new cpu

ok. lets see here. i really want a new cpu. i am tired of my dad coming home and kicking me off of the cpu just because he can. but i am hopefully moving out soon so i will need my own cpu anyways. but my 19th b-day is coming up and he didnt get me anything for my 18th so he said that he would combine the 2 of them into 1. i was asking for a new set of rims for my car.($1500 racing rims) but i really want a cpu so i figured i could ask for something else for my car and a cheaper cpu. i do know alot about cpu's but not as much as some other ppl out there. so i was just wondering if anyone could tell me a really good cpu that i could buy for around $700. or if i could just build my own for cheaper. i really want a dell xps 600. but the version i want is like $3000 and my dad will not buy me that. well thnx for any help you could give me. and if i should build my own pc, could someone out there tell me what the best parts i would need for it would be....a.k.a.... video cards, sound cards, and other important parts....plz help me.

ok so you want a computer.. not just a cpu. the cpu (central processing unit) is just one component in a computer just like graphics cards ram etc etc.

without knowing your budget or what the computer will be used for besides gaming makes it difficult to advise on an exact setup.

i will give you a good gaming setup though. all prices are from ebuyer (uk only)

athlon64 3500+ (2.2GHz) £115.55
asus A8V via kt800pro motherboard £49.51
1GB OCZ platinum rev2 (2*512MB) £98.18
sapphire x800gt 256MB graphics card £99.99
WD "Raptor" 74GB SATA hard drive £109.59
NEC ND3550A 16x DVD±RW £24.63
Antec Sonata2 case with 450W psu £72.06

Total price : £570


now that there is your basic gaming computer which will handle pretty much anything you throw at it. you can add a second hard drive if you wish although i susupect 74GB will be more than enough. and having an incredibly fast HDD such as the raptor really does noticeably improve overall system performance.

REMEMBER: these are UK prices. although there is a ebuyer in america i think.. not sure though.

REMEMBER: you will also need operating system such as windows xp. keyboard monitor mouse and speakers of your choice. all these will add around another £250 to the total price.

REMEMBER: to play guild wars you need an internet connection.

hope this helps. feel free to pm me with any questions

where are you located?

if ur in the states the best place is by far newegg.com

yes i am in america. and my comp will definitely be used for gaming. that is all i do. well thnx for the help guys.

are u looking for a pre assembled or to build one yourself? Newegg.com has some great deals on hardware if u wanna build yourself

DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR COMPUTER!!!

It's not the best time! Windows Vista is going to release at the end of this year. Because of the operating system changed and everything going to upgrade to directx 10, there will be a new computer hardwares come out by then and old ones' price will drop dramatically.

Don't upgrade your computer, it's not the right time.

Screw Vista. It will have compatability issues with gaming, bugs, etc. Give Vista a year for all the bugs to get fixed, then worry about getting it. Also, most hardware now can run Vista fine, you will just be missing a few HD features for that 1000inch HD monitor of yours.

If you went with the system posted above, drop the raptor HD, they don't make a really noticeable difference, and put the money towards more ram or a better vid card. You could wait forever because "newer" hardware is coming out, don't.

dont touch vista for at least a year.. its a ms product so let them sort out all those bugs first

we can wait forever for the next new thing to come out and never buy.

the fact is if you want a computer now then go buy one now.. just do some research and purchase with future upgrades in mind. for example dont buy a dead end platform.

the build i posted was just a reference build.. feel free to tweak or change at your will. from personal experience i know the raptors do indeed make a difference to overall system responsiveness but what you buy is up to you.. we can advise but its up to you decide how you spend your money


i think ishould explain that my build is balanced. yes you could sacrifice load times and responsiveness for a few extra fps by ditching the raptor and upgrading the graphics card but i honestly dont see the need. if you increase the graphics card then the cpu will become a bottleneck in some games and vice versa. 1GB ram is easily enough... remember not everyone has unlimited budgets to put together a dream system.

but like i said this is just my thoughts on the matter

Agreed, spend the cash on vid card.
Also the asrock dual sata 2 is a great skt 939 motherboard to get, performs just aswell as my highend nforce4 motheboard for less then half the price.
Also try and get a opteron 144 or 146 cpu, the 1mb cache is always good thing to have.

thanks to all of you. you have been very very helpful. my grandma just made some cookies so if i could i would give them to you..........lol.......