Yet another noob Computer Build

[thundertwig]

I'm primarily building a new PC to play Age of Conan/Warhammer Online when they come out (I play other games too, but the vast majority of my time is with MMOs). I have no previous experience building computers, and I've attempted some research (just googling products/reading reviews etc). I don't want the absolute best graphics, but playable and somewhat futureproof is appreciated. I'm somewhat concerned about power consumption (energy efficiency, etc), but it was kind of hard to really pin that down, so I picked out that PSU hoping it would make up for the excesses of my video card.

My budget is fairly flexible, but as I don't want really great graphics, I'm mainly aiming for performance/price (and maybe a bit of performance/watts). I've tried to research a bit, using the watt estimator etc., but I'm still a novice to these things.

I don't know how to OC, but wouldn't be opposed unless it was difficult/used a lot of resources/watts.

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU: SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V / EPS12V 550W Power Supply

RAM: CORSAIR 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

or? AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor


Motherboard: ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

or (if AMD): ASUS M2N-SLI AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard


Video card: XFX PVT88SFDF4 GeForce 8800GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

or? XFX PVT94PYDF4 GeForce 9600GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

DVD: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s


I'm still torn between the AMD and Intel, but I'm leaning Intel at the moment. Also, kinda wondering if the case is a good idea (the idea of the LEDs annoy me, and I wonder if the fans are excessive, but it's on sale for another day and a decent deal, so I need to decide fast). The 8800gs graphics card seems like a really good deal, but the 9600gt also isn't bad either.

Your feedback and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Apologies for noobage.

 

[imported_wired247]

Overclocking is not difficult, if you have patience enough to let your CPU crunch numbers for 20 hours only to find that it needs a +0.00625V bump, then do it all over again.

Go for the 9600GT

Everything else you posted looks good. Don't bother with an NVIDIA mobo unless you are doing SLI right now. And FWIW 2x 9600GT's in SLI is pretty decent performance. For SLI I'd recommend the corsair HX 620, for single GPU your seasonic 550W should be great.

That C2D cpu should be good. 45nm CPU's are great for a little more power savings but that e6550 should have great performance nonetheless especially overclocked. If you can wait for the e8400's to get back in stock, then they would be worth it for a faster CPU that uses less power.

AMD is unimpressive these days. Intel is winning, plain and simple.

Spend a little more and get the 320GB version http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822148140 for the higher density platter.

 

[DSF]

Actually, if you decide to overclock I would strongly recommend against the E6550. With its low multiplier and relatively high stock frontside bus, it's not an overclocker's chip. In that case you'd be better off with an E2180, E4500 or E8400 depending on your budget and how much performance you're looking to get. (Although frankly an overclocked E2180 will play any game out there.)

 

[imported_wired247]

good advice DSF... of course the e8400 is a wonder chip really does it all... I would recommend it to just about anyone but you're right about the other recommendations as well

 

[thundertwig]

Thanks very much for the responses guys, I'm fairly jittery since I'm basically treading forbidden waters.

I'm assuming a higher density platter is a pretty good thing to have? I've read a bit about "platters" but I've never figured out what exactly they are.

The processor advice sounds reasonable (not that I'd know; I'm glad to trust you guys on it). The E4500 seems to be a pretty good option, price wise, but it sounds like you guys really think the e8400 is worth the $100+ more? I might just have to wait and see.

If you think the 9600gt will take on most games fine, I'm not really inclined to SLI. If that's the case, and I go for an Intel CPU like the e4500 or e8400, do you have a mobo you'd suggest?

Also, another question: when buying RAM (and in your sig), I notice the 4-4-4-12 and I think I read it might relate to CPU performance. Should I be concerned about that?

Again, thanks very much for your help.

 

[chinaman1472]

To me, I don't think the E8400 is worth the extra $100 if:
- you're under budget conditions. I'd rather have more RAM and/or a better video card if it came to that choice.
- you simply don't need that much processing power. If you're doing hardcore gaming, multi-tasking, editing, etc. it's not really necessary unless every second counts.

For you, an E4500 (overclocked) would be my recommendation. Overclocking is really easy, and the E4500 should have no problems getting a little extra speed on stock cooling without hazard (of course, do your research first!). The Abit IP35-E is a fine motherboard; the alternative recommendation around here is the Gigabyte P35-DS3L.

If you're playing at 1650x1050 or higher, I'd probably snag the MSI 8800GT, otherwise the 9600GT should be enough. It's tough to gauge how well it will play games that aren't released yet.

The RAM timing between 4-4-4-12 and 5-5-5-15 is really only noticeable when you benchmark. For some people, squeezing every last bit of performance count; but in most real world application, it's unlikely you'll be able to tell a difference.

 

[imported_wired247]

Originally posted by: chinaman1472


The RAM timing between 4-4-4-12 and 5-5-5-15 is really only noticeable when you benchmark. For some people, squeezing every last bit of performance count; but in most real world application, it's unlikely you'll be able to tell a difference.

Yes... if you're new to building computers and overclocking, when you set up your RAM for the first time, put all settings to Auto or SPD. Don't concern yourself with RAM timings, but do get the right kind of RAM for your system, which would be any DDR2-800 RAM that runs around 1.8-2.0V. Avoid RAM that is overly expensive or running at 2.2V or more.

Higher density hard drive platter @ same RPM = faster drive, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: wired247
Higher density hard drive platter @ same RPM = faster drive, correct me if I'm wrong.

More or less. Denser platters means more data on each platter, and reduces the likelihood the read head will have to travel between platters for a large read or between two sequential reads, thus increasing the overall read time.

 

[thundertwig]

Just to clarify, you guys suggested the e4500 because it's a better OCing chip, even though (or because of?) it has a lower FSB and lower memory cache? Someone else mentioned to me that those things probably matter more than MHz, but I guess OCing more than makes up for it?

The other stuff makes sense (I think, heh), and I really do appreciate all your help. Thanks so much!

 

[Roguestar]

FSB doesn't matter anywhere nearly as much as core speed. CPU cache is nice to have but won't make as much of a difference as core speed and amount of RAM.

The E4500 has a lower FSB which means, generally, it'll probably be easier to overclock. This will indeed raise the FSB speed but there's not a huge difference between a high FSB and low FSB at the same core speed.

 

[heyheybooboo]

At the Egg

e2200 = $80 w/ Promo Code EMCADCAAD

AMD X2 5400+ = $85 w/ Promo Code EMCADCAAH

 

[chinaman1472]

E2200.