AutoHotkey Community

Thank you in advance. Will this make a good non-gaming computer? I also have hardware and various questions.

Which CPU?:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115036
$189.99 Free Shipping
or
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale 3.33GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115054
$269.99 Free Shipping

MotherBoard:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128359
$119.99 Free shipping

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231166
$59.99 Free Shipping

Which Power Supply?:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... air%20650w
$99.99 free shipping
or
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... &Tpk=750tx
$119.99 free shipping

Which Video Card?:
GIGABYTE GV-R435OC-512I Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Low Profile Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125251
$34.99 Free Shipping
or
SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102824
$94.99 Free Shipping

Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... er%20rc690
$69.99 free shipping

CPU Heatsink/Fan:
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835233003
$36.60 Free Shipping

Hard Disk:
Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2C1 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - OEM (this is the 2nd generation X25-M)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820167016
Newegg price: $240 originally, sold out quickly, $500 last, sold out. Sold out at lots of other websites too.

Excluded because I already own:
Windows XP Home 32 bit service pack 2
IDE CD/DVD-ROM drive
Monitor
Keyboard and mouse

Assuming the X25-M SSD is $240:
Total with the $190 CPU, $100 power supply, and $35 video card: $852
Total with the $270 CPU, $120 power supply, and $95 video card: $1012


Hardware / Various Questions:
1. Which CPU, power supply, and video card should I get? Or do you recommend something else?

2. Will this computer be good for autohotkey?

3. Do Linux operating systems have anything as good as autohotkey?

4. Is autohotkey the easiest programming language to learn? What are the next easiest programming languages to learn after autohotkey? Does autohotkey let you get the most done for the amount of time you spend of any programming language?

5. Are there any monitors smaller than 30" that support 2560 x 1024 resolution? If not, will there ever be?

6. If I don't care about size or heat, which is better, a CRT or LCD monitor?

7. If I am going to literally never run any programs that can use more than 1 core, is a dual core or a quad core processor better?

8. Do you know of any good alternative websites to buy computer hardware from besides newegg.com?

9. Will a better video card help with doing lots of pixelgetcolor/pixelsearches every millisecond? Would a better video card help with any non gaming application performance?

10. Are there any input devices better than a keyboard? If you were to put a keyboard on a tablet, could you type faster than you could on a keyboard?

11. Should I update the BIOS of a new motherboard?

12. Is there a hotkey list for scite? Or does anyone know of any hotkeys?

13. How do I prevent scite's toolbar.exe from running with I right click on a script and select edit? I tried to install scite's lite version, but when I did, scite was no longer associated with right click-editing scripts.

14. Is the new while loop faster than a regular loop?

15. Should I try to Overclock my CPU? If so, will I be okay if I follow guide that uses the same CPU and motherboard as me? How much thermal paste should I use?

16. Should I get a CPU Heatsink/Fan to replace the stock one if I'm not going to overclock?

17. Should I get get a 64 bit version of windows so I can use 8 GB of RAM?

18. Does putting windows XP on its own little hard drive partition make your PC run faster? Do you recommend any tweaks for making Windows XP run faster?

19. Does windows XP have automatic background defragging?

20. Do you recommend any benchmarking / testing programs to test
that hardware is working?

X25-M SSD questions:
21. Should I try to set up a RAMdisk, or should I get an X25-M SSD? Which is faster? How do I go about setting up a RAMdisk, and should I get 8gb of RAM for that, or will 4 be okay?

22. How long will it take for newegg's X25-M generation 2 SSDs drives to get in stock again and drop down to $240?

23. Will the X25-m TRIM utility work with windows XP?

24. If I change Window's 7 back to the classic window's theme, will I still have to learn a new user interface?

25. Is Windows 7 64 bit or XP 32 bit faster? Which should I get? I would use the old, simple classic theme with both, try to disable unnessessary services, and disable visual gimmicks of Windows 7, if possible.
Windows 7 64 bit pros and cons, as I see them (relative to 32 bit XP):
Pros:
8 GB RAM
possibly better SSD support (but does it make a significant difference?)
possibly better multi-core processor support (but does it make a significant difference?)
Cons:
would it still be slower than XP, even if I changed it to classic theme?
possibly worse, new user interface
have to pay for it (already own XP)

26. With Windows XP, will enabling AHCI mode improve the X25-m's performance? Is it hard to enable it? Do I have to enable AHCI before I install Windows XP?

27. Does the X25-m retail version (SSDSA2MH080G2R5) come with mounting brackets or whatever? Is it okay to just tape it to the bottom of the case?

28. Should case fans and CPU fans suck or blow?

that's quite a list of questions.

Answers where I have input.
2. Any computer is good for AHK. http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48310

3. Look in General Chat. There are discussions.

4. No, but it's the one I like. There are too many programming languages to say if one is easier than another. Let's just say AHK is not INTERCAL. If you have a thought process taht works with programming, you can learn AHK.

6. LCD always. Doesn't shoot electron beams at your head.

7. The premise of this question is wrong. Quad core is almost always better.

8. I like newegg. you can always shop around with pricegrabber

9. No. Depends.

10. Mice? Depends on you. No.

11. Not unless you have a good reason.

12. Probably. check the help file.

14. Probably not.

15. Each proc is different. If you run it at the normal speed vs the OC speed, you probably won't notice the difference (based on your other questions). Exactly the right amount (it's like cooking). If you don't know how much that is, you might be better off buying a pre-made PC, or hiring a PC shop to assemble your parts.

16. Useful if the noise of the stock one bothers you.

17. If RAM is important, yes. If having programs and drivers work right is more important, wait 6-12 months and reformat.

18. No (technically yes, but not enough to warrant it.) I put the OS on it's own /drive/ (with programs) so that if it crashes, I don't need to do data recovery.

19. Does it matter?

20. Does the computer run? Then it's working. Stick with free benchmarks if you insist on benchmarking.

21. Don't bother on either.

22. Really, don't bother at that price.

24. Don't switch it. Learn the new one. I promise it's better in the long run.

25. Apples to Oranges. Or at least Lemons to limes.

27. If you haven't skipped it yet - Don't tape anything in a PC case.

28. Some of each. Plan the path of the air going in and out. Cool air comes in the bottom front, hot air leaves out the back and through the PSU. Route cables nicely to keep them out of the air flow.

_________________

(Common Answers) - New Tutorials Forum - Humongous FAQ

Last time you only had 27 questions.
27 AHK and Hardware Questions and a couple of comments

I hadn't seen that one.

_________________

(Common Answers) - New Tutorials Forum - Humongous FAQ

why not an Intel i7?

They are more expensive, and so are the motherboards that're compatible with the i7 processor and the DDR3 RAM that's compatible with the motherboards. I'd like to get more speed for the money. Some benchmark graphs often showed 2 core processors being almost as good as the 4 core ones, and very seldom were the scores anywhere near twice as high as the comparable 2 core ones, and that was testing programs that could use 4 cores.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009 ... ks,60.html
I read something like 98% of applications can only use one core. Also 2 core ones are supposed to be less hot cause they use less power.

Thank you for being so helpful. I also have a few more questions, if you don't mind.

If XP 32 bit is not as hardware intensive, will it make up for Window's 7 64 bit's better multicore processor compatibility, better SSD use, and 4 more gigs of RAM?

Anandtech wrote: "TRIM isn’t yet supported, but the 34nm drives will get a firmware update when Windows 7 launches enabling TRIM. XP and Vista users will get a performance enhancing utility (read: manual TRIM utility)."
So does this mean "performance enhancing utility" is not the same as TRIM? And does anyone know if that manual utility will be as good as TRIM?

Is it true that AHCI must be enabled in bios before OS install? And does Windows XP SP2 work with AHCI?

If AHCI requires Windows XP SP3, can I install using my SP1/SP2 disk, and get SP3 after it's installed? Or do I have to use a SP3 disk?

Will warranties let you exchange the part, even if you're not sure there's nothing wrong with it, but you think there might be? And can you exchange it just so that you can get a newer revision?

If an SSD is put in a RAID with a traditional hard drive, will it be slower than just a single SSD?

If I get an uninterruptable power supply, would a RAMdisk be better than an SSD? And does anyone know of any real world tests comparing the two?

That statistic is not significant in reality. What if you run two of those applications simultaneously? Three? Four? There will more than likely also be background processes wanting CPU time.
If you have a pre-SP3 disc, it isn't difficult to slipstream SP3 onto the disc.
Most manufacturers will only replace defective parts. If you send back a non-defective part, they may charge you for their time.
Even if your part is defective, there's no guarantee it will be replaced with a newer revision, or at all. They may repair it, replace it with another repaired part; an older revision or even a different model. It depends on the manufacturer/supplier and the product.

Depends. I'd probably go with the first one given these were the only options.





God avoid this RAM like the plague. I actually have a set of this in my computer right now and I can tell you it is the part that I am most dissatisfied with. I cannot get it to run at its rated maximum speed. However, I don't think it is the RAM. I think it is a problem with my motherboard in that it is simply incompatible. I think this RAM uses the enhanced performance profile. (Google this.) It requires a very specific configuration of settings, and if your motherboard can't support these like mine, then you're SOL. I think that just because I can't change one setting, my computer would crash on start up. Recommended for advanced users only. Do some research into your motherboard and see if it supports all the settings of enhanced performance profiles, just not the settings that GSKILL tells you to check. I'd recommend buying a set of memory rated to run at 1.8V.



The first one.



Depending on the motherboard use the onboard video.









Ouch.




Talking about this more in depth further down.



Yes.





AutoHotkey is fairly easy to learn. Well documented and well written functions, good and complete tutorials, and a strong and supportive community make it possible to accomplish just about anything reasonable. (And even some things unreasonable.)

As far as speed of developing applications with AutoHotkey, scripting languages are as fast as you can get if their syntax is good. I haven't used any other scripting languages, so I don't know if it is the best, but for quickly developing applications I can tell you it beats C++ and visual basic.



Um. Currently there are NO common monitors that support 2560 x 1024 resolution. It just isn't a standard.



For what? Image display? Power consumption? Cost?

Quite frankly, CRT monitors are so outdated that even for a technology inferior to LCD, they'd probably be expensive. You can get a 17" no frills no thrills LCD monitor w/ a 5ms response time, a 1280x1024 maximum resolution, and a 75Hz refresh rate for 99.99 USD.



Depends on how many single-threaded processing intensive apps you run.



The only other seemingly reputable site is tigerdirect.com.



A better video card probably won't help pixelgetcolor or pixelsearch. Once an image is rendered it is relatively easy to obtain data about a pixel. The most intensive part is the rendering.

Again, any type of image rendering is where graphic card performance is important.



You mean use the touch feature of a table PC to simulate a keyboard? Probably not. All though you could probably get the keys a little closer together, you wouldn't have any home reference for typing. No. The best way to achieve fast typing is to use a good touch-typing technique.

However, that touch-typing technique can be used on any keyboard layout. There are keyboard layouts supposedly designed to reduce the number of finger movements based on modern keyboards and language that supposedly increase typing speed. Two popular ones are DVORAK and COLEMAK. All though they require you to learn the key positions. You don't even have to get a special keyboard. There is software that can change which letter keys on the keyboard send. However, if you really want to have a colemak keyboard, you can unscrew the cover of just about any keyboard, remove the keys, and reposition them in about any layout. (You'd still need to change the software too.) Just do a little research into the keyboard you're buying if you want to do the key change to it. Some keyboards have homekeys that can only fit on a certain slot in the keyboard, meaning they can't be repositioned.



Only if the current BIOS isn't the most recent version.



It is a source code editor, so most of the standard text editing hotkeys will be supported. I'd probably go to their homepage and search for more info.

Unless you are talking about custom made hotkeys using autohotkey. In which case search the forum.

[/quote]13. How do I prevent scite's toolbar.exe from running with I right click on a script and select edit? I tried to install scite's lite version, but when I did, scite was no longer associated with right click-editing scripts.[/quote]



The difference is probably minuscule.However, a while loop checks a condition each pass while a regular loop knows its termination point - at least in the code. If the compiler or interpreter is smart enough to take this into account, it might be optimized to provide a performance boost.

I'd say that the main thing is to use whichever is algorithmically appropriate. If you need your script to repeat something until a condition is met, use while. If you know how many times you want to repeat something, use loop.



Overclocking increases the amount of instructions that can be processed per second, but also increases power consumption and processor heat, and potentially decreases CPU longevity. CPU temperatures are recommended to stay under 60 degrees Celsius at all times - including under stress - for maximum longevity. If you want a larger overclock, but it will not stay under 60 under load, then you would be better off buying a aftermarket heatsink and fan or a liquid cooling solution.

Any guide that seems professionally written should be all right. You generally can't ruin a CPU as long as you make changes conservatively and back off once you start noticing any problems.

You'll only need thermal paste if you buy an aftermarket cpu heatsink and fan or mess up putting the stock heatsink and fan on the CPU



Probably not. My stock clock AMD Phenom II X2 3.1GHz Black Edition maxes out at about 50 deg. C. under load on the stock fan. Also, using any heatsink and fan other than stock voids the warranty.

[/quote]17. Should I get get a 64 bit version of windows so I can use 8 GB of RAM?[/quote]

It depends on if you can effectively use it.



Probably. However, having other programs on other partitions might cause problems that would take an advanced user to solve. Many programs depend on using functionality provided by the core Microsoft OS, and if they can't find it, they won't function. Installing on the same partition ensures they always know where the information is.



I think you all ready know about disabling the visual frills and thrills.



I've heard that PowerToy for XP has a setting that can enable disk optimization. It might merit more research.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/Down ... rtoys.mspx

There are multiple utilities there, but it is probably SyncToy or Tweak UI.



Memtest86 can test the memory performance of 32-bit systems, but requires the program to be run from boot meaning you have to make a boot disk of it.

Prime95 can test a processor.

X25-M SSD questions:


Volatile storage (RAMdisk) is probably faster than non-volatile storage(SSD).



It's deactivated. I don't know what that means. You might could try ordering one and see what happens. They might still have them in stock.



I don't know. I do know that Windows 7 supports the TRIM command, but as far as I know I don't know if the X25-m supports it.



I didn't notice any significant changes.



I used Windows 7 64-bit and I found it to be too error prone for my purposes. For normal application use it was fine, but it would run none of my games. You're not gaming, but in my estimation Windows 7 atm is worse than Windows Vista. (For your info, my supposedly smaller memory footprint 64-bit Windows 7 was using a constant 1.3GB of memory.) I'd recommend using Windows XP 64-bit or 32-bit.



I've heard that Intel recommends using RAID mode because it enables AHCI and prevents any compatibility issues with Windows. You could feel comfortable manually installing the latest AHCI drivers for your specific hardware though. I don't know about the performance of AHCI.



I know you aren't buying this from Newegg because they've deactivated, but according to their picture of the retail item, it does have some sort of bracket.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage ... -%20Retail



The CPU fan is intended to remove heat from the CPU, not put air on it. So it sucks air away from it. However, as long as the CPU fan is installed properly, the rotation will be correct.

Case fans are a different matter. Now by suck or blow, I assume you're thinking outside the case meaning that a fan either blows are out or sucks air in. The best thing to do here is to not think of sucking or blowing air in or out of the case, but to think of all fans as sucking air in or out. Rear and top fans usually suck air out of the case, because heat rises and needs to go away from computer parts. Front and side fans usually suck air into the case, because they need to bring cool air to parts.

___________________________________________________________

All right, now I have a couple of questions I need to ask.

1) Why are you building this computer? This might shed light on future questions.

2) Is there any particular reason why you want to buy Intel? If you're not averse to purchasing AMD, you can get a quad-core 3.4 GHz CPU w/ unlocked multiplier for 245 USD.