Yet another computer build

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Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#27572 30-Oct-2008 21:46

Ok so at the end of last year I decided to get into computers for mainly photo editing, movie editing, music editing and ofcoures gaming!

So little noob me went online looked around on the wrong sites talked to the wrong people and brought a DELL....... yup

So now a year on I need a new computer but have no idea where to start.

I'm still more on the noob side of hardware so please excuse the dumbness of me.

I'd like some help on deciding on the best for its price and how long it should last.

To give you an idea my !#$%& Dell has the following:

A s*** graphics card - Nvidia 7300 LE 512MB ...I think
A s*** motherboard that CAN'T be overclocked ...Something I don't care about
I'm not sure about the quality of the CPU so some opinions and sugestions would be nice - Intel Pentium D running at 2.8GHz
Not enough RAM - 2 x 512 DDR2

If I need to put anything else please let me know.

I've been told for graphics cards to look at the Nvidia 8000 or 9000 range
Motherboards i've been told to look at ASUS or GIGABYTE and I found the following

http://www.pp.co.nz/products.php?pp_id=AA06642

CPU ...NO IDEA!?
RAM ...NO IDEA!?

so as you can see I need serious help

I would like to run 64-bit Windows vista
I would preferably spend more now than come back and replace it later
I WILL be playing alot of new games ie.Assassin's Creed, Unreal Tournement 3, CoD5
I would like to spend around $2000 hopefully less if possible

Any help would be greatly appreciated and a huge thanks in advance!!!

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93 posts

Master Geek

#174747 30-Oct-2008 21:57

CPU go for Intel.. duo core or quad.. im going for a quad 6600graphics card go for a ATi HD4870 or 4850 if on budget (kicks geforce butt, value for money cards)Motherboard - look at asus or gigabyteHard disk - go for western digital 500GB Put at least 4GB ram..

Screw You Guys, Im Going Home!

kobiak

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#174751 30-Oct-2008 22:11

why not pricespy first?

anyway, I would go with:

cpu: E8** around $290-320

mb: well i don't have preferences... just anything new would do :D (~$200)

gpu: personaly i would go for HD 4850 1GB 350-380

ram: 2 x 2gb ~100

hdd: any sata 2 ~$100-200

case: whatever u like

psu: at least 500watt ~50-70

depending on ur preference I recon u would get something cool within $1300-1500 without monitor :)

helping others at evgenyk.nz

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#174778 31-Oct-2008 08:07

Rough prices from Pricespy...

CPU: $271.00 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16GHz (OC up to 4.2GHz)
HSF: $130.00 Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 + fan
Mobo: $200.00 Asustek P5Q PRO P45
RAM: $160.00 2x2GB DDR2-1000 CL5 Corsair Memory
GFX: $413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card
Case: $125.00 Case (eg Silverstone TJ04)
PSU: $125.00 Corsair VX 550WATT POWER SUPPLY 550W PSU
DVD: $42.00 Asustek DRW-2014L1T Serial-ATA DVD Writer
HDD: $115.00 Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive
$1,581.00 Total inc gst, ex shipping

If you are looking to add a monitor then the Samsung 22" 2253BW is a good buy at around $450.

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Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174803 31-Oct-2008 09:26

redjet: Rough prices from Pricespy...

CPU: $271.00 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16GHz (OC up to 4.2GHz)
HSF: $130.00 Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 + fan
Mobo: $200.00 Asustek P5Q PRO P45
RAM: $160.00 2x2GB DDR2-1000 CL5 Corsair Memory
GFX: $413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card
Case: $125.00 Case (eg Silverstone TJ04)
PSU: $125.00 Corsair VX 550WATT POWER SUPPLY 550W PSU
DVD: $42.00 Asustek DRW-2014L1T Serial-ATA DVD Writer
HDD: $115.00 Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive
$1,581.00 Total inc gst, ex shipping

If you are looking to add a monitor then the Samsung?22"?2253BW is a good buy at around $450.

I like the sound of this so i'll look into it

The only one thing would be how good is "GFX: $413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card" I haven't really looked into ATI before

also I already have a screen so I don't need worry about that thanks

Just another thing what kind of prices would I be looking at for watercooling??

....I'm looking at overclocking my setup

CPU:       i7 920 @ 3GHz
RAM:      6 x 1GB Corsair Dominator @ 1600
MOBO:   ASUS P6T X58
GPU:       1GB AMD Radeon 6700
HD:         2 x 500Gb WD Caviar Black in RAID 0
                1 x 1Tb WD Caviar Blue
OS:         Windows 7 Pro 64bit

garvani

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#174807 31-Oct-2008 09:40

I wouldnt go near watercooling if your new to computer hardware. Ive been messing with hardware for countless years and in fact its my job. Watercooling is messy, not the liquid side of it either! im meaning playing with voltages on motherboards, timings of ram etc. its a &%$^@ headache at the best of times.. Stay clear for a while! Just get a good zalman fan and you will be right. If you want a faster setup then buy one dont overclock. (as you can see in my profile pic my setup is watercooled and overclocked, im getting all of an extra 700mhz out of the cpu)

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#174818 31-Oct-2008 10:30

SCROAT:

I like the sound of this so i'll look into it

The only one thing would be how good is "GFX: $413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card" I haven't really looked into ATI before

also I already have a screen so I don't need worry about that thanks

Just another thing what kind of prices would I be looking at for watercooling??

....I'm looking at overclocking my setup

ATI is the new king of graphics cards with their new 4850/4870 series. Have a look at the ATI cards compared to the Nvidia cards in this review and you'll seee what I mean: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3415
I also agree with garvani re watercooling as it's messy. The Thermalright Ultra Extreme cooler will allow you to overclock the E8500 to around 4.2ghz and it's not that loud either. Also if you spend a bit more on a decent case then overclocking will be easier due to better airflow. Something like the Antec Twelve Hundred would work well: http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=366954

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Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174832 31-Oct-2008 11:30

Ok so no watercooling it is....

I was looking at that graphics card: 413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card and for $90 more I can get the 1gb version ...is it worth it??

So iv'e been looking at the recomended cpu and have found a lot of the time it as an option of an included fan or heatsink

Would I be better off buying one seperatly or with the cpu???

Thanks again for all this help

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#174845 31-Oct-2008 12:20

SCROAT: Ok so no watercooling it is....

I was looking at that graphics card: 413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card and for $90 more I can get the 1gb version ...is it worth it??

So iv'e been looking at the recomended cpu and have found a lot of the time it as an option of an included fan or heatsink

Would I be better off buying one seperatly or with the cpu???

Thanks again for all this help

No problem am happy to help!
If you are planning on gaming with a large monitor - e.g. 24" at 1920x1200 or higher resolutions then the 1gb card would be the way to go with a 10%-15% performance boost over the 512mb version. I'd stick to the 512mb card if you have a 22" or smaller monitor as the extra memory just won't be used.
Regarding the CPU, they all come with heatsinks which are good and you can till overclock ok with them - not to the extent that you can with something like a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 though. Maybe stick with the stock heatsink and see how you go overclocking and then if you want more grunt you could then buy something like the Ultra Extreme at a later date.
Also you'll get better overclocking results with faster RAM so you might want to look at something like this CL4 RAM: http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspxItemID=363061 - it's designed for 64-bit operating systems as well.

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Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174846 31-Oct-2008 12:25

Ok i'll look at the RAM now

...Yeah my screens 21 so i'll probably save the $ and go with the 512 thanks

Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174869 31-Oct-2008 14:03

Just asking

I've been talking to a few people and I've heard that in the long run going with Nvidia would be the best bet and also that ATI run at alot higher tempratures

...Is this true and/or a problem???

and just an update I got the following priced all from individual sites and got the following:

redjet: Rough prices from Pricespy...

CPU: $271.00 Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 3.16GHz (OC up to 4.2GHz)
HSF: $130.00 Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 + fan
Mobo: $200.00 Asustek P5Q PRO P45
RAM: $160.00 2x2GB DDR2-1000 CL5 Corsair Memory
GFX: $413.00 ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB graphics card
Case: $125.00 Case (eg Silverstone TJ04)
PSU: $125.00 Corsair VX 550WATT POWER SUPPLY 550W PSU
DVD: $42.00 Asustek DRW-2014L1T Serial-ATA DVD Writer
HDD: $115.00 Western Digital Caviar SE 640GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive
$1,581.00 Total inc gst, ex shipping

If you are looking to add a monitor then the Samsung 22" 2253BW is a good buy at around $450.

PC Online:$1,576

Elive:$1,836

And just getting Playtech

...are there any other recomended sites?

I will also ask if they can some how get me a discount if I buy it all together??? Its worth asking

*Edit:
Those prices don't include screens or cases

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#174889 31-Oct-2008 15:21

Yes the ATI cards do run hotter, see here for details: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4870,1964-17.html
You can always buy an aftermarket GPU cooler if you are really that concerned. Alternatively you could go for a 896MB GeForce GTX 260. ATI are the most popular cards at the moment and probably next year it will be Nvidia - it's just like AMD used to have the best gaming CPU's but now it's Intel so either ATI or Nvidia will be fine.
I live in Wellington and only buy via Ascent as I can return it to their offices if I have any problems. They also charge a small fee to build it - I think it's something like $40 or $50. You can also get a discount if you pay via direct credit.
I've heard http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/ are good if you live in Auckland and like Ascent have a online PC builder.

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Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174909 31-Oct-2008 16:11

Ok I'll look at Ascent and seeing as I live in Welly it sounds good

Argh! what you said just made me more lost in my decision for a good graphics card!?

hahaha

garvani

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#174920 31-Oct-2008 16:38

I dont understand your problem.. You want the best card you can get right now? well thats the 4850/4870 its that simple.. Nvidia's mainstream cards can't compete with ATI's, sure you can wait six months and you might get a good nvidia card, but at this point in time its ATI.. so either wait indefinetly for a better nvidia card, get an inferior nvidia card now or get an ATI..
Slightly O.T. With the problems nvidia is having at the moment with partners walking, job layoffs, and profits WAY down it would be a good time for Intel to buy them even though they are designing there own GPU (larrabree).

Noiseless

55 posts

Master Geek

#174923 31-Oct-2008 16:41

Adding itall up Ascent looks real expensive comparitive to other sites

I was running through Playtech though and found these:

This one is "pretty" close to what redjet had original posted
http://www.playtech.co.nz/product.php?action=showdetail&id=5524

and this was just the next one up
http://www.playtech.co.nz/product.php?action=showdetail&id=6213

are they a good deal for what I'm paying for???

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#174940 31-Oct-2008 17:29

Yes Ascent aren't the cheapest, but they aren't the most expensive either - plus they have free shipping even if your purchase is only $10!
TBH if I had a $500 budget for a video card it would be the 4870. Also the E8400 should be the minimum CPU you should look at with your budget. The 640gb HD I suggested was for a reason - it's fast and it's quiet. I'm sure Playtech could make a few changes for you.

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