It's been a while

[NeWbiE :-)]

I feel like I'm 90 years old with all this stuff thats out now.

MoBo: With all the new processors is LGA775 still the main Intel socket? or is this a dying breed, like my 754 was when I got that (Insert kicking myself in the ass emoticon) Because I'm not making that mistake again.

CPU: Again, I think dual-core was just getting affordable when I pieced my machine and I chose to save money on a regular amd64 bottom of the line CPU. Honestly I'm not dying for more power, so will I be suffice with coreduo or should I invest in the quad?

GPU: Holy hell. How about someone just recommend a popular card, affordable, reliable, and at least somewhat new technology.

Ram: Is DDR3 on its way in? I never even had DDR2.

HD: I notice new games are requiring 6-10+gb. I have like 20 games on my HDD :eek:

One of my biggest problems with this PC has been that I skimped out on the case and now I'm dealing with cooling issues. So that'll probably be what I overkill this time around. But what do you guys think of someone without much experience installing aftermarket heatsinks and such?. Is it tough? Would retail heatsinks/fans be suffice as long as I get a decent case?

I was going to begin purchasing my pieces today, but I went to new egg and just crapped. I figured I need a crash course, and of coarse make sure there isn't the new supertechnology lurking right around the corner.

My things to remember from last build:
Trust the new sockets, love the new sockets.
Cheap ram is cheap for a reason.
Case = Performance > Coooool
I don't burn DVD's so don't need to spend the extra 30 bucks on a DVD-RW+-
Spend that extra 30 bucks on -- COOOOLINGGGG
And finally -- ALWAYS trust Saphelline.

[NeWbiE :-)]

I was totally set on going with Intel, but this looks like a good deal. It's a newer socket, and I believe "Phenom" is one of their latest lines. The mother board looks good too. DDR2, 8GB Max which I don't even think I need until I'm ready to go with Vista. (Which I obviously will do eventually so I need the capabilities.)

The only negative is no SLi. I honestly don't plan to -- EVER, but that doesn't mean I might not HAVE to at some point.

Any the deal is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138106
-and-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103249

For: $245 Which is practically like giving me the MoBo for free.

So please, any rants, comments, concerns with either piece?

[George Hallam]

hello ;)

well seems as saph isnt around much :( i will just have to help :p

before i start how much you have to spend?

Phenom are not bad CPU's as such its just Intel are soooo much better at the moment :D

If you want AMD go for it but Intel are better at the moment

GPU i would say 8800Gt hands down best bang for buck card

i will sort out MOBO, RAM, PSU, case etc when i know how much you have to spend

[Heartborne]

LGA 775 is still top dog and probably will be for a while. For AMD, AM2+ is where you want to be.

DDR2 is still standard. DDR3 is on the way, but it's still a bit expensive and not too many boards support it. I'd wait until it comes down in price a bit.

I'm not too keen on cheap motherboards. Usually they're cheap for a reason! Not that you'll have problems, but if you do have problems the customer support will probably be severely lacking.
On that note, you might want to go with Asus, EVGA or another well-known mfg in order to select a good motherboard.

For the price of that cpu, you may as well get an intel Q6600 which performs better overall. I'm not a big fan of the AMD compatible motherboards that are on the market today. You get a better value with the Intel chip, since their performance is currently way ahead of AMD's.

For less than $200 you can't go wrong with Nvidia GeForce 8800GT for graphics, but this is more of a gaming card and you might find you don't need quite so much power for your everyday use. A 9600 GT or ATI Radeon HD 3870 may prove more to you liking for around $150, but if you won't be playing games at all, or even very little, you will probably be happy with the low-end cards like the 8600 GT or, even cheaper still, 8600 GS. Not great for games, but good for an all-purpose build. The 9600 GSO is a repackaged 8600 GS and might be a little cheaper.

Check out my "how to build a gaming computer for under $500" thread for some more advice on budget components that deliver on power and performance. Why isn't that thread stickied yet?

You're right about saph. Saph is all-knowing.

You're also right about not being cheap about the case. A case with at least two fans is a must, more if you use high-end components and even more still if you plan on overclocking. I've made that mistake myself. that's why I've got a 5-fan monster of a mid tower.

[NeWbiE :-)]

I'm leaving the budget open. I'm calling it low budget -- but I refuse to cheap out on anything. Base is $800 and going up. I have a copy of XP already, a sound card I'm carrying over, and a monitor and all peripherals. So this is pretty much just a tower project.

As for GPU I do some gaming -- not much but enough that when the time comes I might need the power to be there. If it's a matter of buying a $150 card with no gaming abilities, or a $200 card with strong gaming abilities I would rather the $200.

Thanks for the help -- I think I will just stick with the original plan of going Intel.

[IM back!]

9600 GSO is a repackaged 8600 GS
you mean: 9600 GSO is a repackaged 9600 Gt right :p

If it's a matter of buying a $150 card with no gaming abilities, or a $200 card with strong gaming abilities I would rather the $200.

you can buy a card with good gaming abilities for $170: the 8800gt, if you have $200 to spend then you can get a 8800gts 512 with a little more power if you look around.

I was totally set on going with Intel, but this looks like a good deal. It's a newer socket, and I believe "Phenom" is one of their latest lines.

everyone is bashing AMD these days, and they ave a reason intel is just better right now, but amd has responded with lower prices and sometimes you get better bang for the buck with amd.

[mjc]

No, he had it the right way around...Nvidia has taken to slightly modifying the 8xxx series cards and pushing them out as 9xxx...they use the same GPU. The mods may or may not include things like more memory and possibly a couple of other 'slight' enhancements, including BIOS 'tweaks' and adjustments.

[Heartborne]

Nope, the 9600 GSO is a repackaged 8600 GT. The 9600 GSO is really an awful gaming card, wherewas the 9600 gt is a decent entry-level gaming card.

[NeWbiE :-)]

I hate video cards. They are officially the slipper slope of computers. For 30 more bucks you can get this one which has this -- then for another 20 you can get this which is a little better cause of this -- yadda yadda yadda :(

Thanks for the advice, I guess in the end it's up to me and how hard I wanna kick myself in a year or so. ;)

[Heartborne]

The best value right now is the 8800 GT - you get the most bang for your buck with this card, which outperforms any other video card at that price point.

I think we'll all be kicking ourselves when the GTX280 and GTX260 arrive.