ballzac

Hi, I hope this is the appropriate forum to post this in. I'm just after advice about parts to get to put together a computer.

I use my computer mainly for general internet usage, computational maths (MATLAB), word processing, image editing, watching movies and stuff, and I also do a little bit of music production. I would also like to be able to play some recent games on it (something that I've never been able to do in the past). So I basically need it to be a bit of an all rounder.

What I have at the moment is actually quite old now. I have 256MB RAM, an Athlon XP 2000, an Audigy 2 Platinum soundcard, some cheapo video card and motherboard, etc.

I'm planning on getting an 8800 GT 512 MB - or the 1GB version - for gaming, as I've heard they are the best value cards in that price range. One thing I wasn't sure on was whether it is worth getting the 1GB version or if I should save a bit of money and just get the 512MB version. I don't really know enough about computers to know if the performance of the card is limited by the rest of the system, or if the better card will run better no matter what the rest of the specs are. So that's basically my first question.

My second question is which brand of card to get. I guess they are mostly all the same, so it is tempting to get the cheapest, but there might be important factors that I don't know about. For instance, XFX is considerable more expensive than Asus, and I don't want to buy XFX if it is identical.

My next question is about RAM, I don't really know the difference between different types of RAM, and I was wondering whether I am better off getting more memory, or faster RAM. I have about $200AU to spend and have seen as much as 4GB as 2x2GB for under that, but have also seen 2GB for the same price from the same supplier and I don't know the difference. Also, I don't know if the RAM I get will dictate what motherboard I need to get and vice-versa.

That's part of my next question. There is a bamboozling number of different motherboards out there and I don't know which one to get. I am planning on getting an Athlon 6000+, and not planning on upgrading for a while after that, so I need an AM2 slot but don't need AM2+. I will get a SATA DVD-burner, but I will be keeping my two IDE hard-drives for the time being, so I need an IDE port. I also need two PCI slots to hold my sound card. I'm not sure whether to go with just one PCI-E16x slot or two. The video card will take up one, but I don't know if I should have a spare one. Back in the day, motherboards had half a dozen PCI slots. I guess I should probably get a spare in case I want a TV tuner or something (do they use PCI-E?). I will also need onboard LAN, as I won't have a spare slot to put my network card in. Getting to the point, I guess I just want to know if any motherboard with those basic features is gonna do fine, or if there are other factors I haven't accounted for. I have seen motherboards that seem to suit my needs for as little as $75AU which sounds really cheap, but don't want to spend more than I need to.

I have a power supply, case, monitors, etc. I think that pretty much covers everything. I hope some of you guys have some advice. It would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
-Zac

hackapelite

More RAM is better than faster ram. Also, most people would suggest you to go with an Intel build rather than AMD b/c intels wipe floors with AMD. Sorry I can't help with anything else...

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Tuffie

Go with Asus, there a good trustable brand...

More ram is better then faster, although you must remember that Vista 32 bit will only support 3.something, if your changing or have vista.

Cant help you on mobo, not really good with AMD, as there no good.

With the video card, it's really to you weather you want more gaming intensive pc or save the money.

I hope I helped,

Tuffie.

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oscaryu1

Do not get any RAM over the speed of DDR2-800. Also, 1GB of VRAM will do no good unless you're running a 40" widescreen or so... Also, go with an Intel build over an AMD. Intel is currently the best bang for the buck.

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he's so smart

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ballzac

Thanks heaps for the help so far people.

I guess I will trust you guys and go for the intel. Just when I originally got what I have now, the consensus out there seemed to be that AMD was the best value, but I guess things have changed.

When I first get all this stuff, I will be running two 17" CRT monitors, but will be getting a 24" 1080p LCD soon after and then a second one not long after that. Would a 512MB card be enough, or even a 256MB card, or should I get the 1GB? I have no idea.

hackapelite

AMD offers best bang for buck (or at least best bang for not so much buck, forgot who originally said that...) for the budget segment... which is not what you're looking for.

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BY READING THE ABOVE POST, YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:

"The above post is provided solely for entertainment purposes and is not to be taken as professional advice. Therefore, I shall not be held responsible for any damage or losses that are result from anything I have posted, to the extent applicable by law. In the unlikely event that I CAN be held responsible, I have never been here, I am not here, and I will never be here, and it will be highly questionable whether I even exist."

Vizy93

Amd's would be the cheaper brand. so if ur budet is saying AMD, then go AMD.

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PabloTeK

I and a mate looked at a 1GB Asus 8800GT once and found that the difference (for the price) on his 24" monitor was very small when compared to the 512MB version, it's not worth it.

And what PSU do you have? This rig is shaping up to be needing something like a 500-600W PSU.

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maroon1

Intel have good budget processors like E2180, E2200 and E2220

AMD not always offers best bang for buck

Check the benchmarks
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu...t_3.html#sect1

E2200 offers similar performance to 5000+, yet it is a little cheaper

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