Some questions regarding recent products.

E

Enilder

New Member
Hey all, I am new to the forum and I've been reading some threads about new i7 processors.

My current setup is Pentium D 3.4GHz with 2gig memory with 8800GTS EVGA graphics card. (4 year old setup)

I am currently a college student and I am thinking of building another one...
It will be used for Unigraphics, Photoshop, Illustrator, CFD, etc. and of course, gaming (WoW). :)
I've been researching for past couple weeks and having some hard time picking right parts.

Budget is about 1.5g without monitor and any acc.

First, the processor. Is it worth going for i7 for those listed above? I have built Core 2 Duo and Quad but I really can't tell the difference. And I am an Intel guy...never had AMD my life.

Second, the memory. I was reading some stuffs online and apparently, manufacturers recommend below 1.65 voltages, otherwise you will be damaging processors permanently. Is this the case for other processors as well or only i7? Also, I always buy Corsair memory and they've now got the memory with the fan attachment on top of their memory cards. Is this really effective? I noticed that some don't have this.

Third, the motherboard. I always get Asus for this and seems to be working really well. I normally spend about 200~300dollars but what exactly should I be looking for? I always pick the processor first and work my way to motherboard and etc.

Fourth, The graphics card. I always bought EVGA nvidia geforce lines and I noticed that some say ATI works better. (4570x2(?) or something like that...the guy posted under i7 thread under this subforum) Based on some research that I've done, nvidia stuffs really shine at the high end but ATI stuffs own the mid to upper mid range of performance. Is it simply personal preference? Also, I just found out yesterday that there's something called phyx(?) or some graphic enhancement stuff. People seem to be quite pleased with it and just curious if this is any good for money (60 bucks or so I believe).

Fifth, windows. I noticed that there are 32 bit and 64 bit windows out and I really couldn't find the difference. I was always hesitant to switch to vista because people had issues with other softwares. I hope that is fixed now. I've been using xp since it came out and yet to use vista.

Sixth, sound card. I never bought sound card before and I've always been thinking that it's complete junk unless I got some decent speakers to actually output, which I don't at the moment.

Seventh, server computer type. What exactly is it and how is it different than regular desktop?

I have more questions but I will see if I can get some of these questions answered.

Also, maybe I should post this under laptop section but is there a laptop that is capable of running what's listed above? Some of those programs take hours to process.

Thanks!!!
 
Bartmasta said:
I don't think you need a i7, it's pretty expensive.

Also wrong forum. Try the desktop computers section.
Click to expand...

Yeah I noticed that there's desktop subforum but the picking the right processor is the biggest problem I have at the moment...I really can't choose which to go with...Quad, Duo, etc. (Mine is plain Pentium D)

Please remove this thread. Sorry!
 
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Well it depends on your budget and what you will be doing mostly. The high end dual cores are better than some of the cheaper quads for gaming, but if you're playing a game like WoW it doesn't really matter.

Take a look at some charts at www.tomshardware.com
 
If you're going to be playing WoW, $1,500 is way too much to spend on a system. But since you're going to be using other apps, I'd recommend getting an Intel quad core. Unless you're doing some heavy video editing or something, the i7 isn't worth the price of admission (yet).

RAM coolers are pretty much a gimmick...totally unnecessary.

For a video card, it's hard to go wrong right now with prices dropping due to competition. ATI Radeon HD 4870 would be more than enough for your gaming needs...a 4870x2 would be absolute overkill. WoW isn't a system hog by any stretch of the imagination. Good game, but not exactly high-tech. PhysX is completely wasted unless you play games that specifically use it.

Also, some people who are new to system builds overlook this part...but invest in a quality PSU. I'd recommend a Corsair TX750. Should provide stable, reliable power and allow for dual GPUs if you ever go that route.

I don't know, just seems like a lot of money to be spending when you don't really need that much performance...but it's your call.
 
smoothjk said:
If you're going to be playing WoW, $1,500 is way
I don't know, just seems like a lot of money to be spending when you don't really need that much performance...but it's your call.
Click to expand...

I was running wow fine with amd 3500+ 7600 gt 1 gb ram was getting maybe 10-30 fps in shatt

now with my 6000+ 9600 gt 2 gb ram was getting +80 fps in shatt
 
Bartmasta said:
I was running wow fine with amd 3500+ 7600 gt 1 gb ram was getting maybe 10-30 fps in shatt

now with my 6000+ 9600 gt 2 gb ram was getting +80 fps in shatt
Click to expand...

Exactly. Even modest systems can max that game, but he was probably referring to the 4870x2 which would be the biggest waste of money for his needs. ;)
 
Thanks all.
I talked to couple people and I was told to go with Core 2 Duo instead of Quad...
Also, I was told to go for 64 bit instead of 32 bit.

I currently have 8800GTS and if I go with ATI Radeon HD 4870, is it a downgrade?

I am currently using OCZ 850W PSU. I originally purchased 450W but it decided to bust twice so they gave me 850W.

I am in school right now but I will make a list of parts later today and post it here.

Also, what kind of softwares can I actually take advantage of 2x8800GTS?
My brother has one and I was thinking I should give mine to him and get new video card for myself. If it's for simple gaming, is it overkill?

Also, any alternate laptop recommendations?
 
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The 4870 is definitely better than the 8800GTS, though it's not clear which version (the 320 and 640 are worse than the 512).

That PSU is monstrous...haha.

I would definitely recommend a single 4870 over dual 8800GTS no matter what, though. It's going to handle more than anything you can throw at it.
 
does manufacturer matter?
i've always purchased my nvidia graphics card from EVGA because my friend had great experience. do you recommend any manufacturer?

also, what advantages you have for having 64bit OS versus 32bit OS?
 
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