New computer planning

[Tapewolf]

Be aware that writeable cdroms last about 5 years or less. I have some back from NZ that I simply can't read now, because they've decayed enough. :-/
BluRay may well suffer from the same issue.

I will have to check some of mine, but so far, so good.  My 10-year old CD-Rs and 8-year old DVD-RAM carts are still working.  Either way, the best strategy is to have your data spread in many different formats.  I will have to check the DVD RWs, though.

I'd prefer to use tape, but the drives are horrifically expensive for sensible capacities.

[Jack McSlay]

Will Windows Setup recognize a USB floppy drive?

I recall on college when we had a computer which Windows XP insisted it needed a floppy drive for something (don't remember what it was tho) and it actually did, it was even recognized as if it was an actual floppy and not a pendrive.

However, for your problems in terms of drivers, I recommend using nLite - http://www.nliteos.com/
It's basically a program that takes the data of an Windows XP CD and allows you to bundle drivers and windows updates which you use te burn a new Windows XP install CD, so that you don't need to put in 3rd-party drivers manually or spend hours waiting for windows update to finish.
There's a Vista version too - http://www.vlite.net/

Be aware that writeable cdroms last about 5 years or less. I have some back from NZ that I simply can't read now, because they've decayed enough. :-/

BluRay may well suffer from the same issue.

from what I know, CD-RWs suffer from decay way more than DVD-RWs or BR-REs - this is because a CD has its data layer on the upper side of the disc, while DVDs and Blu-Rays have their data layer sandwiched between two pieces of plastic, offering a much better protection against oxidation or physical damage.

I personally had a few CD-RWs which the data layer literally fell off 

[Reese Tora]

oh, on those thermocouple heatsinks, they're very strong for moving heat *(I don't know the complete details, but it's basically two metals that create a current when one specific side is warmer than the other... and running a reverse current makes them move the heat back towards that side, though it also generates a bit of heat of its own)

the only complaint I've ever seen for them is that they can be too effective; mostly warnings that, should they cool too much without enough heat generated from the CPU, they will form ice from the humidity in the air, which can then melt and casue a short, so you need to be careful about turning them on and off and not picking one that's too strong.
(side note, I've seen novelty mini fridges about the size fo a six pack that run using those coolers, they're pretty neat.)

[Ryudo Lee]

Overcooling shouldn't be a problem.  My room gets pretty warm, especially during the summer months.

[Jack McSlay]

According to the description on the pruduct, the cooler is regulated, so it'll just apply the ammount of power necessary to mantain the ideal temperature of operation

p.s.: you asked earlier if Windows Setup recognizes the USB floppy, that depends on the motherboard, but since it's a new computer, it most likely does, although I recommend the nLite alternative anyway

[Ryudo Lee]

I swapped out the Blu-Ray with a Lite-On DVD/CD burner.  Good price, and fast write speeds.  Not a bad find.  It does everything I need it to do, and Lite-On drives have always been good to me.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4665188&Sku=L12-1312

I'm going to go with my original pick for the mobo/processor.  Since it comes bundled with RAM, and I'll be picking up an extra set of the same RAM, it should meet all my needs.

I am still iffy about the USB diskette drive, but for what it's worth, the price difference is negligible, and nothing else uses those smaller drive bays anyway.

I also found a fairly good deal on a 22" Acer flat panel monitor, which I'm going to pick up and replace my old Dell 17" flat panel that I've been using as a second monitor.

After savings and rebates and recent price changes, my final cost is in the neighborhood of $1500.  Not bad, I think.

EDIT: Final price after shipping and one of the deals went away, $1600.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Good call, there, Ryudo.

[GabrielsThoughts]

My current desktop computer doesn't have enough ram to save a psd file of a black and white image... suggestions?

[Ryudo Lee]

How big an image are we talking here?

[Tapewolf]

How much memory is in the machine at the moment and what OS is it running?

Aside from the size of the PSD, how many layers are in it and at what bit depth?  Are you using alpha channels?

My linux box seems happy enough editing PF (typically 2500x3600 with 32-bit RGBA and 12-16 layers).  It swapped noticeably with 1GB and was a lot happier when I upgraded to 2GB.  I'm intending to upgrade it sometime to have 8GB or so which should comfortably exceed my needs for the next few years.

[GabrielsThoughts]

image wise, approximately 2000 x 24000 4 layers no filters just text bubbles. I don't have nough ram to use the text tool either... cut and paste feature works nomal. Windows vista Home circa 2007      recovery has 912mb of 6.25gb system memory itself has 195gb free of 291gb. It's a HP comuter.

Photoshop wise I use Photoshop Elements 4.0 modified with CS2 filters and brushes...I usually also have Adobe illustrator CS2 running at the same time for trace elements, but I usually don't do that until after I've finished the speach bubbles with MS paint. [I should note, I do know how to do everything in photoshop, I just get bored if I sit in front of the same GUI for long periods of time...especially if I'm without music.] 

[Tapewolf]

image wise, approximately 2000 x 24000 4 layers no filters just text bubbles.

Okay.  Assuming it's in RGBA format, that is going to take at least approximately 768MB of memory right there, and in my experience Vista itself seems to use 300MB resident when it's idle.  If you've got less than a gigabyte of physical memory, you are going to have a very unpleasant time while editing that monster.

recovery has 912mb of 6.25gb system memory itself has 195gb free of 291gb. It's a HP comuter.

Dunno where you're getting that from.  The last two numbers are the hard disk capacity which is not what we need to know.  The first two are suspect - I don't know what they are but they're unlikely to be the amount of physical memory if you are running a normal 32-bit Vista.

If this were Linux you could just type 'free' on the console and post the numbers here.  Unfortunately it's Windows so we'll probably have to do something weird and arcane to find out.  Anyone know how to get the total physical memory size on a Vista machine?

[Reese Tora]

recovery has 912mb of 6.25gb system memory itself has 195gb free of 291gb. It's a HP comuter.

Dunno where you're getting that from.  The last two numbers are the hard disk capacity which is not what we need to know.  The first two are suspect - I don't know what they are but they're unlikely to be the amount of physical memory if you are running a normal 32-bit Vista.

If this were Linux you could just type 'free' on the console and post the numbers here.  Unfortunately it's Windows so we'll probably have to do something weird and arcane to find out.  Anyone know how to get the total physical memory size on a Vista machine?

I know where that's from; HP has a recovery partition (usually drive) that is used by the system recovery function they build in to reset to factory default in case of a major software failure.

[Tapewolf]

I know where that's from; HP has a recovery partition (usually drive) that is used by the system recovery function they build in to reset to factory default in case of a major software failure.

Makes sense.  I don't think I've ever seen an HP in factory condition before, so I wouldn't know.
What is the 6.25GB, though?  I suppose in theory it could have 3x2GB and 1x256MB (or 1x512 and a video memory hole) but it's an odd amount.  Either way if he's got 6GB in it photoshop should not want for anything, even if he is on a 32-bit system.
How big is the recovery partition on these?

[Mao]

Generally enough to restore the OS and drivers and apps to their beginning state.  Can be up to 20ish gb from what I've seen, wouldn't doubt more in some cases.

[Reese Tora]

I know where that's from; HP has a recovery partition (usually drive) that is used by the system recovery function they build in to reset to factory default in case of a major software failure.

Makes sense.  I don't think I've ever seen an HP in factory condition before, so I wouldn't know.
What is the 6.25GB, though?  I suppose in theory it could have 3x2GB and 1x256MB (or 1x512 and a video memory hole) but it's an odd amount.  Either way if he's got 6GB in it photoshop should not want for anything, even if he is on a 32-bit system.
How big is the recovery partition on these?

Those are the size of the C and D drives/partitions, not the amount of system memory.

Gabriel, we need to know how much RAM you have, not the amount of free space on the harddrive. (though there would be problems if the harddrive was too full for a proper swap file, or so full that the stuff written near the center of the spindle was becoming corrupted, its usually not an issue... and you have more than enough free space.)

[Tapewolf]

Those are the size of the C and D drives/partitions, not the amount of system memory.

Yeah, I thought that was probably going to be the case, though most systems (aside from mine) tend to just use a single partition these days which confused me.  My guess is it's probably 512MB.

Actually, if we can get the model of the computer we can look it up which should tell us what the default configuration is and what the maximum it can take will be.

[Ryudo Lee]

Okay, so I've got an update for you guys.  I put the whole thing together wednesday night.  It recognized all the hardware, immediately picked up on the video cards in an SLI configuration, and everything installed properly.  Windows is only reading 2.5gb of memory but I expected that so it's not a problem, and it's more than I'll need right now, until I can feel fully comfortable with Windows 7.

The problem is that the PSU I put in it decided to die today.  One of the internal components burned out and so it's gone.  I've got a new PSU on the way.  I'm not surprised the PSU died, it had been sitting unused in a box for the longest time.  We opened it up to see if it was just a fuse or something (which voided the warranty) but no such luck.  It's some other component that wouldn't be easily replaced.
This is the new PSU.  It should get to me next week.