Computer Woes 2

[bradclark1]

After thinking about it it's not worth it to upgrade my computer processor (1.6 to 2.6) and graphics card. The processor would still be behind the times of whats being put out now.
I'm also thinking that it should be a build your own because priceing around some the systems I want would be about $2,500.
If you could design your own rig what would it be and is dual core really an improvement?
I'm not talking an uber state of the art rig. Just something that will last more than two years without having to fork out more money.

Thanks

[tycho102]

Dual core is like having two processors. It actually is two processors, but not everyone licenses on a per-die process. There are only a few games right now that actually use dual-core (Half-Life 2 Quake 4, Doom 3 mod), but the majority (+51%) of games in 2007 will be SMP/multi-threaded. 2006 will see 30% multi-threaded. And the second processor frees up your system during disk reads/writes, as well as background networking functions.

So, you should get a board capable of dual core. Don't have to actually get a dual-core just yet, but it will be in your list, down the road. I'd tell you to go with AMD, but the same applies to Intel.

Definately go with PCIe. And seriously consider using a raid-0/stripe for your system drives, preferably a pair of SATA Raptors. Even if you're not planning on upgrading to Vista, those two Raptors will serve you well for years to come.

[sonar732]

You can find some good barebones systems that will keep up to date persay. You can get some with everything except the video card.

www.pricewatch.com

www.newegg.com

:up:

[Gizzmoe]

At the moment dual-core systems are a waste of money, most games don´t use the second core. This will most likely change in a year or so. They are also very expensive. A 2.4GHz AMD dual-core CPU (Athlon 64 X2 4800+) costs about $630, the 2.4GHz AMD single-core CPU (Athlon 64 4000+) only about $330.

AMD makes the best gaming CPU´s, so I suggest that you get an Athlon 64 3500+ single-core CPU ($200). It´s a very good mid-range CPU for todays standards. Once dual-core CPU´s are affordable you can remove it and put in one of the X2 processors.

Then you need a good mainboard (Socket 939) with Nforce4 chipset (about $90). Look for Asus, Elitegroup or MSI boards. They also support the X2 dual-core processor, later upgrades are no problem.

Add 2GB RAM (about $150). This will keep you happy for a loooong time.

The video card... The ATI X800XL is a good mid-range card (about $170). The Nvidia Geforce 6800GS is a very good card, costs about $210. The latests and fastest cards cost $450 and more.

You also need a good power supply, don´t buy any cheap stuff. Look for a 450-500w Enermax or Antec PSU, they cost about $75.

[JSLTIGER]

The video card... The ATI X800XL is a good mid-range card (about $170). The Nvidia Geforce 6800GS is a very good card, costs about $210. The latests and fastest cards cost $450 and more.


Actually its possible to get an eVGA 7800GT (PCIe) and a Socket 939 PCIe SLI motherboard for $340. The card on it's own tends to run about $280 but will provide higher frame numbers than the 6800GS.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1644233&Sku=E145-7810

[bradclark1]

Thanks for the advice.