Whats a Computer?

cmelodysax

Junior Member
Feb 14, 2001
6
0
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Yeah, so I want to build my 3.7rd computer. Problem is I dont know what to build. I dont really follow computer hardware that much and the last computer I built was an XP 1700 based system some 2-3 years ago. I need idea's. I really dont know how much I want to spend probably no more than 1k. I would be willing to spend more if it would meant that the technology would stand still and I'd never have to upgrade, unfortunately, Im not working with Bill Gates toliet paper ;/. I was also debating on building a notebook but I fear that it would probably cost me more than if I just bought one.

AMD VS. INTEL

I was definitely leaning toward AMD's 64 bit chips. Only problem is I dont know of anything that I would use that would make use of those extra algorithms. The clock speeds of the 64-bit chips seems to pale in comparsion of P4's, but does that mean they balance out? I guess it depends on the application.

Motherboards

Once again clueless here. I guess it depends on what cpu I get. I do not plan on overclocking. That just one more thing I'd have to learn. Something at least 5 pci/express slots. Im not buying another all-in-wonder type Video card again. I currently have a PNY FX 5700 personal cinema. I still have not gotten it to work.

CASE

4X5.25, 3X3.5, 2xUSB (frontside). Needs to be quiet, so any advice on quiet cases or fans would be useful. Nothing fancy, regular beige case will suffice.

GRAPHICS CARD

I only play sports games and rpg's. I would like to play Doom 3, but It barely runs on my current system. Im not going to spend $400 for a video card. For all that I might as well buy an XBox 360. I need to know if there's any card that under $200 that will run Doom 3 medium detail settings at 50+fps.

RAM

Who makes good ram? Kingston? I am a musician and I want to kinda start working with audio editing software and I know its gonna require a lot of ram.

MEDIA

I currently have a 250gb 7200 16mb Maxtor hdd I still want to use. 52x16x52 CDRW/DVD combo drive is question for another DVD-R drive. I currently have a Benq 16x DVD+/-R but I dont think can write dual layered dvd's. Definitely getting and Audigy 4.


Honestly Im not being lazy. I just dont have to time search for benchmarks on hardware, or read reviews. I work 3 jobs, well 2 everyday. I barely even have time or money to build this focker. I just know I need a new puter. NAh!! Any advice would be helpful.
 

spc hink

Golden Member
Jun 13, 2005
1,093
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CPU
I would suggest either a AMD 3200+ venice or if you plan on doing a lot of cpu intensive tasks, an 3800+ X2. Do a search for "3200, X2" it will yield some posts about comparisons between the two.

Mother Board
You can get a decent motherboard for around $100. Make sure you get a socket 939 if you are getting one of the processors mentioned above. Abit, Asus, DFI are all reputable brands. There are other brands that are good but those are the only ones that come to mind. You don't need to get an SLI board.

Case
For the case, you get what you pay for. The more expensive ones have better thermal managment and are higher quality. I personally use a $20 case and it works fine.

Video Card
I would suggest getting a 6800 GS. They are in my opinion the best bang for the buck right now. But it would be a bit overkill for the games you want to play. You would probley be better off with a 6600GT. I personally like BFG and EVGA for brands.

Ram
I would suggest getting 1 gig of value ram for now and if it isn't enough get another gig later. Kingston, Corsair, and OCZ are all reputable brands.

Media
For the dvd burner, I would advise keeping you old one. It is going to be a while before dual layer disks are cheap enough to justify the cost of a new burner.

And last, check out mechbegon's guide for pc building, it will be a lot of help. http://www.mechbgon.com/build/index.html
 

theMan

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2005
4,386
0
0
you dont really need 64 bit. but amd wins out in almost all 32 bit apps.

Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Epox 9npa+ ultra - very solit mb. good overclocking too.
Corsair value select memory. get 2gb if you want, its cheep, but very high quality.
fortron Ax450-pn power supply
geforce 6800GS - best card for your price range.