A few questions

B

ballzac

Member
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
 
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...
 
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.
 
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.
 
oscaryu1 said:
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.
Click to expand...

i love this kid ♥
he's so smart :)
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Wellll...there's one thing low-end intles don't have that similarly priced/performing AMDs do: VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY!! ALL HAIL... *ahem*...

Oh well, everyone knows that in terms of potential performance intels are way ahead of poor AMDs...
 
hackapelite said:
Wellll...there's one thing low-end intles don't have that similarly priced/performing AMDs do: VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY!! ALL HAIL... *ahem*...

Oh well, everyone knows that in terms of potential performance intels are way ahead of poor AMDs...
Click to expand...

Actually, however much AMD is behind Intel, they still make great budget CPUs. Compare how many reviews the 3800x2 has with the E2140 or such. AMD is much more popular. However, getting into the high end processors, Intel takes over. See how it flows? :)
 
I’m so confused now. The intels ARE looking good, particularly if those benchmarks are to be believed (thanks maroon1). Hackapelite, I figured my price range WAS budget, ‘cos there are CPUs out there for almost ten times what I’m looking at.

One thing that I’m wondering now, as I’ve looked at a few intel chips, is whether it is better to have speed, or larger cache...

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850/ 3.00GHz/ 4MB Cache/ 1333FSB/ LGA775
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200/ 2.66GHz/ 6MB Cache/ 1333FSB/ LGA775
^second one is only $6AU dearer, which would be better?


Intel Core 2 Duo E8400/ 3.00GHz/ 6MB Cache/ 1333FSB/ LGA775
^this one is substantially ($50AU) more expensive, but I may be able to
afford it depending on how much I spend on motherboard and other stuff. I doubt I would get it though. It seems like a disproportionate increase in price for the small increase in performance.


Pablotek, I have a 500W PSU that is only a year or two old, because my old one blew up. Hopefully that is enough. It was an el cheapo one about forty bucks.

That’s about it for the moment. I’ll continue to research while awaiting more answers from you guys.

Such a helpful community here:)
 
Last edited:
You want a gaming computer = you want to go with intel.

AMDs make good budget CPUs...but you want raw, violent performance, doncha?

P.S. @oscar - I do (and did) know that AMD makes great budget CPUs, but by Intels' greater potential performance I meant their massive overclockability when compared to AMDs.
 
Last edited:
The E8*00 series are great processors. More cache, 45nm, faster FSB, ect. Stick with the E8400 or any other E8 series, and you won't regret it. Especially during gaming ;)
 
Okay. I think I know what I am getting now. I'd just like you guys to peruse this combination to make sure I haven't overlooked some compatibility issue somewhere.

Gigabyte GA-73VM-S2 motherboard
Kingston DDR2 4GB PC-6400/800
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Asus EN8800GT-HTDP-512 GF8800GT, 512MB

Okay, a couple more questions about this. What is hyperx? It is slightly more expensive than the normal RAM for the same size. And what is PCI-e 2.0? The video card is PCI-e 2.0, so does that mean that the motherboard I've selected won't support it because it only says it's PCI-e?

Thanks again everyone. I don't think I could have figured out what I want without this help.

EDIT: Oh, and will the 500W PSU be enough? I'd rather not have to spend any extra money.
 
Last edited:
myPCrocks said:
AMD is still the BEST bang for the buck. Kids don't see the value in AMD when thier parents pay for it all.
Click to expand...

Ohoo... You sure that they pay for it all? I don't have to earn a penny? :rolleyes:

Get a life, and don't judge by my age. Who knows? I might know more than you.

If AMD is indeed better, then why is their Phenom 9500 beat by a mere E6420?

Sounds like you've never even touched a Intel C2D... or C2Q, for that matter.

I'm not a hater of AMD. Heck, I'm using a AMD Sempron right now. They make great budget processors, but when you move up, the slider moves to Intel. Price, performance, architecture, and overclockability... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top