Buying New PC

[HansVonBeehan]

What would your options be?
my dads seeing what he can do.

[Sledgehammer427]

Nvidia card (i suggest an 8800,since your dads buying it:p ), 3.0 processor, 2048 RAM...

and a motherboard to fit it all on...and enough fans to keep it nice and chilly

[HansVonBeehan]

Well I'll probs had to pay him back since im 19 XD

Well we've looked at a Dell
XPS 420
Unleash your creative passion with a unique set of features designed to make the most of your creative potential
Intel® Processor Q6600 Quad Core™ (2.40GHz, 1066Mhz FSB, 8MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 - English
Display Not Included
512MB ATI® Radeon® 3870 Graphics card
3072MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024/2x512]
750GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA/100 Hard Drive with 16MB DataBurst™ cache
DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD)
1Yr XPS Premium Warranty Support - Priority Call In and Onsite Support
Total = £649

[Sledgehammer427]

aaaaand i would get that...

by a rough estimation, that seems like about as much as i paid for my computer

which was about 700 bucks worth of gear for 300 dollars american, because i live...in america..haha...and i have connected friends, who hate their old gear

[HansVonBeehan]

LOL

well my Dads a pc technican so hopefully He'll get me something good

[Lexandro]

Swap the 3870 for a 4870 if you can, its a much better card. The 4870 is a monster of a card and when used with a quad you will see excellent performance across the board. The 3870 is a very good card in its own right, I know I use one . The 4870 is just so much more powerfull, but if that cant be had the 3870 will do you great.

[badaboom]

I personally wouldn't settle for a proccessor less than 3.0 GHZ,as games for the pc are demanding more power,have you tried IbuyPower?They make fantastic gaming pc's and stand behind them.

http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm

[Lexandro]

Originally Posted by badaboom

I personally wouldn't settle for a proccessor less than 3.0 GHZ,as games for the pc are demanding more power,have you tried IbuyPower?They make fantastic gaming pc's and stand behind them.

http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm

Its a Q6600 (note Q for quad-core), its a good chip. Not maybe as good in gaming benchies as a 4ghz wolfdale but its more than fast enough for his needs.

Oh and OP; Get Vista 64 and up the ram to 4gb and your set. Vista 64 is the best version of Vista to get, and the 4gb of Ram will keep you in good stead for a few years.

[Rockin Robbins]

I would stay away from Dell, HP, any of the proprietary PCs. This is because they have a nasty habit of not playing according to the rules. Dell, for instance, puts a puny non-standard, not robust power supply into their PCs. When it burns out or you have to replace it you have no choice but to buy one of their substandard overpriced weirdly shaped pieces of trash. They're playing you for a fool.

Have to replace the motherboard in that Dell? Guess what? Gotcha again!!! Doesn't that make you feel an undying sense of loyalty?

When you buy a computer make sure it comes in an absolutely standard ATX case. KNOW precisely what motherboard it comes with, yada, yada, yada. When that sucker breaks down or needs repair, you want to know with confidence that each and every part is a true commodity, with hundreds of companies competing to produce that part better and cheaper, so you don't have to settle for whatever proprietary motherboard, power supply or other vital part your particular vendor wants to overcharge you for. I had a Compaq. I bought SH3. I had to upgrade some things. SURPRISE, IDIOT!!!!!!!!

No, the surprise is on them. I'll never again buy a proprietary piece of trash. I'll pay more if necessary to build it myself because I won't have to buy a new system ever again. I'll upgrade it piece by piece and save thousands, while knowing exactly what's in that box of mine.

Other than that I have no opinion.

Originally Posted by HansVonBeehan

LOL

well my Dads a pc technican so hopefully He'll get me something good

i hope that dell was just for an example of the hardware you were thinking about?

if your dad is a pc technician he must know dells are pure crap (all prebuilts are crap but dell and HP are the worst) and you can build your own pc with that exact parts list but better quality parts for half the price dell wants.

i have the Q6600 with 4gb ddr2 ram and 320gb hdd and evga 8800gt video card and sh4 runs like a dream, no lagging at all. just FYI

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by WEBSTER

i have the Q6600 with 4gb ddr2 ram and 320gb hdd and evga 8800gt video card and sh4 runs like a dream, no lagging at all. just FYI

How much is that microprocessor today? If positions remain the same my next motherboard will be for an Intel chip. I like my Opteron, but the Intel chips are definitely more bang for the buck. <drool!> Computer lust is a terrible thing.

[Kruger]

I think that people should be mode disciplined on this forum. Everyone opens a new thread for every question, we end up with 34678 threads, and the real important ones get lost if they don't end-up stickied. In this idea I opened a thread with small questions, but everyone prefers to display the question in the title, thus insuring the matter's popularity.

[Arclight]

Just some guidelines;



- NO pre-built stuff! Build it yourself and avoid stuff like getting stuck with a crap PSU.


CPU: E8400 or better. I have an E7650 (2.66ghz), and the most drain I have seen from a game is ~70% on 1 core. If todays games don't even fully load 1 core, what's the point in going higher. Well, apart from being sure you still have enough 2 years from now. :hmm:

IMHO only go quad if you do a lot of stuff that is able to multi-thread easily (compile software, edit/convert music and video).

Memory: DDR2, 800mhz or maybe 1066mhz. Kingston has a 3-3-3-10 800mhz 2gb kit. Low latency is more important than mhz.

PSU: 500watts for 1 videocard, 600watts for sli/crossfire minimal. Personally I have 520watt corsair running 8800GTS 512. PLENTY of power. Anything build with Seasonic components is top-notch (some Corsairs, some Antecs). The PSU powers all your components, possibly the most important piece of the puzzle. DO NOT skimp on the PSU.

MoBo: Too much to choose from. Find something that fits what you want to stick on it. For durability check that it has solid capacitors. Lower Rds(on) MOSFET, ferrite core choke are good quality's to look for as well. PCI-E 2.0 to make sure you're new 2.0 card isn't on a bus that holds it back. Personally have good experience with Gigabyte.


For graphics I'd still advice Nvidia; those cards seem to take less of a performance hit when enabling anti-aliasing. Brand doesn't really matter, performance difference between them is negligible. Get something with a nice bundle (extra accessoires, game included) and/or "extras" like a trade-in policy or extended waranty. Choose a dual-slot card; most of those exhaust the hot air out the back of the case. Keeps the whole system cooler.


- Get 2 HDs. Put OS on 1, paging file on the other. SATA ofcourse.

- I'd get a third-party cooler for the CPU to keep it cool, but that's personal prefference. Get a case with fans included or order better ones yourself. at least 120mm fan front and back to pull some air through the case.


And there you have a base for a gaming rig. May cost a bit, but I find it's worth it (being an avid gamer).

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by HansVonBeehan

What would your options be?
my dads seeing what he can do.

Wrong question... ...you're going to get as many different answers as you do replies...


Your best bet is to find a computer system that appeals to you...list it's specs on a couple of techie forum boards..and read the arguments pro and con ..then use your good sense and experience to make your decision.

Remember ...you are the only one who has to live with it....

[banjo]

Just a thought, but what about getting Windows XP instead of Vista? I have seen a lot in this forum about Vista causing problems for gamers.