Q&A: Question on a pc build?
Question by Dee: Question on a pc build?
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
P.S. ok i realized i may have put this in the wrong forum..im sorry im new
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?)
Best answer:
Answer by Karz
Your current build is bottlenecking your 8800GT. You are right in keeping the 8800GT for the meantime but moving to a faster and less bottlenecked platform. The 8800GT is still a fast mainstream card that can play many games at high settings but modest resolution.
With regard to your proposed build, I suggest you consider the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P mobo.
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3508&p=12
The Intel DP45SG is decent and stable but unexciting. You can not unleash the full potential of the Q9550 on the DP45SG. Mainstream graphics cards tend to get less bottlenecked by processors running >3.0gHz and high-end cards by processors at >3.5gHz.
And if you plan to multi-task a lot, better consider more than 2GB RAM. Crysis Warhead (game itself) uses ~1.2 GB RAM.
Here’s my 8800GT on an ageing but less bottlenecked platform:
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=571215
It is using Win 7 RC (Ultimate) 64bit.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
