Curse

cmg7531 · Dec 08, 2008, 02:04 PM // 14:04

I am new to this site & just seen a few threads regarding computers. I was thinking of building one myself. I am sort of knowledgeable when it comes to computer parts but know where near a pro. I figured I would let you decide.

I already have a 24" HD monitor more then happy with it. Plan on hooking a 32" HD TV to the computer as well.
I am currently playing GW & cannot wait for GW2. New to gaming but looking to get into Farcry & some other games.
I currently have 2 computers; both of them are a shelf type computer nothing special. The 1st is my wife's, which is a HP & runs a home based business and uses Quickbooks & surf's the internet all day (Partly for work / Partly for fun) I told her it was dangerous but whatever. She recently smoked a computer by downloading a virus!! The 2nd computer is a Gateway currently playing GW & also play LOTR once in a while. I also use mine to download our pictures a play music on via Ipod.
Both computers are hooked to one monitor using a switching box. The power consumption from running 2 computers a would assume to be very high.

I am looking to just build 1 computer that has both mine & her needs met. Any ideas??? I would say I would have around $2,500.00 to spend on the computer alone. I am a huge advocate on buying the best now so you stand a chance of your purchase not going out of date for a while. I already have everything else; I.E. keyboard, mouse, speakers.

Thanks in advance for the help

Quaker · Dec 08, 2008, 04:50 PM // 16:50

Well, for $2500 you can build pretty much anything you want, especially if it doesn't include monitor, keyboard, etc.

I know that many people will give you specific recommendations, but I'll just give general advice. I also, assume from your post, that you are not interested in leading-edge equipment, or overclocking.

Get some sort of high-end cpu. The exact details don't matter too much. The very-high-end is over-priced for what you get. At this point, that would mean an Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad. The AMD phenoms are the price/performance leader in the low to mid-range, but the high end belongs to INtel.
However, the new AMD Phenom II's should be out very soon though, so it may be worth waiting to see how they perform.
Core i7 is Intel's latest and you may want to look into them if some non-gaming related tasks can benefit, but for gaming and most other tasks, you wouldn't see a difference worth the overall cost.
The stock cooler is adequate.

Get a motherboard that matches the cpu. Get a good brand (ASUS, etc.) with a good chipset, but there is no need to go overboard with an "enthusiast" chipset. The Intel P35/P45 chipsets work well with the Core 2 cpus.

Get 4 gigs of whatever RAM matches the cpu and motherboard. If you are buying a new OS, you might consider Vista 64-bit if you want to go over 4gigs of RAM (or even if you don't). Otherwise, reusing a current WinXP or Vista 32-bit is fine.

Get a high end graphics card(s). There are many possibilities depending upon how far you wish to go. You should get at least an nVidia 9800GT or an ATI HD4850, but given your budget, I'd say to go for an ATI HD4870 or an Nvidia GTX260. Beyond that, there are the GTX280, the HD4870x2, two GTX260's or GTX280's in SLI, or two HD4870x2's in Crossfire.

Get a nice case.

Get a large enough power supply to handle the video card(s) you select. Check the ATI or nVidia websites for the recommended power supply wattage.

Hard Drive speed and size doesn't matter too much. Get whatever size hard drive you feel is a good price/performance value - but get SATA II of course. You could also consider getting one smaller (120-250gig) hard drive to install the OS and apps on, and then 2 larger hard drives in a RAID1 array for backup/storage.

Lastly - keep one of the old computers so you can each still have your own and her un-safe surfing won't affect you. With that budget, you can get everything you want plus a new monitor (for the old machine).

snaek · Dec 08, 2008, 06:00 PM // 18:00

a pc for ur wifeys needs would only cost like $400-600
a pc for a gamers needs would be like anywhere from $1000-2000
(u said ur new to gaming? wut did u use the pc for before gaming?)
so i'd say $2500 is more than nuff to build sumptin u want

id recommend keepin the old pc
and settin up a home network

spend under $2000 on the pc itself
then the rest on a router, a new speaker system, monitor, keyboard/mouse, etc

cmg7531 · Dec 08, 2008, 07:39 PM // 19:39

Thanks for the input.
I have both computers networked together. I thought putting the 2 computers together would save on energy, but you are both right in leaving the work computer separate.
Anyway here it goes. I put together the below today while I was at work. (Don't tell the boss!!)

Case: NZXT Gaurdian 921 (Looked Cool)
OS: Vista 64-Bit
Processor: Intel Core Due E8500
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45
Ram: (2) Corsair 2GB (240-pin)
Video: GeFroce GTX280
PSU: Cors-air 750W / CMPUSU-750TX
Cooler: Swiftech's H2O 220 Apex (Not sure if needed)
Hard Drive: For Games: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200Ghz
Hard Drive; For OS: Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB 10000Ghz
CD/DVD: X2: LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16x DVD+R DVD burner

Anything Missing
Anything look stupid

Thanks for the help

Elder III · Dec 09, 2008, 02:30 AM // 02:30

I'll agree with Quaker, right down the line.... I would also add that with your budget I would strongly suggest having 2 separate computers, if you and your wife feel that her current computer is adequate for her needs both now and for a few years, then leave it, just buy a second monitor. If it's getting somewhat outdated, then go ahead and spend $600ish on a new one for her (I just built a complete "mid range" gaming computer with monitor, mouse, keyboard etc for way under $600 with rebates). With the leftover cash you can build a lethal gaming system for yourself, especially if you already have a good monitor.

for all computer components www.Newegg.com is your best friend.

The HD4870x2 is the most powerful card out there and is cheaper than the 280, but both are awesome, so take your pick.
If it were me, and I had 2K to spend, I'd get DDR3 RAM and a compatible motherboard; no big difference at this point, but I suspect there will be in the future. All in all that looks pretty good.
Yes, a cooler would be a good idea, the high end video cards tend to cook pretty hot.

Evil Genius · Dec 09, 2008, 03:11 AM // 03:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elder III

The HD4870x2 is the most powerful card out there and is cheaper than the 280, but both are awesome, so take your pick.

Hmm I had a look on Newegg and:
EVGA GTX 280 = $375 - $30 rebate = $345
Cheapest 4870X2 = $520 - $50 rebate = $470

The GTX 280 is a good $125 cheaper than the 4870X2. I hear the 55nm GTX260s/280s may be released this month, but maybe Jan. My understanding is it is only a die shrink: no more cores, higher clock speeds etc. This means it will run cooler and consumer less power, with greater overclocking ability but will not perform better. Maybe Rahja could shed some light on the 55nm parts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elder III

If it were me, and I had 2K to spend, I'd get DDR3 RAM and a compatible motherboard; no big difference at this point, but I suspect there will be in the future.

If it were me, and I had 2K to spend, I would not get DDR3 RAM and compatible motherboard because the FSB architecture does not utilise high memory bandwidth effectively. You could still get DDR3 and hope to use it in a later build, but with a $2000 computer that won't be for 2 years? I'm guessing. By that time Intel's Sandy Bridge will be around and current DDR3 may not be of much use. Therefore stick with the 4GB DDR2 800/1066mHZ RAM.

Build looks pretty good. Personally I would go with air cooling rather than a water kit. E.g Thermalright 120 Extreme or Noctau heatsinks for CPU and just leave GPU with stock cooling unless you live somewhere hot.

Best of luck.

Elder III · Dec 09, 2008, 03:40 AM // 03:40

my bad, I messed up with the price of the 4870x2 vs the 4870 - in any case, I would still buy the 4870x2 with that budget.

Lord Sojar · Dec 09, 2008, 08:22 AM // 08:22

Sup? Here is your build. Buy these exact parts, and build. I promise complete tech orgasm.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188039

GPU (2 of them): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130398

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139007

OS HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136296

Media HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148373

DISK DRIVE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136133

Misc Stuff:

THERMAL PASTE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

COOLER: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835702007

FANS (3 of them): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835129248

Grand Total: $2,326.05 (that includes shipping)

This PC would rip through ANYTHING you can throw at it, and if you really feel daring, pop in a third GTX260 revB card that I have linked to above, and with the newest drivers, you will destroy everything.

2 ATi 4870x2s will not beat 3 GTX260s, and costs more. So... again, ATi is not the best choice if you are going for pure performance. ATi is the best bang for the buck in mid range builds, but not high end. With our recent price drops, the market is dead even.

Btw, price with 3 GTX260s including shipping?

Grand Total: $2,574.04

SO THERE ALL YOU ATI FANS!

fenix · Dec 09, 2008, 08:41 AM // 08:41

Oh god Rahja, I need some clean pants.

cmg7531 · Dec 09, 2008, 01:18 PM // 13:18

Thanks for all the help I will get the parts coming in a week or so (Rahja's Build). I will go with the 3 GTX260s. By the way the case a originally picked will work with your parts? Just wanted to make sure.

One more question. Which OS should a get? I want Vista 64-bit but there seems to be several different kinds. SP1 / System Builders 3 pack / Home Basic / Home Premium / Home Ultimate.

Lord Sojar · Dec 09, 2008, 04:42 PM // 16:42

Not very well, it is rather small. The case I selected is high quality with tons of cooling options, and is an ATX Full Tower case, not a mid tower. With the sheer size of the GTX260s, you will need a full tower (not to mention the Corsair 1000w isn't small either). If you do want to go with another manufacturer for design reasons, you must get a full tower case.

Manufacturers to choose from:

Thermaltake
Coolermaster
Antec

I really shady on any others, including almost every new Lian Li (except for their top 2 models, which are 500-600 dollars a pop)

Honestly, the Armor+ Full Tower case is one of the best cases on the market, and has an amazing layout with optimal cooling. Those 3 additional fans I said you should buy are for the direct VGA and lower exhaust cooling systems (they come empty, so you must fill them with your own fans) In addition, the Armor+ has an amazing tool less system, and some really nice craftsmanship. Thermaltake brought their A game with the Armor+ and Speedo cases.

As for OS, I didn't notice you needed one. You will want to go with Vista Ultimate 64bit 1 License System Builders version. Vista 64bit is fairly decent, and any deficit it has will be obliterated by the setup I suggested. Basically, the PC I suggested will smash Vista into a billion pieces as far as outperforming the OS goes. With 6GBs of RAM, you will effectively be able to shut off the pagefile or almost totally shut it off (limit it to 500MB min and max), and Vista will be happy go lucky with all that RAM to play with. It will run like a dream.

Quaker · Dec 09, 2008, 05:21 PM // 17:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahja the Thief

With our recent price drops, the market is dead even.

SO THERE ALL YOU ATI FANS!

Note that there is a slight amount of bias in Rahjas picks.

Personally I think that 3 GTX260s is just enthusiast overkill. It's the type of thing that becomes obsolete in 6 months as new cards come out.
Also, note that a full tower case is "big".
Also note that, if you are concerned about power usage - well, you may as well forget that with 3 260s.

And there's no reason for the average home/gamer to spend the bucks on Vista Ultimate anything. Home Premium is fine.

But, if it feels good, do it!

Painbringer · Dec 09, 2008, 08:52 PM // 20:52

Not sure if you like the media portion of the computer but if you do....do not overlook a HDMI connector on the mother board or on the graphic card itself. Never thought I would care about it, but my computer came with one and I can say with out a doubt I love it. Any future computer of mine will need one. Movies / blue ray / netflex / games Etc.. can stream right to your TV. Kinda vain thing but it is fun to play Guild Wars on a jumbo screen now and then

Rezolve · Dec 12, 2008, 04:11 AM // 04:11

Rahja, maybe I missed it, but do u have a link to the case you were talking about? thx

Elder III · Dec 12, 2008, 11:42 AM // 11:42

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133056

I think he was talking about this case... verrah verrah nice one too

Lord Sojar · Dec 13, 2008, 09:51 PM // 21:51

Elder, you are correct my son. Your wisdom exceeds your years, my young case connoisseur.

dark_slayer · Dec 14, 2008, 12:27 AM // 00:27

Well i have a Thermltake armor and a Antec 900.
The Antec 900 is way way better imo. It moves 5 times more air, has adjustable fan speeds,holds 6 hard drives, half the weight, better craftsmanship and plenty of room for GTX 260s.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

With cases i have learned bigger doesn't mean better.

There is a full tower version of the 900 called the 1200. I can not speak for its quality cause ive never seen one in person but it looks just as nice in the pics.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129043

Lord Sojar · Dec 14, 2008, 02:31 AM // 02:31

The Armor is way different from the Armor+. The Armor+ took what was wrong with the Armor and fixed it, plus added multiple improvements. In addition, the Armor+ Full tower is one of the best reviewed cases around, with craftsmanship close to perfection. It is well known to outclass anything Antec has.

Elder III · Dec 14, 2008, 11:17 AM // 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahja the Thief

Elder, you are correct my son. Your wisdom exceeds your years, my young case connoisseur.

*bows*

12chars

dark_slayer · Dec 14, 2008, 01:30 PM // 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahja the Thief

The Armor is way different from the Armor+. The Armor+ took what was wrong with the Armor and fixed it, plus added multiple improvements. In addition, the Armor+ Full tower is one of the best reviewed cases around, with craftsmanship close to perfection. It is well known to outclass anything Antec has.

Not trying to argue but the Antec 900 is the best rated case Newegg has, period.
See for yourself.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090007&bop=And&O rder=RATING
3000+ people cant be wrong imo.