[mellow_tripper]

I will soon be upgrading my current computer wish is very sad at this point, full of malwarer spyware etc and is just plain outdated. I am going to be using my new computer to mostly game, downloading music, downloading videos and watching them. I was wondering if someone could give me some input as to what I should be looking for in my new PC. If there is a basic overview of some things it would be a of great help like should I get a single or dual processor etc. I am willing to drop about 1000 to 1500 on this machine right now, and I don't want to have an outdated PC within a year so being able to upgrade is a huge plus. Thank you very much.

Ryan

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Can someone help me out here, either leave me some thoughts or some links plz

[mellow_tripper]

Can someone help me out here, either leave me some thoughts or some links plz

[SRX660]

Heres a couple of systems i would'nt mind having.

http://www.tigerdire....asp?CatId=1307

Take the first one, switch to home edition XP, add 1 gig DDR400, add CD-RW/DVD combo drive, add 500 W PS. Then go to newegg and get a Audigy sound card, and Evga Geforce 6600GT 256 mb video card. This will last you a year or two if your like me and need to have the fastest you can get for a decent price. I build me a new computer every six months just to try new hardware.

Second choice for me>

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883102660

This one i would run as is, but you could upgrade later to a faster processor, more memory, extra Sata HD, and a Geforce 7800 video card if you wanted to. I would'nt bother as i probably would be looking for a new one in another six months.

SRX660

[mellow_tripper]

Right on thanks for giving me some stuff to look at and think about, I like your first entry and being able to upgrade it will help out quite a bit. I was looking at the Video Card and would a higher one work with the machine, or would that be like putting a Surround System with a 13' TV?

[mellow_tripper]

I was looking at another PC tell me if this sounds good to anyone or if I will run into any problems with it

Case: Digital Storm Twister Series
Power Supply: CoolMax 550W CX550B
Processor: AMD Athlon X2 3800+ Dual-Core (1 MB Cache) w/HyperTransport
Motherboard: Asus A8N-SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 10 USB / 2
Firewire)
Memory: 1GB Super Talent at 400MHz (2x 512MB Dual Channel)
Hard Drive 1: Maxtor 300GB SATA 150 (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache)
Optical Drive 1: Sony 16X DVD-ROM Optical
Drive 2: Lite-On 16X DVD+/-RW Dual Format/Layer
Network Card: Motherboard High Speed Network Port
Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT 256MB (By: Gigabyte) (PCI-Express)
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio
Cooling: Air Cooling
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2

Whats everyones opinion ?

[SRX660]

That one sounds good except i don't have a liking of ASUS mb's. It's just my thing that i have had more trouble with them than any others so i avoid them. The sound could be upgraded to a Audigy easily. I love creatives play center as it will rip some supposedly protected CD's to MP3's. Maybe they just say they are protected, i don't know. You are really paying a quite high price when you go above a 6600 or 6800 nvidia video card. Unless you are really into gaming the mid range cards will do everything you want. I do like having a 256 mb memory video card for making movies as even some 128mb memory cards will get a slight stuttering with some dvd's.

SRX660

[warriorscot]

Well i wouldnt go for an ASUS motherboard they are good but more trouble than they are worth, 6600s i never have and never will reccomend them they are very much overpriced for what they are, a 6800GS is wht i would go for, identical performance as the GT but cheaper. I would get better quality RAM, and make sure the case has at least one 120mm fan and space for another one.

[mellow_tripper]

Yeah I didnt know about the quality of the 6800GS, it does save about 70 dollars which is never a downside especially if they are near the same as a 6600. As for motherboards I guess no one really likes ASUS, just wondering why that is. What kinds of trouble have you guys had. This is a custom built PC and there are a few other MOBO's I can choose from take a look at the list and tell me what you think.

Abit AN8 SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 7 USB / 2 Firewire)
Abit Fatal1ty AN8 SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 7 USB / 2 Firewire)
Abit KN8 SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 6 USB / 2 Firewire)

DFI Lan Party DR (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (Dual 1GB Lan / 10 USB / 2 Firewire)

Gigabyte K8N-SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 10 USB)
Gigabyte K8N-SLI Pro (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 10 USB/ 3 FIrewire)

Thats what I got differently from the other ASUS Mobos they offer, are any of these brands good or are they just as bad ASUS? Which one looks good to go with?

As far as RAM they also offer some different options with Kingston, are they a quality brand or should I go ahead and upgrade to Corsair RAM.

Also I remember reading that you will hardluy notice a difference between 1 GB and 2GB of RAM, is that really the case? I am not going to be doing any CGI stuff, the hardest it will run is when I am gaming. Thanks guys for the info so far hope I can stamp out these last few issues with mobo and RAM.

[mellow_tripper]

I went ahead and called the company that has 1 120mm fan on it allready and it allows me to add 2 more so I think I should be good on keeping everything cool. Would I need to get something, note I don't know much about computers, that can tell me the temperature? I recall one of my friends had a PC that told him the temp on the front on what looked like a small LCD screen, although it might have been something else but it was like a little alarm clock face that told the core temp, is that a wise envestment? I am not planning on really overclocking at this point so I wouldnt think so yet like I said I dont know too much. Also I was wondering about the place I am getting the PC from and the price I dont know if anyone has heard of http://www.digitalstormonline.com but thats where I built my PC and as of right now its at $1620 .00 does that sound right for the specs I am getting? Also my step-father oddly enough owns a small internet provider and computer store but he goes through Nobolis and I checked some of the same stuff on their and it seemed to be almost 2-300 dollars higher so I slashed that idea. If anyone sees something though that I could just take off and perhaps just buy on newegg and install it myself to save some cash because I do like the system I have but I didnt plan on spending over 1500 on the Comp and as stands I am 120 over that without shipping. Any thought and sugguestions would be great, and thanks so much for all the help so far.

Case: Antec P180 Mid Tower (Silver Edition) includes 1 120mm fan and 2 more places to install more
Power Supply: CoolMax 550W CX550B (Silent)
Processor: AMD Athlon X2 3800+ Dual-Core (1 MB Cache) w/HyperTransport Technology (Do I really need to go Dual here?)
Motherboard: Abit KN8 SLI (Chipset: nForce4 SLI) (1GB Lan / 6 USB / 2 Firewire)
Memory: 1GB Kingston at 400MHz (HyperX CL2 Low Latency) (2x 512MB Dual Channel)
Floppy / Media: Sony 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition)
Hard Drive 1: Maxtor 300GB SATA 150 (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (Model 7B300S0)
Optical Drive 1: Sony 16X DVD-ROM (Black Edition) (Includes Power DVD Software!)
Optical Drive 2: Lite-On 16X DVD+/-RW Dual Format/Layer (Black Edition) (Includes Nero/Power DVD!)
Network Card: Motherboard High Speed Network Port
Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800GS 256MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio ((I am going to upgrade and get a Audigy sound card))
Cooling: Air Cooling (Blizzard Extreme Heat-sink and Fan (Stage 2 Cooling)
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2
Restore Kit: FREE! Digital Storm Restore DVD Recovery Kit
Warranty: 2 Year Platinum Care Parts & Labor Warranty

Any corners I could cut on this without giving up much in power but some in price? Like I said I am kinda new to this so it might make me sound like I am trying to Purchase a new Corvette for 10,000, just let me know.

Edited by mellow_tripper, 20 January 2006 - 03:45 PM.

[warriorscot]

It seems an awful lot for it actually, im fairly sure you could cut the price down quite alot if you built yourself or bought the parts and got a small shop to do it for you. You want sual core but for that much money i would expect to see at least a 4200+.

The Abit or DFI mobos are both better than the Asus anyway so it doesnt matter, the Asus motherboards are pretty goood when they work one of the best all rounder boards, but thats when they work they are very fussy when you get them, but once its set up and going few people have trouble with them.

The case though is one of the best on the market so thats not a worry. Its very expensive though for what it is, it doesnt even have two gigs of ram and it only has a 6800GS go on newegg and find out how much it would cost tp put the computer together yourself or to get someone you know or a shop to do it(they would probably add $50 to a 100 to build it for you i would imagine)

[mellow_tripper]

Right on yeah I am going to check for these parts on newegg and a few others companies online to see if I cn cut down the price then just have someone I know or perhaps take it to a local computer place and have them put it together. One last thing should I be seeking to go with dual 1G ram or is 1G simply enough, I am not sure as to what most programs are in need of these days. Thanks alot for all the help

[warriorscot]

Well games want at least a gig, preferably two though for the best performance, if you arent going to use it for games then a gig is more than enough.

[mellow_tripper]

Sounds good to me should I just get 2 sticks of 1bg or 4 512 or does that even matter much? Also whats a good ram that is also affordable?

[mellow_tripper]

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value SB0400 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card – OEM ~ 45.50

Antec Performance I P180 Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ~ 124.99

COOLMAX CX-550B ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V – Retail ~ 71.50

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor – Retail ~ 321.50

ABIT KN8 SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard – Retail ~ 109.99

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory – Retail ~ 82.00 {X2} (164.00)

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model MPF920 Black – OEM ~ 9.99

Maxtor MaXLine Plus III 7L300S0 300GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive – OEM ~ 125.00

SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s – OEM ~ 22.00

NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner – OEM ~ 39.75

eVGA 256-P2-N386-AX Geforce 6800GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card – Retail ~ 189.00

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 – OEM ~ 93.95

Total = 1,375.82 with SH Does this sound about right, if anyone knows of any cheaper sites with the products listed please let me know and thank you

[warriorscot]

Looks good(you dont actually need a sound card if you are looking to save money they are just nice to have as they are better than onboard).

You ideally want 2x 1gb sticks, for two reasons, upgradability is easier and manyu of the nforce 4 motherboards recieve a speed drop to ddr333 when you run two sets of dual channel ram in all its slots. Otherwise looks good, if you want to save more money try another case the P180 is one of the best cases but its also among the most expensive.