This week, I will be focusing on software or more exactly, freeware.

Freeware you ask?
Freeware is a term used to design software that is meant to be shared and used freely. Some do not come with copyright; some do as a mean to protect agaisnt commercial usage of the freeware.

One thing that is obviously very expensive about computers is software. Windows cost upward of $100, more depending on which version you pick. Of course, everyone knows Windows, but also know that they will need much more.

As you certainly know, Internet is mostly a safe place, but as in the real world, there will always be someone to try to take advantage of you. Today I’ll be focusing on my Top 5 of protection software, that is, a recommendation of 5 tools to use together to ensure your safety and comfort on the web, that are simply to setup, configure and use.

1- Anti-Virus: AVG Anti-Virus.
I’ve used it for years, found it effective, light-weight, quick to update to new threats, basically, a very good all around anti-virus. While it’s only a light version of the full, paid, version, I found that it does a very good job, while not being annoying like some other anti-virus that always wants your attention.

2- Anti-Spyware #1: Spybot: Search and Destroy
It has been around for years, it has a simple interface, but do not be fooled by its look. It remains one of the most effective programs to get rid of spyware, unwanted cookies, trojans and much more.

3- Anti-spyware #2: Ad-aware
One tip that I give you about spyware is to always use a combo of programs to eliminate them. Why? One program might miss one or two spywares, as there so many after all, so the second one will reduce your chance to be stuck with spyware to even lower levels.

4- Secure Browser: Firefox
Of course, how could I not speak of Firefox? Definately the best web browser right now in my opinion. It is quick, effective, use little resources and most importantly, it is very secure. Integrated in it is a popup blocker, a phishing defense and much more.

5- Kill the ads and annoying banners: Adblock Plus
While this one does nothing to protect you agaisnt virus, trojans and such, you will like me for it nonetheless. What it does is that it will block ads and banners. This will result in pages that load faster and are not filled with a ton of ads to distract you.

Of course, this is my top 5. Use the comments below to share your programs that you use, your experience with them and any recommendation that you may have.

I try to share questions and answers that are valuable to everyone. If I didn’t answer your question here, I’ll get back to you directly by e-mail

Got a question? Post it in the comments and make sure to subscribe to the comments to read other people questions and my answers!

Q: Andy wrote:
Just a simple question i noticed and read all your Computer System Articles, and
see $50+ hard drives, or more do new hard drives really matter for gaming
systems? or just a little difference from older hard drives?
I have 2 Hard Disks right now both Sata:
-SATA WDC WD800BB
-SATA WDC WD800BD

A: More recent models will offer higher transfer rates and lower seek times. In real life performance, gaming wise, you will see the difference while a level, a menu or something big will be loading.

How much faster? Depending on the model you would compare it to, I can safely say that you will see a perceptible difference with the above scenarios, say a 25-50% improvement. These are rough numbers though, simply an estimate.

While you’re actually playing, your hard drive have no to minimal effect on the performance.

Ayush wrote 2 questions:

Q1- I have purchased everything except the cpu cooler and ram which i am going to buy this month. I wanted to ask whether to buy cooler master aquagate s1 or cooler master hyper 212.

I have read review about aquagate s1 and found that it is better to go off with air cooler cause aquagate doesn’t add anything special in performance benchmarks and it also got beaten up by a few air coolers in benchmarks.

Hyper 212 is easily available in my area i wanted to know how is it for overclocking cause i want to overclock my q6600 above 3ghz.

Q2- Also is it beneficial to buy corsair dominator ddr2 1066mhz ram or i should stick with corsair xms2 ddr2 800mhz? if i buy ddr2 800mhz i’ll also save lots of money.also i have read all your computer system articles and you have suggested ddr2 800mhz ram except for 2500$ pc.i have an asus p5q deluxe motherboard.considering overclocking potential with a upgraded 45nm cpu in future.waiting for your reply.

A1: Get the Cooler Master Hyper 212, without a doubt. It provides better performance because it is one of the best heatsink/fan combo available and because the Aquagate 1 is a water-cooling kit. For water-cooling, you should always pick your own parts and build it yourself to ensure maximum performance and lower costs.

Also, if you go with water-cooling, you have to accept the fact that there will always be a risk that there’s a leak and that it could damage a part, if not your whole PC.

A2: I recommend going with DDR2 800MHz over 1066MHz the majority of the time, especially if it’s much cheaper. Why? Because the cost for a small performance improvement isn’t worth it except if you can’t upgrade anything else for that price. Also, more ram is better than faster ram.

Your money would be better spent on:
-If it’s a gaming PC, get a better or a second video card.
-Otherwise, get a better processor.

Q: Sam B wrote:
Hi, i read your articles on buildings gaming systems

Do you also give advice on others potential builds? and also picking parts?

It would be a great help
Thanks

A: Yes I do and I would be glad to help you out. If you would like to receive my advice on potential build and picking parts, simply leave a comment on a post or contact me!

Q: Dan Butler wrote:
I think you website is great. The reviews and PC builds are good. I was
wondering why you don’t use any AMD cpus in your pc builds. From the looks of
things you can get the same performance for less. Is there something wrong
with AMD that others should know about? Thanks again!

A: Thank you. Just to clarify things, I do use AMD cpus in some of my builds, mainly the lower cost builds and the HTPC one. Why don’t I use AMD cpus more? It’s nothing agaisnt AMD, it’s simply that Intel offer cpus with better value and or performance for the systems I am designing.

Also, a lot of my builds are gaming computers and in that area, Intel cpus are clearly superior to AMD’s, especially since the introduction of the Wolfdale/Penryn core.

Q: James wrote:
Sup man. Nice site. lol. 2 Things I was wondering. First, are you
looking for a guest writer, I have alot of good ideas, and need the visibility,
second, do you exchange links, let me know whats up, and nice site.

A: Yes, I’m open and looking for some guest writers, although I haven’t done much promoting in that sense.
If you would like to submit some of your work to be published as a guest writer on Hardware Revolution and I speak to everyone here, simply contact me with your ideas and I’ll discuss about it with you.

To increase your chances to be accepted as a guest writer, here are a few guidelines:
- A maximum of three linkback in whatever form, example: One to your about page, one to your home page and one to a particular article. I suggest that the pages you link to be related to your article.
- Ensure that your article is revelant to the readers of this blog. I write about computer hardware, how to get the best bang for your buck and how to cut down on costs. If you unsure, you should ask me before writing it

Finaly, I don’t exchange links. I will feature your article and talk about it if I believe that it is outstanding material and that it will interest the readers here. What I mean is that I won’t link back to you simply because you linked to me.

Did you found or wrote something interesting that you think should be shared with the readers of this blog? Contact me with your information (Url, topic and why you think it’s interesting. Also include your name and your blog if you wish) and I will feature it if I find it worthy.

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!

Today, I’m taking a step back on this blog and I’m letting you speak.
My role is to help you out with computers in various ways and to do that better, I want your feedback. After all, this is your blog, it is you who form the community which drives this blog. Without you, I’m simply talking into the void. No point in that.

Let’s get started:
First of all, what do you think of the new look for parts for the Computer Systems posts?
Here’s an example coming from the latest post, the High-end Gaming Computer.

As you can see, on the left, you have a picture of the product, a link to get to a page to enlarge the image, the price when I wrote the article, with a link to check real-time pricing, the number of reviews on NewEgg, as well as the customer rating based on those reviews, from 1 to 5.

On your right, you have the name of the product, various specifications and a link for real-time price, additional specs and all the reviews.

At the end of each post, I resume the entire system in a simple table.

From left to right, you have the type of components, my recommendation of which part to buy for that particular component and the price.

Following that, you have various ratings regarding performance in a few aspects, power consumption, overclocking potential and value for the money. You’ll notice that for each computer system, I include only the parts that are necessary to build the PC, along with the operating system.

Your part:

This is where I want your feedback. I want your opinion on what you think could be improved? What should be added?

I also want to know if you want me to include other components as well, such as the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, speakers, controllers, etc.?

If yes, which one(s)?
If no, why not?

Hardware Revolution will be going through a major update, coming to you soon so this why I’m here. This is your blog and through your feedbacks, you can help improve not only your experience on this blog, but also everyone else’s experience here. I will implant good ideas suggested by you, so here’s your chance to make a difference!

If it’s your first time here, let us know of what’s your first impression of this blog? What do you think need improvement? What did impress you?

I invite you to take the time to write a comment, right under this post. It’s free, all you have to put in is your name, e-mail and if you wish, a website url that you would like to promote. Speak loud and clearly, for this is your blog!

Today I’ll be focusing on a high-end gaming computer with the most powerful video card on earth! The Radeon 4870 X2 that is. Enjoy the build!

Enlarge image 269.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 84 Reviews RATING

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Specifications Brand Intel Series Core 2 Duo CPU Socket Type LGA 775 Tech Spec Core Wolfdale Multi-Core Dual-Core Name Core 2 Duo E8600 Operating Frequency 3.33GHz FSB 1333MHz L2 Cache 6MB Manufacturing Tech 45 nm 64 bit Support Yes Hyper-Threading Support No Virtualization Technology Support Yes Real-time price, additional specs and 84 customer reviews

Enlarge image 529.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 89 Reviews RATING

Video Card: Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Specifications Brand SAPPHIRE Model 100251SR Interface Interface PCI Express 2.0 x16 Chipset Manufacturer ATI GPU Radeon HD 4870 X2 Stream Processors 1600 (800 x 2) Stream Processing Units Memory Memory Size 2GB Memory Interface 512-bit (256-bit x 2) Memory Type GDDR5 Ports HDMI 1 via Adapter DVI 2 TV-Out HDTV / S-Video Out Real-time price, additional specs and 89 customer reviews

Enlarge image 119.55 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 25 Reviews RATING

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R Specifications Brand GIGABYTE Model GA-EP45-UD3R Supported CPU CPU Socket Type LGA 775 CPU Type Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium FSB 1600/1333MHz Chipsets North Bridge Intel P45 South Bridge Intel ICH10R Memory Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin Memory Standard DDR2 1366+/1066 Maximum Memory Supported 16GB Channel Supported Dual Channel Expansion Slots PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 PCI Express x1 3 PCI Slots 3 Real-time price, additional specs and 25 customer reviews

Enlarge image 139.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 5 Reviews RATING

Memory: OCZ Platinum 8GB (4 x 2GB) Specifications Brand OCZ Series Platinum Edition Model OCZ2P8008GQ Type 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Tech Spec Capacity 8GB (4 x 2GB) Speed DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Cas Latency 5 Timing 5-4-4-18 Voltage 2.1V Heat Spreader Yes Features Platinum Mirrored XTC Heatspreader 2.2V EVP Recommend Use High Performance or Gaming Memory Manufacturer Warranty Parts Lifetime limited Labor Lifetime limited

Real-time price, additional specs and 5 customer reviews

Enlarge image 79.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 166 Reviews RATING

Hard Drive: Seagate 640GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Specifications Brand Seagate Model ST3640323AS Performance Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s Capacity 640GB RPM 7200 RPM Cache 32MB Physical Spec Form Factor 3.5″ Manufacturer Warranty Parts 5 years limited Labor 5 years limit

Real-time price, additional specs and 166 customer reviews

Enlarge image 23.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 168 Reviews RATING

LG Black 20X DVD Burner Specifications Brand LG Type DVD Burner Model GH20NS15 Performance DVD-ROM Access Time 145ms CD-ROM Access Time 125ms Cache 2MB WRITE Speed DVD+R 20X DVD+RW 8X DVD-R 20X DVD-RW 6X CD-R 48X CD-RW 32X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R DL 12X DVD-RAM 12X READ Speed DVD-ROM 16X CD-ROM 48X Physical Spec Form Factor 5.25 Panel Color Black Configuration Load Type Tray Interface SATA Real-time price, additional specs and 168 customer reviews

Enlarge image 109.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 3270 Reviews RATING

Computer Case: Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower Model Nine Hundred Type ATX Mid Tower Color Black Case Material Steel Included Fans 6 Real-time price, additional specs and 3270 customer reviews

Enlarge image 119.99 Check real-time pricing REVIEWS 363 Reviews RATING

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W Model CMPSU-750TX Type ATX12V / EPS12V Rated Power 750W Fans 1 PFC Active Real-time price, additional specs and 363 customer reviews

Let me resume this computer for you, with every part and its price:

Components	Part model	$USD Price
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo E8600	$269.99
Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R	$119.55
RAM	OCZ Platinum 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR 800	$139.99
Video Card	Radeon 4870 X2 2GB	$529.99
Hard Drive	Seagate 640GB SATA 3GB/s	$79.99
Optical Drive	LG 20X DVD Burner SATA GH20NS15	$23.99
Case	Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower	$109.99
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit	$99.99
Power supply	Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W	$119.99
Total price	Entire Computer System	$1493.47

Ratings -On a scale of 10- :

• Gaming : 9.5/10 You will be able to play pretty much any game with max quality and with some AA and AF You will be able to play on high resolutions, such as 1920×1280 without any problem. This system was designed with gaming in mind, so it will handle pretty much anything.
• Office : 8/10 This system is based on the fastest dual core processor; it will run most applications quickly, it will run most cpu intensive programs (Image/Video editing, 3D modeling/rendering, media burning, programming, calculations) rather quickly. Very quick on multi-threaded optimized applications, great at multi-tasking. The speed and the 2 cores will help you a lot.
• Overclocking : 4/10 This system was not specifically designed to overclock and I left the stock cooling for everything. I don’t recommend overclocking the video card, as the stock cooler won’t be able to handle the extra heat. However, have fun overclocking the cpu, as it’s a Wolfdale core, which are known to be good overclockers.
• Power consumption : 3/10 With a dual-core processor and a powerful dual-gpu video card , this system will consume quite a large quantity of electricity. The video card will be the part which will consume the most energy.
• Value for the money: 8/10 Considering what this system is designed for, gaming this is, it will offer you outstanding performance for a reasonable price tag. The fastest dual-core cpu, with 8GB of DDR2 800 MHz Ram, 640GB of storage and a Radeon 4870 X2 with the possibility of playing video games with the high resolution, max details and  AA/AF. All of that together which makes up an excellent high-end gaming system!

Well, what do you think of this system? I think that you’ll be able to play pretty much any game with excellent details.

Did you enjoy this post? You don’t agree with one of several of my recommendations? Make sure to let us know in the comments!

If you did indeed enjoy this post, make sure to check out our other Computer Systems!

Today I’ll be focusing on a mainstream gaming computer with a powerful single gpu video card that is easy to assemble and configure. No fancy RAID, no Crossfire or SLI, simply power to the masses!

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Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Faster dual-core still offer better gaming performance than their slower quad-core counterparts, thus why I simply went for one of the fastest dual-core currently available on the market. Here’s an excellent cpu scaling comparison between dual and quad-core models, from Guru3D Name: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Core: Wolfdale Dual Core Speed: 3.16GHz L2 Cache: 6MB Thermal dissipation: 65W

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Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R You need a motherboard that can support the latest Wolfdale dual-core from Intel, thus the choice for a P45 chipset-based motherboard. This particular model from Gigabyte combines a lot of features, a low price and a perfect 100% rating from people who bought it. Specs: FSB support: Up to 1600MHz RAM support: Up to 4 DIMMs of DDR2, up to 1333MHz, up to 16GB Video card support: One PCI-Express 2.0 16x slot Storage: Up to two IDE devices and up to eight SATA devices with support for RAID 0/1/5/10 And much more…

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Storage: Seagate 640GB SATA Storage is subjective, which means that everyone have a different opinion on how much storage they need. I think that 640GB is plenty of space and this particular model from Seagate is made with only 2 platters, of 320GB each. Denser platter means that transfer rates are higher and that overall, your hard drive is faster. Specs: Capacity: 640GB Rpm: 7200 rpm Cache size: 32MB Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s

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Video Card: GTX 260 Core 216 Nvidia took quite a hard hit on the mainstream segment when ATI released their 4870, as it was not only faster than the GTX 260, but also cheaper. Now Nvidia is back with this new version of the GTX 260, called Core 216, in reference to the number of stream processors which is now 216, compared to 192 on the previous version of the GTX 260. It is also clocked faster than the previous GTX 260. So, if it’s faster, why didn’t Nvidia call it GTX 270 or something? Be my guest, no one gets it…I think that it will hurt them in the long run, as they confuse their customers. In any case, this is an excellent card that I have no problem recommending to you! Also, Nvidia has the edge over ATI with CUDA, which could be used for 3D acceleration and other applications in the future. Specs: Stream processors: 216 Core speed: 650MHz Amount of RAM: 896MB Speed of RAM: 2100MHz Bus width: 448 bit

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OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 Of course, one thing that is important in a gaming system is a good amount of ram and it has to be fast, to quickly feed to cpu, especially in intensive games. Specs: Quantity of ram: 4GB Frequency: 1066 MHz Timings: 5-5-5-15

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Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black Equipped with three 120mm fans, featuring tool-less installation, this case will be perfect to keep your system cool and make the installation easier. The fact that the power supply will be located at the bottom is a pro too, as the power supply will draw the air from the bottom vent, which will help it stay cooler and more silent.

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Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W According to many, Corsair makes some of the best power supplies available on the market and I agree with them. They offer stable power, with no to little fluctuation and ensure that your system will not be affected by power problems. Specs: Maximum Watts: 650W Maximum A on the 12V line: 52A

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Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit DVD Why Vista? For the 64 bit and the support for over 3GB of RAM. I recommend 4GB of RAM in this system, so being unable to use it would be more than a shame…

DVD Burner: LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GH20NS15 A DVD burner from LG, rated at 20X. Why this particular model? Simply because it has the highest rating from people who bought it, which says a lot. Specs: Write: DVD+R 20X, DVD+RW 8X DVD-R 20X DVD-RW 6X CD-R 48X CD-RW 32X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R DL 12X DVD-RAM 12X Read: DVD-ROM 16X CD-ROM 48X

Let me resume this computer for you, with every part and its price:

Components	Part model	$USD Price
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo E8500	$188.99
Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R	$119.99
RAM	OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066	$94.99
Video Card	GTX 260 Core 216	$299.99
Hard Drive	Seagate 640GB SATA	$79.99
Optical Drive	LG 20X DVD Burner SATA GH20NS15	$23.99
Case	COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black	$74.99
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit	$99.99
Power supply	CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W	$99.99
Total price	Entire Computer System	$1082.91

Ratings -On a scale of 10- :

• Gaming : 8/10 You will be able to play pretty much any game with high/max quality and with some AA and AF in most games. You will be able to play on medium to high resolutions without any problem. This system was designed with gaming in mind, so it will handle pretty much
• Office : 7/10 This system is based on a powerful dual core processor; it will run most applications quickly, it will run most cpu intensive programs (Image/Video editing, 3D modeling/rendering, media burning, programming, calculations) rather quickly. Very quick on multi-threaded optimized applications, great at multi-tasking. The speed and the 2 cores will help you a lot.
• Overclocking : 4/10 This system was not specifically designed to overclock and I left the stock cooling for everything. I don’t recommend overclocking the video card, as it’s already pre-overclocked as the stock cooler won’t be able to handle the extra heat. However, have fun overclocking the cpu, as it’s a Wolfdale core, which are known to be good overclockers.
• Power consumption : 4/10 With a dual-core processor and a powerful video card , this system will consume quite a large quantity of electricity. The video card will be the part which will consume the most energy.
• Value for the money: 8/10 Considering what this system is designed for, gaming this is, it will offer you outstanding performance for a reasonable price tag. A blazing fast dual-core cpu, with 4GB of DDR2 1066 MHz Ram, 640GB of storage and a Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 with the possibility of playing video games with the high resolution, details and some AA/AF. All of that together which makes up an excellent mainstream gaming system!

Well, what do you think of this system? I think that you’ll be able to play pretty much any game with excellent details.

Did you enjoy this post? You don’t agree with one of several of my recommendations? Make sure to let us know in the comments!

If you did indeed enjoy this post, make sure to check out our other Computer Systems!

• Very small and compact (size is an issue for me and I need a machine with a small footprint. Only upgrades I would make would be the video card, maybe RAM)
• Power consumption as low as possible (I’d like the system to consume as little power as possible while not having to worry about stability)
• Quiet (I don’t mind if I can hear the system but it should be limited as much as possible)
• Can connect to an HDTV (either with an HDMI out or I can use an adapter)
• Looking for midrange to upper midrange performance (Don’t need “the best” just want to play current and some older games at respectable frame rates, at medium resolution or better)
• Bonus points if it can be had for $1000 or less (cheaper the better)

CPU: AMD Athlon X2 4850e Milan wants a system with a as low as possible consumption and the cpu is one part that does draw a lot of power, so I went for this 45W version of the dual-core AMD X2.While this is not the fastest cpu, it does draw little power, cost very little and offers very respectable performance. Specs: Name: AMD Athlon X2 4850e Speed: 2.50GHz L2 Cache: 1MB Thermal dissipation: 45W

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Storage: Seagate 640GB SATA Storage is subjective, which means that everyone have a different opinion on how much storage they need. I think that 640GB is plenty of space and this particular model from Seagate is made with only 2 platters, of 320GB each. Denser platter means that transfer rates are higher and that overall, your hard drive is faster. Also that means that the hard will consume less power and produce less heat. Specs: Capacity: 640GB Rpm: 7200 rpm Cache size: 32MB Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s

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Video Card: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4670 Now the video card is the best that usually consumes the most power in a gaming computer. I have to be careful with this suggestion, as the card needs to offer respectable performance, while drawing as little power as possible. Two other requests are that this system can connect to an HDTV and stays as silent as possible. The Radeon HD 4670 answers all those requirements. It offers similar performance to the previous generation best single-gpu from ATI, the 3870, while drawing power only from the PCI-Express slot. That’s right; it does not require any additional power connector. It also comes with a HDMI output, including sound output and the fan speed is adjustable through the CCC or Catalyst Control Center. You can easily set automatic controls as to what is the temperature threshold where the fan speed should decrease or increase. Some people report having trouble adjusting the fan speed, but that is due to the fact that this card was released recently and there’s still a few bugs to fix in drivers. Over time, this won’t be an issue. Specs: GPU: Radeon HD 4670 Core clock: 750MHz Stream Processors: 320 Stream Processing Units Memory Clock: 2000MHz Memory Size: 512MB Memory Interface: 128-bit Outputs: 1X DVI, 1X VGA, 1X HDMI

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Optional VGA Cooler ZALMAN VF900 VGA Cooler If you want even less noise, I would recommend that you get an after-market cooler for your video card. Considering that the 4670 produces little heat, you should be able to set the fan at low and forget about it.

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RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1066 To ensure compatibility, this set of ram was picked because it’s on the motherboard QVL (Qualified Vendor List), which means that it was tested to ensure compatibility and that it was certified compatible. Specs: Capacity: 2GB (Two x 1GB) Speed: 1066MHz Type: DDR2 Timings: 5-5-5-15

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Barebone: Shuttle SN68SG2 Barebone The core of this system. Being more compact than the majority of cases on the market, this Shuttle barebone will answer the small and compact requirement. It uses a combination of heatpipes and a low speed fan to keep the cpu cool and the overall system nearly silent. Also, the price ($190.00) is reasonable if you consider that it includes three parts; This barebone includes the case, the motherboard and the power supply.

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Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3 Considering that this system will run on 2GB on RAM, needs to be inexpensive and that of course, I want to design to design a system with the best performance possible, I suggest going with XP Home Edition SP3. Why XP? It’s : Cheaper Performs better than Vista as it uses less resources It’s a more mature OS, which is more stable.

DVD Burner: LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GH20NS15