New Guy needs system advice

[Tavyn]

I need some advice with buying a new system. I have built computer systems in the past and its time for a new one. I have about 1200 dollars to spend. Even though I have bought and built computers in the past I realize now that what I did was shoot in the dark and spend more money for less computer than I could have if I really knew what I was doing. I need some expert advice so thats why I am here. The main purpose of the system is games like WoW and in the future Warhammer. I like the pvp aspect of WoW but I dont do fps games so fast is good but I dont need 120fps.

Questions

With video cards, is it better to have one monster video card or 2 lesser cards working together.

I currently have a 1.7ghz cpu. I want to upgrade to something much faster but not super monstrously expensive fast. How much difference will I see between say a 2.6 dual core and a 2.8 or 3.0. Is it worth the cash or will the difference between 1.7 single and 2.6 dual make the difference between the 1.7 single and 3.0 dual unnoticeable? ( I hope that makes sense.)

With Ram more is always better but what is the break point where most things will run perfectly? I currently have 3gbs of pc2700. Would 3 gbs of pc2 6400 be enough for most games or should I get more?

How big of a power supply will I need? 700w? 1000w?

Any other advice you can give me would be great.

 

[mechBgon]

Welcome to the Forums This part of the Forum doesn't get as many of the system builder gurus as the General Hardware section. Would you like your thread moved to General Hardware so it gets more exposure?

 

[Tavyn]

Yes please that would be most helpful.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Originally posted by: Tavyn
I need some advice with buying a new system. I have built computer systems in the past and its time for a new one. I have about 1200 dollars to spend. Even though I have bought and built computers in the past I realize now that what I did was shoot in the dark and spend more money for less computer than I could have if I really knew what I was doing. I need some expert advice so thats why I am here. The main purpose of the system is games like WoW and in the future Warhammer. I like the pvp aspect of WoW but I dont do fps games so fast is good but I dont need 120fps.

Questions

With video cards, is it better to have one monster video card or 2 lesser cards working together.

I currently have a 1.7ghz cpu. I want to upgrade to something much faster but not super monstrously expensive fast. How much difference will I see between say a 2.6 dual core and a 2.8 or 3.0. Is it worth the cash or will the difference between 1.7 single and 2.6 dual make the difference between the 1.7 single and 3.0 dual unnoticeable? ( I hope that makes sense.)

With Ram more is always better but what is the break point where most things will run perfectly? I currently have 3gbs of pc2700. Would 3 gbs of pc2 6400 be enough for most games or should I get more?

How big of a power supply will I need? 700w? 1000w?

Any other advice you can give me would be great.

ok my opinions taking the questions 1 by one

1) IMO dual GPUs usually cost too much and only really shows any sort of advantage when 2 montser cards are bought. Usually a single "monster card" will beat 2 mid-range cards

2)Your processor is likely very old and you will need to buy a new motherboard as well. All of the decent CPUs now are at least dual core...so forget single core...possibly even look for quad core. Performance also depends on arcitechture and not necessarily just clock speed (clock speed only matters when comparing 2 chips of the same architecture) a 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo wipes the floor with an old 3.73Ghz Dual Core Extreme Edition. If you are an overclocker then you can most likely get the lower numbered Intel Core 2 chips up to and beyond the higher numbered chips.

3)Your RAM is DDR(1) all modern chips require at least DDR2 RAM...unless you have a 64Bit operating system it will not utilize any more than about 3.2-3.5GB and most games won't show much improvement with more than 2GB although some like Supreme Commander do show improvement...I personally would go with 2GB of DDR2 800 PC6400 RAM

4)What PSU you need depends mostly on what type of videocard you have or if you use dual CPUs(very rare) right now most sensible systems don't need any more than a decent 620watt PSU like the Corsair HX620...but a system like you would probably build would do fine with 500wats...I suggest the Corsair HX520

If WOW is the most intense game you are playing you can easily get a PC (not including mouse, keyboard or monitor) for $700-$900.

 

[Tavyn]

So keeping in mind what I've already been told I went window shopping. Havent bought anything yet but this is what I am thinking. Let me know what you guys think please. I already have a brand new monitor, keyboard, mouse, dvd burner, and 180g hard drive. Only thing thats not on this list is sound card. I have a soundblaster card thats pretty old but its been working perfectly for a long time now and I dont have any issues with the sound so I will probably just keep it. All of these parts are on neweggs website.

1 COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: RC-690-KKN1-GP
Item #: N82E16811119137
$79.99 $79.99


1 ASUS M2R32-MVP AM2 AMD 580X CrossFire ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2R32-MVP
Item #: N82E16813131095
$118.99 $118.99

1 DIAMOND 2900XT512PE Radeon HD 2900XT 512MB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Model #: 2900XT512PE
Item #: N82E16814103036
$398.99 -$15.00 Instant $383.99

1 Thermaltake W0116RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 750W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: W0116RU
Item #: N82E16817153038
$189.99 $189.99

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADX6000CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103773
$169.99 $169.99


2 Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5/1G - Retail
Model #: KVR800D2N5/1G
Item #: N82E16820134114
$57.99 $115.98

1 Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Model #: 66R-00838
Item #: N82E16832116215
$189.99 -$10.00 Instant $179.99

1 ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: BTF90
Item #: N82E16835887002
Mail-in Rebate
$49.99 -$10.00 Instant $39.99

Subtotal: $1,278.91

 

[HOOfan 1]

The entire computer is overkill for World of Warcraft

the PSU is overkill for a single videocard

Intel CPUs right now have the lead in gaming over AMD

 

[Tavyn]

Okay well glad to hear that its overkill, the plan is to play WoW yes but I also want to be powerful enough to play the next great game that comes along in two or three years. Glad to hear that the cpu is strong enough for one card because in the future I will be able to upgrade to a second of the same card?