Help building a new computer
Okay I'm building a new computer, have I haven't been keeping up with the hardware ratings as of recent.
I plan on making a AMD, MicroATX computer.
I want to spend around a 1,000 dollars by it is all said and done.
I've grown up on intel, what is a good AMD processor?
And what kind of ram is good with it (quality or quantity?).
Thanks
PS. I've heard of a laptop AMD processor that can be overclocked by a lot, is it worth getting?
I plan on making a AMD, MicroATX computer.
I want to spend around a 1,000 dollars by it is all said and done.
I've grown up on intel, what is a good AMD processor?
And what kind of ram is good with it (quality or quantity?).
Thanks
PS. I've heard of a laptop AMD processor that can be overclocked by a lot, is it worth getting?
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Comments
- How long do you wish to keep the computer?
- Any projected upgrades for it? Or will it remain as-is for a certain amount of time?
- What will be the principal use of the computer? Games? Office applications? MP3s? Video encoding/decoding? DVD viewing? Internet & communications? All of the above?
- Will the computer be networked with other computers? If so, do you prefer wireless or cabled?
- What will be your storage needs? Lots of music, videos, digital photographs? Just small documents?
- Do you have a present system from which you could salvage parts? If yes, what system is that? What parts are in it?
We'd like to help you build the computer that is perfect for your needs within the constraints of your budget. It would be a shame to build the perfect office computer if you are a heavy gamer. It would a huge waste of money to build you a gamer's rig if you primarily need multi-tasking and office applications.
FOREVER!
- Any projected upgrades for it? Or will it remain as-is for a certain amount of time?
I want to be able to upgrade FOREVER!
- What will be the principal use of the computer? Games? Office applications? MP3s? Video encoding/decoding? DVD viewing? Internet & communications? All of the above?
Games! Games! Maybe photoshop
- Will the computer be networked with other computers? If so, do you prefer wireless or cabled?
Both
- What will be your storage needs? Lots of music, videos, digital photographs? Just small documents?
Lots of music, I plan on having two harddrives, one for Operating system, one for all my media and games
- Do you have a present system from which you could salvage parts? If yes, what system is that? What parts are in it?
No present system...... (all I have is a laptop)
You might have a PC that is forward compatible for 2 years or 3 at most but I'd give up on the whole forever idea.
Metomeya, unless you always wanted the latest, greatest games, I'm sure we can spec a computer for you that will keep you happy for a couple years.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/05/25/dothan_over_netburst/page11.html
Does the AMD mobile chip overclock better than the Pentium M? I couldn't find any graphs showing its performance.
My only problem is the only motherboards that support this and is MicroATX only has AGP 8x not PCI Express, for upgrading in the future might be a problem,
Any other opinions?
Ram is always on the go. With AMD rolling out support for DDR2 that could be the incentive to hold off on your build, but you do have to factor in premium prices for when these M2 systems hit the market. Stick with DDR dual channel and you will scream past allot of stuff. Start with 2 x 512 and upgrade to 2 x 1 gig in the future.
CD drives and DVD drives look to be a common item for the next 5 to 7 years. Blue ray drives can easily be added depending on the market in the future. Hard drives are always easy to get and upgrade into. SATA seems to be the new wave of the future, but I would recommend getting a MOBO that support the current highest SATA and IDE available. So with all that said lets build you a computer.
I’m thinking something cheap but will run great for all apps today: with the on look of possible upgrades:
AMD Athlon 3500+ Venice Core 2.2GHz - $180’s to the High $250 - Depending where you buy it from and what deals are going on. With starting good and wanting to go to better in the future the 939 socket offers tons of upgrade options for years to come. The X2 series and even the FX series will be around for along time to come, and they all run on the 939 socket…
ASUS A8N-SLI – Supports SLI – $122.00 - Up to 4 Gigs of ram, and has enough SATA support for all your needs. Along with support for future AMD Athlon X2, and FX CPU’s. I don’t know if you want to OC you system. Form the sounds of it you don’t. But companies like DFI will be your #1 choice if you want to go that route. But ASUS, EVGA, Biostar, & Gigabyte all make great products that support pretty much all the same things. I just like ASUS as they are very easy to work with and they have very nice laid out MOBO’s.
CORSAIR XMS 512MB 184-Pin DDR (PC 3200) - $100.00 - Now If you like ASUS, Corsair loves you to, they work very well together, and I can’t say anything bad about this ram, good prices and great performance. Now if your planning on OC’ing I would jump to OCZ or even Patriot, who both make great Over clocking ram that pair nicely with DFI’s MOBO’s.
ANTEC Neo Power/ True Power 500Watts or more- $100.00 - Antec provides awesome products and will make your ASUS and Corsair setup run fine, if you jump to a 500W or more PSU you will be fine for future upgrade in your graphics dept. Some people might disagree and say Antec isn’t the best, but all my PSU’s I have bought and installed form Antec have never failed…
Nvidia 6600GT – 7800GTX Series cards – $129.00 – $459.00 - With SLI being the #1 choice on the market, you cant go wrong with buying one of the newer tech cards they all support HDRI, and Pixel Shader 3.0 and below. With ATI and Nvidia fighting for the lead we keep seeing these prices drop! The nice thing is getting a 6600GT will provide awesome graphics for most games, but jumping into the new 6800GS or a 7800GT will give you the performance of a life time for a few years to come. And if your finding it to fall back a bit go buy that 2nd card to boost your performance. I have found SLI well worth the cost as I am a hard core gamer…
Maxtor, Samsung, Western Digital: $80 - $500 – With hard drives peaking 500_ GB in IDE and SATA your options are not limited. Going SATA is the right way as of now with faster transfer speeds, you would be almost a dinosaur to keep buying IDE drives. “unless you like IDE” get a few 120GB Maxtor Diamond drives or comparable drive in SATA at 7200RPM and be happy for years to come.
Case’s – This option is purely up to you. Ranging in prices at $29.00 to $500.00 you can’t really go wrong with any choice. I always like to choose a case that has the most options. Such as removable bays, and tons of room for add-ons. It is always good to go for a Full size ATX case like the P-180 form Antec, but my all time personal favorite in the Xion cases well the XION Ultimate Engineering XON-002 Black/Silver SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450 Watt (P4 & AMD Ready) Power Supply to be specific. It is very heavy duty and has tons of room to expand. I have loved this case for some time now and would recommend it to anyone. “I think I have about 50+ builds using this case” or you can go High end with Lian-Li who makes some of the best cases on the planet!
Zalman 7700CU Cooler – $50.00 - Most AMD stock heat sinks work very well, but I always recommend getting something that is rated a bit better, and well Zalman always seems to have awesome Coolers for the 939 socket, the best part is the 7700CU works well with the Athlon 64 series as well as the FX and X2 series.
So that is my thoughts on what to get to support your upgrading needs for the next 5 to 7 years....
Large case. Yes, good case ventilation to run cool, physical room for your hands when working or upgrading, and room for more goodies/upgrades.
Drives. Good to have capability for both SATA and IDE. SATA is slowly becoming the standard, but high performance plus great prices ($39/160GB CompUSA) is found with IDE.
Heatsink. The Zalman 7700 is an excellent choice. There are better coolers, but very few. Two of my computers have the 7700, both of which are considerably overclocked. (see signature)
Here I have difference of opinion with Sledge:
DRAM. DDR2 will be the standard within 18 months. AMD is not yet DDR2 compatible, so I suppose, DDR (not DDR2) will be available for a couple years to come. If by the time you have the money and are ready to commit for parts purchases, I would select a DDR2 motherboard. As of now though, AMD motherboards are DDR1 only. (Unless there's something out there I have not yet seen.)
SLI. I really see no reason to go dual video card, or even dual-capable if you are not a top ten percent gamer. Dual card (whatever acronym it assumes) may become the standard for hyper gaming, but will not become a standard for anything else. Unless you are a constant, highly competitive gamer, I see no reason for that capability. PCIe, on the other hand, will become the standard for video card/motherboard interface.
Principles:
-big, roomy case; good ventilation - use large, low RPM fans (don't even bother with a case that relies on 80mm fans - buzzy little annoyances)
- quality-made, high output PSU
- quality CPU heatsink that can provide high performance with low noise (Zalman 7700, Zalman 9500, Thermaltake Big Typhoon, Thermalright XP-120)
capability for IDE and SATA hard drives
As to DDR to DDR2 I do agree DDR2 is better, but I was saying if you stay with the 939 you’re stuck with DDR, but if you hold off until the M2 MOBO release than DDr2 all the way. But once again you’re stuck with premium prices for CPU's and MOBO’s for at least 4 months after release.