out your "ideal list" with that budget I would really, really appreciate it.
I'd like to get a new computer ordered before the other takes it's last breath.

BTW-I truly hope noone takes offense. I am going to cut & paste this same post & put it somewhere else to try & reach the most amount of people in the shortest amount of time. Thank you so much for your help

Barb

 

[emp]

That is actually pretty sexist from you... there are actually girls in this forums too you know? how do you know Im not one? (my name is kinda ambiguous )

anyway, jokes aside, this should go on New Build forums (the place where i usually lurk around) but I'll help you out anyway. With that sick budget of yours you could either have a REALLY top of the line PC or 2 Pretty DAMN good PCs, either way you'll be blown away. It's your decision if you prefer to use a single vernier thruster to get to the moon or just two smaller thrusters (Yeah, geeky analogy I know)

$2500 MAX Single PC:

(2x ) EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072&Tpk=768-P2 -N831-AR

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188012&Tpk=122-CK -NF68-T1

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

(When it drops to $266 on July 22)

(2x) Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Continuous @ 40°C (825W Peak) Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, ULC, CE,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133154

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116204

Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model AD-7170S-0B - OEM 33.99

http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827152079

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6835100007

Total: $2286

Second Idea - 2 computers:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050&Tpk= ga-p35-ds3r

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115016

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488

Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model AD-7170S-0B - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827152076

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM 5.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V / EPS12V 550W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151027

Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144417

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116204

Total: about $1085 each

And you still have some money to buy an extra monitor for the other PC.

As a solo gamer I would probably go for the first setup (who wouldn't), but trying to get in your shoes I think it is better for you to get 2 PCs instead of one, that way you can have your own and your kids another, or whatever way works for all of you. Just my 2 cents

 

[ben72227]

Emp's list is pretty solid I'd say if you're going to *build* your own computer.

If you ARE building your own PC, head over to the "New System Build" sub forum.

BUT, I kinda sensed from your post (i.e. going to the hospital, not very tech savvy, etc.) that you might be looking for a pre-built computer (i.e. one from Dell, Alienware, etc.) - in that case, there are tons of smaller companies out there (like Falcon Northwest, Velocity Micro, etc.) as well as the subsidaries of the larger companies (i.e. Dell's Alienware, HP's VoodooPC, etc.) and nowadays the larger companies make their own gaming PC's (i.e. Dell's XPS systems, Gateway's FX systems, etc.)

If you're going pre-built, on your budget, I'd get a Dell XPS 710. The systems are a lot cheaper because there isn't so much 'name brand baggage' that goes with buying an Alienware, Voodoo, etc. (i.e. with those, you're buying the 'brand' (so you can brag that you own an Alienware) as well as a computer...Dell on the other hand is all about mass producing affordable PC's).

 

[emp]

Dell is also all about "the brand"...

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

FORGET SLi !!!

Really it's only for people who don't need to ask what they need. Get an SLi board if you want, but the GTX is more than enough card for any current gaming, especially the games listed. Then save the money and then when things get slow drop in a new CPU or new card. But getting an SLi rig is just asking for trouble with only minor benefit.

Also there's little indication that 2 GTXs has more legs for future games, especially since SLi on Vista is currently it's weakpoint, and very weak at that.

Better to buy a single 8800GTX, and then do a nice clean swap-out for a single 8900 or 9800GTX later when you need it.

For the games listed get the best CPU you can afford, and a GTX, it'll be more than enough for a long time and reduce headaches.

 

[cleeve]

Ditto to Grape. SLI is overkill.

Just because you have $2500 doesn't mean you need to spend it all. You can get a great gaming machine for much less than that.

If you can find a solid pre-built Core 2 Duo e6600 PC with 2 GB of RAM and a good power supply (important!), add an 8800 GTX to it and you're kids will be able to play anything at nice detail for the next couple years.

It's that simple.

 

[Onus]

The Masters have spoken.

And don't get Vista. It's not ready. WinXP is a known working system.

Use some of the saved funds to buy some power protection for your new PCs.

 

[killer_roach]

"Saved funds"? The difference between an OEM copy of XP MCE and an OEM copy of Vista Home Premium is $5. You'd save $25 by getting XP Home, and XP Pro would cost $25 more than Vista Home Premium (granted, XP Pro would compete against Vista Business, which, at $149 for an OEM copy, is $10 more than Pro).

My personal recommendation is, if you're building a new system with 2GB or more of RAM and a DX10-capable card, Vista should be a no-brainer.

 

[marike]

Just out of curiousity is this the samsung tv you will be plugging the computer into? http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/05/01/samsungs-32-inch-ln-t325h-boasts-atsc-tuner -8000-1-contrast-ra/

If it is then I'd follow Emps first computer option minus the 2nd graphics card. A single 8800gtx will handle anything you throw at it at the resolution that lcd tv can handle.

 

[fishboi]

Also, why 680i??? P35 is the way to go.

 

[cb62fcni]

Also, why 680i??? P35 is the way to go.

I absolutely agree with this! Especially if you will go with the Q6600. Go for something like the
GA-P35-DS3P at $150 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128047
As the others have stated, SLI is really a waste of money in almost any situation. Going with the P35 will not only save you some cash, it will be viable longer as it will be compatible with the new Penryn processor.

Invest the money you would have spent on SLI and the more expensive motherboard, and in a year or two you can break it out for an upgrade.

Best of luck to you, I hope everything works out. Oh, and tell your 15 year old to get his butt into some of these forums and learning, because having your mom buy you a computer is cool, but having her BUILD you one is a little much!

 

[eric54]

I second getting vista. All this crap about it not performing in games is bullhonkey. I play all my games at the highest possible resolution and thats with a 640gts, its a bunch of FUD that vista isnt worth getting. The OS is great, when a game crashes the system still chugs along(most of the time). I don't get those blue screens, when I oc and hardware fails it doesnt hard lock, i can simply restart the healthy way.


Unless her son's know how to put together a computer I would recommend providing links to prebuilt computer vendors, Velocity Micro is what I recommened based on their excellent tech support(standard 3 year warrenty), quality, and reasonable prices.


Get a Velocity Micro with the following specs
-core 2 quad 6600 (after july 22)
-8800gtx/gts 640 (both are excellent, get the gtx if your 32" res is more than 1280x768)
-Motherboard-Doesnt matter too much, they all oc well if intel based, get the 680 series if you go nvidia
-ram- 2 gigs of ddr2 800 with lower timings, 4-4-4-12, brand means nothing with ram(BECAUSE, the Velocity will replace defective ones)
-HDD- Performance, Hitachi 1tb/WD 150gb raptor, get the 1terabyte if you can, otherwise get the raptor
-second hdd- for general storage, get the most you can for the lowest price, performance in this case doenst matter
-case-whatever appeals to you, consider if noise is a factor, if so one with less openings will be quieter
-PSU- PCPower isnt all that great, (check hardocp for review on it) Corsair, enermax, seasonic are all great, whatever Velocity micro sends you will be adequate (i believe they use seasonic)
-Keyboard and mouse, the g15 gamers keyboard from logitech is great for WoW, this would be a nice luxury for your sons.
-OS- Vista home premium 64 bit, 64 bit at least for now is great to keep you immune to viruses, all drivers for vista must be written in 32bit and 64 bit code to get WHQL certification from microsoft, thus, you gain nothing by going 32 bit, the obvious choice is 64 bit. Dont let anyone convince you to go otherwise!


I just made a quick configuration on Velocity Micro- for 2390.00
Case
LX-W Silver - Velocity Micro Signature Case - Pure Aluminum with side window, easily removable front door

LX Wheel Kit None

Power Supply 850 Watt Velocity Micro® Power Supply - Nvidia® SLI™ Certified (+$125.00)

Case Lights None

Motherboard EVGA nForce 680i SLI, Socket 775, PCI-E, DDR2

Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor E6600, dual 2.4GHz cores, 4MB L2 Cache

CPU Cooling Arctic Cooling® Freezer 7 Pro Heatsink, Ultra Quiet Fan, Copper Heat Pipes, plus Arctic Silver™ 5 Thermal Compound

DDR2 Memory 2048MB Corsair™ DDR2 PC6400 DDR2-800 (2x1024)


PCX Video 640MB EVGA GeForce 8800GTS DDR3 PCI-E w/HDCP (700W+ PSU recommended for SLI) (+$140.00)

Video Cooling None

Video Tuning Basic 3D Video Performance Tuning & Optimization

Physics Processor None

Monitor None

Audio On-Board Integrated High Definition 7.1 Channel Sound

Speakers None


Hard Drive 1 1TB Hitachi 7200rpm 16MB Cache SATA 300 w/NCQ (+$380.00)

Hard Drive 2 None

Optical Drive 1 20x Lite On® DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Dual Layer, Black Bezel

Optical Drive 2 16x DVD/48x CD-RW Lite On® Combo Drive, Black Bezel

Floppy Drive & Media Reader 8-in-1 Floppy Drive & Media Reader Combo, Black Bezel

USB Drive None


On-Line Gaming Accelerator ONLY Integrated 10/100/1000MBps Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter

LAN 2 or WiFi Adapter None

WiFi Router None

Modem None

FireWire 2 Integrated IEEE 1394 FireWire Ports, 1 front & 1 rear

USB 2.0 Ports 6 USB 2.0 Ports, 2 front & 4 rear


Operating System Genuine Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Productivity Software None

Benchmark Software NEW - FutureMark® 3DMark06® Velocity Micro Basic Edition - gaming performance benchmark software

Security Software None


Internal Cables Standard Premium Ribbon IDE and Floppy Cables

Keyboard Velocity Micro™ Keyboard with Lighted Palm Rest - Black, USB

Mouse Velocity Micro™ Mouse with 800 dpi Resolution, USB

Network Cable None

Printers None

Printer Cable None

Game Control 1 None

Game Control 2 None

Power Protection None

T-Shirt FREE Velocity Micro™ Limited Edition T-shirt in Blue, size XL

2390.00

Those are the specs you will want.

 

[hardwire99]

I second getting vista. All this crap about it not performing in games is bullhonkey. I play all my games at the highest possible resolution and thats with a 640gts, its a bunch of FUD that vista isnt worth getting. The OS is great, when a game crashes the system still chugs along(most of the time). I don't get those blue screens, when I oc and hardware fails it doesnt hard lock, i can simply restart the healthy way.


Unless her son's know how to put together a computer I would recommend providing links to prebuilt computer vendors, Velocity Micro is what I recommened based on their excellent tech support(standard 3 year warrenty), quality, and reasonable prices.


Get a Velocity Micro with the following specs
-core 2 quad 6600 (after july 22)
-8800gtx/gts 640 (both are excellent, get the gtx if your 32" res is more than 1280x768)
-Motherboard-Doesnt matter too much, they all oc well if intel based, get the 680 series if you go nvidia
-ram- 2 gigs of ddr2 800 with lower timings, 4-4-4-12, brand means nothing with ram(BECAUSE, the Velocity will replace defective ones)
-HDD- Performance, Hitachi 1tb/WD 150gb raptor, get the 1terabyte if you can, otherwise get the raptor
-second hdd- for general storage, get the most you can for the lowest price, performance in this case doenst matter
-case-whatever appeals to you, consider if noise is a factor, if so one with less openings will be quieter
-PSU- PCPower isnt all that great, (check hardocp for review on it) Corsair, enermax, seasonic are all great, whatever Velocity micro sends you will be adequate (i believe they use seasonic)
-Keyboard and mouse, the g15 gamers keyboard from logitech is great for WoW, this would be a nice luxury for your sons.
-OS- Vista home premium 64 bit, 64 bit at least for now is great to keep you immune to viruses, all drivers for vista must be written in 32bit and 64 bit code to get WHQL certification from microsoft, thus, you gain nothing by going 32 bit, the obvious choice is 64 bit. Dont let anyone convince you to go otherwise!


I just made a quick configuration on Velocity Micro- for 2390.00
Case
LX-W Silver - Velocity Micro Signature Case - Pure Aluminum with side window, easily removable front door

LX Wheel Kit None

Power Supply 850 Watt Velocity Micro® Power Supply - Nvidia® SLI™ Certified (+$125.00)

Case Lights None

Motherboard EVGA nForce 680i SLI, Socket 775, PCI-E, DDR2

Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor E6600, dual 2.4GHz cores, 4MB L2 Cache

CPU Cooling Arctic Cooling® Freezer 7 Pro Heatsink, Ultra Quiet Fan, Copper Heat Pipes, plus Arctic Silver™ 5 Thermal Compound

DDR2 Memory 2048MB Corsair™ DDR2 PC6400 DDR2-800 (2x1024)


PCX Video 640MB EVGA GeForce 8800GTS DDR3 PCI-E w/HDCP (700W+ PSU recommended for SLI) (+$140.00)

Video Cooling None

Video Tuning Basic 3D Video Performance Tuning & Optimization

Physics Processor None

Monitor None

Audio On-Board Integrated High Definition 7.1 Channel Sound

Speakers None


Hard Drive 1 1TB Hitachi 7200rpm 16MB Cache SATA 300 w/NCQ (+$380.00)

Hard Drive 2 None

Optical Drive 1 20x Lite On® DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Dual Layer, Black Bezel

Optical Drive 2 16x DVD/48x CD-RW Lite On® Combo Drive, Black Bezel

Floppy Drive & Media Reader 8-in-1 Floppy Drive & Media Reader Combo, Black Bezel

USB Drive None


On-Line Gaming Accelerator ONLY Integrated 10/100/1000MBps Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter

LAN 2 or WiFi Adapter None

WiFi Router None

Modem None

FireWire 2 Integrated IEEE 1394 FireWire Ports, 1 front & 1 rear

USB 2.0 Ports 6 USB 2.0 Ports, 2 front & 4 rear


Operating System Genuine Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Productivity Software None

Benchmark Software NEW - FutureMark® 3DMark06® Velocity Micro Basic Edition - gaming performance benchmark software

Security Software None


Internal Cables Standard Premium Ribbon IDE and Floppy Cables

Keyboard Velocity Micro™ Keyboard with Lighted Palm Rest - Black, USB

Mouse Velocity Micro™ Mouse with 800 dpi Resolution, USB

Network Cable None

Printers None

Printer Cable None

Game Control 1 None

Game Control 2 None

Power Protection None

T-Shirt FREE Velocity Micro™ Limited Edition T-shirt in Blue, size XL

2390.00

Those are the specs you will want.

In the beginning of your post you put that she should get Vista 64 bit and no one should talk her out of it. Then in the system quote you have 32 bit OS. Some consistency would be helpful.

As far as Vista being good for games, well not all games. I know several people that are having problems with even simple game on a vista system. Everyone’s experience will very by the games they play. that kind of a blanket statement is only if she is running the games that you run on the same configuration that you run with the same parts that you have. For as many people that you can show that have no problems I can produce one that is having problems.

That said the system you posted is a good one and worth consideration.

 

[NJGAMERMOM]

Havent been online for a few days-had some computer problems-thanks for the new replies. I appreciate all the typing that had to be done to try & help me with my problem & I really appreciate it. Anyway 1st-

To Emp-You're right about the sexist remark & I apologize. I always fall back on humor in times of stress& I'm on overload -cant help it-the more tense/upset the more I joke around plus I was trying to think of a subject line that had some humor and one that didnt sound like all the other "Help me with planning my computer" posts because I needed to get answers quickly. But I see your point

cb62fcni- Loved the remark about my 15 year old & his Mommy building his computer but no, I definately meant I want it built for me. I know I dont have what it takes to build one myself even if I wasnt ill right now. Plus my boy is 12, the 15 year old is my girl who only knows the computer is useful for yapping to her friends and looking up songs to put on her IPOD-LOL

I had not been in the market for, or paying attention to the "computer world" in about 5 years so I definately misunderstood this whole sli thing.


I quoted the dollar amount of $2500 because I want to make absolutely sure that JUST THIS ONCE we get a computer that we can really be excited about& one that wont need upgrading for at least awhile. (I sold a lot of really nice things on Craigslist for this big event-lol)

Someone mentioned Alienware. I used to drool desperately over their gorgeous colored systems with the keyboard, mouse, sp, etc. all painted to match. OOHHHH!!!! Too bad their prices are so ridiculous and I hear so many complaints about them too. Velocity's name seems to come up a lot. Resellerratings.com also mentions one company as having pretty much PERFECT FEEDBACK from hundreds of people, but noone seems to be familiar with them- Envision?? If any of you feel like visiting them at envisionpc.net & seeing what you think of what they're offering I'd appreciate it. Their prices are excellent & all that positive feedback would make me feel safer.

I am very up in the air about Vista. I hate that the timing worked out this way. I'd be curious about peoples experiences. I'm assuming that buying a new system with Vista in it that I shouldnt have too much trouble?

I did mean to ask why noone mentions the LAST CARD on the graphic card list everywhere-8800 ultra? Is it because the price is so ridiculous or it wouldnt offer much more than the gtx? Also, 2 gb of ram ? Would 4 hurt performance because its too much-I dont want to open it up later and add it if I can put it in now. Sorry, dont have time to search out all these answers & I know you guys know it all already.

So far the help has been awesome& to sum-yes looking for the most exciting, fastest, coolest computer we can afford that wont need to be upgraded for a long, long time. I might not be feeling well for quite awhile & just want this all to be taken care of for my kids & I want to have fun too

I grew up playing Missile Command and Pong on my HIGH TECH, ULTRA EXCITING Atari 5200 and got excited when we got new exciting things like a VCR, cordless phone, and THE REAL SHOCKER - a remote controlled TV so you didnt have to sit in front of the buttons-lol. I would've loved to have been born in this age-with all this COOL STUFF!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE HELP......

Barb

 

[jt001]

I don't have time unfortunately to recommend a whole system, but I can make a few suggestions. If you want it to be future proof definitely go for 4GB of RAM, preferrably 2x2GB sticks so you still have 2 open slots, and on some boards RAM does slow down if you use 4 sticks. Also, definitely no SLI, if I understand correctly you have an LCD TV you'll be using and with their low resolutions SLI won't do much of anything.

The ultra is essentially an overclocked GTX, nothing more, so if you wanted to you could just overclock a normal GTX and save a few hundred...

Another thing is, don't buy into the hype of big power supplies, you won't need anything more than a 650w in any desktop system, ever, it's always good to go with a bigger PSU to leave some headroom but people like to buy and recommend these 1200w PSU's and most of the people that have those are in systems that would run just fine with a 500w or 550w, but it's just a gimmick.

Also, ALWAYS go with a good brand of PSU, you don't wanna spend $2500 only to have some cheap PSU kill your processor or something, I've seen that far too often.

Finally, go with a quad core if you want to be future proof, the Q6600 is a bargain at $266, and it will still perform really well now on single/double threaded apps.