G
Guest
I was hoping some of the experts might be able to clarify things for me. I am
looking to buy a new, powerful system for high-end gaming purposes, watching
movies, Photoshop, etc. And hopeing to keep the price under $1500. I was told
that AMD 64 is the best processor with potential now, and that PCI-Express is
the wave of the future for video cards. However, my normal internet shop
doesn't carry these together, and I heard that its because of a delay in mobo
production.
Is my info correct? Is this system the best i can do? Is it worth waiting
for these to come out together before purchasing a new system (how long?)?
Thx so much!
#an aquaintance gave me the following advice- does it sound on target?#
Building and fixing computers is my hobby so maybe I can give some info.
Athlon 64 are the best for gaming right now. Pentiums are better for video
encoding work. You sound like a gamer so I reccomend Athlon 64.
Here is a link comparing pentiums and Athlon 64s in Doom3.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7
(Pay no attention to the Athlon FXs or the Pentium EEs. They are hideously
expensive and mainly used for servers.) As you can see Athlon 64s dominate.
There are no PCI-express motherboards for Athlon 64 right now. They won't be
coming out until after Christmas. Pentiums do have PCI-express motherboards
and DDR-II, but they are slower than Athlon 64s using DDR.
DDR-II is faster in terms of how much info it can transfer, but DDR is
faster in terms of how quickly this info can be shuffled back and forth
(latency). Basically, there is no advantage to DDR-II right now. Athlon 64s
have no plan (or need) to use DDR-II until DDR-II gets a lot faster (late
2005 or 2006).
Also in 2005 dual core CPUs are coming out for Pentiums and Athlons. These
will probably require new motherboards and faster RAM.
Ok now the big question: Wait or build now? It's easy to get caught in the
idea that you need to upgrade down the line. On the CPU side, you should only
upgrade if the processor is twice as fast. As you can see from the CPU
comparison chart, that wont happen any time soon. So lets not worry about
ever upgrading the CPU. It's not worth the money and it's just a pain in the
but to change it out. Just buy a good chip now ($250~) and be down with it.
On the graphics side, it's a little more complicated. I recommend that you
buy the fastest graphics card easily available (Geforce 6800 GT w/ 256MB
RAM). It will cost about $400 dollars and its a good mach for any chip you
buy now. You can buy a gamer cards for $200 dollars now, but you will
probably want to upgrade later. S0 that means you will spend another $200 for
a new graphics card later that would just equal the Geforce 6800 GT you can
buy now. You dont really save yourself any money not getting the fastest card
now.
Even if you could buy another $400 video card in two years time, the rest of
your system would slow it down. So again no point in upgrading.
Until after Xmas AGP graphics cards are the most popular and the easiest to
find. By spring all graphics cards and motherboards will be moving to
PCI-express. There will always be graphics cards coming out that support AGP,
but they might not be the top of the line after spring. PCI-express isnt
faster than AGP. It has some benefits in terms of how motherboard power is
used, but other than that there is nothing.
You can'T buy modems, ethenet cards, TV cards, sound cards or anything else
for PCI-express yet accept graphics cards.
I reccommend building now, and dont go cheap. You will have a computer that
will last you for a solid 3-4 years of gaming, DVD-ripping, and whatever else
gets your rocks off.
Here is my suggestion for a new computer:
Athlon 64 (754 pin socket) 300+, 3200+ or 3400+
Mother board: DFI LANParty UT nF3-250Gb
Review: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2198
RAM: 1 gig DDR (but you are fine if you choose 512MB)
Graphics card: any Geforce 6800 GT
Hard drive: Hitachi deskstar (200gb and up)
DVD-burner: Pioneer 108
Case and power supply: Something good and from a namebrand. Get a GOOD and
SILENT power supply! It drives me nuts if my computer is noisy.
Ethernet, sound card, usb, ethernet are all built into the motherboard.
I also recommend getting a good monitor. I use a 19" LCD. If you can afford
it I reccommend an LCD. Let me know what your budget is and what you are
looking for (LCD or CRT). Again, dont go cheap! The monitor is the most
important part of the comoputer! Your eyes will thank you and it makes movies
and games much more enjoyable. You can also use for a new computer down the
line (something you cant do with the other computer parts).
IN america you can get most of this about $1500. BUT IN JAPN IT'S ABOUT $2000.
looking to buy a new, powerful system for high-end gaming purposes, watching
movies, Photoshop, etc. And hopeing to keep the price under $1500. I was told
that AMD 64 is the best processor with potential now, and that PCI-Express is
the wave of the future for video cards. However, my normal internet shop
doesn't carry these together, and I heard that its because of a delay in mobo
production.
Is my info correct? Is this system the best i can do? Is it worth waiting
for these to come out together before purchasing a new system (how long?)?
Thx so much!
#an aquaintance gave me the following advice- does it sound on target?#
Building and fixing computers is my hobby so maybe I can give some info.
Athlon 64 are the best for gaming right now. Pentiums are better for video
encoding work. You sound like a gamer so I reccomend Athlon 64.
Here is a link comparing pentiums and Athlon 64s in Doom3.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7
(Pay no attention to the Athlon FXs or the Pentium EEs. They are hideously
expensive and mainly used for servers.) As you can see Athlon 64s dominate.
There are no PCI-express motherboards for Athlon 64 right now. They won't be
coming out until after Christmas. Pentiums do have PCI-express motherboards
and DDR-II, but they are slower than Athlon 64s using DDR.
DDR-II is faster in terms of how much info it can transfer, but DDR is
faster in terms of how quickly this info can be shuffled back and forth
(latency). Basically, there is no advantage to DDR-II right now. Athlon 64s
have no plan (or need) to use DDR-II until DDR-II gets a lot faster (late
2005 or 2006).
Also in 2005 dual core CPUs are coming out for Pentiums and Athlons. These
will probably require new motherboards and faster RAM.
Ok now the big question: Wait or build now? It's easy to get caught in the
idea that you need to upgrade down the line. On the CPU side, you should only
upgrade if the processor is twice as fast. As you can see from the CPU
comparison chart, that wont happen any time soon. So lets not worry about
ever upgrading the CPU. It's not worth the money and it's just a pain in the
but to change it out. Just buy a good chip now ($250~) and be down with it.
On the graphics side, it's a little more complicated. I recommend that you
buy the fastest graphics card easily available (Geforce 6800 GT w/ 256MB
RAM). It will cost about $400 dollars and its a good mach for any chip you
buy now. You can buy a gamer cards for $200 dollars now, but you will
probably want to upgrade later. S0 that means you will spend another $200 for
a new graphics card later that would just equal the Geforce 6800 GT you can
buy now. You dont really save yourself any money not getting the fastest card
now.
Even if you could buy another $400 video card in two years time, the rest of
your system would slow it down. So again no point in upgrading.
Until after Xmas AGP graphics cards are the most popular and the easiest to
find. By spring all graphics cards and motherboards will be moving to
PCI-express. There will always be graphics cards coming out that support AGP,
but they might not be the top of the line after spring. PCI-express isnt
faster than AGP. It has some benefits in terms of how motherboard power is
used, but other than that there is nothing.
You can'T buy modems, ethenet cards, TV cards, sound cards or anything else
for PCI-express yet accept graphics cards.
I reccommend building now, and dont go cheap. You will have a computer that
will last you for a solid 3-4 years of gaming, DVD-ripping, and whatever else
gets your rocks off.
Here is my suggestion for a new computer:
Athlon 64 (754 pin socket) 300+, 3200+ or 3400+
Mother board: DFI LANParty UT nF3-250Gb
Review: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2198
RAM: 1 gig DDR (but you are fine if you choose 512MB)
Graphics card: any Geforce 6800 GT
Hard drive: Hitachi deskstar (200gb and up)
DVD-burner: Pioneer 108
Case and power supply: Something good and from a namebrand. Get a GOOD and
SILENT power supply! It drives me nuts if my computer is noisy.
Ethernet, sound card, usb, ethernet are all built into the motherboard.
I also recommend getting a good monitor. I use a 19" LCD. If you can afford
it I reccommend an LCD. Let me know what your budget is and what you are
looking for (LCD or CRT). Again, dont go cheap! The monitor is the most
important part of the comoputer! Your eyes will thank you and it makes movies
and games much more enjoyable. You can also use for a new computer down the
line (something you cant do with the other computer parts).
IN america you can get most of this about $1500. BUT IN JAPN IT'S ABOUT $2000.
