New Computer Help!

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:01 pm

Hi Everyone,

Well this Christmas i shall start my first ever custom PC.
Since its my first time I'm not really sure what to get.
Obviously i want powerful parts, but I'm not sure which motherboards/graphics cards work together and so on.

So i was wondering if anyone here on SRF could help.

In terms of what i want from this computer:

Lots of power, or at least enough to put Crysis on max with a 1650 by 1050 resolution, with 30+ fps. That is pretty much the only thing i truly need, im guessing if i have that then i won't have to many other issues.
The only other thing is that i would like my computer to be a future friendly as possible, so if i would like to add anything in the future, i should not have to many problems.

So that's what i need from it, and I'm willing to spend around 1000-1500 dollars on it. I can go a bit higher if its really necessary though.

I look forward to your responses as it can really make my Christmas a good one

Zero_Doom · Post by **Zero_Doom** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:21 pm

Personally, I prefer AMD and nVidia, so stick to those and you are golden imo. If you are looking to future proof, you want a quad core processor, which means an AM2+ mobo. Beware, quad core's will fit and work on an AM2 mobo, but it will not do more then dual core processing. If you are planning on doing Crysis the way I am, you will want as much RAM as possible, I opted for a 64 bit OS, so i could maximize and get a full 8 gigs of RAM. Also, you will want to get an SLI going.

Again, this all depends on preference, so if you could provide some more info, I could build you a quick plan on newegg to fit your current wants. xP

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:55 pm

Hmm well my preferences.
I like to think that im pretty easy going about what i pick, so long as it works then im happy.
All though for my last 2 computers ive had nVidia and Intel and they seem to work well, but like i said im open to anything.

Zero_Doom · Post by **Zero_Doom** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:58 pm

Alright, I don't know a lot about Intel because I went AMD a long long time ago. I will try and help ya though. xP

Sharp324 · Post by **Sharp324** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:05 pm

Zero_Doom wrote:Personally, I prefer AMD and nVidia, so stick to those and you are golden imo. If you are looking to future proof, you want a quad core processor, which means an AM2+ mobo. Beware, quad core's will fit and work on an AM2 mobo, but it will not do more then dual core processing. If you are planning on doing Crysis the way I am, you will want as much RAM as possible, I opted for a 64 bit OS, so i could maximize and get a full 8 gigs of RAM. Also, you will want to get an SLI going.

Again, this all depends on preference, so if you could provide some more info, I could build you a quick plan on newegg to fit your current wants. xP

Dont really need SLI less you want bragging rights. Doesnt get close to doubling performance, your better off getting 1 high end card than 2 mid range

Zero_Doom · Post by **Zero_Doom** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:07 pm

Sharp324 wrote:
Zero_Doom wrote:Personally, I prefer AMD and nVidia, so stick to those and you are golden imo. If you are looking to future proof, you want a quad core processor, which means an AM2+ mobo. Beware, quad core's will fit and work on an AM2 mobo, but it will not do more then dual core processing. If you are planning on doing Crysis the way I am, you will want as much RAM as possible, I opted for a 64 bit OS, so i could maximize and get a full 8 gigs of RAM. Also, you will want to get an SLI going.

Again, this all depends on preference, so if you could provide some more info, I could build you a quick plan on newegg to fit your current wants. xP

Dont really need SLI less you want bragging rights. Doesnt get close to doubling performance, your better off getting 1 high end card than 2 mid range

Eh, like I said, it is personal preference. 1 high end != 2 high end cards.

StealMySoda · Post by **StealMySoda** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:21 pm

You need to give a price range

I could suggest great parts, but it would probably cost like 2500$

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:47 pm

Put some glasses on i already said in first post

So that's what i need from it, and I'm willing to spend around 1000-1500 dollars on it. I can go a bit higher if its really necessary though.

Sharp324 · Post by **Sharp324** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:15 pm

Zero_Doom wrote:
Sharp324 wrote:
Zero_Doom wrote:Personally, I prefer AMD and nVidia, so stick to those and you are golden imo. If you are looking to future proof, you want a quad core processor, which means an AM2+ mobo. Beware, quad core's will fit and work on an AM2 mobo, but it will not do more then dual core processing. If you are planning on doing Crysis the way I am, you will want as much RAM as possible, I opted for a 64 bit OS, so i could maximize and get a full 8 gigs of RAM. Also, you will want to get an SLI going.

Again, this all depends on preference, so if you could provide some more info, I could build you a quick plan on newegg to fit your current wants. xP

Dont really need SLI less you want bragging rights. Doesnt get close to doubling performance, your better off getting 1 high end card than 2 mid range

Eh, like I said, it is personal preference. 1 high end != 2 high end cards.

If you have the budget, not many wants to pay $300-400 for a ~30% increase in performance. Less they want to brag or arent on a tight budget

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:42 pm

No one has any ideas?

Azilius · Post by **Azilius** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:49 pm

Do you need a monitor and do you live in the U.S.?

EDIT:
My computer is new (3 months) and I play Crysis on high settings with 30~FPS on 1680x1050. With a monitor I spent 1500$~ (Canadian). If you want to play on max you're looking at a better graphics card and possibly a better CPU than mine. If you want to get the latest..I'd say go all out and get a Corei7 build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115202 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130216 MoBo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102768 Gfx Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231222 (2) RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811146050 Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817341018 Psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148294 HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151173 normal cd/dvd drive

Quickly putting some things together with an I7 build..It comes to about 1600~ without a monitor. Not sure exactly where you live or how you'd go about getting these things (the shipping can cost a bit some times..) or tax.

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:07 pm

I already have a 22inch screen that im planning on using, i live in Switzerland.
However i can come across most parts from a certain store here.

BlackFox898 · Post by **BlackFox898** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:41 pm

Azilius wrote:Do you need a monitor and do you live in the U.S.?

EDIT:
My computer is new (3 months) and I play Crysis on high settings with 30~FPS on 1680x1050. With a monitor I spent 1500$~ (Canadian). If you want to play on max you're looking at a better graphics card and possibly a better CPU than mine. If you want to get the latest..I'd say go all out and get a Corei7 build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115202 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130216 MoBo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102768 Gfx Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231222 (2) RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811146050 Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817341018 Psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148294 HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151173 normal cd/dvd drive

Quickly putting some things together with an I7 build..It comes to about 1600~ without a monitor. Not sure exactly where you live or how you'd go about getting these things (the shipping can cost a bit some times..) or tax.

whats exactly is in your computer? and you monitor Azilius?

Azilius · Post by **Azilius** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:53 pm

22" Samsung
Q6600 (overclocked to 3.2ghz w/ 8x multiplier)
4gb ddr2 800mhz ram 5-4-3-12(1:1 fsb/ram ratio)
P5n-t Deluxe mobo (was terrible until I updated bios)
ocz 700w modular PSU
same HDD as shown from i7 build, 500gb/32mb cache
Some random cd/dvd drive
EVGA gtx 260 slightly overclocked
and..OCZ vendetta 2 heatsink..keeps me nice and cool along with 1 side intake fan and back exhaust fan.

Basically have a lower end quad w/ good gfx card. I get 15-30 (playable) on crysis w/ high settings, 4x AA 1650x1080, all other games on max. Don't build a computer just to play Crysis though..not a very long game.

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:17 pm

Ok.

Well i've had a quick search in my local stores to see if they have anything i can use and this is what i think i will probably go for.

Case: Thermaltake Shark, Black, Alu-Panel, 2xUSB + FireWire + Audio
Power Supply: LC-Power 550 Watt, CE-Norm, PFC
Motherboard: GigaByte X48-DQ6, P35, FSB1600, DDR2,S ATAII, 1394, 2x GLAN
CPU: Intel CORE2DUO E8500-VPRO&SIPP,3.16GHz
Ram: 4096MB (4GB) DDR-2 PC-6400, 800MHz. (2x2048MB)
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800GT, 512MB,TV-Out, 2xDVI, DDR3
HDD: 640GB (1x640GB), SATA-II-300, 7200/ 8.9ms/ 16MB

Those are the main components as well as a few small things.
I think it will be a pretty solid computer.

Im just wondering now wether i want XP or Vista Ultimate, any suggestions?

Edit: And I'm not just building this so i can run Crysis. But I'm guessing that if i can run Crysis then i can pretty much handle everything else that is out there.

Blurred · Post by **Blurred** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:42 pm

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... &CatId=333

These are bare bones.

That's what I have, Get 2 more gigs of ram or 4 more if you want 64 bit, a good video card. And your good to go.

It's a lot cheaper too.

Mousetrap · Post by **Mousetrap** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:00 pm

Azilius wrote:22" Samsung
Q6600 (overclocked to 3.2ghz w/ 8x multiplier)
4gb ddr2 800mhz ram 5-4-3-12(1:1 fsb/ram ratio)
P5n-t Deluxe mobo (was terrible until I updated bios)
ocz 700w modular PSU
same HDD as shown from i7 build, 500gb/32mb cache
Some random cd/dvd drive
EVGA gtx 260 slightly overclocked
and..OCZ vendetta 2 heatsink..keeps me nice and cool along with 1 side intake fan and back exhaust fan.

Basically have a lower end quad w/ good gfx card. I get 15-30 (playable) on crysis w/ high settings, 4x AA 1650x1080, all other games on max. Don't build a computer just to play Crysis though..not a very long game.

Do you have stock cooling for that CPU? I have my e6600 OC to 3.0 (9x 333) and it gets to 46 degrees under load.. which isn't bad, was thinking about going to 3.2.
also those are some weird ass ram timings, can't you go to 4-4-4-12 instead?
sry for hijack

Azilius · Post by **Azilius** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:37 pm

Sovereign wrote:Ok.

Well i've had a quick search in my local stores to see if they have anything i can use and this is what i think i will probably go for.

Case: Thermaltake Shark, Black, Alu-Panel, 2xUSB + FireWire + Audio
Power Supply: LC-Power 550 Watt, CE-Norm, PFC
Motherboard: GigaByte X48-DQ6, P35, FSB1600, DDR2,S ATAII, 1394, 2x GLAN
CPU: Intel CORE2DUO E8500-VPRO&SIPP,3.16GHz
Ram: 4096MB (4GB) DDR-2 PC-6400, 800MHz. (2x2048MB)
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800GT, 512MB,TV-Out, 2xDVI, DDR3
HDD: 640GB (1x640GB), SATA-II-300, 7200/ 8.9ms/ 16MB

Those are the main components as well as a few small things.
I think it will be a pretty solid computer.

Im just wondering now wether i want XP or Vista Ultimate, any suggestions?

Edit: And I'm not just building this so i can run Crysis. But I'm guessing that if i can run Crysis then i can pretty much handle everything else that is out there.

Hmm with only a single 8800gt you won't be able to run Crysis on max, hell even 2 probably won't go on max. Crysis is one of those games that just needs a LOT to run high and really it's not worth buying and using it as a benchmark. An 8800 will run plenty of games on high, not sure about max.

Mousetrap wrote:
Azilius wrote:22" Samsung
Q6600 (overclocked to 3.2ghz w/ 8x multiplier)
4gb ddr2 800mhz ram 5-4-3-12(1:1 fsb/ram ratio)
P5n-t Deluxe mobo (was terrible until I updated bios)
ocz 700w modular PSU
same HDD as shown from i7 build, 500gb/32mb cache
Some random cd/dvd drive
EVGA gtx 260 slightly overclocked
and..OCZ vendetta 2 heatsink..keeps me nice and cool along with 1 side intake fan and back exhaust fan.

Basically have a lower end quad w/ good gfx card. I get 15-30 (playable) on crysis w/ high settings, 4x AA 1650x1080, all other games on max. Don't build a computer just to play Crysis though..not a very long game.

Do you have stock cooling for that CPU? I have my e6600 OC to 3.0 (9x 333) and it gets to 46 degrees under load.. which isn't bad, was thinking about going to 3.2.
also those are some weird ass ram timings, can't you go to 4-4-4-12 instead?
sry for hijack

I have an OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink (last on list) for my cpu which keeps it idle at around 34-38 and under load it rarely hits 50. I have another profile which is overclocked to 3.6ghz and bumps ram up to 900 (i think) mhz which goes at about 40C idle and 53-55 under load.

As for ram timings...Truthfully I don't have much understanding of what each # is for, though I've heard the first is most important and lower = better. I can't get to 4-4-4 but I can go 5-4-4 or 5-4-3. I'm guessing lower is better so..That's what I've stuck with.

Sovereign · Post by **Sovereign** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:14 am

Hmm well maybe i dont need to play on max settings. High still looks good. So can an 8800 handle high or should i invest in 2 of them?

Kirkaldi · Post by **Kirkaldi** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:43 am

Get 8GB Ram, Radeon 3850HD or Nvdia 8800 GTX, a quad core processor, and 500GB hard drive. Those are the basic parts of a great computer.

Azilius · Post by **Azilius** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:44 am

My Gtx 260 can barely handle high with 2x anti aliasing at 1650x1080, not sure how two 8800's would do, probably medium settings, still looks amazing though.

@Above 8gb ram is somewhat overkill and those are fairly old video cards based on todays games..

ThatBluePerson · Post by **ThatBluePerson** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:54 am

$1500~ eh?

Ill see what I can compile for you.

The case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811156063
Very easy to install motherboard and drives, comes with plenty of fans, over all nice case for the price.

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139006
By Corsair, will last. Enough wires to hook up everything you need and long enough to reach all the way down in a large tower case.

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131351
i7 build. For fast computing with the new fastest processors in the market. Ready for SLI.

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115202
Why pay $200 more for 940 when you can easily overclock this to 3~4GHz

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227289
1066 RAM.

HD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148274
Just take a whole TB, I know you will use it all and besides it's getting cheap.

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814133246
The 9800 GTX 512MB one is all you need. If you want another one take it and run both of them in SLI for max performance. I'm not sure if the 700Watt PSU can support both though.

DVD/CD/Blu-Ray Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827136154
Nice price and it plays Blu-Ray HD DVD and it burns DVDs and CD. You can still take a cheaper one, this part is not that important, but if you really want something nice to show to your friends then take this or a fully blu-ray burner for $200. xD

Keyboard & Mice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6823126174 - Something cheap and general.

Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824176090
This is one beautiful thing. And if you have $1500 budget and can go over my given configuration can afford it. It has HDMI and the 8800GTX comes with a DVI>HDMI converter so you can watch movies and play games at full quality.

All this for $1700~ + taxes. May have some flaws and there may be other better options. Just a base of what you can do.

BlackFox898 · Post by **BlackFox898** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:47 pm

Azilius wrote:
@Above 8gb ram is somewhat overkill and those are fairly old video cards based on todays games..

he has 64-bit edition probably. i would not having 8gb, could leave my rig on for a hell of a lot longer.

Azilius · Post by **Azilius** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:30 pm

ThatBluePerson wrote:Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227289
1066 RAM.

IIRC you need ddr3 ram for the i7 motherboards.

BlackFox898 · Post by **BlackFox898** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:59 pm

ThatBluePerson wrote:
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824176090
This is one beautiful thing. And if you have $1500 budget and can go over my given configuration can afford it. It has HDMI and the 8800GTX comes with a DVI>HDMI converter so you can watch movies and play games at full quality.

meh i think you could cheap out a little more i mean a $450 monitor? i should be talking though either i spent $350 on a 2ms 21.6in samsung. but i know that newegg has a sale on a 24inch acer for like under $200

Heres a samsung for that price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001280

MiKe 51-50 · Post by **MiKe 51-50** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:00 pm

ThatBluePerson · Post by **ThatBluePerson** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:14 pm

Or an AMD/ATI build won't hurt.

MiKe 51-50 · Post by **MiKe 51-50** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:46 pm

ThatBluePerson wrote:Or an AMD/ATI build won't hurt.

http://i35.tinypic.com/szzxxe.png

Core i7 trashes the phenom. Hell even Q6600 trashes it.

ThatBluePerson · Post by **ThatBluePerson** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:29 am

MiKe 51-50 wrote:
ThatBluePerson wrote:Or an AMD/ATI build won't hurt.

http://i35.tinypic.com/szzxxe.png

Core i7 trashes the phenom. Hell even Q6600 trashes it.

That's a common misconception.

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