Sequoyah Computer

This write-up takes a look at three new pieces of hardware, which are listed above, and it considers how well they work together as upgrades; the goal being to make this system ready and able to play today's latest computer games. To give away some of the conclusion, I have no regrets about this round of upgrades.

8800GT and 775Dual-VSTA Issues (January, 2008)

I added a brief note to my earlier Asrock 775Dual-VSTA review mentioning the problem that the new 8800GT video cards have being recognized on this motherboard. I also point out that there is a workaround for those who are willing to modify the BIOS on their new video card. I did not pursue this route, opting for a new motherboard, instead.

(Expect a mini-review of Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard to follow some time soon.)

Converting LPs to CDs (November, 2007)

I posted a how-to guide for the process of transferring music from vinyl records to CDs, using your computer. This article focuses on my experience with this project, but I think the information is general enough that it will be helpful to others. I have also included links to additional resources for those who are interested in gaining a broader understanding of how this process works.

Asrock 775Dual-VSTA Observations (April, 2007)

I posted a mini-review of Asrock's 775Dual-VSTA motherboard. This motherboard is interesting because of the range of hardware that it supports, as well as its low cost. You can use this motherboard to run the latest Intel Conroe processors, while still hanging on to your existing DDR memory and AGP video card. It also supports DDR2 memory and PCI-E video cards; so, you can upgrade to these along the way, if you wish to.

I bought one of these motherboards about six months ago, and I have been using it with a Conroe processor and my old AGP video card. This upgrade path has worked out well for me; so, I wanted to share some of the details of it.

Computer Power Consumption (February, 2007)

I posted a quick look at how much power computers and their peripherals require, using the consumer Kill-A-Watt meter. I was curious to see how much power newer computers actually used, since the trend seemed to be that faster components meant more power hungry devices. I also wanted to get some idea of how much my monthly electric bill was being inflated by my computer habits. Hopefully, what I learned will encourage me to practice "greener" computer usage.

"Company of Heroes" Resources (February, 2007)

I've added a page with links to resources related to the real time strategy game, "Company of Heroes", which I hope people interested in the game will find helpful. I've put together unit guides, in outline form, for both the Allied and the Axis sides of the game. Links to other sites will take you to in-depth discussions, ranging from walkthroughs for the campaign missions to strategies and tips for multiplayer games.

COH is a nicely done game from Relic Studios, whose previous RTS games, including "Homeworld" and "Dawn of War", have been highly acclaimed and widely received. Besides being fun to play, "Company of Heroes" includes a built in benchmarking utility, which makes it useful for testing the hardware configuration of game systems, as well.

Battlefield 2 Performance Analysis - Updated (Sept., 2005)

I updated my initial performance analysis of Battlefield 2, which previously just looked at memory usage with 1 GB of system memory installed. I've compared these results to a system running 1.5 GB of memory, and I also have taken a look at network bandwidth and the effect of different video options on frame rates.

I've also added , in a separate write-up, a short how-to guide for using Windows XP's Performance Console. I used this utility for gathering data in the above mentioned Battlefield 2 analysis, and I wanted to make it easier for others to check out this powerful and versatile application.

Battlefield 2 Optimal Game System Guide (Sept., 2005)

I've posted an update to the Optimal Game System Guide, and this time, I looked at components with a particular focus on putting together something that readily could handle the hardware requirements of Battlefield 2. At the moment, this game appears to be one of the most demanding and resource hungry titles on the shelf; so, I figure if a system can handle BF2, it should be ready for everything else.

Battlefield 2: How Much Memory Is Enough? (June, 2005)

The Battlefield franchise continues to drive the system requirements for what is required in a game computer. The Desert Combat mod for Battlefield 1942 made apparent that 512MB of system memory was no longer enough (Desert Combat Final: Memory Usage), and the new game Battlefield 2 seems to be pushing system requirements for memory beyond the 1GB mark. Here's a quick look at Battlefield 2's memory usage.

Monitor Buying Guide Updated (June, 2005)

This latest overview of what is available in the way of computer monitors provides considerably more analysis of what to look for in LCDs. The most common types of LCD panels (TN, PVA, MVA, and IPS) are described with an emphasis on their relative strengths and weaknesses. These insights can be used to help you match the LCD you buy to the sorts of things that you use your computer for. Until there is such a thing as a true all-purpose LCD, this kind of informed shopping is your best bet for getting a LCD monitor that you'll be happy with.

System Gallery Started (February, 2005)

I have added a new section to this web site, which will provide pictures of and other details about some systems that actually have been built. I think that this will be a good compliment to the System Guides. While the system Guides aim to offer a range of options to choose from, the systems in the Gallery are concrete and specific configurations that actually have been built and put to the test. While their design draws from the information found in the Guides, they are specifically tailored to meet some particular need.

The first system that I have provided some information about is a nice all-around system that should meet a variety of needs and uses. I think of it as being a good family, home computer. It uses an Athlon 64 3500 processor, a PCI-Express motherboard, and a 6600 GT video card. It easily can munch through all those typical home uses, such as email, web browsing, word processing, and image editing, and it has the capacity to play all the latest games at high resolutions and in high graphic detail. There are some benchmarks available to help spell that out.

Optimal Game System Guide Posted (February, 2005)

With the arrival of the Nforce4 chipset, PCI-Express is available for the Athlon 64. Perhaps even more interestingly, this chipset also brings us Nvidia's Scalable Link Interface (SLI) for Nvidia's latest, high-end, video cards. The Optimal Game System Guide takes a look at these new developments and pulls together some recommendations that result in a high-end game system that remains cost-conscious at the same time.

Update to Asus Ti4200 Video Card Review (January, 2005)

I finally added some information on how well the Asus V8420S video card overclocks. The bottom line is that I've been running this card at the same speeds that a Ti4600 runs at for well over a year, and it is actually capable of a bit more speed than that.

Budget Websurfer Guide Updated, Monitor Guide Updated, and a Look at Memory Usage by a Popular Online Game (October, 2004)

This computer component buyer's guide is aimed at those who primarily are interested in doing things like websurfing, email, and typical business applications. In its most basic configuration, these systems don't lend themselves to gaming, since they make use of integrated graphics (in order to keep the price down), but they do have AGP slots, so expandability is always an option.

The Monitor Guide is meant to give people an overview of the various options for computer monitors. It should help them decide whether a CRT or LCD monitor would best suit their needs, and it should give them a better idea of what to look for in particular models. The guide has been updated to reflect what is currently available and what the various models typically are selling for.

In the Analysis section, I make use of Nvidia's Performance Graph and Window's System Monitor to look at video performance and system memory usage by a popular online game, the Desert Combat Final mod for Battlefield 1942. Desert Combat Final: Video Performance and Memory Usage. The results are clear; 512 MB of system memory is not enough for smooth game play with this game. Beyond this conclusion, the article illustrates the use of above mentioned performance tools and how these can be very helpful in determining where a system's bottlenecks are. With this knowledge, someone is in a much better position to decide what components to upgrade, in order to get the best results.

Budget Game System Guide Updated (September, 2004)

With the update to this guide, the Athlon 64s make a clean sweep of all the game system recommendations. The introduction of the Sempron 3100 and the Athlon 64 2800 bring the cost of this new platform into reach of even a budget game system. And, compared to the comparable Pentium 4 products, they provide more game-playing power for the money. Match up one of these AMD processors with a Radeon 9600XT, and you have solid but inexpensive gaming machine. Take a look, and see what you think.

Maximum Game System Guide Updated (September, 2004)

Following up on some of the changes that made their way into the recently posted update to the Enthusiast's Game System, the Maximum Game System takes advantage of the AMD's top end Athlon 64 FX53, and it turns to Nvidia for the fastest video game card available. Of course, these highest end components do not come cheap; so, some suggestions for an Optimum Game System are provided. By selecting some alternative components, this system turns out to be about $1000 less expensive than the Maximum System, but it gives up relatively little, in the way of performance.

Enthusiast's Game System Guide Updated (September, 2004)

This seemed like the right time to introduce a significant change in our Enthusiast's Game System. The availability of lower cost Athlon 64 processors makes this line of chips the new choice for our mid-level game system. This also means that our Enthusiast's System is faster than it was before. The latest graphic's cards are still a bit expensive, even with their lower end models; therefore, the Radeon 9800 Pro remains our first choice. However, if you have the extra cash to spend, the entry level Geforce 6800 could move this system into the latest generation of 3D rendering hardware.

Entertainment Center PC Guide Posted (August, 2004)

After a number of false starts, I finally put together an Entertainment Center PC Guide. This guide looks at what it would take to assemble a computer that specifically supports the multimedia tasks associated with a multimedia entertainment center or home theater. The guide features fairly high end solutions, but it includes plenty of suggestions along the way for less costly alternatives.

You can use this computer to record and playback television broadcasts at the same time, "time-shifting" your television viewing. With DVD playback and multi-channel audio, it can be used as the hub for your home theater television. Not only can the system's hard drive be used for recording your entertainment media, but these files can be transferred to other storage media, such as CD and DVD.

Enthusiast's Game System Guide Updated (March, 2004)

Another refresh of a previously posted Enthusiast's Game System guide. There aren't any huge changes with this edition, most of the updates are due to some higher speed components coming down into this system's price range. The mobile version of the Athlon XP2600 and the Pentium 4 2.8C are the processors currently getting the nod for their price and overclockability.

By the way, AnandTech has been doing a good job of updating their system building guides, lately. They've been posting guides for Budget, Mid-Range, Overclocking, and Cutting Edge Systems.

Budget Game System Guide Updated (March, 2004)

This is a refresh of the Budget Game System to bring it back up to date. No revolutionary developments, but with the slight reductions in the cost of some parts, slightly faster processors are within reach and a DirectX 9 capable of video card with good performance joins the list.

Updated Asus V8420S Ti4200 Write-up (January, 2004)

This is a minor addition, but I added a couple of scores using this video card with a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz processor. Although I only ran two benchmarks with this processor and video card together, they make clear how much a Ti4200 is held back by the relatively slow Pentium 3 1000 GHz that I had used in my initial report.

Principles of Overclocking Posted (January, 2004)

I've been meaning to put together something like this for some time. Hopefully, this article will give you a better idea of what you are getting into, if you are trying to decide whether overclocking is something that you might want to do, and it will increase your chances of things going well, if you decide to take the plunge.

Quiet Computing System Guide Posted (November, 2003)

This latest system building guide focuses on assembling a system that minimizes sound levels, while delivering very good computer performance. This Quiet Computing Guide can be used for building an all purpose computer that would be welcome in any room of the home or for taming the background decibels coming out of a high end game rig.

Analysis of Celeron 1.2 GHZ Posted (November, 2003)

I take a look at the Tualatin based Celeron 1.2 GHZ processor and consider it's possibilities as an upgrade path for PIII systems. A PowerLeap PL-Neo/T adaptor was also used for this experiment. Celeron 1.2 and PowerLeap PL-Neo/T

Monitor Guide Updated (November, 2003)

The Monitor Guide has also been updated, now. I also added a footnote to it about a new 20" LCD from Dell that boasts of both a 16ms refresh rate and true 24-bit color capability. I'll be keeping my eyes open for news of other LCD monitors using this screen manufactured by LG.Phillips, since it appears to be a real advancement over what has been available up until now.

System Guides Updated (October, 2003)

I have posted updates to my Budget Game System, Enthusiast's Game System, and Maximum Game System. The main changes involve making use of the new 800MHz bus Pentium 4 and the i865PE chipset for the Pentium systems, and the debut of the Athlon64 in the Maximum system. However, each of the systems has been fine tuned to stay in step with what is available now and to reflect the current prices for computer components.

I see that Ars Technica and Sharky's Extreme have also decided that now would be a good time to redo their Buyers Guides, since they have recently posted their own updates.

I'm still working on updates to the Budget Web Surfer and Monitor Guide, at this time.

Asus V8420S Video Card Review Posted (June, 2003)

This Ti4200 card from Asus is mentioned in a couple of my system guides as a video card that delivers good performance for less than $150. This review takes a closer look at what makes this particular card stand out from the other Ti4200 cards.

Monitor Guide Posted (June, 2003)

Added to the System Guides is a new Monitor Guide, which takes a look at cathode ray tube monitors (CRTs) from 17 inches up through 22 inches and at liquid crystal display monitors (LCDs) from 15 inches up through 19 inches.

System Guides Posted (May, 2003)

This site is still just getting off the ground, but I want to kick things off by making available some "System Guides". These guides describe components for a variety of computer systems, ranging from the Budget Web Surfer System and the Budget Game System, through the Enthusiast's Game System, and up to the Maximum Game System. (I'll be adding an Entertainment Center System, later.)

I had a couple of things in mind when I put these guides together. I wanted to provide folks with a starting point for evaluating systems or components, when they were buying or assembling a new system themselves, and I wanted to provide a few general configurations to jump off from, if someone was interested in having me build a system for them.

I hope you find these guides informative. For those who would like some other perspectives on system recommendations, Sharky's Extreme and Ars Technica offer some very good system guides, as well.