Time for me to finally build a new computer

[VeZ]

After trying out the UT3 beta demo the other day and seeing how my computer would crash if it even attempted to try to run it at 1028x768 with minimal graphics on, I checked my newegg orders to see when I last ordered something. I just realized my computer is gonna be 3+years old this month. Right now Im running an athlon 64 3000+, 1 gb ram, gforce 6800 LE,

Ive been playing BF2 and it runs pretty decent on high settings but when I begin to start to turn on AA and AF and shadows it doesnt go too well. Same for Half Life 2 EP 2..so what Im getting at is I have around 750 dollars to spend, and I was wondering what the best bang I can get that can last me a good few years. Im hoping to be able to play games like UT3 and Crysis on this rig, Im not worried about playing on an resolution higher than 1600x1050 and 8xaf and 4xaa dont entirely intrigue me. Ive been kind of out of the whole GPU and CPU / mobo loop ever since I last bought my stuff for my rig, so if any of you could post up a few things that would be awesome . Thanks!

 

[Quiksilver]

If it were me I'd wait until November considering nVidia is launching their 8800GT line which is a single slot cooling solution and from the looks or the FUD numbers it could be a decent card.

 

[secretanchitman]

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
If it were me I'd wait until November considering nVidia is launching their 8800GT line which is a single slot cooling solution and from the looks or the FUD numbers it could be a decent card.

yeah, my thoughts exactly. and you probably would want penryn c2d too (i thought i read somewhere that it comes out then - not sure though).

 

[VeZ]

Ah great just saw the thread on that...looks like I might be taking that route for a new GPU. I had a question about whether to get 2g or 2g+ of ram. I hear Vista can chew up nearly 1gb itself and so that would mean I would need around 3g to help out gaming performance correct?

 

[myocardia]

If you decide to go with Vista, you'll want a minimum of 3 GB of RAM, for a gaming computer. I'd personally just go with 64-bit Vista, and get 4 GB of RAM.

 

[VeZ]

Alright cool, and one last question. Ive been checking out benchmarks and such and see that right now Intel seems to be in the lead. Should I wait to see how the next set of AMD chips are or just go ahead and go with the Intel Duo or Quad processors

 

[Dacalo]

Unless you are reallying pressing for an upgrade, I would wait until January. By then, Nvidia and ATI would have released their revised video cards, as well as Penryn being available. You are so close to the cycle, why not wait 2.5 - 3 months?

 

[Sled]

Here's a tip, you'll wait AMD latest processor, say it'll be released end of november. Another news come that intel want to keep the leader crown, intel decide to release another advanced processor in december, while you get this news, ATI release a VGA card which said can beat 8800GTX, Nvidia won't stay quiet, they release another monster card, while you are reading news everyday, you won't feel anymore that it has been 3 months since the last time you said "i want to upgrade my PC" and then next day, you'll see the same news as 3 months ago, "First Round Intel vs AMD" or "ATI got beaten up by Nvidia" and then you wait again for that kind of news...and your 3 years old PC past its time into 5 years old PC...
Sorry if i post too long, but my point is, if you want to upgrade, make up your mind, check your budget and do the shopping !!!

 

[Denithor]

As Sled so randomly stated, go ahead and get what you want instead of waiting.

With one exception.

The new mid-range video cards expected to launch within the next month (G92 from nVidia late October, RV670 from AMD mid November) should offer great performance at a price that is perfect for your system ($200-250).

Other than the video card, I would recommend one of the mid-level C2D processors (e6550 or e6750), a decent overclocking motherboard (P35 chipset), 4GB of the cheap DDR2 from the hot deals forum, and whatever other parts you can't recycle from your old box (probably best to upgrade your power supply).

If you reuse your case, DVDRW, and HDD you should be able to easily keep your cost below $700. And you can probably sell your other old parts on the forums here or eBay.

 

[brencat]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Other than the video card, I would recommend one of the mid-level C2D processors (e6550 or e6750), a decent overclocking motherboard (P35 chipset), 4GB of the cheap DDR2 from the hot deals forum, and whatever other parts you can't recycle from your old box (probably best to upgrade your power supply).

Agreed. Vez, I too am waiting on the new video cards to complete my build. However, I don't recommend the E6550/63XX since they have 7x multipliers and you'll be totally dependent on pushing a high FSB for decent overclock. Overall core speed is key with C2D, so best to pick a chip with at least an 8x multiplier like E6750/E64XX or one of the budget CPUs in the E21XX/E4XXX series.

I just bought an E2180 to abuse for the next 9 mos until Penryn becomes more mainstream (and cheaper) mid-late next year.

And as Denithor said...get a good PSU with at least 40A on the 12V rail, and stick with top brands like Corsair, Seasonic, or PC Power & Cooling. Be careful with some Antec models.