Computer advice

MarshalLaw · 10-18-06, 05:50 AM

Hello all,

After 4 good years with my old computer I'm finally upgrading. Of coarse I want something that will play SH3 and the upcoming SH4. I have read some of the post regarding vid cards and such. However I have 2 questions:

DDR vs DDR2 Ram.... Is it worth the extra cost?

ATI Radeon vid cards vs NVIDA which is better graphics wise?

Below is what I'm thinking of getting please feel free to chime in your thoughts, I want to make sure I make a "informed" decision.

Thanks,

Athlon 64 3800+939 with a Asus compatible MB
Maxtor HD 160 GB
Best 19 inch Flat screen I can afford
1 Gig of DDR or DDR2, 2 gig if I have enough cash
ATI Radeon X1600Pro 512MB
XP Pro (Upgrade from Home that I have now)
Good case 400watt PS, standard Mouse/keyboard
Floppy/ 16X Rw/=RW light scribe
DVD/Rom
Altec speakers ( nothing fancy)
Sound Blaster Audigy SE

Hoping to keep it around $1000.00 US

HunterICX · 10-18-06, 06:54 AM

:hmm: I dont really know much about Ati vid cards because I mainly use Nvidia from the beginning the Geforce 2.

the 512 cards are really fancy but I dont know its worth the money.

I was look on the Nvidia and red about the new Nvidia Serie 7 the 79** with 512 Ram I spoke with an friend about this but he told the 79** 256 is cheaper and its worth it.

I,m still an Serie 5 user , my buddy uses the 7800 256 Mb and he really like it a lot.

I also asked an shop about 1 or 2 gigs of ram. Its better to go straight to the 2 Gigs an 2x1024 Gig will do the trick (for example look at the Corsair memory sticks) they seem to be really good.

Also about Hard Drives its a good advice to seperate them
for example 1 x 100 gigs, and 1 x 60 gigs
use the 60 gigs to install the OS, Driver Software and all the things you need to run the PC, use the 100 Gigs for personal uses. so in case of an PC failure you dont lose all ur data. you just wipe out the 60 gig and reinstall Windows and the drivers on that one.

further rest an good 19' TFT screen for good prices look at LG's and Samsung's they seem to be fairly priced compared with the quality.

Good luck

CybaGirl · 10-18-06, 07:23 AM

First of all you cannot use DDR2 ram with an AMD 939 CPU. If you want to use DDR2 ram you will have to buy the AMD AM2 CPU that has 940 pins

.

The benefit of buying DDR2 will be mainly for future upgrade paths. As DDR is slowly being phased out and wont be manufactured soon. Well if it is it will be super expensive as the demand wont be there for it. Only by people who want to add more ram that is.

In regards to ATI or Nvidia. If you are looking at any video card under a Radeon X1900XT then I would go with Nvidia mainly from the price point of view..

But if you can stretch your budget and buy the Radeon X1900XT (256MB version is more affordable) then you will be laughing. As not even the Nvidia 7800GTX, 7900, 7900GTX (in some games) and the new 7950 by Nvidia come anywhere near the Radeon X1900XT.

Here is a video card listing from slowest to fastest. Also you can check Toms Hardware too for further confirmation.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index...ki&tag=rmp_vds

My next video card is going to be the X1900XT which I am hoping to get next month

.

Im not to sure what prices are like in the US as oppose to Aus. But you may also consider looking at the new Intel Conroe based processor. As they are currently out performing even the AMD FX CPU and alot cheaper.

In all honestly and if I was upgrading my computer or buying a new one to replace what I have. I would be looking at the Intel Conroe range of CPU's.

Currently I am running a Dual Core AMD 4200+ with 2Gb of DDR ram which is only six months old and after seeing and reading all the reviews I now want an Intel Conroe E6600 setup

.

Coolermaster also make a great range of cases and my Centurion 5 came with a 430 watt power supply included. I can highly recommend this case if you are looking for a good quality case with a decent PSU included.

In regards to DVD burner I would go with BENQ myself as from all the reviews I have read they always get very good ratings and produce excellent quality burns. The LG range of burners are also good value for money.

In regards to sound. I would be just using the onboard sound. Dont waste your money on creative products which are inferior to other sound cards on the market. Especially considering you are not purchasing or using speakers like the Logitech z5500's or any THX approved speakers. You would be far better off putting the extra money you save by not buying a sound card towards the Radeon X1900XT video card IMO and you will find it was money better spent

.

EDIT:

Also forgot to ask is this the Dual Core 3800 you are looking at or the the single core? Because if it is the single core you are far better off with the single core 3700 as it can be overclocked nicely to 2.7 GHZ on air with no problems. I have seen some 3700s even go as high as 3.2 GHZ providing they have the right stepping code and you get the right revision being E4

..

More info on this can be read here

.

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=471051

10-18-06, 08:52 AM

@ CybaGirl

I must remember to never Ever let you build me a PC.

HunterICX · 10-18-06, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdre Gibs

@ CybaGirl

I must remember to never Ever let you build me a PC.

Well, I hate when people are talking about the smallest things that are different...it makes the PC look like something made of parts and the people talk about them like if it is an Item they found in an Role Playing Game. and they talk into the smalles detail that have a small affect on the system itself.

If I want the PC build. I want to know the MAIN details. not everything explained in the smallest details it confuses.

Jimbuna · 10-18-06, 11:42 AM

Just a quick twopenneth worth when considering the amunt of detail you have just been exposed to.....I think you should be looking at something a little more than a 400Watt PS for your new piece of kit

Deimos01 · 10-18-06, 02:48 PM

Ya, you want to go with a 450w power supply at least. Im not going to go into much details here but you want to build with a mind towards upgrade-ability. Much of the stuff that is out now is just about obsolete. You want a mother board that can handle DDR2 memory and PCI-e slots. Dual core processors seem to be the rage now, altho Im not to much up on them atm.

DDR, AGP and PCI are all going the way of the dinosaur. You can still get new components that support all that, but that will be it. Not much room for future upgrades.

As for ATI vs Nvidia... well, you get as many different opinions on them as there are people on this forum. I used to always run nvidia but I just recently bought a radeon x1300 pro since it was the best I could find for an AGP slot and the price was good. I like it just fine.

The vid card was the last upgrade Im going to get out of my current rig. Which is 4 years old now. Next is going to be another complete rebuild with all the new generation hardware so I can upgrade that for another 4-5 years.

10-18-06, 05:50 AM	#1
MarshalLaw Navy Dude Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Orlando Fla USA Posts: 174 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Computer advice Hello all, After 4 good years with my old computer I'm finally upgrading. Of coarse I want something that will play SH3 and the upcoming SH4. I have read some of the post regarding vid cards and such. However I have 2 questions: DDR vs DDR2 Ram.... Is it worth the extra cost? ATI Radeon vid cards vs NVIDA which is better graphics wise? Below is what I'm thinking of getting please feel free to chime in your thoughts, I want to make sure I make a "informed" decision. Thanks, Athlon 64 3800+939 with a Asus compatible MB Maxtor HD 160 GB Best 19 inch Flat screen I can afford 1 Gig of DDR or DDR2, 2 gig if I have enough cash ATI Radeon X1600Pro 512MB XP Pro (Upgrade from Home that I have now) Good case 400watt PS, standard Mouse/keyboard Floppy/ 16X Rw/=RW light scribe DVD/Rom Altec speakers ( nothing fancy) Sound Blaster Audigy SE Hoping to keep it around $1000.00 US

10-18-06, 06:54 AM	#2
HunterICX Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2006 Location: Malaga, España Posts: 10,750 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	:hmm: I dont really know much about Ati vid cards because I mainly use Nvidia from the beginning the Geforce 2. the 512 cards are really fancy but I dont know its worth the money. I was look on the Nvidia and red about the new Nvidia Serie 7 the 79 with 512 Ram I spoke with an friend about this but he told the 79 256 is cheaper and its worth it. I,m still an Serie 5 user , my buddy uses the 7800 256 Mb and he really like it a lot. I also asked an shop about 1 or 2 gigs of ram. Its better to go straight to the 2 Gigs an 2x1024 Gig will do the trick (for example look at the Corsair memory sticks) they seem to be really good. Also about Hard Drives its a good advice to seperate them for example 1 x 100 gigs, and 1 x 60 gigs use the 60 gigs to install the OS, Driver Software and all the things you need to run the PC, use the 100 Gigs for personal uses. so in case of an PC failure you dont lose all ur data. you just wipe out the 60 gig and reinstall Windows and the drivers on that one. further rest an good 19' TFT screen for good prices look at LG's and Samsung's they seem to be fairly priced compared with the quality. Good luck __________________

10-18-06, 07:23 AM	#3
CybaGirl Sailor Gal Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 95 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	First of all you cannot use DDR2 ram with an AMD 939 CPU. If you want to use DDR2 ram you will have to buy the AMD AM2 CPU that has 940 pins . The benefit of buying DDR2 will be mainly for future upgrade paths. As DDR is slowly being phased out and wont be manufactured soon. Well if it is it will be super expensive as the demand wont be there for it. Only by people who want to add more ram that is. In regards to ATI or Nvidia. If you are looking at any video card under a Radeon X1900XT then I would go with Nvidia mainly from the price point of view.. But if you can stretch your budget and buy the Radeon X1900XT (256MB version is more affordable) then you will be laughing. As not even the Nvidia 7800GTX, 7900, 7900GTX (in some games) and the new 7950 by Nvidia come anywhere near the Radeon X1900XT. Here is a video card listing from slowest to fastest. Also you can check Toms Hardware too for further confirmation. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index...ki&tag=rmp_vds My next video card is going to be the X1900XT which I am hoping to get next month . Im not to sure what prices are like in the US as oppose to Aus. But you may also consider looking at the new Intel Conroe based processor. As they are currently out performing even the AMD FX CPU and alot cheaper. In all honestly and if I was upgrading my computer or buying a new one to replace what I have. I would be looking at the Intel Conroe range of CPU's. Currently I am running a Dual Core AMD 4200+ with 2Gb of DDR ram which is only six months old and after seeing and reading all the reviews I now want an Intel Conroe E6600 setup . Coolermaster also make a great range of cases and my Centurion 5 came with a 430 watt power supply included. I can highly recommend this case if you are looking for a good quality case with a decent PSU included. In regards to DVD burner I would go with BENQ myself as from all the reviews I have read they always get very good ratings and produce excellent quality burns. The LG range of burners are also good value for money. In regards to sound. I would be just using the onboard sound. Dont waste your money on creative products which are inferior to other sound cards on the market. Especially considering you are not purchasing or using speakers like the Logitech z5500's or any THX approved speakers. You would be far better off putting the extra money you save by not buying a sound card towards the Radeon X1900XT video card IMO and you will find it was money better spent . EDIT: Also forgot to ask is this the Dual Core 3800 you are looking at or the the single core? Because if it is the single core you are far better off with the single core 3700 as it can be overclocked nicely to 2.7 GHZ on air with no problems. I have seen some 3700s even go as high as 3.2 GHZ providing they have the right stepping code and you get the right revision being E4 .. More info on this can be read here . http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=471051 Last edited by CybaGirl; 10-18-06 at 07:34 AM.

10-18-06, 11:42 AM	#6
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,525 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Just a quick twopenneth worth when considering the amunt of detail you have just been exposed to.....I think you should be looking at something a little more than a 400Watt PS for your new piece of kit __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

10-18-06, 08:52 AM	#4
Cdre Gibs Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	@ CybaGirl I must remember to never Ever let you build me a PC.

10-18-06, 02:48 PM	#7
Deimos01 Frogman Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St louis Posts: 304 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Ya, you want to go with a 450w power supply at least. Im not going to go into much details here but you want to build with a mind towards upgrade-ability. Much of the stuff that is out now is just about obsolete. You want a mother board that can handle DDR2 memory and PCI-e slots. Dual core processors seem to be the rage now, altho Im not to much up on them atm. DDR, AGP and PCI are all going the way of the dinosaur. You can still get new components that support all that, but that will be it. Not much room for future upgrades. As for ATI vs Nvidia... well, you get as many different opinions on them as there are people on this forum. I used to always run nvidia but I just recently bought a radeon x1300 pro since it was the best I could find for an AGP slot and the price was good. I like it just fine. The vid card was the last upgrade Im going to get out of my current rig. Which is 4 years old now. Next is going to be another complete rebuild with all the new generation hardware so I can upgrade that for another 4-5 years.