comparative research for a new computer. Input needed

[KashGarinn]

Greetings. I hope that some of the good people on this forum will be kind enough to reply.

I will be getting a new computer sometime between now and winter, and would like your input if you know the answer to what I'm asking.

I will chop it down into bits, and ask questions in each part.

What I'm thinking of buying: - In general, a total solution for the computer geek. great at games (half-life 2, doom 3), great at 3d-graphic programs, like maya, 3dsmax and so on, great at video, TV, DVD, great at being noise-less and great at burning DVDs, and should be good enough so I won't have to upgrade the next 2-4 years.

CPU:
- I would love to wait for the AMD Hammer CPU and get that, I think the evolution to 64 bit is cool, but is it worth it? Is the opteron good enough solution? Anyone know what's planned between now and winter? I've heard that there will be a 64 bit version of winxp and halfife2 out this fall, this true? Does anyone have the opteron? what operating system do you run? is there a 64 bit win2k3 server
version out yet? should I wait for the hammer?

Mobo:
- I don't know who are going to make motherboards for the Hammer, anyone know when they will be out with specs? How important is firewire?

Graphic card:
- An ATI all-in-wonder solution is a must. It just takes the cake everytime. However, anyone know if I should get the ATI AIW 9800, or is there a newer and sexier solution between now and winter?

HD:
- Isn't more space better? I'm thinking 2 250 GB harddisks should be good for starters.. or should I go for serial ATAs? I'm thinking not, as normal ATA HD's are always bigger in size and cheaper. Anything on the horizon from now til winter? Does the manufacturer matter?

Memory:
- I'm guessing that 2 512 MB (400) will be the most cost-effective (and speed-effective) solution between now and winter, or will it? Anyone know? Does the manufacturer matter?

DVD-writer:
- Right now a sony internal dvd-r/rw dvd+r/rw which can write dvds at up to 4x speed is the best bet (the DRU510A). Anyone know when we will see 8x speedsters? Would you think one needs another CD-drive ?

floppy-drive:
- Does one need one? I don't want one in my spanking new PC, but somehow you always seem to need it. Is the DVD-drive finally able to replace the floppy? Or is there a better solution out there? Should I look for a motherboard which can use a USB memory card as a bootable floppy? what's your ideas on this? Is it just cheaper and less of a headache to have a floppy-drive?

Sound card:
- I want an audigy 2.. but do I need an audigy 2? Please tell me why I need an audigy 2.

Network card:
- umm.. I'm guessing a 3com 100mbit card.. but I'd like to know what you guys know.. should I get a gigabit enabled network card? What's going to happen in NICs between now and winter?

Monitor:
- don't need one, I have a HP P1120 21" monitor which is sweet. I think I'd recommend 19" or bigger screen for people who are going to game, or need responsive refresh rate, otherwise a 17" or bigger LCD is something to drool at.

OS:
- WinXP 64 bit, what else? No seriously, what else is there?

Case:
- Right now I own a dragon case, pretty cool, so should I just buy another one of those? Is there a case out there which tries to minimise noise? Do you know its name?

Heatsinks & fans:
- I'm guessing that going through the thermaltake catalogue is the way to go.. anything else special you'd think of?

External things/fluff things:
- well, a firewire/usb 2.0 box to keep a 200 GB harddisk in would be cool. not really very expensive either.


Thanks for any replies,
K.

 

[andyfasthands]

2x250GB for starters?? WinXP 64? HOLY Sounds like you're building a server...

If youre going to wait, get the Prescott chipset and Intel 3.0+GHz Prescott processor. 2x512 PC3500/DDR433. Wait and see which mobos are available when the prescotts are released.

Audigy2 because it's standard for "computer geeks." Onboard 100GbE has become the standard network controller for most upscale mobos.

Basically, do some research on the latest mobos, latest chipsets and what Intel/AMD plans. I would bet on Prescott as becoming THE system base to have.

 

[squidman]

yes, i think hes building a server...but he dont mention no networking...and why does a server need 9800?!

 

[rhawk79]

if you're gonna go prescott you could even build the system now cause the 865/875 mobos will be compatible with the 3.4 Prescott...Prescott is not the overhaul that the Athlon 64 is, it's merely an enhanced P4...Intel's overhaul lies in the Grantsdale chipset.

 

[KashGarinn]

andyfasthands:

"2x250GB for starters?? WinXP 64? HOLY Sounds like you're building a server..."

- sure. I like space. Space to rip DVDs on, to capture stuff off TV, to have backups of my games/programs on, to download from the internet, to do what I want the way I want. WinXP 64 is a must because without it I can't choose between running 32 bit and 64 bit if the OS isn't a 64 bit OS. And I'm not trying to build a server.. at least not solely.

"If youre going to wait, get the Prescott chipset and Intel 3.0+GHz Prescott processor. 2x512 PC3500/DDR433."

- Hmm.. I'm such an AMD fan that I'm not sure I'd go with prescott, plus I like the interchanging 32 and 64 bit thing. Can you (or anyone else reading this) give me a link with material on the prescott?


"Audigy2 because it's standard for "computer geeks."

- Isn't there a better reason?


Squidman:

- Not building a server.. just a powerhouse which will last me 2-4 years without a hitch.

rhawk79:

- Thanks for your reply. I'll consider looking at the prescott for my comparative research, but it needs to break the anvil to surpass the Hammer, metaphorically speaking.

K.

 

[cycleman77]

I'm curious about what to do for memory too.
Does it matter if you get generic versus brand name? All memory seems to have a lifetime warranty, so if anything bad happens, you just return it and get a new one...right?

I'm looking at building a new system, nothing as extreme as KashGarinn, and I found Elixer memory. A 512MB DDR2700 stick was only 57 bucks. That is even cheaper than the Kingston ValuRam.

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: cycleman77
I'm curious about what to do for memory too.
Does it matter if you get generic versus brand name? All memory seems to have a lifetime warranty, so if anything bad happens, you just return it and get a new one...right?

I'm looking at building a new system, nothing as extreme as KashGarinn, and I found Elixer memory. A 512MB DDR2700 stick was only 57 bucks. That is even cheaper than the Kingston ValuRam.

"you just return it and get a new one...right?" NO. a faulty stick will have the possibility of blowing up ur mobo/CPU. elixir is nice brand since i have heard it's a micron company. rams don't matter much if ur not OCing. i just buy whatever is on sale with a big company name from a nice vendor. buy rams from PNY, crucial, corsair or kingston and u should be fine.

kash is so full of CASH...

 

[Sideswipe001]

The AMD 64 *is* an Opteron...except cut down so that it's more of a "desktop" processor. They are the same design. I believe the Cache is the big difference...but the 64s are not going to be faster than the Opterons. Opteron's only drawback right now is they aren't clocked very high.

I'm not sure when Microsoft will release a 64 bit version of Windows for the AMD processors. I've heard that it will be out by the end of the year.

There isn't a better AIW than the 9800 right now, and though ATi will probably throw out another high end video card before the end of the year, the AIW version will most likely be months after its release.

HDs, the SATA Raptors are 10,000 RPM rather than 7200, and overall faster, but if you need that much storage space, then 2 normal ATA drives might be better, though not as fast. I use WD ones, but you'll find people who love every brand of HDs. Just make sure you get 8 MB Cache ones.

1 GB of RAM should be enough. I reccomend Mushkin stuff, or Corsair.

Audigy 2 sounds the best of all current sound cards...subjectively. There's always other options, and many of today's motherboards have onboard stuff that competes well with it. I personally use the Asus A7n8x's onboard sound.

Whatever motherboard you get will probably have a built in network controller. You won't need gigabit, and nothing will change in the next few months in the network side of things.

And...I've never used firewire. Some people might have devices that use it, but I never have.

 

[clockhar]

My advice: Do the research for products available NOW. Do not chase technology products as it was mentioned earlier. The way the computer industry goes, you'll be chasing products for ever. i.e. When the Athlon 64 comes out, you may want to wait a few more months for a motherboard you want out. Then by the time the motherboard comes out, an updated Athlon 64 processor may be released soon, etc., etc. So, you want to wait for that. The next thing you know, it's 2 years later and you still don't have a decent processor.

With that in mind, for the stuff out right now, the best "bang for your buck" is a P4 2.60, 2.8 or 3.0 800 MHZ FSB (of course w/ hyperthreading). Right now, newer AMD processors are not the best value for there speed. LOt's of DDR 400 (corsair, crucial, whatever), Wester Digital or Seagate HD, ATI AIW 9800 Pro (that's the best AIW out now and for a while), etc.


- Wow, it's been a while since I've posted here. 'tis feel good.

 

[mrzed]

Regarding noise:

Stay away from Thermaltake products. In general, they are not quiet. Thermalright heatsinks can be combined with low speed fans for near silent operation. The Zalman cnps 7000cu flower heatsinks are great for stock speeds and mild overclocking.

The dragon cases are decent, but if you are really concerned about noise, then a case with mounts for 92 or even better, 120mm fans is nice. I am about to get an Antec SLK3700AMB because of this. But you should be fine if you just install pabst or panaflow L1A fans in your dragon.

 

[bigben]

Mobo:- I don't know who are going to make motherboards for the Hammer, anyone know when they will be out with specs? How important is firewire?

I would go with an NForce board or one of the other higher end with the integrated peripherals - space savers. Firewire is crucial for digital media like cameras or camcorders - either firewire or USB2

 

[KashGarinn]

Hi there.

I've talked it over with a friend, and I believe if I'm upgrading this year (which I am..) Now's not the time to wait.

As much as I like AMD, today it's all about the P4.. This is what I've decided:

CPU: Something between 2.6 and 3.0 P4 with hyperthreading and the 800 thing..

mobo: MSI 875P P4 Neo-FIS 2R (MS6758), Pentium 4, AGPx8, 5PCI, 8xUSB 2.0, 10/100/1000 LAN, Serial ATA RAID, Firewire IEEE1394, S478
- I reckon that this will do fine until I see what will happen in the future (next year)

graphic card: I've always been an nvidia man, but I'd like to try out an ATI solution, and I like what I've heard about the 9800 pro. As I've already bought a tv card which can encode in mpeg2 standard, I'm thinking (and loving the quality), I don't need the AIW type..

HD: I like space.. gonna go for space..

memory: 2x 512 MB DDR433 PC3500, 32X64 Super Talent Memory
- I don't know the manufacturer, it doesn't say.. what do you think? You think I'd be able to OC with this?

DVD-writer:.. sweet.. probably a sony or a nero.. depends.. I wonder when they will have the 8x out? It's a dream.. at least for now.

sound card: hmm.. they say that the sound solution on the MSI 875p takes 14% off the CPU.. so at least an audigy.. but a sound card lasts FOREVER.. audigy 2.. I don't know.. can anyone help me sell the audigy 2 to me?

network card: There's an inbuilt gigabyte network card on the motherboard.. sweet..

Case.. whatever works.. dragon works.. any other super-great cases out there?

----

Now, why do I want to upgrade now, rather than wait a few months. Let's start the counting.

1) PCI-express will be here probably next year.. and one would like to see it mature before upgrading to that
2) The single review I've seen on the hammer is a sad, sad case compared to p4.. not the prescott.. the p4.. and I think hyperthreading is a super-cool concept which the AMD lacks (u just can't do 2 things at once with an amd chip). So I would be wise in waiting to see how the hammer will mature before choosing that as an option.
3) Next year a completely new model from intel will be out, surpassing the prescott, meaning it'll be interesting to watch.
4) Upgrading now is cheap..
5) alot of other unmentioned cool things seems to be right on the verge of making a splash between now and the end of next year.. it'll need time to mature, and so upgrading again in 2-3, even 4 years will mean I would have reached my goal without having to wait and fret.

Only thing is.. how well will the new PC do with half-life 2 and doom 3? One can only wait and see.. and hope that I can play everything with maxed out quality.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, advice, or answers to my questions in this reply, don't hesitate to reply. I would love to see what other people would do. Are you waiting for a certain something special to upgrade, or do you already know what your perfect system would be for you? What do you think one should do at this time in history, wait, or buy?

Thanks for your replies, they have really helped alot.

K.