New Computer Recommendations

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JOSHSKORN

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
262
I'm looking to build a new computer and FAST. My computer just died. I'm looking to run Vista Ultimate Platform, and also create a killer gaming machine at 32-bits, considering it seems like we're a ways away from converting over to 64-bit, still.

If anyone could give me recommendations in terms of types of memory and graphics cards and processors to use, I can probably find the rest. I'm going to salvage my dvd drive from my old computer. Maybe someone can recommend if I should go quad core or duo core 2.

My computing tastes entail high end gaming such as Halo, Halo 2, Battlefield 2142 and other games that suck up your resources. I also do a alot of my own programming, therefore I'm using Visual Studio 2005 extensively and other programming software. I also realize that running IE7 is a concern for older computers, and so is Office 2007.

Do I need to go DDR3 at 1333 MHz or how will a DDR2 @ 800 Mhz system work with my tastes? What about GDDR3 OR GDDR4? How much video ram capacity is needed? I was looking at the ATI 2900s at 1GB. I see a lot of good deals on store made computers (big brands) such as DELL and HP. how do those rate up with today's top resource consuming games on top of Vista Ultimate along with my other computing activities?

I'm not interested in waiting for the x38 chip on motherboards.

What are anyone's thoughts on using the q6600 quad core chip in relation to my computing interests?
 
Don't go for the 1gb 2900... huge waste of money. Get a 8800GTS or 8800 GTX and do yourself a favor. Read the [H] reviews on these cards for more information.

Grab a 6600 or so C2D, or a Q6600 if you want some more "future proofing", since games coming out soon will take advantage of more cores.

Get DDR2 for now as well. 800mhz is fine since most C2D (or the Q6600) start @ 266mhz FSB and the ram is 400, so until you hit over 400mhz FSB you aren't OCing the ram at all, and the CPU is being OCed quite a bit.
 
High end gaming = Halo and Halo 2? More like Crysis/UT3/Bioshock!

jmackay has some good recommendations. I love my 8800GTS and have no problems playing any of the new games on high (except R6: Vegas of course). See if you can get a Q6600 for <$300.
 
Q6600

8800gts or gtx... i have no problem with my gts 320mb and 1920x1200 resolution
 
Please help me with my specs. I'm going off of the configurator at www.cyberpowerpc.com. Again, I want to be able to run high end games, such as BF2142 and I think one called Saga, for instance. Power consumption is a concern for me as well, not sure if I'm doing the right thing here.

First of all, I don't know which case to choose off of there, they don't give much of a good picture. I'm pretty much looking for 8 USB 2.0 ports.

Processor: Q6600
RAM: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory(Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)[+0]More Brand...
Corsair Value Select or Major Brand
CASE: X-Discovery Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOWS & TEMPERATURE DISPLAY
Power supply upgrade: CoolerMaster Unit 600 Watts eXtreme Power - SLI Supports
Cooling Fan: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
Motherboard: (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P35 Neo-F P35 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 16X PCI Express(Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)[+0]More Brand...Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA. NOTE: only getting one video card
Hard drive: 750GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
Misc: DVD ROM drive and Dual Layer burner (2 separate drives), 3 1/2" FLOPPY DRIVE

My other concern is overheating. Maybe someone can go to that site and recommend what I NEED and something that isn't complete overkill. I am not interested in overclocking. That is beyond my knowledge.

I'm also intrigued to get more information on one poster's problems with the GTS with R6 Vegas.
 
My suggestion would be a E6600 and a 8800GTS or if you can afford it a Q6600 and a 8800GTX, 2Gb of RAM minimum for gaming, maybe 4Gb if you can afford it. And I would suggest Vista 64bit, there's no downside to using 64bit as anyone providing support for Vista is doing so for both x86 and x64 platforms, and as soon as you want to put more than 2Gb of RAM into the PC you'll need a 64bit OS.
 
I'd ask a mod to please move this thread for you to General gaming as you will get better advice(more detailed and better description) from that section. This forum is large and most people stick to only a few parts of it.
As far as your system goes don't buy that Value select ram your best bet would be to just give them a budget in General Hardware and what resolution your monitor is running at. Also do you really need a 750gb hard drive or could you start with a 320 and maybe get another later if you fill it up? Look in the Hot Deals section to find better RAM at a better price the same also goes for your video card.
 
Are you buying this as a whole computer or are you building your own?
 
shmitty said:
I'd ask a mod to please move this thread for you to General gaming as you will get better advice(more detailed and better description) from that section. This forum is large and most people stick to only a few parts of it.
As far as your system goes don't buy that Value select ram your best bet would be to just give them a budget in General Hardware and what resolution your monitor is running at. Also do you really need a 750gb hard drive or could you start with a 320 and maybe get another later if you fill it up? Look in the Hot Deals section to find better RAM at a better price the same also goes for your video card.
Click to expand...

Not familiar with problems in Vegas and the 8800GTS cards, but I don't play it. All of the suggestions above are really good ones. Unless...

It sounds like you are going to buy from a system integrator (Dell, HP, etc) not build your own. That will cost extra, but my roommate went that way. He did not want to bother with building it, though he could have. I could have done it for him, too. He got an Alienware.

That would change things. You may have less of a choice as far as using "value select RAM" and the like. If you can mix and match because you are doing your own build you should look around on other forum sections for more specific recommendations for each component. Otherwise, I would say your posted system is pretty much good to go.
 
Vegas plays like shit because Ubisoft has no clue how to port a game to the PC. It has nothing to do with PC hardware.

What brand is that 750GB HDD? I suggest a 750 Seagate 7200.10. Switch out that PSU to a Cosair 520w (or the higher counterpart if you want more power). I agree with getting some good RAM instead of value select.

I really recommend just heading to newegg and building it on your own. It'll probably save you hundreds, be quicker, and is extremely simple to do.
 
lol I built mine for $1200 and they want $2400 for a factory built? lol
 
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz $222.90
EVGA 122-CK-NF66-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i Ultra ATX $89.99
CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) TWIN2X2048-8500C5D $193.00
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V $124.99
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM SATA150 $194.99
EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 $374.99
LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower $99.99

----------------
$1300 plus shipping/taxes

This is the minimum system I would go with considering what you want to do. The stock Intel CPU cooler is not bad at all.
 
JOSHSKORN said:
I'm looking to run Vista Ultimate Platform, and also create a killer gaming machine at 32-bits, considering it seems like we're a ways away from converting over to 64-bit, still.
Click to expand...

Not really. Not only is 64-bit rapidly becoming the predominant choice, it's faster and more supported. I'd suggest that.
 
I'm just going to use CyberpowerPC. The other sites mentioned are way too expensive. Please help me choose a board:

  • ((Quad-Core Supports) MSI P965 Neo-F P965 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1066 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio)
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) EVGA nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P6N SLI-FI nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P35 Neo-F P35 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P6N Diamond nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()

I'm going to be purchasing the E6750 processor, 2 or 4 GB memory (haven't decided) and the GTS 8800 640 MB Video Card. I also decided on a 600w psu upgrade. I'll only be running one video card.
 
JOSHSKORN said:
I'm just going to use CyberpowerPC. The other sites mentioned are way too expensive. Please help me choose a board:

  • ((Quad-Core Supports) MSI P965 Neo-F P965 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1066 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio)
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) EVGA nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P6N SLI-FI nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P35 Neo-F P35 Chipset LGA775 Supports Core 2 Duo CPU FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) MSI P6N Diamond nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()
  • (Quad-Core FSB1333) Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard()

I'm going to be purchasing the E6750 processor, 2 or 4 GB memory (haven't decided) and the GTS 8800 648 MB Video Card. I also decided on a 600w psu upgrade. I'll only be running one video card.
Click to expand...

I would go with one of the two cheaper options, the MSI P965 Neo-F or the ASUS P5N-E. The ASUS P5N-E is listed here as 45nm compatible, I don't know about the MSI P965 based board. SLI and 45nm, what more do you need? ;)

The e6750 is only $46 less than the q6600, I would go quad core if I were you. If you want to later, it will cost you the full price of the quad core CPU. There does not seem to be a trade up, here. Go 2GB RAM if you need to (it does save $200, after all), but why not spend the $46 on the CPU, now? I see that even with 2GB, it is the difference between $1771 and $1725 (w/ the ASUS, above), so maybe it is just sticker shock. My roommate paid $2700 for his Alienware, so you need to put this in perspective. You want an integrator provided system (vs building your own) you need to pay to play. Saving $46 in this manner has a good chance of being something you regret later. Pay to play (with a quad, at least). Plus, you will just be wasting that 600w upgrade for $59 if you don't. :D

Same with not spending the $5 to get EVGA. That seems worth it to me. Just a thought. We are at $1776 for a 2GB now, though. $1976 for 4GB. :(

Also, if you are using 32-bit Vista, get 3GB of RAM, as 2GB the minimum for a gamer anyway, and 4GB is a waste, since your video ram will eat up almost all of the last GB available to a 32-bit OS (including Vista). I see they do not offer that, so go 2GB and buy the part number they use, but in a 2x 512MB module kit version, somewhere else and install it yourself to kick it up a notch. Just my final thought, since you seem pretty set on cyberpowerpc.

I do like they way they let you choose from so many options. Pretty cool. I still prefer my roommate's "Alien" theme case, though. :D
 
Betrayer,

Thank you for your extensive information. The more I read, the more I become confused. I'm looking at building a gaming rig, basically. In looking at benchmark tests found here, it would appear that the E6750 outperforms the Q6600 in most games. This is why I was leaning more toward the E6750 for now, until the price of a very good quad core is actually affordable. Anyone have any other thoughts on the two chips?

The other stuff I do will perform fine on this machine. I just want my games to work effectively.

This is my updated list. My concern is heat/cooling. I also didn't select any upgraded PSU. Maybe you or someone can recommend a minimal wattage based on what I've got. I want to also allow some leeway, for when I actually do upgrade to a quad core. I most likely will never run dual video cards:

CAS: ($20 off Mail-in Rebate) X-Discovery Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & Temperature Display (Black Color)
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CS_FAN: Default case fans
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core&#8482; 2 Duo E6750 CPU @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit [+24]
CD: 16X DVD ROM [-21] (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: PIONEER DVR-111 DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER [+47] (BLACK COLOR)
FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE (BLACK COLOR)
FAN: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
HDD: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+79])
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core FSB1333) Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory [+90] (Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
VIDEO: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 16X PCI Express [+363] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
 
JOSHSKORN said:
Betrayer,

Thank you for your extensive information. The more I read, the more I become confused. I'm looking at building a gaming rig, basically. In looking at benchmark tests found here, it would appear that the E6750 outperforms the Q6600 in most games. This is why I was leaning more toward the E6750 for now, until the price of a very good quad core is actually affordable. Anyone have any other thoughts on the two chips?

The other stuff I do will perform fine on this machine. I just want my games to work effectively.
Click to expand...

Just get the Duo dude. For gaming, that's all you need. All this talk about needing Quad soon for gaming, isn't necessarily true (not for a while). Crysis will use it (that i know of), and that's about it. But, all the in-game stuff we have seen with Crysis has been with Duos anyway, so get the Duo.
 
ok so my last two questions would basically be what about cooling and what about PSU requirements? Unless I can come up w/ more questions. I suppose anything is possible.
 
are you building this yourself or buying from cyberpowerpc?

as for your psu question, you should get a 400-600 watt quality psu

you can't go wrong with a corsair 520hx
 
tickle_me_emo said:
are you building this yourself or buying from cyberpowerpc?

as for your psu question, you should get a 400-600 watt quality psu

you can't go wrong with a corsair 520hx
Click to expand...

As far as I know, CyberPowerPC builds it and ships it. The corsair 520hx is not listed.

OK so the final question (hopefully) is, what, if any extra cooling would I need? I can get an extra 1, 2 or 3 fan(s) and also, I have the option of selecting a different cooling fan:

  • INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK() (comes with package)
  • Vigor Gaming Monsoon II Lite CLT-M2LI LGA775 CPU Air Conditioner Cooling System (The Ultimate and Best CPU overclocking performance)()
  • Thermaltake V1 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Excellent Overclocking + Silent Proof + Smart CPU & System Thermal Monitor)()
  • Thermaltake MaxOrb Enthusiast CPU Cooling Fan(Slient & Overclock Proof w/ Highest Efficiency Cooling)()
  • CoolerMaster Hyper TX2 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan(Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dba)()
  • CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling System (Superior Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dba)()

Should I get what it comes with or do I need something different/better?
 
Wow, such a superb selection. :rolleyes: I'd personally just go with the stock HS since you stated you have no interest to overclock.
 
Get the quad over a duo if they are close in price. The quad will be utilized in upcoming games such as Crysis and UT3, and thus games based off those engines.
 
Yeah IBuypower and Cyberpower are pretty generally known to be shifty when it comes to their customer service practices. I don't have time to check at the moment but you might look them up on resellerratings.com.
 
I have ordered 1 system and a laptop from Cyberpower and had no trouble with customer service. I actually had a few issues by my own fault and they handled them quite well. They dont always have the best selection of parts but are better than dell and are competitive in price.

BTW If you have no plans on overclocking get the stock heatsink and fan included with the package. Get the option for extra case fans though which I believe should not cost more than a few dollars. And your PSU should be at least 500 watts if you want to perhaps upgrade that GTS in the future. Don't skimp on it, cyberpower offers coolermaster and enermax in the 5-600 watt range. Stay away from the others.
 
zamardii said:
Just get the Duo dude. For gaming, that's all you need. All this talk about needing Quad soon for gaming, isn't necessarily true (not for a while). Crysis will use it (that i know of), and that's about it. But, all the in-game stuff we have seen with Crysis has been with Duos anyway, so get the Duo.
Click to expand...

From March of this year @ hardocp.

Notice how, with HardOCP's methodology, "apples to apples" @ 1600X1200 is a >55% improvement with 4 cores vs 2?

Also, when were Prey, Serious Sam 2, UT2004, Warhammer Mark of Chaos, and Quake 4 released (the only games, in addition to SupCom, that were tested)? In '07? The answers, respectively are: 7/06; 10/05; 3/04 (are you kidding?); 11/06; 10/05. What about other games (besides SupCom) that were released this year? Stalker, anyone? Where were modern games in that roundup. This year, at least last year - just leave the '04 and '05 stuff at home where it belongs. Some 1st half '07 releases can make decent use of extra cores.

That travesty, combined with a obvious lack of testing in a well underway, extensive SupCom game (which deflates the performance advantage of multiple cores, since SupCom builds up CPU use over time) points to a problem with those numbers being used as a basis of a current purchase. It is just too focused on the history of gaming. Certainly not a representative sample of the present. Not to mention immediate-future releases. Name me a big soon-to-be-released game that does not list multi-threaded as an improvement. Bioshock? Crysis? UT3? Anything?

People who do not notice the way the wind is blowing will just get left behind. Not a big deal, but not needed, really. A shame for that to happen, for $46. Just my opinion, but I base it on modern ('07) release history, and the stated feature set of soon-to-be-released big games.

It's your build, of course. You'll find out, one way or another, just like the rest of us. :D

Good luck, either way. :cool:
 
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