building a pc....
Being out the loop for a while now.
Whats best, really! Intel vs. AMD? Nvidia vs ATi? Which socket cpu too? Is sata worth using? dvd writers? thanks Si |
Originally Posted by super_si
Being out the loop for a while now.
Whats best, really! Intel vs. AMD? Nvidia vs ATi? Which socket cpu too? Is sata worth using? dvd writers? thanks Si This guy gets the latest stuff from Intel, AMD, Nvidia & ATI etc.. and gives his verdict on each. At the moment in the CPU stakes it's AMD thats kicking Intels behind with it's AMD x 2 Processor (2 CPUS in one). And for Video cards it keeps changing from Nvidia to ATi and back again. |
If money is no object then it's AMDs socket 939 64-bit CPUs. As jpor says, the dual-core version is the new best thing: not much support currently (although a few apps can use it properly), but expect game support by the end of the year. Until then they will run all software normally. One catch: most motherboards will need a BIOS flash before they will work with one, which may mean borrowing a single core CPU long enough to flash the BIOS. If that puts you off, go with the single core socket 939.
M |
Originally Posted by _Meridian_
If money is no object then it's AMDs socket 939 64-bit CPUs. As jpor says, the dual-core version is the new best thing: not much support currently (although a few apps can use it properly), but expect game support by the end of the year. Until then they will run all software normally. One catch: most motherboards will need a BIOS flash before they will work with one, which may mean borrowing a single core CPU long enough to flash the BIOS. If that puts you off, go with the single core socket 939.
M |
Just so you know, I'm an AMD fan, but...
AMD have the fastest chip at the moment - FX57, ideal for gaming - but way too expensive really. What do you want to do with the PC primarily? As JPOR says, AMD's M2 is due out at some point, but this could be well into Q2 2006, so not much good if you want a PC now. Whats your budget? |
Bored at work, so thought I'd add... If I was building a PC right and had a reasonable amount to chuck at it, I would use:
AMD Athlon64 3500+/4000+ or dual core AMD X2 4400+ A8N SLI premuim 6600GT (low) or 6800GT (mid) or 7800GTX (high) 1Gb Corsair TwinX XM3200C2PT (2x512) or 2Gb Corsair TwinX XMS3200C2PT (2x1Gb) Enermax Noisetaker 600W SLI Audigy 2 ZS or Audigy 4 pro NEC 3540 DVDRW (or newer version of the same) Floppy drive (for bios updates) Akasa Eclipse 62 case + 2x 120mm fans + window panel ;) Hope that helps. |
Originally Posted by DrEvil
Bored at work, so thought I'd add... If I was building a PC right and had a reasonable amount to chuck at it, I would use:
AMD Athlon64 3500+/4000+ or dual core AMD X2 4400+ A8N SLI premuim 6600GT (low) or 6800GT (mid) or 7800GTX (high) 1Gb Corsair TwinX XM3200C2PT (2x512) or 2Gb Corsair TwinX XMS3200C2PT (2x1Gb) Enermax Noisetaker 600W SLI Audigy 2 ZS or Audigy 4 pro NEC 3540 DVDRW (or newer version of the same) Floppy drive (for bios updates) Akasa Eclipse 62 case + 2x 120mm fans + window panel ;) Hope that helps. Bored at work? not answering your phone either and I can't be arsed to walk over to your building! :) |
Originally Posted by DrEvil
Bored at work, so thought I'd add... If I was building a PC right and had a reasonable amount to chuck at it, I would use:
AMD Athlon64 3500+/4000+ or dual core AMD X2 4400+ A8N SLI premuim 6600GT (low) or 6800GT (mid) or 7800GTX (high) 1Gb Corsair TwinX XM3200C2PT (2x512) or 2Gb Corsair TwinX XMS3200C2PT (2x1Gb) Enermax Noisetaker 600W SLI Audigy 2 ZS or Audigy 4 pro NEC 3540 DVDRW (or newer version of the same) Floppy drive (for bios updates) Akasa Eclipse 62 case + 2x 120mm fans + window panel ;) Hope that helps. Si |
go with the AMD VENICE 3000 and overclock it slightly, great value and great performance.
Also 6800gt are now good value for money 7800 too expensive |
Originally Posted by super_si
how much we talking for that?
Si Depends which bits you go for! Although I agree the 3000+ is good if you plan to overclock, if like me you're not interested in overclocking, get the 939pin AMD64 3500+(£170) or 4000+ (£300). AMD64 3500+ circa £170 1Gb Corsair TwinX XMS3200C2PT circa £150 A8N-SLI Premium circa £130 Audigy 2 ZS OEM circa £50 Leadtek or XFX 6800GT 256Mb PCI-E circa £210 Enermax 600W SLI PSU circa £90 NEC 3540 DVDRW drive circa £35 Floppy drive circa £5 Nice metal case, like the Akasa will cost you about £70-£100, depends what you like, but look for at least a rear 120mm case fan, if not front n rear 120mm. That will set you back about £900-940 depending where you get the bits. I tend to buy all the internals from one supplier - makes sending stuff back/identify fault easier - they can't say it was X-suppliers PSU that broke it etc... but I'm just cynical! ;) Then you need keyboard+mouse, monitor and speakers. If you aren't bothered about the case and monitor, keyboard etc ... to be honest, you can get some blinding deals on pre-builds at the moment, from the likes of Mesh Computers etc... But, also, if you shop around, you can get the above components cheaper - just make sure you don't end up spending the savings on P&P! ;) BTW, I've got the A8N SLI premium - its got passive cooling on the NForce4 chipset, so no whiny 8000rpm fan to contend with... :) And yes, the 7800GTX is expensive - but it is almost twice as powerful as 6800GT @ 405/1120 - whether this currently means anything in the real world (games) is another matter.... but I bought one anyway and it rocks :) Hope that helps. My current set-up is: AMD FX53 A8N SLI premium XFX 7800GTX extreme gamer edition (490/1300) 2Gb (2x1Gb) Corsair TwinX XMS3200C2PT (2-3-3-6@DDR400) Audigy 2 ZS OEM NEC 3520 DVDRW 3Dmark05 = 8430 |
PS, a dual core AMD X2 (which will run on the A8N) cost around:
X2 3800 £270 X2 4200 £370 X2 4400 £410 Also, you may want to look at the AMD64 3700 (939pin) .. or not of course.. can't remember the price of that. |
Originally Posted by DrEvil
Also, you may want to look at the AMD64 3700 (939pin) .. or not of course.. can remember the price of that. si |
Originally Posted by super_si
£225 with 1mb cache i saw
si Good luck, which ever way you decide to go. |
Just realised , I forgot the harddisks...
for speed (not cheap thou) 74Gb Western Digital Raptors SATA (10Krpm). Or for value for money and decent performance Seagate or WD 'normal' SATA drives. |
PPS. you could save money by looking at Geil or Corsair value ranges - but just make they are listed on the QVL for the mobo to be sure of compatibility.
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Originally Posted by DrEvil
SNIP Bored at work, so thought I'd add... SNIP.
..anyway just wanted to add that I'm going AMD (probably 3500+) when funds permit, and just wandered how good the 7800GTX really is (extreme Edition is the one i want too :eek: ) ...Are you gonna try em in SLi DrEvil? ::eek2: |
Originally Posted by LEUVEN
7 posts later... hehehe :D , Busy day then ;):D
..anyway just wanted to add that I'm going AMD (probably 3500+) when funds permit, and just wandered how good the 7800GTX really is (extreme Edition is the one i want too :eek: ) ...Are you gonna try em in SLi DrEvil? ::eek2: Well, to be honest its not worth it, I can't justify a 20"+ TFT, so no real point running 2 in SLI at present, as it really only comes into its own when running 1600x1200 with high AA and AF.. even BF2 runs at 60+ fps on my current rig at 1280x1024 (frig'd the shortcut icon to get this res) with everything on high! :) Check out the anandtech.com BF2 GPU round up and you'll see what I mean. As for the XFX 7800 GTX EGE, well, no compaints here, but I don't know 'how much better' it is over the stock 7800GTX, but a mate is getting the BFG version which has a lower overclock out of the box, so might get some BF2 stats for you later this week, as we are both running nearly identical systems (FX53, A8N SLI premium, 2Gb Twinx). Must find that BF2 benchmark tool I saw the other day.... |
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sorry - I'd misquoted the 1Gb ption earlier - its circa £100, but £92 is a good price.
But remember P&P from different companies can soon add up! :) |
see the 4000 chip for £250 too
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Originally Posted by DrEvil
Just realised , I forgot the harddisks...
for speed (not cheap thou) 74Gb Western Digital Raptors SATA (10Krpm). Or for value for money and decent performance Seagate or WD 'normal' SATA drives. Well, if you can get the 4000 for 250 and its in budget, nice. It is basically a FX53 with the higher range of multipliers locked (used for overclocking). |
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