it's been a long time

[bgeh]

hello,

most of you won't remember me, but i was here during the athlon xp 1700+/1800+ t-bred b overclocking craze, but yeah, it's time to get myself a new pc after living with my athlon xp 1700+ and radeon 9100(upgraded to that after i killed my gf2ti) for well, close to 6 years i guess.

so yeah, i've been thinking about getting a new pc, but i'm horribly out of date with the current tech, so i'm here to ask about a potential system build, which i hope will last me about 3-5 years. my budget's about 1.2k USD, don't bother about sourcing prices from newegg or any online stores though, because i live in malaysia, but the prices are approximately the same, so what would you guys recommend to me?

i've heard that the core2's are the hot property now, but should i go dual core or quad core, considering that i won't be doing an upgrade in the next 3-5 years for this pc(well, except for adding ram and stuff i guess)

yes, i'll be gaming, but not much, so i'll probably get the 2nd best performer in the pecking order of graphics cards to cut costs

so, any suggestions?

Thanks

note: i probably will reply quite slowly to this topic because apparently AOL's blocked by AT forums, and i've only AOL where i stay in the UK

 

[kotrtim]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl.../dualcore-roundup.html

read the article for you to decide which CPU to go for.

quad core is still expensive, spend more for graphics if you are gaming. it is very rare that the cpu is the bottleneck.

looks like x2 5600+ and core 2 e6420 are good ones to go

 

[bgeh]

thanks, appreciate your help, but after doing some reading, it seems that quad core processors will be needed for games in 2008/2009 (alan wake being one of the prime examples), and since i want my pc to last about 3 more years, wouldn't it be wiser to get a quad core cpu now?

thanks for the help

 

[MarcVenice]

june 22nd, qaud cores will drop the 266 usd. Get one, OC it midly, to hmz, 3ghz perhaps ? Coz they run hot as hell, get a good cooler, and it should last you a few years. Get a 8800gts 320/640mb, or a ati 2900xt and voila. 8800gts 320 comes for around 250ish, whereas a 640mb or a ati x2900xt comes for 350ish. Get ddr 800 while it's cheap, at least 2gb and decide wether you want a new p35 bearlake chipset on your mobo or not, for future upgradebility.

 

[kotrtim]

But that extra money you spent might buy you another better system 3 years later? 3 yrs is when everything becomes outdated, even if you buy the top end CPU 3 yrs ago, it will be the slowest and become a budget CPU, or maybe the budget CPU will be faster than it, who knows? If you don't need it now or near future (1-2 yr), don't waste your money. Unless you are doing lots of video encoding production stuff etc. If quad core is really cheap compare to dual core (price performance ratio) and fits your budget, why not get one?

 

[effee]

dual core and a 8800gtx. will last you awhile..

 

[AmpedSilence]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
june 22nd, qaud cores will drop the 266 usd. Get one, OC it midly, to hmz, 3ghz perhaps ? Coz they run hot as hell, get a good cooler, and it should last you a few years. Get a 8800gts 320/640mb, or a ati 2900xt and voila. 8800gts 320 comes for around 250ish, whereas a 640mb or a ati x2900xt comes for 350ish. Get ddr 800 while it's cheap, at least 2gb and decide wether you want a new p35 bearlake chipset on your mobo or not, for future upgradebility.

:thumbsup:; but i think the price drops are on JULY 22nd. So, how long do you want to wait OP? If you can make it til September, the G0 stepping is showing immense promise.

 

[drakore]

Wouldn't recommend getting a video card now... i would wait for the shrink if you can... 8800GTX's are the best imo. 2900XT's are decent, but run hot and draw plenty power. If you don't need a DX10 card maybe considering getting something like a 1900xt as a temp until the die shrink.

Depending on what you use the computer for... u are probably fine going with a c2d... a budget could help people narrow down specific components

 

[bgeh]

Originally posted by: kotrtim
But that extra money you spent might buy you another better system 3 years later? 3 yrs is when everything becomes outdated, even if you buy the top end CPU 3 yrs ago, it will be the slowest and become a budget CPU, or maybe the budget CPU will be faster than it, who knows? If you don't need it now or near future (1-2 yr), don't waste your money. Unless you are doing lots of video encoding production stuff etc. If quad core is really cheap compare to dual core (price performance ratio) and fits your budget, why not get one?

the issue is, will games in the next 3 years require quad core? if alan wake is hinting at the future, then i think that i should get a quad core, and since the quad cores will cost about 266 usd by july 22nd, i think i'll be able to fit it into my budget

but i think the price drops are on JULY 22nd. So, how long do you want to wait OP? If you can make it til September, the G0 stepping is showing immense promise.

what's the G0 stepping, and what benefits does it entail against the, err, current stepping, and is there a more specific date on it appearing?

i think i'll be getting either the hd2900xt or 8800gts 640mb(or if they release some successor models, then those instead), as i plan to get a dell 2407wfp, is that the right choice?

Wouldn't recommend getting a video card now... i would wait for the shrink if you can... 8800GTX's are the best imo. 2900XT's are decent, but run hot and draw plenty power. If you don't need a DX10 card maybe considering getting something like a 1900xt as a temp until the die shrink.

budget's listed above, about usd 1.2k. considering the fact that i'm getting a pc to last at least 3 years for gaming and 5 years for work related stuff, should i stick to a dx9 or dx10 card?

when will the shrink occur?

 

[bgeh]

sorry, just to add, i do plan to overclock, but just a conservative one to push up the processor's fsb up to the speed of the ram i have, which is ddr2 667

didn't edit the post because apparently it screws up the quoting system

 

[drakore]

Sorry i didn't see you listed the budget... Ok well personally i would go for something like this...

Q6600 - 266$ (July 22)
Tuniq Tower - $60 (Newegg)
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R - $160 (Newegg)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800 PC2-6400 - $115 - $45 MIR (Newegg)
8800 GTS ~ $350
Corsair HX620W - $138 -$20 MIR (ClubIT)
Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 10K HD - $155 - $20 MIR (Newegg)
Pioneer DVR-212D DVD Burner ~ $35

Total: $1279 - 85 MIR = $1194

Ok there is a guideline to keep in mind... Here is a quick rundown on why i chose every part. Also if you need a case and space isn't a big deal, i would probably go with the antec P182 (make sure it has the water holes in the back, and cable management cut backboard).

Q6600 - For 266$ this is going to be future proof for a while especially if you can overclock it a bit

Tuniq Tower - Supposedly the best heat sink available, unless you want to lap a thermalright ultra 120

Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R - P35 chipset so if you so wanted to upgrade your processor in a couple years, you can put in a 45nm Penryn. Also has capabillities for DDR3, so this way you can also do a memory upgrade if you see fit in a couple years. I personally have a GA-P35-DQ6 (DDR2 only) and i love it. Very stable board, great reviews for it online. This particular board isn't the craziest overclocker, but since i am advising a quad on air cooling, it shouldn't be an issue.

Crucial Ballistix 2GB - Great ram, uses Micron D9's!!! At this price you really can't go wrong. Supposedly will run DDR2-1000 at cas 5 2.2V. You could opt for some different ram, but please make sure it has Micron D9 chips (preferably GMH's). I don't think you will find a better price on similar ram to this though.

nVidia 8800GTS - Ok the reason i didn't specify a brand is because it doesn't matter all that much. This item constantly goes on sale, it was just on sale at bestbuy for $320. This is a good card for the price, alternatively you could look for a 2900XT, but they run hot and use more power. Personally i think the nVidia cards better, but the new drivers for the 2900xt do make it look promising, however i would only buy one if i could get is for less than $400.

Cosair HX620W PSU - This is a no brainer, best PSU IMO, i have one, its great. Can handle a Q6600 overclocked with 2x8800GTX's in SLI. You do not need a 1kW PSU, don't let anyone trick you into buying one. This will have more than enough juice for what you need.

Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 10K HD - With such a badass system you need 10k HD. This is the best HD on the market. make sure you don't get the 36GB model because it uses slower technology than the 74GB+ HD's i believe. It is a worthwhile investment to get one of these, not to mention they come with a 5 yr warranty. Keep in mind this will be your OS Drive only.

Pioneer DVR-212D DVD Burner - Sweet burner, i burn a lot of dvd's (over 3k total) and i have one of these. I just got it, and it has been impressive. If you are big into dvd burning then there is only 1 way to go, and it's plextor.. They just released the 800 series (not the SATA version yet). I don't know if you care if your burner is SATA or not, but personally i prefer them.

Additional Options: Hard Drive - If you need more storage I would go for a Seagate Barracuda 7100.10 320GB or 500GB. They are great drives with 5 yr warranty, and are very well priced at those sizes. You looking at about 75$ for the 320GB and $120 for the 500GB.

Heat Sink - Thermalright Ultra 120 - awesome heatsink, but i am pretty sure the tuniq tower outperforms it, if it isn't lapped. BonzaiDuck would know...

Ok so if you have any questions you can PM me with inquiries. There is a lot of flexibility with some components. Also shop around for better prices, i'm sure some of the parts you can get for cheaper.

 

[trOver]

Drak's guide just about perfect. Just add some of your old harddrives for storage, and keep the raptor for o/s, apps, and games and you set for the next couple of years.

 

[f4phantom2500]

i pretty much agree with drakore. i want to add/change a couple things though, you want to get a 640mb 8800gts if you go with the 8800gts, especially if you want to use it in the more long term. however, i would just get a holdover card (radeon x1k or gf7) until nvidia releases some new cards, then get whatever's the new equivalent (in terms of price/placement in the card family) to an 8800gts. also, i would suggest against a raptor drive. i recommend the seagate 7200.10 drives, they're really fast, nearly as fast as the raptors in most apps, and you can easily get like a 400gb drive for less than or about $100.

 

[bgeh]

alright, thanks, but one question though, is it advisable to overclock the q6600 on the stock cooler? i think i still have a tube of arctic silver 2(or something) somewhere from those days

unfortunately, the stores here are selling the 8800gts for about 425 USD, the HD2900xt however is retailing for about 410 USD

i'm planning to get the antec sonata III here(UK), which includes the Antec EarthWatts 500w PSU. is that a good PSU?

the motherboard recommended, the GA-P35C-DS3R is also being sold in Malaysia for approximately 160 USD

unfortunately, i think i'll have to forego a raptor and probably go for a 500gb hdd instead, because space matters more than speed to me =/

anyway, thanks lots drakore for the recommended configuration. your help's greatly appreciated

edit: i've to forego the case and power supply purchase because i plan to fly to the UK with the components, and since the case and power supply are heavy items, i plan to get them in the UK instead, which is why i decided on the antec sonata III

and yeah, any answers to the question of the benefits of the g0 stepping of the c2d/c2q would be greatly appreciated

 

[drakore]

No problem... f4phantom2500 is right, the raptor is kind of a waste of money... i guess i am biased towards them because i have one

Personally i would not overclock on the stock cooler... due to the fact you are going to be running hot enough as is on it...

If you are going to apply thermal paste, please use AS5 as a minimum... preferable Arctic Cooling MX-1 or Shin-etsu X23-7783D... The latter 2 are a little harder to apply, but should drop your cpu temp about 2-3 degrees over AS5.

If you are going to get a quad core it is worth spending the money for a good HS, even if you don't want to overclock that much. They have a TDP of 110W, i am not sure what it is overclocked.

I would buy the GA-P35C-DS3R at that price for sure....

As for the power supply, don't use the basic ones that come with a case. A PSU is something you do not want to cheap out on... it is a vital component. You need something with stability while supplying enough power for all your components. If you go with the corsair you will not be sorry.

Umm f4phantom2005 is right on with the video card recommendations (btw i was referring to the 640mb version in my previous post, i guess i should have written that somewhere ). The thing here is whether or not you are going to want to play DX10 games right now. If you don't need to, then hold off for the die shrink to happen so you can get a card that runs cooler and will have a performance gain over the current cards. The DX10 cards right now aren't all that impressive... i feel like the next gen of cards will be much better.