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In addition to the bare minimum requirements, there are some things you may want depending if you are build a dedicated sit in the corner cruncher or a machine that you will be using for other tasks.

Optional Components

Sound Card: A sound card is not necessary for a sit in the corner cruncher but you would want one if you would like to hear any sounds from the computer. Sound cards to not affect crunching times.

Keyboard and Mouse: If you use the pc, then you will want a keyboard and mouse, otherwise they are not necessary. The duo does not affect crunching.

Monitor: Only required if you are going to be doing any activity on the pc. If the machine sits in the corner, then you can either use Remote Desktop in XP Pro to access it or another application that allows you to remotely access a computer. This does not affect crunching.

Media Devices: Floppy drives and cd-rom's aren't required to have a cruncher, but you will need at least a cd-rom to load the operating system. In general they are a good idea to have in case you have any problems. In general, they do not affect crunching times.

Additional Software: Additional software is not required, but of course if you are going to be using the pc, then you will need some other software. Check out the list of helpful programs for TSC and WCG. Additional software running in the background can and will slow down crunching. In order for optimum crunching, avoid running excessive programs in the background and you may want to tweak your services to speed up crunching even further. Because these projects are CPU-intensive, a program to monitor your system temperatures is a nice addition. You can find some freeware software, such as Motherboard Monitor: Presently available here. Just a heads up: Your motherboard must have the appropriate sensors. MBM can monitor fan speeds, voltages and temperatures of several components.


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by slash See Profile edited by KeysCapt See Profile
last modified: 2008-01-28 20:40:23