comparing computer products?!

[noft]

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif Hello Uhmmmmm. Well I have always bought the parts to my computer and put them together myself. but I have questions about HARDWARE parts now. I have always bought ASUS motherboard and AMD cpu; ATI video cards and creative labs sound cards. But I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions as to what is the best hardware out there now. And/Or is there a website that can provide me with this information. Basically I would like to find out a website that COMPARES hardware. or if you can give me any advice as to what hardware is better.
As an example: I have heard that ATI video cards are not good at displaying some screensavers regardless of how much V-RAM they have.

so uhmmm. if you guys can help me and tell me what hardware is best in your opinion and why:

Motherboard
CPU
Hard Drives
VIDEO Card
Sound Card
RAM
CD-ROM
CD-burner
Tape Drives
Ethernet
Cases

Well uhmmm. If I am missing anything throw it in for me and tnx for your comments.

If you like you can also send replies to my e-mail nofthwo@rcn.com http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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noft

[rond36]

Check out the system that I am building (http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000958.html). Substitute an Asus A7V266-E motherboard and AMD Athlon XP2000+ processor and add Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX in my opinion you will have one of the best systems around.

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I think Windows XP and Microsoft use more of my bandwidth than I do!
WindowsBBS.com (http://www.WindowsBBS.com/index.php?referrerid=115) Is back online, check it out

[Rick]

Here is a good Site for hardware reviews. http://www.anandtech.com/index.html

I don’t think anyone can say that X company Makes better hardware than Y.
They all have there good and bad points...
I happen to prefer Asus Myself for my personal systems
But If I build one for a company then I use Asus, Tyan or Others

The hardware you use will be determined by what you want to do with your system.
A gamers system is not always best suited for a graphics work station

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To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

[noft]

Uhmm. tnx for the comments and help guys. Uhmmmmm. ya i know that there is really no way that one can say that X company makes better products the Y company. but basically what I was looking for was like PERSONAL experience with different hardware. Somepeople for example, think that ASUS motherboards are good IIIFFFF you get them to work with your video games. and some people think that voodoo video cars and nvidia might me be better then ATI from their personal experience. I just wanted their input as to why they think this is so. So the video cards play better OPEN GL graphics then others and better at playing 3D stuff like that. Thanks again for your help guys

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noft

[Rick]

If what you want is personal Opinion

It depends on what you want to do with the system .
What O/S you want to use.

For example After using Win XP Pro on an Asus A7V133 with amd Tbird 1.2 with 512 meg of pc133 ram.
I got sick of the Slow system and Moved it to a new Asus A7M266-D
Running Dual Amd 1800+ MP chips with 1024meg of pc2100 ram ( Crucial ecc reg)
2 IBM 7200 drives A Matrox G400 Video card
I am Now Happy with the system performance and can edit Photos all I want without having to wait for windows to keep up with what I want to do.

I will also say that this would make a POOR gamers system,
Open-Gl support is poor on the G400 But the card isn’t designed for 3D .
It does How ever scream using DirectX

it’s is also My opinion that VooDoo cards manufactured Before the VooDoo 5500 are reasonable if used for smaller systems.
I have one of the 5500 and its Not wroth the effort to install in another system.

Compared to the Tyan M/B based systems I have built I prefer and recommend the Asus.
Especial for dual Cpu operation.
There are other manufactures Boards I have used in the past, None of them have lasted as well as the Tyan and Asus.
Among those that I will Never use again Is the IWILL M/B.
I have had to many hassles with them.

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To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

[noft]

WOW! so you don't recommed the INTEL! M/B?! interesting. Uhmmm ya basically what I am looking for is like personal opinion because I a company can say that they have the best of the best but when the user tries it. i sucks XXXXX big time. I am a gamer myself and I did not know if what I needed on my video card was Open GL or DirectX or something else. I dont even know what they all mean. But I have tried a DIAMOND STEALTH and an ATI video card with 32MB or RAM and they both suck playing some 3D screensavers and I thought that you did not need more then 16MB to do that. I dont know why they are having problems with it. Could it be that it needs more processing power? My CPU is an AMD 350Mhz. I know that it is old but, is this what is causing my slowness or is it the Video Cards? Thanks again for your help everybody. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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noft

[This message has been edited by Paleo Pete (edited 02-10-2002).]

[Rick]

The fist thing I suspect as a cause for the poor 3d performance is the 350 cpu..
Second would be the Color depth
Third the screen resolution

Remember Graphics are nothing more that numeric algorithms.
So your cpu has to do a lot of work to display them.

Color depth 256,16m 32m, Add to the workload on the cpu
Add to that high resolution and you have burdened your cpu down to doing mostly Graphics
reducing the amount of processor time for the program code.

All this is equaled out in logical order by the program.
If the cpu spends more and more time on the video code it slows down the program and In turn the game or display is slower.

The amount of Video memory plays a large part in the resolution and color depth .
More is always better. IF It is fast memory.

DirectX is Microsoft interface for programers to use.
It allows a standard display driver / code to work with.
Doing away with the need to write code for each card on the market.
If you have older games for example and use a VooDoo card. You will find that It requires a special OpenGl driver written just for it.

With a 32meg video card you should have no problem with 3d screensaver
I have a 32 meg card and I have not found a single 3d that I can’t display

Other factors play a large part in your display also. PCI / AGP
System memory and type.

I avoid Intel state of the art systems for one reason Only.
Bang for the Buck$$$
Intel has gotten to expensive ..


[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 02-10-2002).]

[josemavicente]

its your 350mhz thats causing the slow downs. for me, anything below 500mhz should be upgraded to something faster. i own a celeron633 and even though its nota pentium3, it still performs well and runs thegames pretty fast. think of the processor as the motor of your car engine. A 3gal engine is slow compared to a 5gal one. Think of the video card as turbo. Your RAM could be the gas tank capacity.

Oooh...such funny similees.

in any case, i suggest changing your motherboard. DiabloII runs choppy on a minus 500mhz pentium2.

As for motherboards, I stick with ASUS for many reasons. I have an old ASUS MB that houses a Pentium MMX!!! Six years and its still in perfect condition. I had an ASUS CUBX (not the best MB for pentiumII-III) but it lasted me six months while the CPU fan was going haywire. (i didnt know this was theproblem but i solved it a few weeks ago). I replacedit with another brand (not intel) a few months ago and it conked out in a few days. Intel is good, but I agree with Rick that its too expensive. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif

As for the 3d card, I believe in being discreet so I still have a TNT2 32MB and not planning to upgrade it for the next few months (or even years?) until it becomes obsolete. The thing you want with an accelerator is compatibility and as long as your 3dcard is at least 16megs. Load up on RAM ... thats my opinion. Take advantage of Windows XP and its "no more RAM threshold." http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

I hope my advice is reasonable and sane http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif
What you think? http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Jayvee Fernandez
"Structure is the function of logic."

[josemavicente]

btw Rick,

I think both noft and I are astounded withyour explanation of OpenGL etc etc.

I would like to know more about how OpenGl differs from D3d and 3dfx??
Are these video modes? What 3dcards are good for each one? Or maybe I should start a new thread. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

errata: "in any case, i suggest changing your motherboard. DiabloII runs choppy on a minus 500mhz pentium2. " (how do you quote?)

i meant processor when i said motherboard



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Jayvee Fernandez
"Structure is the function of logic."

[noft]

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif Guys Thank you for all of your input. I understand better now. Although I have to say that I have a 350Mhz CPU and I am running diablo 2 expansion and it runs good. I don't complain AT all. But I understand better about the motherboards and video cards now. Thanks again.

Uhmmmm btw. ya I would like to know more bout the 3dfx and the direct x and all that stuff. seems pretty interesting.
Uhm I think I will stay away from WinXP for now because I dont'wanna go overload with too much stuff. Right now I am studying for MCP in NT Server 4.0 and later I will hit MCP in SQL SERVER 7.0 (and dont ask how come i'm not doing MCP for w2k) http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif
I just happen to have the tools to study for NT 4.0 and I dont really care about the MCSE either. I just wanna know enough of NT and then hit SQL server full breach. Soooo I am not touching XP for a while, Although that is what I run at work hehehehe. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

By the way: do you guys know what is up with the new MEMORY? I can still do SDRAM. but I'm lost when it comes talking bout DDR and RAMBUS. I know what the abbreviations mean but I'm talkinb out the PC2100 & PC1600 what da heck are they talking about anyways? Do you load stuff faster with these new memories and how much faster?
As an example: ISP tell ya that DSL is about 50times faster then your 56k modem. Well how much faster are these new memories? what is up with them? It has just been SOOOOO long since I keep up with hardware stuff. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif
by the way here goes another simple question:
uhmmmm what is up with WATTS in cases? I mean there are cases that have 300watts and some that have 500watts but they both cost about the same. are the 500watts for servers or something? cause come on. as long as it can power up my comp. I'm fine with the 300watt.
I am here throwing all these question like I was a rookie but might as well get it out now and have someelse benefit from this forum anyways.
Do you guys have any comments on HDD's? I have always bought Western Digital, but my buddy's tell me that I should go for IBM, Quantum &/or Seagate. One guy told me that IBM are really good (which they are) and they don't make much noise. DUDDDDDE I still hear alot of noise from the IBM drives. Although I have to admit that I used to work as a tech at IBM and I would here the engineers talk about they new out on the market product that had noise reduce by some %. But I dunno, I dont see much difference myself.
Well guys thanks again for your help. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

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noft