I Finally Bought a Windows Box

Cooler Master Cosmos 1000

It’s been over two years since I last used a Windows desktop. Between that time, I’ve used all kinds of Apple and PC notebooks. Recently, I’ve wanted something I can’t get on the Apple side, namely an Nvidia SLI setup.

With Visa card in hand I made my component purchases at Newegg, Amazon, and Allstar.

Here are the specs:

  • Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 case
  • Thermaltake 750W modular power supply
  • Asus Striker Extreme motherboard
  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz CPU (OEM version)
  • 3GB of Crucial RAM (I would get 4 but Windows can’t see past 3)
  • 2 EVGA Nvidia 8800 GT video cards (An extremely popular card. Sold out at a lot of locations)
  • Seagate 500GB hard drive
  • Samsung DVD burner
  • BenQ 24-inch LCD monitor
  • Windows Vista Ultimate

I want a desktop system that’s able to play most modern games at decent frame rates. I’m tired of playing WoW on a Macbook with a GMA 950. I also want to cut down on the time it takes to transcode video files. And having a nice, big and bright display at eye level certainly beats crouching over the 13.3″ display of my notebook. And most importantly of all, I wanted flexibility. Being able to pick and choose my components right down to the specific CPU heatsink is something I missed.

I have no intention of abandoning my Macbook. I hove a lot of Mac specific applications that I rely on and OS X is my favorite operating system. But sometimes, you just need brute force power if you want to accomplish certain tasks.

I’m looking forward to reuniting with my favorite Windows apps. I also look forward to playing with Orange Box, Tabula Rasa, and Hellgate London. I’ll let you know how things go next week.

Do you own both a Mac and a PC? Which one do you find yourself using more? If you only use Macs, have you ever considered buying a PC for particular tasks?

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2 Responses

  1. Only use the windows machine for grunt work - burning DVDS, downloading opensource movies etc.

  2. I am getting ready to go the other way and buying my first Mac next year after I get enough money saved up.

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