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Only Xeons can be used in multiples. When saving or opening a large file, you often wait on the CPU as it processes the file. I've watched the HD activity lights when performing various actions within Photoshop and Corel and it's not always a solid, sustained activity. That leads me to...

I'd be interested in seeing some HD Tach results on an SAS storage array. I've always been of the opinion that SAS is great for transaction-based activities like database servers or mail servers but it isn't as much of an advantage with large sustained transfers. Twice the spindle speed is...

The real reason we use those drives in the RAID is for the speed, not just the capacity. The smallest 32 meg cache drives from Seagate are 250 GB, meaning you'd still have a TB of space. We build to suit! I don't know if I'd want to design on the same machine used for backup. It doesn't...

I still wouldn't recommend Vista for design work. Once they get the bugs worked out of Service Pack 1 it might be worth a second look. Right now, Intel processors blow away AMD. As a huge AMD fan, I hate to say it but it's just the way it is. Nothing AMD makes can approach a tweaked Q6600...

The worst trait of LCDs is their viewing angles, both "max" and "ideal" are far less than a CRT monitor. The Chimei 22in at NewEgg I mentioned in the other thread is the only 22 inch I have a lot of hands-on experience with. I've never had a better monitor without spending 4-5 times as much...

FWIW, your computer will support that resolution so you're ok to buy any monitor you like as long as it has a VGA input.

To answer the OP: Retail box versions typically allow a couple of installations using the same key so you should be ok. OEM versions, both those from "big box" companies like HP or Dell and those from small companies like mine, are good for one installation only. We've had pretty good luck...

The Chimei is a little brighter while the HP is rated at a better contrast ratio. Contrast is one of those things that's hard to compare between manufacturers though because it's measured (and sometimes fudged a bit) differently by each company. Also important to note is that the HP does not...

Check out the 22 inch from Chimei. I carry them in my store and you can get them directly from New Egg as well. The picture is extremely good and you can't beat the price. They have a 3 year warranty on parts, labor, and backlight too. I haven't had a single dead or stuck pixel on any...

It looks like it's going to ship Wednesday or Thursday. I can't get started over the weekend because we don't have the CPU cooler in stock! It's always something small that holds everything up but I use nothing "plain" and that includes the heatsink setup. I promise it'll be worth the wait...

Nah, Firewire and USB 2.0 are pretty much a dead heat in raw specs, with Firewire typically being a little faster in practice. Neither are all that attractive when dealing with large amounts of data. Your best bet is probably a hot-swappable SATA bay with a few extra "caddies" for the...

I rely on Acronis True Image for my business, both for my machines and for dealing with customers' machines. It creates a single archive file that you can quickly mount as a drive to browse with Explorer. You wouldn't need any of the expensive versions; Home does just fine. For the 1-time...

USB backup drives are fine for the average user wanting to transport files from A to B. For real backup work you should look at a network attached storage device that offers either RAID 1 (mirrored) or RAID 5 (parity). That works great as a daily backup device and means quick & easy access if...

You may want to check out FreeNAS. It provides the stability of Linux/Samba with a GUI management interface. Configuring Samba from scratch at the command line can be a much more "involved" experience unless you already have Linux experience. Finally, if you just need a simple shared...

Since your problem is scratch-related, I'd add memory first. See if the situation improves with 3GB of memory.

As long as Dell ships a real XP disk you can delete the partition if you feel like it. If they use a recovery disk that relies on that partition you'll be dead in the water if you ever need to reinstall. Then again, reinstalls usually happen after the hard drive dies and that means that...

The fact that it's gigabit is not the reason I recommended it. It's just that you can't get a Layer 2 switch that isn't gigabit these days. The key is to take the load off the typical cable/DSL router. You buy an expensive printer, print to it from an expensive computer, yet expect a...

Many devices are picky about USB extensions. Some work ok at 20+ feet; others refuse to do anything with a single 10ft extension. I've got to put this part in bold because it's quite important: Don't run your wide format printer on a SOHO switch! The average $50ish "Small Office /...

Intel is way ahead of AMD right now, and that's coming from a longtime AMD fan. I sent you a PM on everything else.

Absolutely! Their retail price is around $275 so you're looking at a good deal too. They're a bit picky about cooling. If the stock heatsink has ever been removed, you can't use just regular heatsink compound when reinstalling the cooler. It has to be a premium product, like Arctic Silver...