Help & suggestions for a new PC.

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Zacharoth

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Oct 3, 2006
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Greetings! I've come here for some desperately needed suggestions from some knowledgeable techies and friendly chaps alike. I'm seeking to buy a new computer but I'm having some problems..

Okay here's a brief introduction;

I've been sitting on an Infotech custom-built PC for the last few years and I am dreadfully sick of the thing (specs below). When I first got it in about 02/03, I didn't know too much about hardware and my interests weren't entirely on having the best system, just one that I could enjoy gaming on (my experiences have been but anything but that as you'll later find out). So what I'm looking for here are any suggestions in what I should keep an eye out for and if and when I should buy a new machine. I'm aching to get one as soon as possible to play Counter-Strike: Source (and maybe some Battlefield 2/2142) and do some graphics design on, but that's about it for now..

Unveiling my nightmare machine's current specs;

ATI Radeon 9600 128mb
AMD Athlon XP 2100+ (1.4~1.7ghz)
Asus A7V333 (with no added soundcard)
1g ram
Seagate 200 gb hdd
Samsung 17" SyncMaster 712N

Quick history on this machine;

I got the thing in about 2003. The graphics card overheated (GeForce 4 Ti 4200 128mb) and I got it replaced (under warranty, replaced with another GF4 only an Asus). My speaker system's cable died and Creative Labs told me they don't offer replacements for my model's volume/power cable. My onboard soundcard has always been unstable and the driver support is dead (of course). I blew my original display (ViewSonic 17" LCD flat panel), and got a Samsung. I bought an extra stick of ram and my friend sent me his ATI card. After many powershorts my computer (literally) reverts back in time and I have to reinstall new apps, games, drivers and Windows XP becomes unbareably sluggish (sometimes fixed after I run Registry Mechanic). My original hdd randomly died (Western Digital 70g), I replaced it with a Seagate 200g (from Fry's for only $40! over a year ago) and I've given up trying to fix the abundant problems on this machine (I've even reformatted and repartitioned many times..).

In conclusion..

• I need a new machine that can hold me off (at least) for a few years.
• One ideal for a hardcore gamer, and music (METAL!) buff.
• One that can take advantage of DirectX10 (even though I'm not too keen on the idea of switching to Vista).
• I'd like to be able to play Unreal Tournament 2007 and Crysis (both at decent frame rates, this is anyone's guess..).
• I need a computer that can handle graphics design (and not freeze when I open memory intensive applications..).
• I'd like to put it together myself (but I don't mind buying a pre-built machine as long as it doesn't cost hundreds more for a logo).
• I'd like for it to come out in a mid-high range in performance
• And finally, the price range is whatever you suggest (I don't need three Dell LCD displays or too fancy of peripherals or THE BEST machine to date, just keep in mind I'm not very wealthy).

I'm aware that DDR3, PCIe 2.0 and quad-core processors are all around the corner but any updated timeframes for these and do you think it'd be better to wait now or buy a PC now and possibly upgrade later?

Thanks for your time, hope to hear some suggestions from some of you soon.
 
Ok lets try this out and how the 8800gts and 8800gtx handle direct x 10 games is anyones guess.

cpu: $308 Intel Core2Duo e6600 2.4ghz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003
video card: $480 Evga 8800gts direct x 10 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071
motherboard: $145 Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128018
ram: $220 OCZ Platinum 2x1gb DDR800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227089
hdd: $110 Samsung Spinpoint HD400J 400gb hdd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152046
psu: $130 Seasonic 550w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151027
Case: $110 Antec p180b http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129017
dvd burner: $30 Samsung 18X dvd burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151133
Monitor: $300 Chimei 221D 22" lcd black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824252008
TOTAL $1803 incl. monitor

For $1800 that build is of high quality with good quality parts and that case should accomodate an 8800gtx if you wanted to go that route. I honestly have no experience with sound cards but onboard sound has come along way so it should be fine :) That monitor despite the price is actually a high quality lcd review.
 
tisb0b said:
Ok lets try this out and how the 8800gts and 8800gtx handle direct x 10 games is anyones guess.

cpu: $308 Intel Core2Duo e6600 2.4ghz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003
video card: $480 Evga 8800gts direct x 10 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071
motherboard: $145 Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128018
ram: $220 OCZ Platinum 2x1gb DDR800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227089
hdd: $110 Samsung Spinpoint HD400J 400gb hdd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152046
psu: $130 Seasonic 550w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151027
Case: $110 Antec p180b http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129017
dvd burner: $30 Samsung 18X dvd burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151133
Monitor: $300 Chimei 221D 22" lcd black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824252008
TOTAL $1803 incl. monitor

For $1800 that build is of high quality with good quality parts and that case should accomodate an 8800gtx if you wanted to go that route. I honestly have no experience with sound cards but onboard sound has come along way so it should be fine :) That monitor despite the price is actually a high quality lcd review.
Click to expand...

Thanks man that's looks like very budget smart build and would do everything I currently would want it to.

The only question remaining is what would I be missing out on if I get a machine such as this? And do you think its performance would be really hindered come UT2K7, Crysis and Quake Wars? And if you're not sure maybe you can throw a wild guess or suggest what you would replace from this build come these couple titles (I haven't kept up much since I got the machine I'm on back in 03). Maybe some of you who have experience with upgrading or building gaming rigs would be able to give me a rough estimate.

Thanks again!
 
That machine will be about the fastest thing you can build without stepping up to the 8800GTX, so I would venture to guess it is your best bet for handling upcoming game releases.

I have one of those Samsung SpinPoint drives. Not bad, but there are faster ones out there for same or lesser price. But it is very quiet.

Don't forget to budget in around $100 for a copy of Windows if your current one is not transferable (OEM copy).
 
Met-AL said:
That machine will be about the fastest thing you can build without stepping up to the 8800GTX, so I would venture to guess it is your best bet for handling upcoming game releases.

I have one of those Samsung SpinPoint drives. Not bad, but there are faster ones out there for same or lesser price. But it is very quiet.

Don't forget to budget in around $100 for a copy of Windows if your current one is not transferable (OEM copy).
Click to expand...

What would you change on this build if you were to get a 8800GTX instead of the suggested 8800GTS if anything?
 
Zacharoth said:
Thanks man that's looks like very budget smart build and would do everything I currently would want it to.

The only question remaining is what would I be missing out on if I get a machine such as this? And do you think its performance would be really hindered come UT2K7, Crysis and Quake Wars? And if you're not sure maybe you can throw a wild guess or suggest what you would replace from this build come these couple titles (I haven't kept up much since I got the machine I'm on back in 03). Maybe some of you who have experience with upgrading or building gaming rigs would be able to give me a rough estimate.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

heh np :)

Anyways the 8800gts will let you max everything out on any direct x 9 game and with direct x 10 it should handle the games just fine. In a year or 2 just chuck a better graphics card in it, if its feeling a bit sluggish. Also the ds3 and e6600 are great overclockers so in the future if it's feeling a bit slow grab an aftermarket cooler and overclock it.
 
Zacharoth said:
What would you change on this build if you were to get a 8800GTX instead of the suggested 8800GTS if anything?
Click to expand...

Nothing, that build is a pretty good list.
 
If you have the money to spend I would go with a Falcon Northwest computer,there custom built to what you want in a computer and they even talk with you over the phone about what hardware to get and what hardware not to get.When you get the computer you get "ALL" of your install disks that comes with every piece of hardware they install,you get a restore disk and you get the OS disk thats installed on your computer.There tech support is very,very good.There you only have one person building your computer with the best parts possable.
good luck with the computer
 
Thats a nice build b0b put together for you. To complete the "silent pc" aspect of the build, go for a Scythe Ninja Plus:
$40 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm CPU HSF
Not only will this HSF allow for some good OC'ing, but it will also be much quieter than the stock intel cooler. Its also a good companion for the other "silent" parts: Samsung hdd, Seasonic PSU, and P180B case. Oh, and dont forget the AS5:
$6 - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5g

Oh yah, make sure there's a firmware update for that samsung dvd burner. My coworker has one, and reports that the read speed is very slow. My uncle has the NEC 18x dvd burner, and said it, too, was initially slow. After updating the firmware, its damn fast!

Oh, and with that 22" LCD, I'd go for the GTX over the GTS :D
 
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