[rift_master]

Hello,

I'm looking for some advice for my new computer. I want a high performance computer but stability is more important to me so keep in mind that the technology used must be ready for a high stress use and remain perfect at all time.

Any recommandations of manufacturer or a specific piece is gladly welcome

--Cooling system--

From the many posts and reviews that i've read so far water cooling bring the performance in term of overall computer heat and lower your computer noise by alot , mute or almost from what i'm being told but i have no experience when in come of water cooling. Most sellers say that it is not risky(water drop in your computer) to have that in your computer but they recommand the installation by one of their "tech guy" so what do you think , do they just recommand that for the money or is it fairly risky to install it yourself at home? If installed by a "tech guy" are the new models really safe or is a risk remain?

--CPU--
Dual core VS. Quad core

From what I've read a good dual core can do as good as most quad core for half the price but since i'm not too sure of the reference i got so far some questions remain.

Is it really worth(money vs performance) to buy a quad core? Are most of the applications and games i will run fully take advantage of a quad core over a dual core? what about the use of a quad core in the upcoming applications and games?


--PC Builder--

If some of you want to give a shot and try to build me a computer feel free to do so , i will take the time to study each of those. Here's some guide line and requirements base on what i know and what i want.

Money: $1500 (U.S Dollar)
Video card: nvidia/xfx/evga manufacturer
cpu: intel manufacturer
ram: 4Gig min. / 8gig max. - dual channel
psu: enermax or antec manufacturer
hard drive: seagate manufacturer

Note that all this is subject to change if you bring me a good reason why i should not go for a certain piece or brandname.


Thank you very much for taking the time to read and hopefully answer my questions.
peace.

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rift_master:

Congratulations on your new build. It sounds like you're exploring new areas and technologies. This computer build will be fun for you as well as a good learning experience.


The problem with building a custom built PC is that it is "Custom". Ok, actually thats a good thing because you get exactly what you're looking for. However, when asking for advice, you're likely to get 10 different answers from 10 different people. Hopefully you'll get more posts like this and one of them will be able to assist you with your decision making process.

I've always been an AMD man myself. At this point in time, however, and to best suit your needs, I would definately stick with the Intel Processors. You do get more bang for the buck with a dual core CPU than a triple or quad core machine. The quad core CPUs encapsulate horespower you wont be able to use for a few years. You can purchase a dual core CPU with much higher clock speeds for less than half the price. One of the main differences in AMD and Intel is the location of the memory controller. The memory controller address the RAM and tells the CPU how much RAM is available. The better the memory controller is, the more RAM you can have and in most cases, faster RAM can be installed. The memory controller for Intel CPUs is on the motherboard. So, the motherboard you purchase will determine how much RAM you can have and how fast it can operate. AMD memory controllers are built onto the processor itself. This makes accessing the RAM faster because it's as if the CPU is addressing the RAM directly as opposed to using a middle man. That's usually a good thing. Unfortunately, the dual core X2s offered by AMD are older and thus contain older memory controllers. Most of them will only address up to 8 GBs and will only accept RAM speeds up to 800MHz. To get 16GB in your system (if you would be crazy enough to do such a thing) or to get the faster 1066 RAM, you would have to purchase one of AMDs quad core CPUs.

So again, I usually push AMD, but for your project I would recommend sticking with a dual core Intel chip and a motherboard that supports the amound and speed of RAM you with to run.

Hope this helps...

magus

[magusbuckley]

rift_master:

Congratulations on your new build. It sounds like you're exploring new areas and technologies. This computer build will be fun for you as well as a good learning experience.


The problem with building a custom built PC is that it is "Custom". Ok, actually thats a good thing because you get exactly what you're looking for. However, when asking for advice, you're likely to get 10 different answers from 10 different people. Hopefully you'll get more posts like this and one of them will be able to assist you with your decision making process.

I've always been an AMD man myself. At this point in time, however, and to best suit your needs, I would definately stick with the Intel Processors. You do get more bang for the buck with a dual core CPU than a triple or quad core machine. The quad core CPUs encapsulate horespower you wont be able to use for a few years. You can purchase a dual core CPU with much higher clock speeds for less than half the price. One of the main differences in AMD and Intel is the location of the memory controller. The memory controller address the RAM and tells the CPU how much RAM is available. The better the memory controller is, the more RAM you can have and in most cases, faster RAM can be installed. The memory controller for Intel CPUs is on the motherboard. So, the motherboard you purchase will determine how much RAM you can have and how fast it can operate. AMD memory controllers are built onto the processor itself. This makes accessing the RAM faster because it's as if the CPU is addressing the RAM directly as opposed to using a middle man. That's usually a good thing. Unfortunately, the dual core X2s offered by AMD are older and thus contain older memory controllers. Most of them will only address up to 8 GBs and will only accept RAM speeds up to 800MHz. To get 16GB in your system (if you would be crazy enough to do such a thing) or to get the faster 1066 RAM, you would have to purchase one of AMDs quad core CPUs.

So again, I usually push AMD, but for your project I would recommend sticking with a dual core Intel chip and a motherboard that supports the amound and speed of RAM you with to run.

Hope this helps...

magus

[tws]

I would definately second that, and suggest a high speed Dual Core Intel. You did not mention about 32bit or 64bit? From my experiance, 32bit is much more stable and seems to run more smoothly, all the drivers are faultless, so I would recommend installing a 32bit OS rather than hoping to upgrade to 64 anytime soon.

Unless you are dying to overclock the unit or desperate for silent, water cooling seems alot of hassle. They will certianly require more maintenance than simply blowing canned air at or or hoovering it every once in a while. If you are going to build the PC at home, which I think you probably will, then a top of the range air cooler will be much more up your street and will cost less. You will need to have other air cooling fans in the system, so go for a chassis with a duct to push all the super hot cpu air out the side. Great.

I personally use EVGA and an Intel Core 2 Duo and it seems much more stable than AMD-ATI partnerships.

Other tips from when I built mine:

Use a modular psw, you only 'put in' the power cables you need which is fantastic.
I opted for Samsung drives, for quietness mainly. I will never notice if they have marginally faster access times.

Actually, I will post my PC specs! It has probably come down in price alot and might be a good place for you to start. Looking back, you could definately improve this and still be well within $1500...whatever the [bleep] $'s are.....

Corsair Powersupply 520W
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
MSI P965 Platinum
OCZ Platinum DDR2 PC6400 2GB
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS KO ACS3
Samsung SpinPoint P120S
Gigabyte Triton