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Idiots Guide to PC Building

13

Posts

  • AresProphetAresProphet Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I mean not to provoke a fight but I was merely suggesting that in the context of this discussion of someone on a budget trying to get good performance on the cheap, could attain the same power as a CPU that costs 3 times as much. I didn't even claim that a cheap OC par = an expensive non-OC part.

    I was also setting the bar for some kind of easily explainable quantities. "This CPU can get this high without much extra work" If you're not willing to jump into a higher performance bracket because of a restricted budget, then it is also as absurd to argue that this $300 CPU is worth so much more than this $80 CPU, so buck up and magically create the extra money that you may not be willing to spend.

    its ridiculous people like you who justify buying dual/quad sli GTXs and don't think for a second that you're fricken crazy.

    In short, your budget for a gaming machine may not be equal to the budget of others.

    Right. Because I have, like, a QX6850 and four 8800GTXs. And a dozen hard drives. And my case is made of sentient aluminum.

    No, I don't advocate doing any of that. Budget gaming is a noble aspiration and anyone who isn't trying to get the most for their money either has too much money or not enough sanity.

    I'm just saying that, in general, it isn't sound advice to suggest a cheaper part with an overclock in order to achieve the same performance as a more expensive part. Lower-end parts are lower-end parts, end of story. Saying that you can make them 'equivalent' to a more expensive part is, as I said, disingenuous. If you could do that there wouldn't be a whole range of CPUs from $50 to $1500.

    Maybe you were talking about a specific instance, as you suggest with context. Let's look at context:
    What's better - a quad 2.4 core, or a duo 3.0 core?

    That was the original question. your response:
    also, if you're going to go for dual core and have any skills in multiplying single digit numbers by 3 digit numbers. I recommend the intel pentium Dual Core E2160, its about $80 Canadian, and will overclock to the speeds of like the intel E6850. Especially if you're only going to go with 800mhz RAM. This is an excellent CPU for gamers on a low buget, I can vouch for it as I've put together a friend's machine with one.

    Its fairly silly to buy some of the more expensive CPUs when most of the time they're just the same chip as the cheaper ones but defaulted to higher clock rates and such. Though I would say the sweet spot for value/price is in the $200-$300 range. Since the clock rate is fairly easy to change, the important thing to look at when buying a CPU is the cache sizes. I'll not go into detail about it but if you're looking at one CPU that's (for example) $100 with a 2mb cache, and a $120 with a 4mb cache, the latter is definitely the better choice. As far as I know though, the caches on most of the c2d cards are fairly similar, but don't quote me on that.

    Bolded emphasis mine. You're advising anyone buying a dual core CPU to forget the more expensive chips, just buy cheap one and overclock, it's the same speed!

    This is bad advice because it's wrong, and you weren't answering the original question anyway, so in context you were on a tangent to begin with.

    It is also wrong because DDR800 will synch nicely to an FSB of 1600MHz (400MHz quadded), which is going to be either a lackluster overall clock speed due to reduced multipliers on Allendales, or very hard to achieve on low-end Conroes without some serious cooling. My e6600 can't hit that without breaking 65C under load, which is on the warm side of things.

    AresProphet on
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  • CervetusCervetus Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    As someone said earlier, the wattage label they put on power supplies is mostly meaningless. What really matters is the combined amperage on the 12V lines, and just to make it even more confusing you can't just add the individual amperages of the 12V lines, because the individual ratings are really just saying how much the wire can take before it fails.

    See, looking at this picture from a power supply linked earlier:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=17-103-013-03.jpg&Image=17-103-013-07.jpg%2c17-103-013-02.jpg%2c17-103-013-03.jpg%2c17-103-013-04.jpg%2c17-103-013-05.jpg%2c17-103-013-06.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&Depa=0&Description=SPARKLE+ATX-400PN-B204+400W+Power+Supply

    the +12V1 and +12V2 lines each have 18 amps, which would make you think you get 36 amps total, but really you have to look underneath that where it says (+12V1 & +12V2=348W max). Watts = Volts x Amps, so the real total is 348/12, or 29 amps.

    Although I really don't know how many amps is a goodly amount. :oops:

    Cervetus on
  • RoyceSraphimRoyceSraphim Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Soooooo,

    CPU (and thermal fan/heat sink)->video card->motherboard and power supply->case

    RAM, hard drives, cd drives, and media untilities DAMMIT I ADDED THAT MISSPELLED WORD TO FIREFOX'S DICTIONARY! ahem....utilities (like floppy drives and card readers) should be compatible with any kind of motherboard that has the available sets of pins, right?


    By the by, anyone know how to access Firefox's dictionary real quick?

    RoyceSraphim on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I'm a n00b to this building stuff, too, but I almost have all the parts I need. Here's what I went with

    Case: CoolerMaster Centurion 534 (ATX, 5 5.25 external bays, 1 3.25 ext bay, comes with rear and side fan and a side air duct, 4 internal HD bays, and 7 expansion slots...I love it and it's cheap.)

    PSU: CoolerMaster eXtreme 500W ATX (It was part of a combo deal with the case, I think it's pretty good.)

    Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 ATX Intel Motherboard (8GB RAM cap., the 7 expansion slots I need, 4 SATA slots + 1 PATA)

    Memory: 2 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix 240-pin DDR2 800 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit (I think its good, and I got in under the gun on the rebate)

    GPU: HIS Hightech Raedon X1650PRO 512MB 128-bit interface, GDDR2 PCI-Express x16 (I don't think I skimped too much on a graphics card. I'm fairly sure its good for what I want it to do (play TF2, and other games eventually)

    And my dad was nice enough to gift me a Western Digital Caviar 320GB HDD 7200RPM that he bought and then realized too late that it was SATA and his computer wasn't compatible.

    All I have left to pick up is the CPU and disc drive.

    I plan on picking this

    And that's my biggest sticking point. Could I make due with a lesser CPU if I plan on playing, somewhere down the line, Hellgate and Tabula Rasa? And possibly even Crysis?

    Goose! on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Is there some sort of clips that I should be putting to hold something in place otherwise everything will go to shit? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that if I didn't have clips on...the motherboard...or the hdd or something. Anyone know what I'm talking about (cause I don't)?

    Goose! on
  • Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Don't you get everything you need when you buy the component?

    ALso, here's what I'm getting for a ridiculously low price of £470. (I already have 2x 1GB Corsair ram so thats covered)

    CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6550 (2.33Ghz, 4MB Cache, 1333Mhz FSB)
    CPU Cooler: Standard CPU heatsink & fan
    GPU: Inno3D 8800GT 512mb
    Motherboard: Asrock Conroe1333-D667
    Memory: 1.0GB Kingston DDR2 667mhz (1x 1GB)
    Hard Drive: 80GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s
    Optical Drive: 18x DVD±RW DL
    Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio
    Operating System: Microsoft® Windows XP Home SP2
    PSU: 550W
    Case: Thermaltake Mambo
    Warranty: 3 Year Bronze Warranty

    Big Classy on
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I mean not to provoke a fight but I was merely suggesting that in the context of this discussion of someone on a budget trying to get good performance on the cheap, could attain the same power as a CPU that costs 3 times as much. I didn't even claim that a cheap OC par = an expensive non-OC part.

    I was also setting the bar for some kind of easily explainable quantities. "This CPU can get this high without much extra work" If you're not willing to jump into a higher performance bracket because of a restricted budget, then it is also as absurd to argue that this $300 CPU is worth so much more than this $80 CPU, so buck up and magically create the extra money that you may not be willing to spend.

    its ridiculous people like you who justify buying dual/quad sli GTXs and don't think for a second that you're fricken crazy.

    In short, your budget for a gaming machine may not be equal to the budget of others.

    Right. Because I have, like, a QX6850 and four 8800GTXs. And a dozen hard drives. And my case is made of sentient aluminum.

    No, I don't advocate doing any of that. Budget gaming is a noble aspiration and anyone who isn't trying to get the most for their money either has too much money or not enough sanity.

    I'm just saying that, in general, it isn't sound advice to suggest a cheaper part with an overclock in order to achieve the same performance as a more expensive part. Lower-end parts are lower-end parts, end of story. Saying that you can make them 'equivalent' to a more expensive part is, as I said, disingenuous. If you could do that there wouldn't be a whole range of CPUs from $50 to $1500.

    Maybe you were talking about a specific instance, as you suggest with context. Let's look at context:
    What's better - a quad 2.4 core, or a duo 3.0 core?

    That was the original question. your response:
    also, if you're going to go for dual core and have any skills in multiplying single digit numbers by 3 digit numbers. I recommend the intel pentium Dual Core E2160, its about $80 Canadian, and will overclock to the speeds of like the intel E6850. Especially if you're only going to go with 800mhz RAM. This is an excellent CPU for gamers on a low buget, I can vouch for it as I've put together a friend's machine with one.

    Its fairly silly to buy some of the more expensive CPUs when most of the time they're just the same chip as the cheaper ones but defaulted to higher clock rates and such. Though I would say the sweet spot for value/price is in the $200-$300 range. Since the clock rate is fairly easy to change, the important thing to look at when buying a CPU is the cache sizes. I'll not go into detail about it but if you're looking at one CPU that's (for example) $100 with a 2mb cache, and a $120 with a 4mb cache, the latter is definitely the better choice. As far as I know though, the caches on most of the c2d cards are fairly similar, but don't quote me on that.

    Bolded emphasis mine. You're advising anyone buying a dual core CPU to forget the more expensive chips, just buy cheap one and overclock, it's the same speed!

    This is bad advice because it's wrong, and you weren't answering the original question anyway, so in context you were on a tangent to begin with.

    It is also wrong because DDR800 will synch nicely to an FSB of 1600MHz (400MHz quadded), which is going to be either a lackluster overall clock speed due to reduced multipliers on Allendales, or very hard to achieve on low-end Conroes without some serious cooling. My e6600 can't hit that without breaking 65C under load, which is on the warm side of things.

    I'm sorry, you're right. It is absolutely preposterous to recommend a CPU that I've had surprisingly good results with. It was genuinely ridiculous of me to suggest that one could possibly squeeze extra performance out of a cheap CPU.
    You're advising anyone buying a dual core CPU to forget the more expensive chips, just buy cheap one and overclock, it's the same speed!

    and then I go on in the next paragraph to suggest that a $200 to $300 CPU is going to end up being the best value as it will generally have a balanced cache and clock rating.

    Yes, I fudged that one as I actually meant to have a quantifier of "and less than $150." I'm wondering, have you experienced the E2160 first hand? I recall a tomshardware article being astonished at how well that cpu overclocked. 9x multi on an FSB of 400mhz comes out to 3.6ghz if my math is correct, how is that lackluster at all?
    What's better - a quad 2.4 core, or a duo 3.0 core?

    I don't recall answering that question, as usually if I want to respond to something I'll quote it so that I may specify the context of my answer.

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • RoyceSraphimRoyceSraphim Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Is there some sort of clips that I should be putting to hold something in place otherwise everything will go to shit? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that if I didn't have clips on...the motherboard...or the hdd or something. Anyone know what I'm talking about (cause I don't)?


    I dunno about clips, might be rails for the side of your hdd or the screws to prop the motherboard on the case?

    RoyceSraphim on
  • ShmoepongShmoepong Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    You need those clips (they're technically called spacers or stand-offs [pccables.com]if you want to google for them) so your computer doesn't fritz (that's also a technical term =p) when you turn it on.

    Shmoepong on
    I don't think I could take a class without sparring. That would be like a class without techniques. Sparring has value not only as an important (necessary) step in applying your techniques to fighting, but also because it provides a rush and feeling of elation, confidence, and joyful exhaustion that can only be matched by ... oh shit, I am describing sex again. Sorry everyone. - Epicurus
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Spacers aha...that's it. Thanks shmoe, and also Royce.

    Goose! on
  • RoyceSraphimRoyceSraphim Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Well, I am probably going to copy Big Isy for the CPU and and mobo and get the 8800gt that everyone raving about. The ram is in the mail and I will get a hard drive, 1 burner, media center, monitor, and all the other little goodies as I find them on sale on cyber monday. I want to ask for more advice but until I get those big 3, there is no real point is asking about cases is there? I just know I will get the cheapest one that will work well for my mobo and than will be that.

    But in other disturbing news, why did i find something similar to this this , which i already bought, in an ad for Fry's electronics today for about $15 to $25 CHEAPER?!?!?!

    RoyceSraphim on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    What is cyber monday?

    Goose! on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I just googled it...I never realized they named everything that ever happens ever.

    Goose! on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    So my machine is finished. And it is glorious sounding. In that, all 4 fans (cpu, vgu, back, and side panel) operate without noise. We were set back by a whole friggen day because the fan/heatsink for the processor wasn't clipped properly (one of the clips broke), and I had to get a whole new fan. Now I'm loading XP on it and soon I will be running TF2.

    God, I can't wait.

    Goose! on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    God damn it. Everytime I think I'm done, there's always a hitch.

    Right now, I'm plugged into the internet via the same ethernet cable I used on my old desktop, which worked completely fine, and it's not receiving packets, and showing limited or no connectivity. The driver for the ethernet is in, and I've power cycled like crazy..but still nothing works.

    Goose! on
  • Mr_RoseMr_Rose 83 Blue Ridge Protects the Holy Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    OK, how are you connected to the net?
    Via router->modem or direct?
    Also, does your ISP demand you register a MAC address with them for access?

    Mr_Rose on
    ...because dragons are AWESOME! That's why.
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  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I got it, thanks though.

    Turns out the stupid network software my dad installed on one/all of the computers has a locking feature that was tracking me as an intruder and not allowing me to go online.

    Goose! on
  • blizzard224blizzard224 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Okay, this is basically my first time building a computer solo, I think the last time I did it P4 1.5ghz were the 'in' thing... so a while ago.

    In any case, here's the current quote minus the graphics cards, which I'll get to in a sec.

    AMD AM2 X2 6000+ - $193
    Asus M2N-E SLi - $105
    22" 5ms DVI WS Chimei 221D(B) - $295
    Coolermaster Elite 330 - $73
    Coolermaster RealPower Pro 750w - $199
    2GB 6400 C5 Corsair Twinx - $129
    Seagate 320GB SATA II 16MB - $99
    Creative Audigy Value - $49
    Netgear WPN311 - $55
    Pioneer 112D - $45

    (The soundcard is there because I believe the model of motherboard requires a USB port to use it's onboard sound)

    Now, the graphics card. I'm pretty much set on an 8800GT's in SLi but my problem is basically related to my suspicions of the place that's got them going for the cheap. These are my two options:

    CPL (http://www.cpl.net.au/) is selling the XFX 512 8800GT 600MHZ at $389, so a pair will cost me $778

    MSY (http://www.msy.com.au) is selling "512MB Generic Nvidia Geforce GF 8800GT DVI PCI-E PCI-Express Video Card (We sell one of these brands – POV Twintech Forsa PixelView XV Xpertvision Palit NV Inno3D Sapphire)" for 314 a pot, so two for $628

    Assuming I can get two of the same brand ( I wouldn't want to mix brands on SLi), would any of them be of comparable quality to the XFX model on sale at CPL? 100 bucks is nothing to sneeze at for me, so I don't really want to go throwing it down the drain for no advantage. I'm just kind of offput by MSY's branding of the card "generic", I can't say I fully understand how the cards can be generic if they have the brand name right on them.

    In any case, just looking for some enlightenment on the issue. Love any help that could be provided.

    PS. Also would getting another 2gb of ram provides improvement for gaming considering I will be running Vista 32?

    blizzard224 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    You'll need the 64-bit version to take full advantage of the extra RAM. I think MS lets you get a 64-bit disk for cheap if you already own the retail 32-bit version. The deal for the video card seems kind of shady to me, 'cause I'm imagining that they have a big ass thing of blank boxes filled with the cards.

    Malkor on
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  • Winnie The PoohWinnie The Pooh Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Why do you have 2 power supplies?

    Edit: well thats a terrible top of the page, so, heres a computer build I'm thinking of getting. Suggestions, comments?

    http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6273551

    Winnie The Pooh on
  • blizzard224blizzard224 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Why do you have 2 power supplies?

    Edit: well thats a terrible top of the page, so, heres a computer build I'm thinking of getting. Suggestions, comments?

    http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6273551

    Oh I'm not supposed to. Let me edit that out.

    How much RAM can 32bit vista make use of?

    blizzard224 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ToyDToyD Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    3 gigs. HAs to do with the 32 bit limit and not with vista.

    ToyD on
    steam_sig.png
  • blizzard224blizzard224 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    ToyD wrote: »
    3 gigs. HAs to do with the 32 bit limit and not with vista.

    Alright, thanks. Think I'll probably get another 1gb stick and stick with 32bit. I've been reading a bit about 64bit vista and it seems that while most of it's problems can be saved by fucking around with drivers, it's still a pain in the ass to get going.

    blizzard224 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Why do you have 2 power supplies?

    Edit: well thats a terrible top of the page, so, heres a computer build I'm thinking of getting. Suggestions, comments?

    http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6273551

    Its basically the same computer I built except the vgu (and case of course), and I'm on that computer and it runs excellently.

    Goose! on
  • Winnie The PoohWinnie The Pooh Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Why do you have 2 power supplies?

    Edit: well thats a terrible top of the page, so, heres a computer build I'm thinking of getting. Suggestions, comments?

    http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6273551

    Its basically the same computer I built except the vgu (and case of course), and I'm on that computer and it runs excellently.

    I'm guessing VGU means the graphics card (still don't know all the acronyms for some of these parts), and the case is more of a joke with my brother, I almost got something even more ridiculous but held myself back.

    Winnie The Pooh on
  • RoyceSraphimRoyceSraphim Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Why do you have 2 power supplies?

    Edit: well thats a terrible top of the page, so, heres a computer build I'm thinking of getting. Suggestions, comments?

    http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6273551

    Its basically the same computer I built except the vgu (and case of course), and I'm on that computer and it runs excellently.

    I'm guessing VGU means the graphics card (still don't know all the acronyms for some of these parts), and the case is more of a joke with my brother, I almost got something even more ridiculous but held myself back.

    That is quite possibly the gayest submarine i have ever seen.

    In other news,

    I found a few more bits of info in the latest PCGamer so I have settled on the following.

    case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW
    power supply: ???
    processor: [URL=]"http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059[/URL]X
    Motherboard: Asus M2N-Plus Sli X
    Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
    Hard Drive:?
    Optical Drive : 16x cd/dvd rom
    onboard sound card (for now)
    VC: 8800GT when it comes cheap

    edit: Damn you PCGamer for recommending a motherboard that is only for sale on Newegg as open box!

    RoyceSraphim on
  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I just use XP home, works fine for me gaming wise. And I got a HIStech video card from newegg, 512MB DX9.0 for 60-70 bucks.

    Sapphire's also cheap, and I'm told run well. Mine is awesome because it comes with a big fan and duct thing and 3 different types of inputs.

    Goose! on
  • blizzard224blizzard224 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Royce, I almost guarentee you that you're thinking of the 8800GT for your graphics card. Utterly unbeatable price to performance ratio. Nothing comes close to it in terms of value for money.

    blizzard224 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • RoyceSraphimRoyceSraphim Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Links on the best source/model for a 8800gt, please.

    Now, onto the subject of accessories, X2, X3, and Terminus all beg my attention so I need a cheap joystick to tide me over until I can afford the ultra hotness next year, DIE STEINER PIG!:twisted:

    edit: So after studying the mobo I wanted on newegg a little closer, I realized that it was open box and missing all the accessories, so tell me my cpu is a good choice and I will rethink my next step from there, damn you, HARD STUFF!

    RoyceSraphim on
  • FanciestWalnutFanciestWalnut Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Two questions. Where can I find either a evga or bfg tech 8800gt, everywhere I look online retailers are sold out. Also, if I am looking to run those cards in a sli formation how many watts should I be looking for in a psu?

    FanciestWalnut on
  • GadeusGadeus Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    After finding out that the retail version of Crysis isn't going to perform better than the demo, I've been in a scramble to coax extra performance out of my computer. I've been experimenting with overclocking for the first time, and I'm extremely frustrated with my progress.

    My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, with a Q6600 (G0 revision) and 2 gigs of G-skill PC6400 DDR2 ram. My main problem is, my BIOS is significantly different from every set of instructions for overclocking that I've seen. Using common sense, I've figured out how to change the CPU multiplier and FSB, but everything else doesn't match.

    In the end, I can't get the damn thing to boot beyond post, regardless of what non-default settings I use. My goal is 9 x 333 (3.0 ghz), which apparently is a very easy target for a Q6600. Under stock speeds with a good non stock cooler, coretemp is giving me readings of around 35C per core idle, and 40-44 under load. Could anyone that has this motherboard give me some advice?

    After overclocking and using ATI tool to check for artifacting, my 8800GTS 640 with stock fan to 675/1024 with idle temps of 50C and load temps of 65-70 is running smoothly. However, I set my GPU fan to run at 100% capacity at all times, which is responsible for those pretty low temps. While the fan is a bit louder, could this cause damage to the actual fan?

    Edit: I'm a complete moron, I forgot to unplug my USB external drive, which was causing the boot up problem.

    Gadeus on
    Brawl Code: 2105-8329-7282
  • JacksNsomniaJacksNsomnia Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I was hoping to build, well have my friend build, a gaming pc from the ground up with a thousand-dollar budget which could play Crysis with medium settings at the very least. What should I be looking for in my build?

    EDIT: I should learn how to read these things beforehand...

    JacksNsomnia on
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  • GadeusGadeus Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I was hoping to build, well have my friend build, a gaming pc from the ground up with a thousand-dollar budget which could play Crysis with medium settings at the very least. What should I be looking for in my build?

    EDIT: I should learn how to read these things beforehand...
    I'd recommend Intel Q6600, an 8800GT, a p35 chipset motherboard (I like the Gigabyte GA-p35-DS3L), a solid powersupply, 2 gigs of ram (800 DDR2 PC6400 ram is compatible with the motherboard I just listed), a solid power supply and a decent case, and maybe an after market CPU cooler if you plan on overclocking. All of this should cost around 1000 or so, but I'm doing this off the top of my head, so that total might be off a bit.

    My rig is very similar, except my graphics card is an 8800 GTS 640 (which is actually weaker than the GT), and I can run crysis with all settings on high on XP at 1600x900 with a FPS of 27-46 or so on the single player demo.

    Gadeus on
    Brawl Code: 2105-8329-7282
  • JacksNsomniaJacksNsomnia Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Gadeus wrote: »
    I was hoping to build, well have my friend build, a gaming pc from the ground up with a thousand-dollar budget which could play Crysis with medium settings at the very least. What should I be looking for in my build?

    EDIT: I should learn how to read these things beforehand...
    I'd recommend Intel Q6600, an 8800GT, a p35 chipset motherboard (I like the Gigabyte GA-p35-DS3L), a solid powersupply, 2 gigs of ram (800 DDR2 PC6400 ram is compatible with the motherboard I
    just listed), a solid power supply and a decent case, and maybe an after market CPU cooler if you plan on overclocking. All of this should cost around 1000 or so, but I'm doing this off the top of my head, so that total might be off a bit.

    My rig is very similar, except my graphics card is an 8800 GTS 640 (which is actually weaker than the GT), and I can run crysis with all settings on high on XP at 1600x900 with a FPS of 27-46 or so on the single player demo.

    What would you recommend in terms of a power supply? I'm totally new to building PCs let alone their components.

    EDIT: Here is a build my friend has recommended:
    $85 Asus P5LD2 R2
    $195 Core2Duo E6750 (2.66Ghz, 4M L2, dual core
    $ 48 2GB DDR2-800Mhz memory (CL5)
    $100 500GB SATA 3G HDD 7200RPM 16MB
    $110 nVidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 (NX8600GT-T2D256E OC)
    $ 35 DVDRW 18x dual layer
    $ 98 Windows XP home
    $ 80 RaidMAX Sagitta ATX-921 black/silver steel ATX mid-tower w/450W supply

    I would rather go with a 8800GT for one and probably 4 GB of ram with XP Professional... What do you think?

    JacksNsomnia on
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  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I'd pay the extra money to get the 8800GT, which is way better than the 8600, and it would be the biggest thing holding the system back. The consensus here has been that a powerssupply needs to have 20+ amps on the 12v rail. I've never heard of RaidMAX before have you or your friend found them to be reliable?

    Malkor on
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  • ToyDToyD Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    I have 2 raidmax cases. Both are easy to work in and have wonderful airflow. I've never needed additional case fans beyond what my raidmax cases come with. They are also nice and quiet cases provided you don't muck it up too bad.

    ToyD on
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  • JacksNsomniaJacksNsomnia Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    My friend believes that a 8800GT would almost be a waste on my 17" 1280 X 1024 Samsung and as such a 8600 would be a much better choice. What do you think?

    EDIT: How does this look?

    JacksNsomnia on
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  • imperial6imperial6 Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Glad I happened to be back in here in time to say your friend is wrong, wrong, wrong.* If you weren't going to play the most demanding game on the market then maybe the 8600 would be a viable alternative. Crysis at 1280x1024 will run on low settings with an 8600gt, while it will run on high settings with an 8800gt.

    Also, strongly advise not getting the PSU combo with your case. I'm assuming that 450watt they package in the case is the same basic raidmax with 21a on the +12v rail and an efficiency of less than 75%, which is...ew. Get whatever case you prefer, then get this power supply (which you can probably find cheaper at buy.com or zipzoomfly).

    *edit: Ok, maybe you get medium out of an 8600gt on Crysis. I'd still go with the 8800gt obviously, since it's in your budget, you get higher settings now, and you get 3+ years out of it before it needs replacing.

    edit 2: If the price is right for the new radeons ($179 for the 3850, $219 for the 3870), then those are viable alternatives as well. Reviews are finally up, hardocp is generally the best...here's the 3870, 3850, 8800gt, and 8600gts in crysis. Looks like I might have been right in the first place about the 8600 not getting to medium.

    imperial6 on
  • JacksNsomniaJacksNsomnia Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    imperial6 wrote: »
    Glad I happened to be back in here in time to say your friend is wrong, wrong, wrong.* If you weren't going to play the most demanding game on the market then maybe the 8600 would be a viable alternative. Crysis at 1280x1024 will run on low settings with an 8600gt, while it will run on high settings with an 8800gt.

    Also, strongly advise not getting the PSU combo with your case. I'm assuming that 450watt they package in the case is the same basic raidmax with 21a on the +12v rail and an efficiency of less than 75%, which is...ew. Get whatever case you prefer, then get this power supply (which you can probably find cheaper at buy.com or zipzoomfly).

    *edit: Ok, maybe you get medium out of an 8600gt on Crysis. I'd still go with the 8800gt obviously, since it's in your budget, you get higher settings now, and you get 3+ years out of it before it needs replacing.

    edit 2: If the price is right for the new radeons ($179 for the 3850, $219 for the 3870), then those are viable alternatives as well. Reviews are finally up, hardocp is generally the best...here's the 3870, 3850, 8800gt, and 8600gts in crysis. Looks like I might have been right in the first place about the 8600 not getting to medium.

    Will the PSU you recommended work with that specific case or do you recommend a different one?

    EDIT: What do you take away from those reviews? Should I get a 3870 instead of a 8800 even if I'm probably going to upgrade my monitor to a 22"?

    JacksNsomnia on
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  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited November 2007
    Most of the reviews I've seen today would lead me to belive that you should go for the 3870 unless you can find a 8800GT at the target price of ~$220, which won't be happening anytime soon. Also if you're considering the 8600 get the 3850 instead.

    Anandtech

    Malkor on
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