New PC build questions.

[hittman305]

OK, well i am currently in the process of building a new pc, so 1st let me say a few things. I want to build this for gaming. the build i have now, runs most older, less demanding games pretty well. (Cod4 MW, WoW) but some of the newer ones definetly wont run so well.

the system i am currently using is:

Mobo: ASUS A8S-x (939 socket)

AMD Atholn 64 x2 4200+

2 gig ( 2x 1 gig) of Crucial RAM

Geforce 8800 GT Vid card

An old IDE 250 gig hard drive

Windows XP (sp2)

Samsung syncmaster 206 bw (monitor)



1. I want my new pc build to be able to have high quality gaming expireinces, be able to make movies,dvd, etc. run a few apps at the same time (mucis playing, youtube, ventrilo, and Cyrsis type games, without struggling)and i NEVER want to see that hourglass. ( ok maybe not never, but as little as possible)

2. My budget is around the $600.00 dollar mark.

3. I live in the united states

4. I have always liked AMD ( good performence, good price) But i have been thinking about Intel now....Mainly due to the fact that i heard Intel CPU are better, if u can afford them, and also, that Intel Mobos, are the best. (compared to ASUS, Giga-Byte)

5. I wont be needing a optical drive at this moment. may get a blu ray multi burner down the road (waiting on technology to improve, as well as pricing)

6. I have searched, and looked at some other threads, but never asked a question before.

7. I have never Overclocked anything before, but i have been doing a bit of research into it,and i would definitely like to try it out, once i know what i am doing, and would like a CPU that is able to OC well.

8. I am trying to build this in the coming weeks, as i buy a few parts here and there.

Ok, i have come up with my own idea for a build, that i can afford, but i would like some opinons, on if what i picked, is a good ..or could, and should i have went for something better>? ( granted, you get what you pay for, i mean, could i spend an extra 10-20 buks, and get WAY better performance/? or is it really not going to make a difference) ok so far this is what i have in mind:

Case: RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case

Motherboard:Intel DP45SG LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

CPU FAN:ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

Memory: CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN3X2048-1333C9

Hard drive:Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OE

Power supply:SIGMA FOCUS SP600B 600W (700W Peak) ATX12V Power Supply

Video Card: I will be keeping my same video card at the moment. ( A GeForce 8800 GT) I know its not the best out there, but should i really need something better? and if so what could i get for under 200 buks?

Optical drive: I will also be keeping my old one for this build. i have a Lite-On DVD RW SATA, so i wont need this for awhile.


Ok, so thats it..i will appreciate any advice you guys can give me on this so far. thanks


anyhow, just wanted to add that, and also,. as far as the OS i am plannig to keep Windows XP (sp2) Simply for financial reasons, and also, it seems much more stable, and less hassle than vista, and when/if i do upgrade, it will probally be to Windows 7 ( in other words, no DX 10 for now, but is it THAT much differnce?)

 

[Blain]

Sorry, but...

"<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=75&threadid=2070583&enterthread=y">If the subject matter of a topic is broad or vague enough to fit into more than one category, please only pick the one that seems to be the best fit.

Threads on the same topic are not allowed to be cross-posted in multiple forums unless members in one forum suggest taking it elsewhere after addressing the issue.</a>"

 

[hittman305]

ok..well i dont see an option to delete my other post. anyhow, would this be the right place for this post? it seemed to fit better here under general hardware...

 

[hittman305]

ok.

 

[z1ggy]

If I were you...I would just wait a few months until the new chips come out. The Qxxxx are going to be done away with eventully and since you have kept that firest system for a while, if you did the same thing in another 2-3 years, you will end up spending way more to completel re-upgrade ( liek you are now) instead of just being able to upgrade your cpu/gpu every year or so. Atleast I think its more cost effective to spend a little more now.. then a lot more later.

 

[Denithor]

Yes, General Hardware is a much better fit for this question.

Welcome to the forums!

I see Blain got up on the wrong side of the cave this morning.

Just edit your post in the other forum to a blank & the title to nevermind - delete and you're fine.

Ok, moving on to your questions. Lots of things here.

Intel motherboards - very solid - but absolutely zero overclocking options. As in - they don't exist in the BIOS, overclockers need not apply. So if you just want to run your chip at stock, by all means get an Intel-branded board - just know the limitation going into it.

And right now - the best value for gaming is actually the X3 720 from AMD. Super overclockable, plenty powerful for games - and cheap. Here's what I would suggest.

AMD X3 720 + Asus 790GX $215 - $15MIR
mushkin 2x2GB DDR3-1600 $70
EVGA GTX 260/216 $195 - $25MIR
Corsair 650TX $90 - $10MIR

Use the stock heatsink/fan with the X3 - should be fine up to around 3.2-3.4GHz.

Are you keeping your old system intact or not? If not - reuse the old case instead of buying a new one.

Finally, harddrive. If you seriously want a much much faster feel to the system you need an SSD for your OS/app drive. Grab this OCZ Vertex 30GB for Windows and your games - everything else goes on either a WD6401AALS or even just reuse your old 250GB drive for storage if you're parting the old system.

And by the way - that S939 X2 is actually worth a bit of cash. Check the prices on dual-core S939 chips on eBay - then post it, I'll bet you'll be surprised by what you get for it.