Curse

The Muffen Man · Jul 02, 2008, 09:10 PM // 21:10

I have been out of the computer game for a very long time now.

My current computer is:

AMD Athlone Xp +2600
1Gb ram
Win xp sp3
80Gb HDD
nvidia Gefores 5600 Ultra
15" Dell monitor

So I need an upgrade but Im not gonna build it this time, it seems the game has moved on since lol.

Ok so who wants to build it for me (as in what to get) was looking to get it from Komplett? Alienware? I live in Ireland

Was thinking Vista ultimate? 64 bit or 32?
2Gb ram or 4Gb?
250Gb HDD enough?
SLi? 8800 gts? 9800gtx/gx2? gtx 280? lol
Also was thinking 20" Samsung monitor?
PSU 1000w or 750?
CPU?
Was wanting to get something that would last 4 years at least.
was gonna get it for Christmas so was gonna order around November?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

zamial · Jul 02, 2008, 09:28 PM // 21:28

personally I would wait untill the new chips come out near end of year. if not then.

790i mobo or a skull trail
8 or 4 gigs of the best ddr3 ram you can get.
a qx series intel chip (skull trail uses 2)
3 x280 nvidia graphics cards
2 western digital velocoraptor hard drives
a 1500 watt thermaltake psu
a case that has some REALLY good cooling.
a big monitor
and vista 64-bit

any thing I miss?

if its gonna be around x-mas get a nehalm chip and mobo for it(not out yet). soz didn't see that part.

nebuchanezzar · Jul 02, 2008, 11:22 PM // 23:22

2000 pounds is what?, like 3k+ american? While it wont buy you a top-of-the-line Voodoo/Falcon/Alienware you could certainly build one for that much.
Since you are looking at future proofing(yes an oxymoron in computing but..) then focus on the big things that should last that long.
1. A big fat juicy power supply with more power than you need, cuz you will probably need it down the line.
2. A well designed case with good layout and excellent cooling. If you like some DIY then adding a "blowhole" to the top helps tremendously in many cases.
3. The most recent chipset/motherboard you can within reason. I personnaly don't buy bleeding edge hardware. I let it come down a notch to just cutting edge =]. Then I have some history to compare and reference myself.
4. The monitor
Those items are the main things that will stick around. The CPU, Ram, GPU, HDDs, etc can and often do still get replaced/upgraded.
While you can certainly go all out on the first attempt and hope to never have to change anything for 4 more years, I would build the base as strong as I can. Start with only 1 or maybe 2 GPUs and 4 GB of Ram. You then have possibilities of adding more of either as time/need requires without rebuilding the whole system. I myself include the CPU in that but most don't want the hassle of pulling the heatsink, then cpu, then thermal paste and reseating everything.
Also, I have no clue whom to recommend for a build on your side of the pond, sorry =[.
Your time frame is actually in your favor. Whether you decide to get the new Intel CPU or not you will have plenty of options. Top of the line new components, or (assumably) highly discounted "current" hardware as the next stage is launched. I haven't got personal input on the new Intel package, but the buzz is implying that it really is a leap in terms of the technology this time instead of just a die shrinking or slight architecture modification.

Evil Genius · Jul 03, 2008, 01:14 AM // 01:14

There's not much point naming specific components at this time. By November Nehalem (Intel's new chip) will (likely) be released and so will motherboards based on the X58 chipset. Prices will be cheaper on everything. New video cards will be out etc. SSDs will be finally affordable.

November sounds like an awesome time to buy a computer. However, don't buy an Alienware. They charge too much of a price premium. Best to build yourself, or choose components and have your local computer store build it for much less.

Snograt · Jul 03, 2008, 05:42 AM // 05:42

He said € not £ - we're talking Euros.

€2000 = $3157 = £1584

That's still plenty of computer

The Muffen Man · Jul 03, 2008, 04:47 PM // 16:47

Good advice here

Keep em coming!

What Im confused most about is what operating system to go for and in turn the amount of ram that would be needed.

Also graphics cards there are so many atm I'm looking at 2x 8800 gts but would that be worth getting by X-Mas time?

What are my graphics cards options? And is SLi or crossfire a good option?

Also a question about Quad core lets say I go for a 2.6 GHz is it 2.6 per core or total?

Games Im looking to play atm would be GW2 and Diablo 3 but I haven't looked at games for a while because my computer really isn't up to playing any of the latest games or those that have been out for the past 2 years.

Also HDD size, I was toying with the notion of getting a 1TB HDD but would I really need such a big one? I don't really have any movies on or much music so??

What I know for sure though is that I will be getting a 20"-22" Samsung widescreen monitor.

Any way all suggestions are very welcome.

Also another question, what is a Aegia Phys-X processor what does it do and is it worth getting?

moriz · Jul 03, 2008, 04:59 PM // 16:59

you can easily build a GW2 and D3 capable computer for ~$1000 US nowadays. whatever their requirements, i'm willing to bet that they will be very forgiving.

the best dual card solution right now is 2x HD4870. by christmas, there might be different options available.

lastly, getting such a powerful machine just to game on a 22" monitor is a waste of money. my current rig costs me $1400 CDN, which probably amounts to €900 (including the monitor, btw). it handles everything i throw at it on a 22" monitor (1680x1050). if you really want to spend €2000, at least get a 24". or better yet, 30".

The Muffen Man · Jul 04, 2008, 09:25 PM // 21:25

Is the dell xps 630 any good? If so which one to go for?

Lurid · Jul 05, 2008, 11:46 PM // 23:46

Its not horrible, but its very over priced for what it is.

Edge Martinez · Jul 05, 2008, 11:57 PM // 23:57

I'm running 2 Geforce 8800GT SE's and I have no problem running everything. The RAM you get should be based on whether you run 32 bit or 64 bit Vista.

But bro, seriously, with that kind of cabbage, if you wait even a month or two more, you'd be able to build a monster, and that's compared to the monster that you can already buy now.

Clarissa F · Jul 06, 2008, 12:00 AM // 00:00

The Next gen nVidia 200s are out. Of course, they cost a mint, but one of them runs better than two SLI 8800's. For an OS, get a Vista 64. Since you will have the cash for plenty of ram, there should be no problem running it, and you can take advantage of the 64 bit technology, as more programs are being made to do so. You will notice the speed difference. You will also be set for DX 10, which is becoming the rule for all new games, and will be such for GW2.

Like Martinez said, give it a few months and you will have a beast to build. Whatever you do, a comp you put together will be a better buy than something off the shelf, and will be something you know was made with what you want.

moriz · Jul 06, 2008, 12:04 AM // 00:04

i'm pretty sure the GTX280 is slower than 2 8800GT SLI, since it is slower than 9800GX2.

The Muffen Man · Jul 06, 2008, 09:56 AM // 09:56

I really wish I could build it myself but I'm not confident I could do so.

I did build my current comp some nearlt5 years ago now but they were simpler times. Its never failed on me (Except for a HDD dying on me a while back) but it is a very noisy beast (got a massive heatsink/fan over the cpu)and I did manage to fry the mobo the first time I installed it cause I put the screws in the wrong holes lol.

I wont be getting the comp till Nov/Dec time, so I guess I got some time for the newer stuff coming out now to go down in price.

Now, to get Vista Home Premium or Ultimate? ( the rig will be used for games and the net only)

I was thinking of get one of these new Ati HD4870x2 cards would they be the best card out atm?

Now the big Q is to go SLI/Crossfire or to go single GPU?

Again thanks to everyone for their input to this its all very helpful.

I cam across this site as regards to the Dell 6300:http://www.my630i.com/
Which concerns me a lot, also the Dell is using a 650 chipset for the mobo is that very bad?

Also another question, what is a Aegia Phys-X processor what does it do and is it worth getting?

Evil Genius · Jul 06, 2008, 01:00 PM // 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Muffen Man

I wont be getting the comp till Nov/Dec time, so I guess I got some time for the newer stuff coming out now to go down in price.

Now, to get Vista Home Premium or Ultimate? ( the rig will be used for games and the net only)

I was thinking of get one of these new Ati HD4870x2 cards would they be the best card out atm?

Now the big Q is to go SLI/Crossfire or to go single GPU?

Also another question, what is a Aegia Phys-X processor what does it do and is it worth getting?

Get Vista Home Premium 64 bit OEM. Ultimate only has a few extras (Dreamscene, ?enhanced bitlocker? - but you can download Deskscapes (works similar to Dreamscene for Home Premium anyway))

ATI 4870X2 hasn't been released yet, however it is very likely it will be the best card when released.

If your getting/have a monitor with a resolution equal to or above 1920 by 1200 (24 inch and up) SLI/Crossfire will be a good option.

Aegia Phys-X processors are useless as far as I am aware. New GPUs have Physics built in anyway.

Really not much point discussing specific components at this point though.

Chaos Rofl Copter · Jul 18, 2008, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Muffen Man

Also another question, what is a Aegia Phys-X processor what does it do and is it worth getting?

It enhances the physics in games to make them more realistic, if your just gunna be playing gw, its kinda a waste of 200 bucks,

Plus not many games support the physics proccessor enough for the card to actually see good use.

You can maybe find a list of games that support the proccesscor on google or something :P

Snograt · Jul 18, 2008, 07:25 PM // 19:25

I'm hoping the PhysX processor might get new life now that it's owned by a proper company. I remember when it came out, they tested the bundled "games" and could find no benefit to the PhysX at all ^^

Lord Sojar · Jul 18, 2008, 11:49 PM // 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriz

i'm pretty sure the GTX280 is slower than 2 8800GT SLI, since it is slower than 9800GX2.

No, it is faster. And the GTX 280 can keep pace with the 9800GX2 pretty well.

Considering the price drop on the GTX 260 and 280s, I would go with dual GTX 280s, with a 3.0GHz+ Nehalem, and 4GB DDR1600+, as well as a 32GB SSD for your boot drive, and a 300GB Velicoraptor drive for your games etc. Get a Sata 3.0Gb drive for storage, as they are very cheap these days. Oh, and of course the new Nehalem motherboards as well.

Total cost ~ $3000 or less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos Rofl Copter

It enhances the physics in games to make them more realistic, if your just gunna be playing gw, its kinda a waste of 200 bucks,

Plus not many games support the physics proccessor enough for the card to actually see good use.

You can maybe find a list of games that support the proccesscor on google or something :P

nVidia owns Aegia now, and PhysX engines are built directly into the GTX 260 and 280. Using CUDA, that allows the PhysX engine to benefit many many more games. That list is obsolete.

The Muffen Man · Jul 20, 2008, 07:53 AM // 07:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rahja the Thief

No, it is faster. And the GTX 280 can keep pace with the 9800GX2 pretty well.

Considering the price drop on the GTX 260 and 280s, I would go with dual GTX 280s, with a 3.0GHz+ Nehalem, and 4GB DDR1600+, as well as a 32GB SSD for your boot drive, and a 300GB Velicoraptor drive for your games etc. Get a Sata 3.0Gb drive for storage, as they are very cheap these days. Oh, and of course the new Nehalem motherboards as well.

Total cost ~ $3000 or less.

nVidia owns Aegia now, and PhysX engines are built directly into the GTX 260 and 280. Using CUDA, that allows the PhysX engine to benefit many many more games. That list is obsolete.

You must live in America? That system sounds nice but it would cost you €3000+ here in Europe.

Lord Sojar · Jul 20, 2008, 01:13 PM // 13:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Muffen Man

You must live in America? That system sounds nice but it would cost you €3000+ here in Europe.

No, it won't.

GTX 280 = 449 USD
GTX 260 = 299 USD

Nehalem chips range = 200-500 USD

32GB SSD = 150 USD

Nehalem motherboard = 300 USD

Velociraptor 300GB drive = 200 USD

4GB DDR3-1600 = 300 USD

Grand max total assuming 2 video cards and maxed setup:

GTX 280 SLi = 2,350 USD
GTX 260 SLi = 2,050 USD

Convert, that well under budget.

moriz · Jul 20, 2008, 01:16 PM // 13:16

it's not a simple matter of converting currency rahja. it's a different continent, and commodity prices are subjected to different amounts of supply/demand, and can be quite different in prices.

it's generally better to list us a few european E-tailers and we'll configure a system for you.