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Zrazzt
Luke Warm
Joined: 09 Dec 2002
Posts: 199
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 Posted: 06/08/05 - 12:36 Post subject: Time to upgrade my PC - HELP!
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I'm thinking of getting a new PC, price really isn't an issue, since I haven't bought a new PC in a while, I don't mind spending a little money in order to get myself into the 2005 market.
So, what should I get.
CPU - I prefer AMD
Video Card - What's the best bang for the buck (should I get dual cards)?
Motherboard - What will compliment the CPU?
Ram - What type? What Speed? (1-2 gig, does it make that much a dif?)
Soundcard - What's a good one?
Those are the big ones, the case and crap doesn't matter all that much, I have a 200gb Hd, and a DVD burner, so don't really need to replace that right now.
Any help would be great.
Now lets hope that the idiot moderator who keeps moving my posts leaves this one alone!
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Owyyn
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 2900
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 12:39 Post subject:
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This is a winning combo:
Mobo: Asus A8N-Sli Deluxe
CPU: Athlon64 3600+
Video: GeForce 6800GT (1 or 2)
RAM: Corsair 1Gb
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Maldek
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 2089
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 13:32 Post subject:
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I would reccomend ATI over Nvidia (ATI = Radeon series) I backup that statement with personal preference alone, I've built 3 gaming PCs in the last year and the ones using ATI were always less of a hassle. Either one is a great choice but I've seen alot less technical problems coming from ATI users.
for RAM i reccomend 2gigs. 3gigs if you're a big spender. RAM decreases your load time, so for MMOs this means zoning, relogging etc. These are the most boring times to me so the more RAM the better. As well as it also reduces load times that occur during gameplay as well, such as texture-loading when you encounter new models etc.
for the rest of it, AMD cpu is my personal preference. asus is a good mobo brand, so is MSI. not sure what else to say other than make sure to get a good power supply, 400w+ or more with good amps. today's pc components require alot of juice, if you get all high-end i'd reccomend 450-500w. also reccomend a case with at least one fan, preferably side panel fan and top of the case fan. high-end video cards really heat up, a normal box case doesnt have enough ventilation to keep them from overheating and shutting down the system.
Good luck
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Maldek
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 2089
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 13:35 Post subject:
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just reread your post, take note of what i said about power supply and case. don't think u can put all new spiffy products into an old case and expect it to work 100%. power supply is huge, especially if you're changing mobo + cpu. case ventilation is key for keeping your video card cool enough.
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kireol
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 02 Aug 2003
Posts: 9517
Location: Royal Oak, MI
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 13:36 Post subject:
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what owyyn said is a great PC.
If you get an SLI motherboard, you could run 2 vnidia cards.
ATI and Nvidia are releasing new cards this or next month.
ATI will be releasing a dual GPU card soon to combat SLI
You can get an AGP nvidia 6800 for $165ish right now.
If it were me, I'd check out www.newegg.com
and refer to tomshardware for video card choice
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Occulis
RealPoor Jedi
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 13293
Location: Moral Relativity Central
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 14:36 Post subject:
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More RAM means faster everything and fewer hard drive failures (because they are accessed less).
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Zrazzt
Luke Warm
Joined: 09 Dec 2002
Posts: 199
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 15:41 Post subject:
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Thanks for the help.
Does dual video cards mean a lot of difference?
Whats this new FX55 AMD chip? Is it worth the huge investment?
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Occulis
RealPoor Jedi
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 13293
Location: Moral Relativity Central
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 15:42 Post subject:
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For components, aim for 80% of top of the line in performance. It will cost 40% of the price of top of the line. IE instead of a 3700MHz machine, you get a 2.9MHz machine. Save the extra $$ 
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Zrazzt
Luke Warm
Joined: 09 Dec 2002
Posts: 199
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 16:25 Post subject:
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Which of these is the best bang for the buck? (All AMD)
64 3800+ / 2.40GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $504.99
64 3800+ / 2.40GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $504.99
64 3700+ / 2.40GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $445.99
64 3700+ / 2.20GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $445.99
64 3500+ / 2.20GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $364.99
64 3400+ / 2.40GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $301.99
64 3200+ / 2.20GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $271.99
64 3200+ / 2.00GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $260.99
64 3200+ / 2.00GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $260.99
64 3000+ / 2.00GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $199.99
64 3000+ / 1.80GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $199.99
64 3000+ / 1.80GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $199.99
64 2800+ / 1.80GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $166.99
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Owyyn
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 2900
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Posted: 06/08/05 - 16:35 Post subject:
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| Zrazzt wrote: | Which of these is the best bang for the buck? (All AMD)
64 3800+ / 2.40GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $504.99
64 3800+ / 2.40GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $504.99
64 3700+ / 2.40GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $445.99
64 3700+ / 2.20GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $445.99
64 3500+ / 2.20GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $364.99
64 3400+ / 2.40GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $301.99
64 3200+ / 2.20GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $271.99
64 3200+ / 2.00GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $260.99
64 3200+ / 2.00GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $260.99
64 3000+ / 2.00GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $199.99
64 3000+ / 1.80GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $199.99
64 3000+ / 1.80GHz Socket 939 2000MHz $199.99
64 2800+ / 1.80GHz Socket 754 1600MHz $166.99 |
You want something thats a socket 939. I'd go for the 3500 myself.
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