Assorted Computer Inquiries

[Ponce]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a gaming machine. I currently have three computers:

A 98 IBM aptiva running xUbuntu 8.04. It is using a 1TB external HDD while running azureus. I'll soon be installing gnump3d to act as a media server for my laptop (as an aside, does anyone have a superior suggestion for media streaming software? my current plan is to run gnump3d on a vpn). I may transfer this function to the Dell and ditch the aptiva (But I love it so!)

A Dell Dimension 4600, currently running Ubuntu 8.04. Its had a few upgrades but it can no longer handle current games (wine). This is my primary web browsing and working machine, it is the most secure (or at least it will be once I remove wine).

An Eee PC 701 4G Surf Subnotebook, also running xUbuntu 8.04. I was thinking of switching this to arch. This machine is meant to receive media streams from the IBM as well as to send/receive I/O streaming to and from the new gaming machine (the gaming bit is easily accomplished on a LAN, but I'm not certain if a remote setup is possible, my upload rate might just be too low. There is a fair amount of software available for doing this between a windows gaming machine and a remote linux machine [xUbuntu/Arch in this case]).

The three desktop machines (IBM, Dell, and Gaming) will run on the same mouse, keyboard and screen (19") by means of a manual KVM switch. The switch has no output decay so it works rather well.

Here are the parts I intend to make up the new machine (I will be installing XP on it, possibly a dual boot):

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.83 Ghz (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019566&cid=CPU.84) - $367.99
Motherboard: Asus P5Q Socket 775 Motherboard (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=018817&cid=MB.157) - $139.99
Memory: Corsair 2GB DDR2, 667 Mhz x2 (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=016608&cid=RAM.346.314) - $38.99 x2 = $81.98
Video Card: Asus EN9800GT, 512MB GeForce (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019656&cid=999.243.390) - $134.99
HDD: Western Digital Caviar 640 GB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Buffer (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=018205&cid=HD.443.877) - $78.99
DVD Rom: Asus DVDRW (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017408&cid=CR.184) - $36.99
Case: Cooler Master 335 Black ATX Midtower (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=020103&cid=CS.664) - $49.99
Speakers: Logitech 2.0 (http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=015366&cid=SP.761) - $8.99

Total: $899.19 + tax, Canadian

My questions are:
1) Should I ditch the Aptiva and transfer its function over the Dell?
2) Should I swap to Arch on the Eee PC?
3) Is the above a wise purchase bundle?
4) How feasible is a gaming I/O stream via an upload rate of about 50kbs?
5) Should I take the Aptiva off the KVM switch and SSH/RemoteDesktop into it instead?
6) Is it true that speeds beyond 667-800 Mhz on a RAM stick are only made use of when overclocking the CPU?
7) Are 7200 RPM with a 16 MB cache on the HDD plenty for gaming? Upgrading to 10000 RPM or a 32 MB cache is very pricey.
8) I'm worried I might have cheaped out on the memory and motherboard. Should I be?

[Mando Knight]

My questions are:

4) How feasible is a gaming I/O stream via an upload rate of about 50kbs?
7) Are 7200 RPM with a 16 MB cache on the HDD plenty for gaming? Upgrading to 10000 RPM or a 32 MB cache is very pricey.
8) I'm worried I might have cheaped out on the memory and motherboard. Should I be?

That 50 kbs is your internet speed, right? If so, it's not going to cut it for gaming...

All the higher RPM and cache are going to do is cut down on load times a little bit. I'm quite sure that the game loads almost everything it needs right away onto your RAM, like taking a folder out of a filing cabinet, opening it, and putting it on a desk.

You've got enough RAM to play most games out now (in fact, you've got 2x as much as I do...), and I've got no idea on your motherboard...

[Ponce]

That 50 kbs is your internet speed, right? If so, it's not going to cut it for gaming...

All the higher RPM and cache are going to do is cut down on load times a little bit. I'm quite sure that the game loads almost everything it needs right away onto your RAM, like taking a folder out of a filing cabinet, opening it, and putting it on a desk.

You've got enough RAM to play most games out now (in fact, you've got 2x as much as I do...), and I've got no idea on your motherboard...

The upload speed is 50kbs. Download is something like 500kbs. The purpose of that is to stream the I/O remotely, so that the game runs on my home desktop but the stream gets directed to my laptop on some remote site. I essentially "play" the game on the laptop but all the work is being done by the desktop. See Here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4cUl9WFv7g)

Load time is important. Its a gaming machine, so having the OS/Programs load twice as quickly may be worth it. The limiting factor is quite often disk read speed, and it certainly looks like it will be on this rig.

The quantity of ram is the maximum for a 32-bit OS (4GB). My concern is the access speed of the ram I have listed (667mhz) and the quality of that particular type (Corsair is a great producer but that particular bundle is actually one of their more stingy products).