Building a new computer

[VOP2288]

So, with all these new PC games that are out and what-not I figured it might be about time to update the hardware in my PC...

I'm currently running Windows XP with an AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3400+

My hard drive is pretty old and beat up so I'm thinking of replacing that (Samsung SP1604N/R with a capacity of 141 GB).

And my other random specs that I'd like to get new hardware for:

Video Card: ATI Radeon x1650
Sound Card: Realtek AC97

Plus, I might want to replace my Motherboard as well...I'm not too sure about this though...

Any suggestions?

What I'm basically looking for is a PC that can run games either at max settings or pretty damn close but without annoying slow down.

Also, what's the BEST video card out there on the market today? I've been an ATI user but I'm thinking of going GeForce

[Mar77]

If I were you, I would just build a completely new computer, your components are fairly dated so it would be best for you to do so.



With this, though, you should figure out a budget for what you want to spend on this system. $500? 800? $1000? $2000? (or whatever currency your country uses)


I would say a system around $1000 should be able to play games fairly well, if not maxed out, into the future (with an exception being Crysis...which as I am sure you know is a VERY demanding game, or is it poorly coded :hmmm:


Video card wise, ati's 4870x2 is the most powerful Graphics card on the market...but it costs $500. I do not recommend you pay that much for a graphics card. Ati's 4850 and 4870 are excellent choices (with the 4870 being better choice), and Nvida's GTX 260 and 9800 gtx(+) are good choices as well, with the 4870 slightly outperforming the 260 (or so i've heard), and the 9800gtx+ (notice the +) slightly outperforms the 4850. Regular 9800gtx's are worse off than the 4850.
So to simplify 4870 > GTX 260 > 9800gtx+ > 4850 > 9800gtx



As for processors and motherboards, processor wise its generally best to go with Intel. If you want to future-proof your system go with a quad core processor like the Q6600 (very popular among overclockers and regular system builders). However, if you want to save a few bucks you could go dual core, the E8400 is a great dual core Intel processor.
When shopping for motherboards, you need to make sure that your processor is supported by that motherboard (you can find this on the motherboard manufacturer's website. In addition take note of a few things like what type of ram it uses (DDR, DDR2, or DDR3) as you will need to know this when buying the ram for the computer.


I could go further, but I want to see what you have to say first

[VOP2288]

As far as a budget goes...I'd say I'd cap out at $1000, I want a system that's gonna be able to run the contemporary stuff pretty well but will also not require any outstanding updates to its hardware for at least 4 or 5 years.

Yeah, I was looking at the GTX 260, I'm thinking of saving for that one...plus the one I found comes bundled with Far Cry 2 so that's always nice. I don't plan on making the video card the most expensive thing I spend money on though...but it has to run nice and smooth.

What about hard drives? I'm looking at investing in a new internal one and an external one...the external one I'd use to store like...work files, music, movies, and other clutter, while reserving my internal drive for programs, apps, games, etc. Any ideas on what I should be looking at? I've heard good things about Western Digital's drives...

I'm a very inexperienced tech guy so bear with me on the motherboard and processor subjects...I was thinking Intel for the processor and I did come across that Q6600 one a little while ago when I was checking it out...as far as the motherboard goes....what should I look for? What's going to work best with say....an Intel Q6600 and a GTX 260?

[Freddie]

As far as a budget goes...I'd say I'd cap out at $1000, I want a system that's gonna be able to run the contemporary stuff pretty well but will also not require any outstanding updates to its hardware for at least 4 or 5 years.

Ok, let’s take a look at a state of the art PC from 5 years ago.

Intel Pentium 4 3.0Ghz
Nvidia Geforce FX 5800 Ultra/ Radeon 9700 Pro
512Mb DDR PC3200

That wouldn't stand a chance of playing any of today’s games even at low settings for the simple reason the video card just doesn't have technology to render the images (pixel shaders for example).

I say you can build a PC for about 3 to 4 years with a video card upgrade in between without needing a major overhaul. You would have to spend around £600/£700 or $1000 on the initial PC then pay for upgrades in between.

Currently the fastest video card money can buy is the ATI HD 4870X2. Unless you own a large 24" + screen (1920 x 1200 or more) you don't need this card. The best high end cards at the moment are the ATI HD 4870 512Mb and the GeForce GTX260. the ATI card is better when AA is turned on and as with all ATI video card the picture looks cleaner and sharper. Games that are programmed in OpenGl are faster on the Nvidia card but in DirectX games the ATI card is slightly faster.

[The Doge of Venice]

As far as mother board I like the nvidia chipsets like the nforce 780i or 790i and evga or asus aren't too bad for motherboard makers, just whatever you do avoid getting a board made by intel as you can't overclock on them, you can overclock if the chipset is intel but the board is made by asus for example but i like nvidia chipsets more then Intels. the socket you'd be looking for is LGA775, all the video card advice people have been giving seems ok.

[Roman Clone]

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811129021Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$139.99$109.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822136074Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options|hide options)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info22-136-074.0.18)

• 1 year: $14.99
• 2 year: $19.99

$59.99

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814127361Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options|hide options)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info14-127-361.0.18)

• 1 year: $32.99
• 2 year: $54.99

-$15.00 Instant
$40.00 Mail-in Rebate $244.99$229.99

ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A3T BULK - OEM Item #: N82E16827135181Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options|hide options)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-135-181.0.18)

• 1 year: $9.99
• 2 year: $14.99

$19.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail Item #: N82E16820231122Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy -$5.00 Instant
$49.99$44.99

MSI P7N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813130159Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options|hide options)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-130-159.0.18)

• 1 year: $24.99
• 2 year: $39.99

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate $149.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail

This is a list I made on NewEgg. If you can re-use your XP installation, do so.

[VOP2288]

@Roman Clone

VERY nice list there buddy, thanks for that...and it's a plus that it's under $1000.

But naturally I'm a little tech-retarded so will this live up to my expectations in what I want? It looks like it but I just want to make sure.

Also I'm interested in upgrading my sound card - any suggestions for what's the best and the like...also what's a good speaker system to go with said sound card for the best performance but also at a reasonable price?

Also, what about the PSU? I recently (like last summer) upgraded it, It's a 600-watt PSU right now....is that sufficient for everything suggested by Roman Clone or should I upgrade it again - and which is the best to get?

[Freddie]

@Roman Clone

VERY nice list there buddy, thanks for that...and it's a plus that it's under $1000.

But naturally I'm a little tech-retarded so will this live up to my expectations in what I want? It looks like it but I just want to make sure.

Also I'm interested in upgrading my sound card - any suggestions for what's the best and the like...also what's a good speaker system to go with said sound card for the best performance but also at a reasonable price?

Motherboards now have HD sound as standard, it offers fantastic sound and supports 5.1 surround sound speakers (maybe even 7.1 I'm not sure).

I have a Creative X-Fi sound card, it works just fine but I can't say I haven't had problems with it such as IRQ conflicts and not to mention Creative quite possibly has the worst public relations department in the world. I suggest you stick on on board sound and if it isn't good enough upgrade at a latter date..

As for speakers, there going to be as good as the money you are prepared to spend on them. To be honest the best sound experience I've had is when I've used a nice set of headphones. If you do get surround sound speakers remember your going to have to wire them around your room, also subwoofers don't work very well with wooden floors.

[Mar77]

What kind of monitor are you planning to use? How big is it? What is its maximum resolution? The higher the resolution your monitor supports, the more powerful your video card needs to be. A GTX 260 should be able to play nearly all games at max settings at a resolution of 1280 X 1024, and many (if not all) I would assume at a higher resolution of 1680 X 1050.

[VOP2288]

What kind of monitor are you planning to use? How big is it? What is its maximum resolution? The higher the resolution your monitor supports, the more powerful your video card needs to be. A GTX 260 should be able to play nearly all games at max settings at a resolution of 1280 X 1024, and many (if not all) I would assume at a higher resolution of 1680 X 1050.

Currently, I'm use my TV as my PC monitor. It's a 22" Vizio HDTV and I believe the current resolution I'm running on is 1680x1050