[kfuchs]

I havent built a new computer for a while so im pretty lost on all the new stuff.

Also i wanna know if it would just be better to buy a dell or something.

I'm gonna be using this computer for Games, multitasking and work.

I dont have a budget yet. I want to know what I can get for how much and then I'll create a budget after that.

So far ive been only looking up motherboard budles and my first question is what kind of proccessor should i get?
I'm looking at intels mostly.

I dont know wether I should get a faster core 2 dou or a less ghz core 2 quad.

also about video cards i like nvida but dont know much about any of the ones out right now.

So could somone help me? and also tell me about how much i would need to spend for my computer if i want meduim/highend computer but not super top of the line.

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Ok. I think I'm gonna place my orignal budget at 1500 for now but i need a monitor as well for that price .

[kfuchs]

Ok. I think I'm gonna place my orignal budget at 1500 for now but i need a monitor as well for that price .

[kamille316]

Also i wanna know if it would just be better to buy a dell or something.

We generally recommend to build one instead of buying pre-built. This is because you know you're getting high quality or at least know what components you get when you're building. Another thing is that if you're gaming, in most cases, you'll want something that you can upgrade down the line without having to replace your whole computer. This is what happened to me, my dell computer only lasted about a year or so and I had to upgrade for games, however at the time I didn't have much choice but to get a cheap dell computer for school.

I'm gonna be using this computer for Games, multitasking and work.

I dont know wether I should get a faster core 2 dou or a less ghz core 2 quad.

What kind of multitasking? Like media/photo rendering? Video editing? If so then you might benefit with a Core 2 Quad. If the multitasking is only like word processing, internet and the like then Core 2 Duo would be sufficient. Note that no games right now benefit with Core 2 Quad (games don't use 4 cores).

So far ive been only looking up motherboard budles and my first question is what kind of proccessor should i get?
I'm looking at intels mostly.

I recommend Intel E8400 for the processor, it performs very well and overclocks very nicely.

Ok. I think I'm gonna place my orignal budget at 1500 for now but i need a monitor as well for that price

That sounds good, $1500 is enough, do you need OS, keyboard and mouse with this build?

also about video cards i like nvida but dont know much about any of the ones out right now.

There's Nvidia and ATI, right now its a toss between the two, both offers very nice video cards with low cost.
The only thing Nvidia has an advantage to is that most of their partners (manufacturers that sell their card) offer great warranty and great customer support. BFG, XFX, and EVGA are one of best ones to get video card from as they offer limited lifetime warranty however in my opinion XFX is the best with their double lifetime warranty and mod friendly. ATI however has video cards that performs ~5-10% better than Nvidia's but they don't have that good of a warranty (at most, they offer 3 year warranty).

Kamille

[kfuchs]

Also i wanna know if it would just be better to buy a dell or something.

We generally recommend to build one instead of buying pre-built. This is because you know you're getting high quality or at least know what components you get when you're building. Another thing is that if you're gaming, in most cases, you'll want something that you can upgrade down the line without having to replace your whole computer. This is what happened to me, my dell computer only lasted about a year or so and I had to upgrade for games, however at the time I didn't have much choice but to get a cheap dell computer for school.

I'm gonna be using this computer for Games, multitasking and work.

I dont know wether I should get a faster core 2 dou or a less ghz core 2 quad.

What kind of multitasking? Like media/photo rendering? Video editing? If so then you might benefit with a Core 2 Quad. If the multitasking is only like word processing, internet and the like then Core 2 Duo would be sufficient. Note that no games right now benefit with Core 2 Quad (games don't use 4 cores).

So far ive been only looking up motherboard budles and my first question is what kind of proccessor should i get?
I'm looking at intels mostly.

I recommend Intel E8400 for the processor, it performs very well and overclocks very nicely.

Ok. I think I'm gonna place my orignal budget at 1500 for now but i need a monitor as well for that price

That sounds good, $1500 is enough, do you need OS, keyboard and mouse with this build?

also about video cards i like nvida but dont know much about any of the ones out right now.

There's Nvidia and ATI, right now its a toss between the two, both offers very nice video cards with low cost.
The only thing Nvidia has an advantage to is that most of their partners (manufacturers that sell their card) offer great warranty and great customer support. BFG, XFX, and EVGA are one of best ones to get video card from as they offer limited lifetime warranty however in my opinion XFX is the best with their double lifetime warranty and mod friendly. ATI however has video cards that performs ~5-10% better than Nvidia's but they don't have that good of a warranty (at most, they offer 3 year warranty).

Kamille

hmm well i ment multi tasking like a lot of internet surfing and office i guess not really media stuff. If theres a big difference in price then i'll settle for a core 2 dou if not then ill go with a quad.

No, I dont need OS or keyboard or mouse but I do need a monitor and mybe even a speaker system. I have a good speaker system on my older comp mybe ill just take that one.

for the vid card id rather get an nvida then ati.

[kamille316]

Here's something I recommend then:
Motherboard: Gigabyte EP45-DS3L - $107.99
Power Supply: Corsair 650W - $109.99 ($89.99 after rebate)
Memory: Mushkin 4GB - $84.99 ($59.99 after rebate)
CPU: Intel E8400 - $169.99
Video Card: GTX 260 - $279.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB - $84.99
DVD drive: Pioneer 20X - $30.99
Case: Coolermaster CM690 - $99.99
Monitor: Samsung 22" - $269.99 ($249.99 after rebate)
Total is $1238.91

Note that the computer case and the monitor are personal preference and I forgot to ask you what size of monitor you want. That Samsung LCD monitor looks very nice, I bought one for my brother. This one is also good for a 22" (an even better one). There are also a lot of nice computer cases such as Antec P182, Antec 900, 1200 and 300.

If you want to spend more (and since we're still under your budget), I recommend getting this modular power supply, a Corsair 620W - $144.99 ($114.99 after rebate). Modular means that you can attach the needed cables to the power supply, no hassle of having unused cables dangling inside your case, this improves airflow and also cable management.

Also, if you intend to overclock, we can change a few things for you.

Hope that helps.
Kamille

Edited by kamille316, 07 August 2008 - 01:11 PM.

[kfuchs]

Here's something I recommend then:
Motherboard: Gigabyte EP45-DS3L - $107.99
Power Supply: Corsair 650W - $109.99 ($89.99 after rebate)
Memory: Mushkin 4GB - $84.99 ($59.99 after rebate)
CPU: Intel E8400 - $169.99
Video Card: GTX 260 - $279.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB - $84.99
DVD drive: Pioneer 20X - $30.99
Case: Coolermaster CM690 - $99.99
Monitor: Samsung 22" - $269.99 ($249.99 after rebate)
Total is $1238.91

Note that the computer case and the monitor are personal preference and I forgot to ask you what size of monitor you want. That Samsung LCD monitor looks very nice, I bought one for my brother. This one is also good for a 22" (an even better one). There are also a lot of nice computer cases such as Antec P182, Antec 900, 1200 and 300.

If you want to spend more (and since we're still under your budget), I recommend getting this modular power supply, a Corsair 620W - $144.99 ($114.99 after rebate). Modular means that you can attach the needed cables to the power supply, no hassle of having unused cables dangling inside your case, this improves airflow and also cable management.

Also, if you intend to overclock, we can change a few things for you.

Hope that helps.
Kamille

I really like the setup u made for me it was very helpful and its a great computer.
I have a few questions tho, reguarding 64 bit is it better for me to get a 64bit OS since the processor will be 64 bit?
or should i stay with a 32bit OS?

I read a view bad reviews about the case that it has trouble fitting everything in, do you think that could be a problem I could face?

Should I get a phsicis engine as well?

Also what about a cooling system? Do I need one? or even a fan?

The mobo comes with an 8.1 audio chipset so does that mean i wouldn't even need to get a sound card? just some computer speakers?

Also about overclocking. Ive never done it i'm not even sure how to but that would be something im intrested in knowing how to do and mybe doing. I'll do my homework tonight on over clocking
But what kind of changes would we have to make if thats something im intrested in. I read good reviews about the cpu and mobo both overclocking very well. One guy even said

these processors appear to consistently and reliably overclock to 4 GHz and beyond if you're so inclined.

PS: What about ddr3 ram? is there a big difference from ddr2?

PSS: What if I substitute that video card for one of these instead. PNY or the xfx

Edited by kfuchs, 07 August 2008 - 05:18 PM.

[kfuchs]

So i read some stuff about over clocking and It seems like it would be usefull but I dont know if I would do it from the begining. It seems like it can harm your components and shorten the life span. I guess I'd need to learn more but i'm defintaly intrested in overclocking.

[kamille316]

So i read some stuff about over clocking and It seems like it would be usefull but I dont know if I would do it from the begining. It seems like it can harm your components and shorten the life span. I guess I'd need to learn more but i'm defintaly intrested in overclocking.

Yes, it is quite risky and I recommend doing a lot of reading first before trying. And also when you do overclock, try to increase it little by little so you don't overdo it and risk your components.

[kamille316]

I really like the setup u made for me it was very helpful and its a great computer.
I have a few questions tho, reguarding 64 bit is it better for me to get a 64bit OS since the processor will be 64 bit?
or should i stay with a 32bit OS?

64-bit Vista is better if compared to 64-bit XP in terms of driver support. However, just because your processor is 64-bit, it doesn't mean you have to use 64-bit OS. Depends on what drivers you need, you might encounter some hardware/software where it doesn't have any 64-bit driver. The advantage you get from using 64-bit OS is that the system can use 4GB or more of RAM, 32-bit OS can only use ~3.5GB.

I read a view bad reviews about the case that it has trouble fitting everything in, do you think that could be a problem I could face?

Not really, I have the same case, 3 hard drives, 1 dvd-drive and I used my brother's GTX260 and it fits fine just as long as your cable management is good (mine wasn't because my cabling wasn't done for the GTX260 but for 8800GT, GTX260 is bigger than 8800GT). You can get the Antec 1200 (~$150+) and then you wouldn't have any problems at all. Antec 900 would probably be hard, cable management wise as it doesn't have that space behind the motherboard to hide cables.

Should I get a phsicis engine as well?

What for? If I can recall right, that's for the video card right?

Also what about a cooling system? Do I need one? or even a fan?

Depends on the case you'll get. The CM690 comes with 3 fans, one in the back/bottom (exhaust/intake, I can't remember which), one on the top (exhaust I think) and one at front (intake). Sometimes, having more fans doesn't mean its better. You can have up to 6 fans inside.

The mobo comes with an 8.1 audio chipset so does that mean i wouldn't even need to get a sound card? just some computer speakers?

This is personal preference, usually only audiophiles need soundcard for better audio so I suggest using the on-board first and see if you like it, if not then buy a sound card.

Also about overclocking. Ive never done it i'm not even sure how to but that would be something im intrested in knowing how to do and mybe doing. I'll do my homework tonight on over clocking
But what kind of changes would we have to make if thats something im intrested in. I read good reviews about the cpu and mobo both overclocking very well.

You have to change the heatsink on your processor to a better one.

PS: What about ddr3 ram? is there a big difference from ddr2?

Right now, I believe there isn't a huge difference and their timings are a little slow and they're quite expensive. To be able to get DDR3 RAM, we'll have to change the motherboard that supports DDR3 and they're quite expensive so I suggest not investing on this for now.

PSS: What if I substitute that video card for one of these instead. PNY or the xfx

Hmm, I don't really know about this, maybe wait for somebody else to comment?
But, if it was me, I'd probably go with GTX 260 however 9800 GX2's performance is better (based on reviews) but I've heard that it doesn't scale that good on some games as it is technically in SLI (2x8800GTS), the GX2 also creates more heat and uses more power and it is also nearing its EOL (end-of-life).

Hope that helps.
Kamille

[kfuchs]

How much would a better heatsink run me? and any suggestions as to which kind?

Also what does SLI mean and do?

[kamille316]

How much would a better heatsink run me? and any suggestions as to which kind?

Most of our techs here suggest this Xigmatek heatsink.

Also what does SLI mean and do?

SLI means you're using 2 NVIDIA video cards and make it run as one. It usually yields ~20% more in performance. We don't usually recommend this because it costs a lot of money and you only gain about 20% performance increase but you spend twice the amount of money. We also only suggest going with SLI if you're using med-high graphics card like 8800GT or more. You also need an SLI motherboard that usually runs around ~$180.
For ATI video cards, its called Crossfire and the same thing applies.
SLI and Crossfire is only needed if you have a bigger monitor like 24" or more.

Kamille

[stettybet0]

Just gonna pop a few things in here.

Overclocking, if done right, poses very little harm to your hardware. Even if you do something wrong, the hardware has systems in place designed to protect itself from any permanent damage. Only at the very high-end of overclocking, where you are seriously overvolting components, does the lifespan of the CPU diminish. And then, instead of lasting 10 years, it may last 7 or 8. Most serious overclockers will have replaced the CPU by then, so this is a fine tradeoff to get extra speed for those years. However, keep in mind that overclocking your CPU voids its warranty. And as Kamille said, you will want to do some reading and make sure you know what you are doing before you do it.

We are typically going to be recommending 64-bit Vista now, especially in builds using 4GB or more of RAM. The downsides have gotten to the point where they are practically non-existent, and new versions of some big name programs (Photoshop, for one) are going to be 64-bit only.

The Antec 900 is a good alternative to the CM690. While what Kamille said about the Antec 900 not having room behind the motherboard for cables used to be true, the newer revision has holes precut so you can route cables behind the motherboard.

A dedicated PhysX card is obsolete. NVIDIA 8-series and later GPUs have PhysX technology built into them. NVIDIA is supposedly releasing a driver to enable PhysX support on August 12th, though some beta drivers have already been leaked (and work great!).

Sound cards are next to useless for gaming in Vista. This is because Microsoft removed hardware support for DirectSound in Vista, which is what most games use for sound. See this article for more information.

For a single card system, you should really consider the ATI HD4850. It has roughly equal performance to the GTX 260, but for a much lower price. If you are really into PhysX though, ATI cards don't have PhysX capability.

As a note on SLI and Crossfire, they have much improved since their inception. Performance gains from SLI or Crossfire are both typically in the 70%-85% range. However, for the other reasons Kamille mentioned, SLI or Crossfire typically aren't practical in a $1500 build.

[kfuchs]

So i've been comparing the Ram and why did you choose the 800 and not the 1000. Its not much of a price increase in fact This OCZ would be cheaper if im able to get the rebate in.
This GSkill also looks better for not much bigger price and comes with a limted lifetime warrenty.

So why the 800 ram? I also have no clue wat timings are and what they do so the differnce in timings mybe worse?

[kfuchs]

Ok, so heres my build so far.

Motherboard: Gigabyte EP45-DS3L - $107.99
CPU: Intel E8400 - $169.99
Video Card: GTX 260 - $279.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB - $84.99
DVD drive: Pioneer 20X - $30.99
Case: Antex 300 - $59.99

I didnt look at any alternative power supplys yet but I think i'll get the one kamile suggested.

I wanted to know more about the Ram before i make my descion.

And I will be looking into the monitor as well but the samsung one is good .

Any suggestions or advice would be great .
Thanks.

[kamille316]

And I will be looking into the monitor as well but the samsung one is good .

I retract my first suggestion (the Samsung 2253BW) because I've heard there's a bit of backlight bleeding with this model. I suggest you look at the second one I suggested (the Samsung T220).

How much would a better heatsink run me? and any suggestions as to which kind?

Most of our techs here suggest this Xigmatek heatsink.

You will also need a thermal compound with this and I suggest this OCZ Freeze.

So i've been comparing the Ram and why did you choose the 800 and not the 1000. Its not much of a price increase in fact This OCZ would be cheaper if im able to get the rebate in.
This GSkill also looks better for not much bigger price and comes with a limted lifetime warrenty.

So why the 800 ram? I also have no clue wat timings are and what they do so the differnce in timings mybe worse?

I believe its more for overclocking as you are limited at pushing your RAM with the 800 but have more room with the 1000 but since the price is about the same then I suggest going with the G.SKILL. I think a tech can explain it to you a lot better than me though.