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Need help building my PC - please help me through!
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*agent47*
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9. May 2006 @ 05:15 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
right, after many years of being a pc/gaming enthusiast i would now like to build my own pc.
I remember when i had a:
pentium 2: 350mhz
6gb HDD
320mb RAM
CD-rom

i 2 yrs back my dad got me a DEll 4600
i have been added some basic things so now i have:
Dell4600
160gb HDD
1.5gb RAM
256mb x850xt ATI graphics card
DVD-RW

the only thing is that the games sometimes lags even with a gud graphics card, my computer is not clogged up with rubbish, i run spyware checks everyday, antivirus checks and defrags every week.

i am 15yrs old and my studies are coming to an end, i have 2 weeks left of skul and now have 3 months until i start college.
i want to be able to build a nice gaming PC for myself.

my first question is:
what hardware shall i get?
Money is not much of a problem for me, but obviously i am not overloaded.

I want to get a good motherboard which can handle a new graphics card without lagging.

once i have the CPU, and motherboard decided i can proceed further.
i want to use INTEL processor so plz dont mention AMD athlon.

i hope u lot can help me out. as u lot are probably far more experinced, hopefully i will learn more later on as im 15yrs at the moment.

anyway i wud want to get some other nice stuff like decent RAM, nice stylish case with lighting etc.
and plz be patient if i dnt understand something as i know a fair amount but i have never overclocked so in those areas i may need help!

thanks in advance for any help!
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9. May 2006 @ 10:20 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Check around NewEgg.com. There, you'll find good competitive choices for what you are looking for.

As far as AMD Athlon goes, they are out of date, but if you are looking into getting a gaming rig, it's too bad you've already decided to go against the best gaming CPU on the market at this point..and it's not Intel.
Member

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9. May 2006 @ 11:23 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Intel?!?!?! ah well, each to his own i guess

In my opinion, the best possible intel system:
Proccessor:
Intel Pentium 4 955 Extreme Edition - £704.94
Motherboard:
Abit AW8D Intel 975X - £146.82 (i think that Xfire is compatible w/ 975x but i'm not sure)
Ram:
Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400 TwinX - £211.44
GFX:
1= ATI Radeon X1900 ***Crossfire Edition*** - £340.69}in Xfire
2= Sapphire ATI Radeon X1900 XT-X - £352.44 }in Xfire
HDD:
1= Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740GD 10,000RPM SATA 8MB Cache - £109.22
2= X2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - £378.24
PSU:
Enermax Liberty 500W - £70.44

GRAND TOTAL: £2314.23

Or, a more realistic option:
Proccessor:
Intel Pentium 4 950 Dual Core "LGA775 Presler" 3.4GHz - £234.94
Motherboard:
Gigabyte 8I945P-G - £70.44
Ram:
Corsair 2GB DDR2 Value Select PC4200 Dual Channel Kit - £123.32 (if you want you could probably use your curent ram instead of/aswell as)
GFX:
Sapphire ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB - £170.32
HDD:
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 250GB - £59.87 (you could use your 160GB aswell)
PSU:
Enermax Noisetaker 485W - £58.69

GRAND TOTAL: £717.58

Of course, this is assuming you live in the UK
If you're planning to overclock you'll probably need some better cooling

"Software is like sex. It's better when it's free." -Linus Torvalds
System:
X2 4600 AM2|Asus M2N32-SLi-Deluxe |Leadtek 7950 @550/700|2GB XMS2 6400 C4 TwinX (2X1GB)|Logitech G7|Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty|SpeedLink Medusa SL-8793|Western Digital Raptor 10,000 RPM 36GB|Western Digital Caviar 500GB x 2|Tagan EasyConn 580W|BenQ DW 1655|Maxtor 80GB|Hitatchi 250GB|Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-3000|BenQ FP241W

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. May 2006 @ 14:57

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9. May 2006 @ 14:34 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Quote;

"i hope u lot can help me out. as u lot are probably far more experinced, hopefully i will learn more later on as im 15yrs at the moment."


I cannot understand why you would ask us what to get, then you decide against AMD! Why bother if you already know more than the entire gaming world? You have already said that we probably know more than you! Unbelievable!!
Don't forget that many games are made to go hand in hand with AMD.

So here is a question, why not AMD?

Gif by Phantom69


*agent47*
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10. May 2006 @ 00:46 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
whoa, calm down, i only chose intel because i was more familiar with it.
if AMD does really make a difference than i dont mind using AMD than intel.
thanks for the info so far, i have reasearching on the components u lot suggested.
is it better to get a PCI-express card or AGP? becoz than i need to choose my motherboard!
AfterDawn Addict
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10. May 2006 @ 03:30 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
PCI-Express is the way to go, AGP is old now! Asus make decent boards...If you want to go nuts, then consider SLi config. Do a google to find out what it is. (I prefer Nvidia chipsets over ATi, due to better driver support).

Gif by Phantom69


*agent47*
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10. May 2006 @ 05:57 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
i have seen these on the nvidia website.
this is a GPU motherboard. these support AMD processors.
i am willing to pay a fair amount for this. will these few motherboards really give gud gaming performance?

there are a few ones on this page:

http://www.nvidia.com/page/gpu_mobo.html

let me know ur feedback!
Junior Member
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10. May 2006 @ 07:13 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
I personally would not go with a mobo that has built in Graphics. But I do prefer Mobo's that are on the nforce chipset. Ive had no problems with gigabyte, asus, and Abit boards. Ive had nothing but problems from ECS so i would sway from those.

Also what is your budget going to be for the build. It will help alot with the componets that we recommend.


AfterDawn Addict
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10. May 2006 @ 09:24 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
I'm building a PC for a pal, it has 2gig of RAM, a 3700AMD with a 7900GT, on an Asus A8N-SLi (n-Force4). It will fly, to say the least! So, yes, if you pick your parts wisely, it will play games well.
We do need to know your budget though.....

Gif by Phantom69


This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10. May 2006 @ 11:26

JaguarGod
Senior Member
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10. May 2006 @ 12:25 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
For pretty good and not too pricey, you can consider the following:

CPU $297:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562

Motherboard $105:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

or if you want to keep you GPU ($68)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081

However, I do not know how well AGP and PCIx live together. Also, I do not know if AsRock is any good...

RAM $130:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820223043

The other important part is the graphics card. You have a very good graphics card that will be tough to beat. You would have to get one of the recommended cards like the x1800 or x1900 or a 7800GT or 7900GT to do better.

You can reuse your HDD and you case so you will not need to look for that, but you may need a new Power supply. Look for one that is at lease 450 Watts.

The good points of this setup would be an AMD Dual Core & 2GB of RAM! If you opt for a PCI express you will have more options and like people are saying, it is replacing AGP. You can go for this board which has two Full speed PCI Express slots ($200):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568

After we get a budget it will be much easier to help you out though.
*agent47*
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11. May 2006 @ 05:44 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
i am willing to spend at least £500. I Would prefer if it did not go over £1000. so basically £500-£1000.

novicebb
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11. May 2006 @ 13:04 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Nothing wrong with your choice of only wanting an Intel.

Get a dual core which you can get a 2.8ghz with 2mb of onboard cache for under 275 dollars now. Get a nice 955 chipset mobo, 1gb of 533mhz DDR-2, sell the 850xt graphic card and get an 850xt pci-express card.

you can get a nice computer case for under $25 and get a basic psu for $50 or less. Won't be able to run dual pci-express card but will be able to run a pci-express card x16 channel with no problem. Even be able to over clock as well. Your most expensive items you will purchase will be the MOBO, and CPU. Your total cost will be around $800 or so. I say this because you should get a mobo with some great overclocking abilitities.

Your memory should be less than 110 dollars. You want faster memory later in life then do so but try to keep your cost down as much as possible.
AfterDawn Addict
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11. May 2006 @ 13:38 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Well, he said he wanted a gaming machine, AMD runs rings round Intel, also Nvidia have far better driver support than Ati. If he spends £800 he will get a VERY nice gaming PC.

However, you seem to know better, I will leave it all up to you now......

Gif by Phantom69


This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 11. May 2006 @ 13:42

novicebb
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11. May 2006 @ 18:54 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
well I have AMD my self and I love it. Seems to be reasonably overclockable (not as much as the Prescotts). I am not really into gaming but I can understand why someone would want one brand over the other. I mean you have those that will stick with Sony Playstation no matter if Microsoft Xbox is better or not. I mean what can we say. There are those that plan to get the AMD MP2 socket even if the Intel "Conroe" may be better or not. Same with those that chose ATI over Nvidia and vice versus.

I am not saying that Intel is better than AMD but I can understand why the young chap is dead fixed on Intel.
AfterDawn Addict
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11. May 2006 @ 23:15 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
The simple fact is that AMD is better for gaming PCs & Nvidia does have better driver support, end of story.
I don't really want to get into a debate about which is best, because I & lots of others, know which is best.
The chap wants a gaming machine, simple as that.
The person who would stick to a Sony console or an X-box, even if the X-box is proved better (or vice versa) are idiots. We have seen how these "fanboy" "debates" turn out, children argueing, not a shred of common sense involved at all. To stick to one manufacturer over another is just plain stupid. I prefer quality everytime, something the young have to learn.

Gif by Phantom69


novicebb
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12. May 2006 @ 11:05 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
I have to take a deep breath to deal with you. I just love when people read what they want to read and not read your entire post. I have never said that ATI was better than Nvidia. I have never said that Intel is better than AMD. Wow! I just said I can understand why one would chose one brand or product over the other. And then I used the Sony, Xbox and other products choices as an example.

Yes the chap said that he wanted a gaming machine but there may be other reasons why he chooses a Intel over an AMD. And yes AMD and Nvidia are the top for gaming but that wasn't always the case and may not always be the case-just is the case now. So that is why I don't feverishly chose one product over the other. I chose the best one and that is why I chose an AMD myself. But why waste my time even responding to you.

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. May 2006 @ 11:25

AfterDawn Addict
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12. May 2006 @ 11:16 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
My reply wasn't pointed towards you, just fanboys!

Gif by Phantom69


novicebb
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12. May 2006 @ 11:27 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
Damn! I feel like a jackass. I apologize. Look me not following my own advice. sorry for not reading your post thoroughly.
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12. May 2006 @ 11:33 _ Link to this message    Send private message to this user   
That's OK, it is dead easy to mis-interpret what someone says. I can across harsh, that is only that I am passionate about giving people the best advice that I believe to be true.

Sorry for causing a bit of strife! I can assure you that was not my intention.

Gif by Phantom69


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