Building new computer, need help on a few choices...

[Cuda1447]

Ok so Ive currently got the following computer.

P4 1.7ghz
256 Rambus
Radeon VE 64MB
20GB HD
The rest is just useless stuff, I dont know what kind of Mobo I got, its a gateway comp.


So Im giving this computer to my sister, and I am building myself a new one. Ill be taking the CD-RW out of this. And putting it into my new computer.

So I need to build a better computer, for around 700 Dollars.


Processor- AMD vs INTEL

Well Its going to be MOSTLY a gaming machine, but I often do alot of multitasking so should I go with the P4? Im not really worried about AMD being cheaper, because they don't seem to be that much cheaper anymore, if at all.

RAM- Rambus vs DDR

RAMBUS is alot more expensive, is it really that much better? I want to get about a gig of either, right now Im leaning toward DDR. Unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Video Card- Im definetly leaning toward the fairly cheap GeForce 4 TI 4200. I do not know whether or not to go with the 64mb or 128mb though. Im not worried about the price difference between the two, but the performance diff. I have heard that the 64mb is faster, but 128mb will be good for newer games I.E. Doom 3 Unreal Tourney 2003. I plan to keep this card for quite some time, I don't want to have to upgrade right away. So whats the best bet to last me into the future.

MOBO- Whats a good fairly inexpensive brand to go with? I know I shouldnt' cheap out in this department, so Im willing to spend the cash, but if I can save money I want to.

HD- Im looking at either an 80gb or 120gb. Ive seen some pretty good prices on both. Ive heard I should stay away from IBM, but they seem to have great prices. What are your thoughts on this?

Oh and one other thing, why in the world are all those email addresses banned? I had to search forever to find how to sign up for these forums, then when I finally could I had to find a free email not banned What a hassle!

 

[Cuda1447]

Come on, someone? Please!

 

[cmdrdredd]

well, you seem to say 'I don't care about money on this part or that part" if you really didn't care why not just get PC1066 RDRAm and a 2.53Ghz P4?

Seriously you want it to be under $700 but you don't care how much it costs for parts?

Anyhow go with an intel P4...alot better if you overclock it some. I'd recommend the Abit BG7 mobo because Abit is a great company and the board overclocks real well with PC2700 or faster DDR memory. I'd stay away from RDRAM because of the Cost (the mobos for RDRAM are more expensive and the memory is more expensive). Asus, Abit, Epox all have great mobos. I'd go with the 128MB Ti4200 because future games will use more textures than the 64MB can handle (DOOM3 will use 80MB). I've never had trouble with IBM drives...I'm using one now. Maxtor is good too. Western Digital is another good brand. Seagate makes awesome quiet drives.

 

[CrazySaint]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447


Processor- AMD vs INTEL

Well Its going to be MOSTLY a gaming machine, but I often do alot of multitasking so should I go with the P4? Im not really worried about AMD being cheaper, because they don't seem to be that much cheaper anymore, if at all.

If you want to overclock (and with the amazing results you can get, who wouldn't?), then get a P4 1.6A which should hit 2.4 (though nothing is guaranteed) or if you'd prefer, a 2.26B which should definitely OC to around 2.7-2.8, and could hit 3GHz (again, there's no guarantee in overclocking).

RAM- Rambus vs DDR

RAMBUS is alot more expensive, is it really that much better? I want to get about a gig of either, right now Im leaning toward DDR. Unless someone can convince me otherwise.

RDRAM is about 5% faster than DDR and I don't like RAMBUS the company, so I would go for DDR, myself. If you aren't going to overclock, get some PC2100 and set the mem ratio at 3:4, if you are going to overclock get some good PC2700 (Corsair XMS is excellent) or higher clocked RAM.

Video Card- Im definetly leaning toward the fairly cheap GeForce 4 TI 4200. I do not know whether or not to go with the 64mb or 128mb though. Im not worried about the price difference between the two, but the performance diff. I have heard that the 64mb is faster, but 128mb will be good for newer games I.E. Doom 3 Unreal Tourney 2003. I plan to keep this card for quite some time, I don't want to have to upgrade right away. So whats the best bet to last me into the future.

The 128MB version should be more future proof (I think Doom III (or maybe it was UT 2003) will have 80MB of textures) and you should be able to OC it to at least 64MB speeds, if not Ti4400 speeds.

MOBO- Whats a good fairly inexpensive brand to go with? I know I shouldnt' cheap out in this department, so Im willing to spend the cash, but if I can save money I want to.

Get a board with the i845G DDR chipset. The EPoX 4G4A+ is a great overclocking board, but having two sticks of RAM could limit your OC with it. I seem to recall the Abit i845G boards having the same issue, though I could be wrong. Also, the Asus P4B533-V board (the i845G version of the P4B533) should also be an excellent, if pricey overclocking board.

HD- Im looking at either an 80gb or 120gb. Ive seen some pretty good prices on both. Ive heard I should stay away from IBM, but they seem to have great prices. What are your thoughts on this?

STAY AWAY FROM IBM HARD DRIVES! The Seagate Barracuda IV drives are fast and are probably the quietest drives on the market. The Western Digital Caviar "Second Edition" 8MB Buffer drives are the fastest on the market (near SCSI speeds), cost only a bit more than the 'cuda IVs but are hit & miss when it comes to noise (some are whisper quiet while others have a loud "whine").

 

[CrazySaint]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Come on, someone? Please!

Patience, my child! It can sometimes take hours to get a response and this thread is not even 20 minutes old yet!

 

[Cuda1447]

Wow, thats alot of great help.

As for overclocking, Ive never done it. Ill read some tutorials and such though and probably will end up doing it. I heard that the Intel Prices were going to drop ALOT come September 1st. I was looking around in the High 100's range low 200's for a processor, and if they do drop like they are supposed to, then in just over a month I should be able to get a P4 2.4 for around $220.

As for the mobo's thats my shadiest area. Alot of the stuff you talk about I don't really understand. Im a newb when it comes to that stuff. Are there things I should be looking for in Mobo's. I know I want a board that is 400/533mhz FSB so that I can get one of those nice P4 533's when they drop in price a little (sept. maybe?) I also want to get more then 2 DDR slots, so that in the future if I have extra money laying around I can upgrade without having to get rid of my current RAM and buying 2 new bigger chips.


What else?

 

[cmdrdredd]

like i said the Abit BG7...3 DDr slots and 533Mhz support. Among other goodies...

Epox 4G4A has similar features and USB 2.0

 

[Cuda1447]

ABIT BG7 Intel 845G chipset P4 478 ATX motherboard Retail
Specifications:
Supported CPU:Intel Pentium® 4 Socket 478 processor
Chipset:Intel 845G (ICH4) chipset
FSB:400/533MHz System Data Bus
RAM:3 184 pin DDR DIMM module up to 2GB MAX PC1600 and PC2100
IDE:2 Channel Bus Master IDE Ultra DMA 33/66/100 (up to 4 devices)
Slots:5xPCI, 1xAGP,
Ports:1xFD 1xSerial 1xParallel 2xUSB 2.0 1xRJ45 1xVGA and Audio ports
Onboard Audio:Realtek ALC650 (AC-Link) 6 Channel



Thats the one your talking about?

It says PC1600 or PC2100 RAM, and someone said earlier that I should get PC2700 + for overclocking. So... what do I do?

 

[Cuda1447]

Oh, and since Im a newbie.... Where do I go to take those 3dMark scores... Ive been looking all over for them. Well, I haven't looked that hard, but Ive still looked where are they at?

 

[cmdrdredd]

PC2100 is what they support (Intel doesn't support the 333Mhz DDR fequency fully) but everyone knows it works. Just get some PC2700 memory it's all the same size...PC2100/2400/3000/3200 is all the same size and fits every DDR motherboard out there.

the higher number = faster

PC2100 = 266Mhz DDR
PC2400 = 300Mhz DDR
PC2700 = 333Mhz DDR
PC3000 = 366Mhz DDR
PC3200 = 400mhz DDR

PC2700 is the sweet spot for you I think...it will overclock pretty nice.

 

[cmdrdredd]

you got AIM? Instead of posting every time I'll mesdsage ya...

www.madonion.com for 3dmark

 

[Bullhonkie]

You can get 3DMark2001 SE from http://www.madonion.com, along with any of the other benchmarks they produce. You can browse for other peoples' results in their online database also. Hope that's what you meant.

 

[Cuda1447]

Alright cool. Thx man.

Where do I go to test my system on that 3d Mark thing?

And also, the motherboard doesn't say what ghz it supports I.E 1.7-2.4. So does that mean it will support basically any P4 Chips?

 

[Cuda1447]

Ahh, you guys respond faster then I can write a short msg and reply. Yes my AIM is Cuda498

 

[cmdrdredd]

do you have AOL instant messanger or sometimes called netscape messenger? if so i can message you and answer any questions instead or refreshing and posting all the time

3dmark is a program. You have to d/ld it and install it and run it. After it runs you get a score based on the game engine it has bulilt in. then click the online result browser button on the window you get when it finishes and you get a browser window where it shows your score and allows you to publish it for others to see and you can compare your system to others and see how yours rates.