Don't bother with the small ones... the Wacom Intuos4 Medium USB tablet is the way to go 🙂 My only question is how serious you actually are about this. If you aren't planning on going full-blown pro, maybe just grab the Wacom Bamboo Pen & touch Medium 🙂
No Mac is worth the premium you have to pay for it here in the States 😬 but tell me, what’s the actual use case? If you're just browsing the web, running Microsoft Office, maybe setting up an HTPC, and you really need something compact, then a Mac mini is a solid call... for anything else? Not even close.
The EVGA Graphics Card is an absolute steal at this price point. Honestly, it’ll outperform any 6850 out there—once you factor in overclocking and everything else—unless you're looking at a Toxic model, I guess.
I ran into the exact same dilemma a few months back, and ended up grabbing the Hawk🙂 It’s a bit faster, runs significantly quieter, and stays way cooler
That CPU still holds its own for most things, though you could probably squeeze out a bit more if you overclock it... As far as GPUs go, looking at anything beyond an HD 6870, an HD 5850, a 6850, or an NVIDIA GTX 460 or 560 just doesn't make sense given the price-to-performance ratio. Right now, this would be a solid best buy:
It’s fine, but you need to tell me what kind of build we're actually talking about. I have a feeling you could get everything you need for half the price if you played it smarter.
It’s actually one of the better units you can find in the budget tier... though if you're still losing sleep over it, you could always look into a Seasonic 380W or 430W, or maybe a Corsair VX450 from Best Buy or Newegg. But let's be real, once you go that route, it won't be $97 anymore—you'll be looking at closer to $450-$183. That said, the Corsair is worth a look just because they offer a 5-year warranty instead of the usual 2 or 3 years, even if it does come with the highest price tag
If you're positive it’s just the fan and your warranty is already shot, the easiest fix is to just swap the damn thing out... but if you're actually considering a full replacement, check Best Buy; they have this which was actually decent when it was on sale.
Quick question: can the CPU handle the load? Especially since I’m sticking to lower resolutions—I don't see any need to go beyond a Nvidia GeForce GTS 450. If we're talking HD, maybe one of those beefier cards would make sense, but still...
The 6970 has a bit more kick to it. Honestly, it just comes down to what you're willing to shell out right now... ATI cards are still solid benchmarks, but if you can snag a GTX 570 in that MSI Twin Frozr edition, do it. I highly recommend that one.
hmda, when I actually stop to think about it, that CPU is sitting right in the ballpark of those old E6400 to E6550 chips....honestly, you might be better off just grabbing a used 4850 for a few bucks. Most of the new cards are way too much overkill for a processor like that, except maybe the 5670, which is actually weaker than what I just mentioned.
4:3 is end-of-life, which is why they’re pricey—production has basically dried up. Given what you're looking for, 16:10 beats 16:9 any day. You get more vertical pixel real estate, which makes reading much easier on the eyes. Refresh rate isn't a dealbreaker here either. With LCDs, pixels stay lit; the rate just dictates how fast a color or brightness level can shift. It's not like those old CRT monitors where the screen flickered sixty times a second and gave you a headache. The only time high Hz matters is if you're playing competitive shooters or watching high-speed sports where you might see ghosting or motion blur. That’s why gaming monitors hit 120Hz or higher—and some modern TVs even push 600Hz—but for static office work? It’s irrelevant.
Check the ports. You really want DVI (standard on almost everything except the bottom-shelf junk), and ideally both HDMI and DisplayPort. Also, pay attention to the panel type and brightness, like I mentioned before. Those advertised contrast ratios? Mostly marketing fluff. Same goes for response times; on any modern LCD, it’s usually under 10ms anyway. Look for an anti-reflective coating so you aren't staring at a mirror all day—great for movies, terrible for productivity. And don't skip on ergonomics. Make sure it has height adjustment and can tilt both vertically and horizontally.
For that budget, you're better off hunting for this: http://www.nabava.net/monitori__90/l...lcd-22__604561. Posted at 4:10 PM. It isn't Full HD—it's 1680x1050—but it uses an IPS panel. That means the image quality is actually decent, probably closer to what you were used to seeing on those old bulky CRT monitors. Honestly, finding a truly high-quality display at this price point is tough, but this is one of the rare exceptions. Generally speaking, look for monitors with IPS or PVA panels; you can spot them instantly by their 178-degree viewing angles. They still carry a premium over the cheap TN panels, even if the price gap has narrowed lately.