D3 and the New Computer debate... Help if you can plz :)

[ScooterMcGee]

This is D3 related so I think it's the right place for this post, if not, sorry :(

Anyhoo, I know D3 won't be out for at least a year probably 1.5, and I figure my current computer won't be able to play it at decent settings.

But I've been looking to buy a new computer for awhile now.
My current specs...
3.2GHz P4
2gigs Ram
NVidia 6800
80gig HD
XP Professional
17inch Dirty as Hell flatscreen.

This was a Dell that constantly was upgraded(by them for free, well hours of time on the phone wasted) from everything breaking so eventually it turned into this computer when the original wasn't even a paper writer in quality.
It runs fine can play WoW on decent settings(although I finally quit that game for the last time), but its not great in terms of other games. Got to go low to mid settings for anything graphically intensive and even then its low FPS.

My question is I want to buy something now... But I would like this computer to still be able to play games like D3 in a year or two on high settings at a decent FPS.

I would love to build my own computer but I really don't know how... I understand the basic concept of parts needed, but never put one together myself. I don't want to spend a ton of cash. Hopefully lower than 1300.

I have been looking around at sites and when I put one together it seems way higher then if I bought the parts myself, but that leads to the I have no clue how to put it together, I'm sure I could do it but I don't have that much faith and I don't get a warranty out of it.

Sites I've looked at were...
ibuypower.com
hp and dell(I get a gov't discount but it's not much, considering what the computer is being made for)

So if anyone could help me out here with some specs or a site that is cheap and trustworthy.
I'm not up to date on video cards so I don't know which one is gonna have some staying power for a few years. I also can't figure out this Vista thingy of if I want 4gigs of ram that I need 64 bit. Yet I've read alot of things aren't made for this yet.

Basically if anyone could help me out here it would be great... Really want to ditch this fella I'm using now without killing my Visa.

[maxusmag]

First off stay away from Ibuypower. they have a horrible record for getting computers to people.

seriously your best bet is to go to a local computer store that has a good rep and talk to them. You might pay more instead of on the internet however the time and money that you will save if anything goes wrong is huge.

secondly computers are cheap. your system is a little date but can still run most things. you need a better video card that is for sure and probably most of your issue.

intel or amd is perfectly fine depending on your preference
3 gigs of memory because it will come with vista and 1 is not good enough and 2 is standard.
video card if you can afford it go with the new amd 4870 it is just as good if not better then the nV 280 at half the price.

you need a 600 watt power supply or better.

with that you should play just about anything.

[5zigen]

I will give 1 peice of advice:

Wait for the game to have a release date, THEN make/buy a new computer.

[Werzoth]

I will give 1 peice of advice:

Wait for the game to have a release date, THEN make/buy a new computer.

Amen, could not have said it better.

[ScooterMcGee]

I will give 1 peice of advice:

Wait for the game to have a release date, THEN make/buy a new computer.

I had been planning on buying a new computer though... D3 announcement only hastened my decision.

There are a few other games coming out late summer I'm also interested in and don't think this current computer can handle them at least how I would like it too.

To the first reply thanks for the info.

I'm also curious... How hard is it to put together a computer yourself? My brother did his but he's deployed for, well, no clue, but not coming back anytime soon. So can't really get him to help.
If I'm fairly competent is it worth it to save some money. I can figure out whats going on in my current computer, I've installed memory/video card/DVD all that little stuff.

Basically I'm thrifty... My stupid puppy cost me more in vet bills than I thought it would leaving me trying to get a decent rig for around 1300.

[sectoid]

Scooter, I build computers for about 13 years and am willing to help you. I started with manuals and friends, and since none of them ever charged me anything for this type of knowledge, I never did so also. Besides, I like to help. I just wish someone would help me the same way with cars :D

Anyway, here is not the best place for this type of chat. Email me with my nick at gmail and we'll get things going, if you already know how to install memory/cards/drives there's not too much else and nothing too much different than that to do these days.

Probably you could find a built computer that would be just a few bucks more costly with a good configuration, but then you probably wouldn't have a choice in important things like the motherboard and power supply.

[sbn]

I would tend to disagree strongly on purchasing from a local dealer, especially if it is a white box (generic) computer. First off the quality and support will not match the savings if there is any.

At this time, large resellers like HP have very little mark up on consumer based desktops and notebooks. Buying online can save significantly, but also check out places like NewEgg, or do a comparison at Pricegrabber.com

Also don't be afraid to purchase refurbished. If you do some smart shopping you can get HP refurbs that are actually brand new. Here is what happens. Large retailers like Best Buy purchase directly from HP, avoiding distributors all together. But, they need to constantly purchase new lines all usually 2x a year. The old line usually then gets dumped off from HP to distributors/wholesalers than will then distribute to places that you find in Pricegrabber.com. I just got an HP laptop, and a desktop for my brother that were brand new, but at significant savings. My laptop was $400 less than the "retail".

Any new quality desktop should easily play D3 when it comes out. The graphics do not seem to be that significant as to require some uber set up. Also keep in mind that Blizzard does need to factor in the fact many people will not upgrade their computer for this one game. I have a Geforce 7600 on my laptop and play COD4 just fine.

[PiXeL]

dell.com - pick a computer & upgrade the graphic card @ newegg.com
newegg.com - build your own

like someone said wait for the game to be in final stages when specs are announced and release date it set built it just a month before its going to come out

[HallofFamer]

ScooterMcGee, i'm in nearly the exact same position as you only i have been research it for a long time and have some knowledge in the area (although i have not actually built a computer myself yet.) I have been keeping up to date on major computer part companies and part sellers. The three sites i use religiously are:

www.newegg.com
www.tigerdirect.com
www.pricegrabber.com

I managed to compile parts priced at a total of $900 (including tax and shipping) that would normally cost $1500 at say dell. I might be a newb with computer building but heres some of the things i have picked up and hopefully it might help you and maybe us.

You need a case and a power supply unit (PSU). I choose a mid-tower case because i dont want to take up a lot of room in my dorm.

Case and PSU (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3685290&Sku=TC3J-2341)

This deal is nice because the power supply it comes with is 800 watts and is $100 by itself. The case also has a temperature lcd on the front that is nice... but if it broke i could care less. Good deal.

The Processor. There will be those dedicated AMD fans... but i look at performance and reputation. Intel's core 2 duo line of processors is top notch. I don't think you'll need quad core and the extreme line is too damn expensive for the pricing. Also i might hold out till september (back to school) to buy this computer because intel might have out it's new processor with a new architecture. What to look for in a processor though (as i have learned from my professor in a microchip manufacturing class) is the cache size. The E8400 has 6mb of it and is only slightly more expensive than the E8200 which has a lower clock speed.

http://www.directron.com/bx80570e8400a.html


You will need RAM. Depending on your motherboard, you may need different kinds of ram. In my opinion, DDR3 ram is too expensive and is not cost-effective. DDR2 should be fine. I like name brands and the reviews on Corsair are excellent. 2-3 GB of ram will do it for you.


http://www.egoodz.com/product.asp?pf_id=Corsair_TWIN2X2048-6400 (http://www.egoodz.com/product.asp?pf_id=Corsair_TWIN2X2048-6400)

Hard drives and cd-drives. I'm not knowledgeable about cd-drives. Unless you want to burn blueray you can get most cd-drives for 20-50 bucks. For a hard drive i would trust western digital. Especially if you want performance and good prices. I wont pick either of these out till i buy it since they change nearly as much as graphics cards and are pretty generic unless you want to pay big bucks for a bit more performance.


A Monitor choosing a monitor is really up to you. You can get huge ones or smaller ones - it's all preference. The only recommendations i have here are to check the response time, You'll want around 5ms if you don't want ghosting, and make sure you check reviews and the warranty. You want to know how often they will have dead pixels and how the manufacturer deals with it... unless you want a CRT.


The motherboard. It's probably one of the most important components and determines a few of the others you will get (graphics cards, processor (socket type 775 for core 2 duo), ram). As far as i can tell this is how it works. Intel and nvidia come out with new chipsets and companies like gigabyte and asus manufacture them and tweak them a bit. If you want help choosing one just ask and i'll fill you in with what i know... cause there is a lot. What i picked is asus's model of intel's P45 chipset. It has a nice feature on it too where an on-board version of linux will grant access to the internet in about 5 seconds from dead off without consulting the main operating system.

http://www.egoodz.com/product.asp?pf_id=P5Q-Deluxe

Now probably the most game-oriented component of the system. The graphics card. Graphics cards, as of late, have been so active it's insane for me to be searching out prospective cards when i'm not planning on building the system till the end of summer. But, keeping with up with the industry had proved interesting. Basically ATI and Nvidia will be duking it out until who knows when. I myself like Nvidia because they output the best cards most of the time. Recently ATI came out with a great card that drove down the prices of their better cards. I was looking at the 9600GT graphics card till the 9800GTX dropped a lot in price in response to ATI. All i really know with graphics cards is that larger numbers indicate better. You'll want at least 512MB of memory on it too. Theres options for SLI, Crossfire, and so many overclocked versions it's madness. I go to www.techreport.com for recommendations on GPUs. Its also pretty useful for other components as well.


Well i hope this helps you and anyone else who reads it. Further input and corrections are welcome (excuse any bad grammer and spelling mistakes - i don't have time atm to go too in-depth and proof read). I don't think D3 will be graphic intensive as Blizzard seems to be leaning toward an "everyone can play" perspective. I would imagine a well researched $1000 do-it-your-self desktop will be able to handle D3 heartily. The nice thing about desktops is that they are readily upgradable.
:-D
I can't wait for D3!!!

[DeathByCactus]

BTOtech for nice laptop customiization

[Mivo]

I had been planning on buying a new computer though... D3 announcement only hastened my decision.

It should slow the decision, though. :) We won't see D3 for 1-2 years, maybe even longer, so if your next computer is meant to be the one that will play D3 decently, then the longer you wait the more happy you'll be when D3 does come out. Quad core systems are becoming affordable now, but e every month you wait will give you more performance for the same or less money. So unless there are games out now that you want to play on a higher resolution with more details, then I'd wait.

Your system looks fine enough for another year, I feel. Not for top-end shooters, but for most games. Just the video card's a little weak. Perhaps just buying a 8800GTS may do for now, and then in a year you get your D3 system?

Buying at Newegg.com is the best idea, regardless of what you do. :)

[Hrus]

If you buy your new computer now, you will have to buy a new one in 2 years, when Diablo3 will finally be released.

[Psychosomatic]

Just curious, am I the only one not worried about D3's system reqs because alot of power in a rpg or game of this type goes to draw distance. Since this game is birds eye view no draw distance = less power. While this is a over simplified analogy its kinda true, however please correct me if I'm wrong =D

BTW I'm new here, hi I'm Psycho =D

~Psycho

[Cronax]

Just curious, am I the only one not worried about D3's system reqs because alot of power in a rpg or game of this type goes to draw distance. Since this game is birds eye view no draw distance = less power. While this is a over simplified analogy its kinda true, however please correct me if I'm wrong =D

BTW I'm new here, hi I'm Psycho =D

~Psycho

I think I pretty much agree here. Blizz has always made sure the Diablo games were playable on most if not all PC's, even slightly dated ones. It might be 3d now, but even simple motherboard-integrated gfx cards can handle basic 3d without any problems.

[ScooterMcGee]

Thanks a ton... You guys have been extremely helpful.

I forgot to mention a few things though:(

When moving out of my apartment 3 months ago my buddy dropped my computer. This partially has wanted me to get a new one. Hence the CD player rattles the entire case insanely loud. Also my vid card heats up way higher then before, sometimes that NVidia monitor warns me about reachin' too high a GPU tempiture. Also I get alot of random blue screens, never had them at all before but it gets more frequent, I don't know if this is realated to be dropped but I think they are too coincidental.

So besides the case being cracked, and the loud cd player, sporadic blue screens, and overheating card(only happens when playing hellgate, every other game seems fine, don't really play that game anymore so really not a huge problem).

Anyhoo... That's the only reason why I'm a little hesitant to upgrade a vid card, and maybe another gig of ram into this computer, I keep thinking it'll die on me soon, yet oddly this guy keeps ticking(extremely loud though).

I just figured if I bought a new computer now... In a few years I wouldnt have to worry bout a new computer in general, I don't really play shooters or games of that genre. Like RPGs sorta, Madden(don't make anymore for pc), used to like WoW(hate it now), might try WAR, definately wanna give SC2 a try, and also Spore. So basically with those games in mind I don't feel I need a beast of a system but I would like to run those games on high settings with good FPS.

THanks again for everyones help, gonna look over some more of my options, and hopefully continue to get some great info on this thread.

[Rashiminos]

Your current comp needs a video card upgrade...

If graphical settings are slowing you down, that's where you need to look for your new computer as well...

[yalthar]

I wouldn't buy a new computer for D3 now that's for sure :)
If I were to build a new computer now then I would definitely spend more money on a quality cabinet and PSU.
I would probably buy either a cheap motherboard and plan on changing it if upgrading or one that supports the newest socket - either AMD or Intel - do some research on what looks promising atm - it's constantly changing and I'm not up to date here. (Consider the price of the OS - if you buy a much cheaper OEM version then you would have to buy a new one if you change MB I think)
CPU goes with motherboard - don't buy the latest and greatest because you pay a lot just to get a CPU that's slightly faster. 1 year from now you can get the same CPU for next to nothing.
Graphics card - again don't buy the newest and most expensive models here unless there are some current demanding games you just have to play on highest settings. You can probably find graphics cards with only slightly less performance but with a much lower price-tag out there. Today's super graphics cards can be had for a much lower price 1 year from now.

[poroboszcz]

Hey man. Don't go with anything other than ATI for graphics card now. Reasons:

- Nvidia got basicaly pwnd by ATI after they both released their new generation on GPU's in price/performance aspect,
- ATI has announced partnership with Blizzard recently,
- Diablo 3 is going to use DirectX 10.1 and Havok phisics, both supported by ATI atm and not supported by Nvidia.

As for the config I would suggest the following:

1. Processor:
- Intel quad core Q6600. You can't go wrong with this one. They also got cheaper recently.
- Alternative: Intel E8400. This one is dual core only but with higher clock and 45 nm technology. It should be faster than Q6600 in games and most applications while the price is about the same. If you are only going to do some simple stuff + gaming choose this one. For multitasking, virtualization or futureproofing go quad core.

2. Motherboard:
- Any Intel P35 based board. P45 is a waste of money atm imo. You can get some decent P35 board like Gigabyte P35-DS3L or DFI Bloodiron for $120 shipped.
- Alternative: X38 or X48 board for crossfire. If you really need future proofing, for few bucks more, this one will allow you to add another graphic card later when needed.

3. Graphics card:
- ATI Radeon 4870. Best value for money you can get. This will allow you to play about any game, not only D3, on decent settings.
- Alternative: ATI Radeon 4850. If you want to save few dollars get this one. Almost as good as the above. Actually schould be more than enough for your needs.

4. Memory:
- 4 GB of some high quality DDR2 PC6400 - PC8500. Look for brands like: G.Skill, Crucial, Corsair, Geil, OCZ. 4 gigs will sort you out for a long time really.

5. Monitor
- If you need the new one then 22" is pretty much a standard now. Most reccomended is Samsung 226BW with very good image quality. If you don't need super fast response time you can save few bucks buing 223BW or some 20" Samsung.

6. The rest.
- If you need new hard drive go for Seagate 7200.11 or 7200.10. Western Digital makes nice drives as well. Don't buy too cheap case as you need some good airflow. For about $50 you should be able to get some nice one, maybe even with power supply. If not aim for 550Watt+ PSU. Corsair and Antec make pretty good ones. Any DVD-RW, mouse, keyboard and you are set.

I didn't count but this should be about $1000 altogether. Don't buy prebuild systems as it's a waste of money and quality. You will just pay more for inferior stuff. Best place to go for US is newegg.com. If you need help with building I can give you a link to some good guide later on or just search with google "how to build your own PC". Good luck!

[Merick]

It's cheaper if you buy the parts and put it together yourself. I spent less than $750, learned a lot about computes, and have a nice computer after i decided to go that route.

[ScooterMcGee]

Hey man. Don't go with anything other than ATI for graphics card now. Reasons:

- Nvidia got basicaly pwnd by ATI after they both released their new generation on GPU's in price/performance aspect,
- ATI has announced partnership with Blizzard recently,
- Diablo 3 is going to use DirectX 10.1 and Havok phisics, both supported by ATI atm and not supported by Nvidia.

As for the config I would suggest the following:

1. Processor:
- Intel quad core Q6600. You can't go wrong with this one. They also got cheaper recently.
- Alternative: Intel E8400. This one is dual core only but with higher clock and 45 nm technology. It should be faster than Q6600 in games and most applications while the price is about the same. If you are only going to do some simple stuff + gaming choose this one. For multitasking, virtualization or futureproofing go quad core.

2. Motherboard:
- Any Intel P35 based board. P45 is a waste of money atm imo. You can get some decent P35 board like Gigabyte P35-DS3L or DFI Bloodiron for $120 shipped.
- Alternative: X38 or X48 board for crossfire. If you really need future proofing, for few bucks more, this one will allow you to add another graphic card later when needed.

3. Graphics card:
- ATI Radeon 4870. Best value for money you can get. This will allow you to play about any game, not only D3, on decent settings.
- Alternative: ATI Radeon 4850. If you want to save few dollars get this one. Almost as good as the above. Actually schould be more than enough for your needs.

4. Memory:
- 4 GB of some high quality DDR2 PC6400 - PC8500. Look for brands like: G.Skill, Crucial, Corsair, Geil, OCZ. 4 gigs will sort you out for a long time really.

5. Monitor
- If you need the new one then 22" is pretty much a standard now. Most reccomended is Samsung 226BW with very good image quality. If you don't need super fast response time you can save few bucks buing 223BW or some 20" Samsung.

6. The rest.
- If you need new hard drive go for Seagate 7200.11 or 7200.10. Western Digital makes nice drives as well. Don't buy too cheap case as you need some good airflow. For about $50 you should be able to get some nice one, maybe even with power supply. If not aim for 550Watt+ PSU. Corsair and Antec make pretty good ones. Any DVD-RW, mouse, keyboard and you are set.

I didn't count but this should be about $1000 altogether. Don't buy prebuild systems as it's a waste of money and quality. You will just pay more for inferior stuff. Best place to go for US is newegg.com. If you need help with building I can give you a link to some good guide later on or just search with google "how to build your own PC". Good luck!


Wow thanks a ton... I definately appreciate all the info. After reading this thread and the people who said they could help with advice on building my own I think I may try that. I have looked for guides but they are all like pay for/ or dated or not relevant. I would love to put one together myself, mostly to save money, but also to get the knowledge for the future.
Really the only downside is... I don't want to butcher it.

This comes from my lack of understanding of motherboards/chipsets, I think I have a decent grasp on the other stuff, but I understand that, the motherboard/chipset/whatever that stuff is, its the thing that determines what vid card fits, slots and what not and I'm confused about it. I understand stuff goes into it, but not sure how to tell what and what it does. Or what motherboards are capable of holding current things, basically I'm less below the Mendoza line in comprehension on these sole items.

Again I really appreciate everyone helping here... This computer is not soley for D3 but the time I put into D2 i figure that would be my main game in the years to come if it is anywhere as good as D2 was to me. And with that in mind I want that game to be able to run nicely. I also figure if I built one myself, if future games demanded higher stuff, I could buy those items seperate and have the understanding of single upgrades instead of a new prebuilt computer all togehter.

Edit... The vid card I also had a question on I used to have a Radeon 9800pro it was great in the day, I loved it worked well, then I read that ATI was slacking at the time, which is why I went NVidia. But now you're saying ATI is where its at again? Cuz I've really only been up to date with NVidia cards I don't evne know what is good on ATI's side in terms of heirachy and price.

[Rcuhljr]

Lot of good responses here, but it's worth repeating, STAY AWAY FROM IBUYPOWER... horrible experience with them.

[ScooterMcGee]

Jeez... Just looked through newegg to try to see if I could figure out the stuff I would need and an approximate price. Wow am I lost. I think figuring out all the stuff will be harder then putting it together. I don't know everything that you need to build one, besides the main components.

Like i'm worried will a motherboard I pick have spots for a vid card, sound card, wireless, etc... I don't want to end up with soemthign that doesn't fit or doesn't have room. Also I don't know how u figure out if there will be USB ports, or audio ports and stuff like that. And how do these audio and usb ports connect to the board. And like a cooling fan clueless about where that comes into play, or what is needed.
If I want 4gigs or ram or more do i need a 64bit version of vista, and is there a downside to that.

If stuffs like plug and go, I can figure it out... But scared things wont fit or their won't be room in a case or board. Damnit now I'm procrastinating. Does cables and wires come with stuff you order?

I wish their was like a "how to" guide somewhere where it lets you know what you need and the basic steps and components needed. I'm convinced I'm gonna do it, just not convinced I know what to do.

Sorry for the rant... Got a couple of free weeks coming up and want to give this a whirl without freaking out when I realized i messed up ordering or forgot something or realized something doesn't fit etc etc...

[Dacar92]

At th WWI Blizzard did say that they didn't want the specs to be super high.

Here is what we know so far (transcript placed online here last Saturday):

[Corni]: can system which runs wow run d3?
[Corni]: use of dx10?
[Corni]: supoort of very (broad) systems
[Fugu_]: Hasn't settled on system specs yet.
[Corni]: they want low sysreqs
[Corni]: no hiendgames
[Corni]: NO DX10!!!!
[Fugu_]: Not a super high end game.
[Fugu_]: He said they wouldn't require it
[p0isonapple]: Doesn't require DirectX10, nothing about support for it however.


http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=668039

[HallofFamer]

Edit... The vid card I also had a question on I used to have a Radeon 9800pro it was great in the day, I loved it worked well, then I read that ATI was slacking at the time, which is why I went NVidia. But now you're saying ATI is where its at again? Cuz I've really only been up to date with NVidia cards I don't evne know what is good on ATI's side in terms of heirachy and price.

Check out www.techreport.com for some recent stuff on the new ATI cards and any general info. They also do a ton of tests on gpus so you can compare them yourself.

[ScooterMcGee]

So I think I'm about to do this... Just wanted to see if I'm missing anything.

Let me know please :)
These are the things I need right?

CaseA standard desktop case, the basic design we see, these will fit everything? And I see some come with a stheir own power supply but are they too low, basically is there anything specific i need to know about cases in general?
MotherboardI got a question about them later in the post :)
Processor
CD/DVD/Etc
Fan(Kinda don't understand what is needed, basically don't know anything about this, i know there is fans in the computer, and usually on on the vid card, and i understand what they do just confused about it still)
Power Supply(someone said 600watt is appropiate?)
Video Card(Looked at some but I really don't understand these benchmarks, or whatnot)
Sound Card
Wirless Card(already have)
Keyboard/Mouse(Have ones I like already)
Ram(Not sure here. If I want 4gb I can go 4x1gbsticks right, but if I want 6 i need 3x2gb, also ties into the operating system question)
Hard Drive
Operating System(Big question here, I like Xp but I guess I'm gonna try Vista, so if I want 4-6gb of ram I need Vistax64? Also is that currently not a good idea?)
Monitor My current one is nice but it's got all kinds of beer/pop/coffee smudges and I don't know how u clean these LCD panels, it's kinda small too, so I think I'm gonna try a widescreen, whats a decent size, nothing too overthe top for sitting close to the computer?)
Speakers Have some decent ones that came with my dell, wondering if they will have be able to connect to a non dell brand they have 2 wires one from the sub another from the 4(LF,LR,RR,RF)

Wires/screws/etc? are they included with each part if they bought boxed or whatever, or the wires/connectivity crap, another thing I need to worry bout?

I probably am missing something which is why I'm checking with you guys first, since you guys have been amazing with the help.

Besides how everything connects, I have a huge question with the motherboard, when I look em up they will show all the ports they have right, like 4dimm slots or whatever its called, also if it has slots for vid/sound/wirless etc? Also if it's compatible with say whatever vid card or processor quad/duo/amd/intel etc? Or like what board is best suited for what type of graphics card.

Thanks again if I'm forgetting anything please let me know, or if anyone can link me a guide, and or some helpful advice concerning the processor and motherboard. Anything with some staying power for a few years to come, but I'd expect i'd have to upgrade with the newer products but hopefully not have to completley overhaul.

[HallofFamer]

I guess you didn't read my posts and follow the links.

[ScooterMcGee]

I guess you didn't read my posts and follow the links.

No I definitely did and you were very helpful :) and your site you linked will be the site I will be using to purchase the parts. I was just being extra thorough which I tend to be when spending a decent amount of money :)

I also was just making sure I didn't leave anything out or was forgetting something. If you could go over my list to make sure i'm not forgetting anything.

Oh and since you're still reading this thread:wave: What is your thought on the 64 bit operating systems, I think I've already decided I want to have 4gb of ram and maybe even 6 eventually, but I also want to be able to add more if it becomes the standard like 2gb is now and like 1gb was year or two ago. And after some research I learned that only 64bit Operating systems utilize more 4gb+ of ram, something with virtual memory I think. I think I am correct in the basic theory, I could be wrong.

Also are wires/screws/connecting parts included in purchasing most of these products used to put the computer together?

I would like this computer to be able to run D3 on high settings with great FPS(again I know that will be a long time from now:coffee:), but also more soon to be released games on the same settings like Spore, WAR, SC2. I rarely play FPS so not concerned about those but I do like some RTS games and a few I've played lately my computer can't really handle to well with the exception being SoSE.

I had another question about the case too. I currently have just a desktop tower dell case, it's size is fine. I was just wondering if I looked at and purchased a just a basic sized desktop tower case would there ever have an issue arise in the size of all the parts fitting into it?

Again I do appreciate all of your help and everybody elses too aswell:thumbsup: I think I may have OCD which is why I a little nitpicking on making sure I'm convinced I have everything figured out before I start something like this :(

[Raging_Zealot]

So I think I'm about to do this... Just wanted to see if I'm missing anything.

Let me know please :)
These are the things I need right?

CaseA standard desktop case, the basic design we see, these will fit everything? And I see some come with a stheir own power supply but are they too low, basically is there anything specific i need to know about cases in general?

Most likely if you want a standard desktop size, any full or mid tower that you like the look of will do. You most likely want "ATX" which is a form factor which describes which motherboards will fit in which cases. Generally I do not trust power supplies that come with cases, and there is more to power supplies than just watts (Amps on rails, general quality). I have had good luck with OCZ. I was going to link you to a great thread of recommended power supply units (PSUs) but apparently that forum was shutting down due to a variety of reasons.. :( If I was buying a PSU now, I'd probably get this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002 but there are many other good choices as well.

MotherboardI got a question about them later in the post :)

As said above, be sure the form factor the motherboard you want is the same as the form factor your case will accept

Processor
CD/DVD/Etc
Fan(Kinda don't understand what is needed, basically don't know anything about this, i know there is fans in the computer, and usually on on the vid card, and i understand what they do just confused about it still)

Generally components which require them will have their own fans (processor, video card, chipset). Most cases also include at least a few fans, and adding more is never a bad idea. Honestly if you do not intend to overclock your system, and you buy a case with 2-3 fans, you probably are fine to leave it as is. That also applies to the cooling of the processor, if you do not plan to overclock it, the stock heatsink (and likely fan) should be fine for your needs.

Power Supply(someone said 600watt is appropiate?)

Something in the 600 watt range should be fine.

Video Card(Looked at some but I really don't understand these benchmarks, or whatnot)

The suggestions made earlier seem good about the cards. Generally I always try to buy the best card for the money I'm willing to spend, since as someone mentioned earlier, there are major diminishing returns for having the latest and greatest. www.tomshardware.com has some good benchmarking things, they also have articles every few months detailing the best graphic cards for different price points. The most recent one can be found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-cards,1942.html

Sound Card

Depending on your motherboard, it may include "on board audio". I'm using the onboard sound on my DFI Lan Party NF4, and it is fine for my uses, YMMV, as all I'm running is an older Logitec 2.1 system, so sound isn't my highest priority. You might see if reviews of the motherboard you choose have some useful feedback on the quality of the onboard sound, and then see if it will meet your needs. Generally it would be easy to add a sound carde later if you decide you need one anyway.

Wirless Card(already have)
Keyboard/Mouse(Have ones I like already)
Ram(Not sure here. If I want 4gb I can go 4x1gbsticks right, but if I want 6 i need 3x2gb, also ties into the operating system question)

32 bit Vista will only see ~3 GB of system RAM, so going over that by too much might not be worth it. I have no experiance with 64 bit Vista, but I know early on with XP Pro 64 bit there were some compatibility issues. I would think they would have been resolved by now, since when I used XP 64 was ~2.5 years ago. Just make sure you have a 64 bit processor if you intend to run a 64 Bit OS. I would probably get 2x2GB sticks to get 4 Gigs of ram.

Hard Drive
Operating System(Big question here, I like Xp but I guess I'm gonna try Vista, so if I want 4-6gb of ram I need Vistax64? Also is that currently not a good idea?)

Opinions differ on Vista. I worked tech support at my University, the tech support manager had switched over fine, I have a dual boot with Vista with no problems, but some people do run into problems. After using Vista it honestly made me feel like XP was a bit dated looking, but I switched back primarily to XP b/c it has a bit more support for some of my specific hardware. You may want to go to a computer store or something just to mess around on Vista a bit to see if you like it.

Monitor My current one is nice but it's got all kinds of beer/pop/coffee smudges and I don't know how u clean these LCD panels, it's kinda small too, so I think I'm gonna try a widescreen, whats a decent size, nothing too overthe top for sitting close to the computer?)
Speakers Have some decent ones that came with my dell, wondering if they will have be able to connect to a non dell brand they have 2 wires one from the sub another from the 4(LF,LR,RR,RF)

The speakers should work fine in whichever sound card you get (or onboard audio) but I'm not fully familiar with Dell, so I don't know if they use some proprietary interface, but I wouldn't think so.

Wires/screws/etc? are they included with each part if they bought boxed or whatever, or the wires/connectivity crap, another thing I need to worry bout?

Generally the case comes with all the hardware necessary to install the motherboard and other hardware such as optical drives and the hard drives. Many cases have "tool less" locking systems that are very handy, and means you don't need to mess with screws for the drives.

I probably am missing something which is why I'm checking with you guys first, since you guys have been amazing with the help.

Besides how everything connects, I have a huge question with the motherboard, when I look em up they will show all the ports they have right, like 4dimm slots or whatever its called, also if it has slots for vid/sound/wirless etc? Also if it's compatible with say whatever vid card or processor quad/duo/amd/intel etc? Or like what board is best suited for what type of graphics card.

Generally what I would do is pick the processor you want first, then look at what "socket" form factor it is. For instance the Q6600 that someone suggested (good choice IMO) is LG 775. You want a motherboard that has socket LG 775 compatibility. Generally most modern video cards have moved to a PCI-E slot. You want to make sure that your motherboard has at least one of these. Things like a wireless card should either use USB or a standard PCI slot, which are common on motherboards, the sound card should use a PCI slot as well. Video cards should be compatible with any Processor, so long as the motherboard you are installing them on has the slots/socket for each component, IE a 775 socket for the processor, and a PCI-E slot for the video card. If you want to run two video cards (or think you might in the future) then you would be looking at SLi support if the card is nVidia, or Crossfire if it is ATi/AMD.

Thanks again if I'm forgetting anything please let me know, or if anyone can link me a guide, and or some helpful advice concerning the processor and motherboard. Anything with some staying power for a few years to come, but I'd expect i'd have to upgrade with the newer products but hopefully not have to completley overhaul.

I've added comments/suggestions to your points/questions above. If you have any more, let me know. Generally I agree with the advice that has been given so far in this thread. When you do pick out some components feel free to PM me and I can go over it more specifically to your setup, and ensure everything is compatible.

[Ubiquitous Chaos]

Noticed someone mention Ibuypower, and I was wondering if you could provide some elaboration about their track record as I just purchased one of their comps through Newegg.

As far as being able to run D3, OP, if you can run WoW on mid settings with decent FPS expect to be able to run D3 fine. Like all of Blizzard's games, a very wide array of rigs should be able to handle the game. ^_^

[ScooterMcGee]

I've added comments/suggestions to your points/questions above. If you have any more, let me know. Generally I agree with the advice that has been given so far in this thread. When you do pick out some components feel free to PM me and I can go over it more specifically to your setup, and ensure everything is compatible.

Thanks again. You've been extremely helpful.

I'll probably spend some of this 4th weekend starting the list of specific parts. Hopefully I'll get em ordered by the end of next week and then hopefully I can put this thing together :dontknow:

I may pop back in with another video card question. Since I think I'm set on most of everything else it's just now that I think I'm gonna go back to ATI, had been using NVidia. I don't understand ATI's heirarchy now. When I last left off paying attention to them I think something like the x1350 was the top card? Now they got a ton that don't really follow that same pattern so to speak and I remember my dell being originially shipped with a x300 and it was awful.

Going through the entire thread some people have made some good sugestions. I tend to refer more to people's opinions than reading the sites about them since I don't undertand these benchmark crap. I just want to know the basic jist of the card, like where it stand against it's NVidia counterpart or their hierarchy since I can refer to them a little better.

A few people have recommended these cards...
9600GT
9800GTX
8800GTS
Radeon 4870
Radeon 4850

I'd prolly spend at most maybe 300 on the card. I've seen a few listed for around that just would like some real people feedback on what card for around that is gonna get me the best quality/preformance for the type of stuff I play. I tend to trust people over sites :) Probably cuz they can explain it easier then trying to understand what this pixel rate is and the benchmarks at overclocked what now I don't get it. Oh and I don't plan on overclocking since I have no clue how to mess with it and rather not, so just a standard factory settings card.

[ScooterMcGee]

Wow... Can't figure it out but everytime I put a list together on a wishlist on newegg, it's always like 200-300 more than I thought it would be total. Even with the same things on build site I'm not seeing much savings. I have to be be doin' something wrong. Didn't want to go over 1300 with a monitor but I'm at like 1300 and I haven't even got the monitor yet.

[Thyiad]

I really would wait until the game is made. Blizzard don't have a reputation for stupidly high specs but if you don't need one now, you might as well wait while the prices drop.

I got a dual core with a good graphics card for £400. I paid another £160 for a decent 22" TFT and I can run The Witcher on high quality. I could run it on low with my six year old machine because it was overspec'd at the time for a CAD package use.

Prioritize: decent graphics card (mine is an 8600 GTS Plus) with reasonable amount of onboard RAM. Good processor and RAM. Mines 2 x 3 Ghz.

I've seen machines put together and it's not that hard if you read up and pay attention. Start off with the core pieces and don't go crazy. You probably don't need a quad core with flashing lights.

There's what you need and what you want. They don't mix. Oh and pets are expensive; it's what they do.

[Raging_Zealot]

Thanks again. You've been extremely helpful.

I'll probably spend some of this 4th weekend starting the list of specific parts. Hopefully I'll get em ordered by the end of next week and then hopefully I can put this thing together :dontknow:

I may pop back in with another video card question. Since I think I'm set on most of everything else it's just now that I think I'm gonna go back to ATI, had been using NVidia. I don't understand ATI's heirarchy now. When I last left off paying attention to them I think something like the x1350 was the top card? Now they got a ton that don't really follow that same pattern so to speak and I remember my dell being originially shipped with a x300 and it was awful.

Going through the entire thread some people have made some good sugestions. I tend to refer more to people's opinions than reading the sites about them since I don't undertand these benchmark crap. I just want to know the basic jist of the card, like where it stand against it's NVidia counterpart or their hierarchy since I can refer to them a little better.

A few people have recommended these cards...
9600GT
9800GTX
8800GTS
Radeon 4870
Radeon 4850

I'd prolly spend at most maybe 300 on the card. I've seen a few listed for around that just would like some real people feedback on what card for around that is gonna get me the best quality/preformance for the type of stuff I play. I tend to trust people over sites :) Probably cuz they can explain it easier then trying to understand what this pixel rate is and the benchmarks at overclocked what now I don't get it. Oh and I don't plan on overclocking since I have no clue how to mess with it and rather not, so just a standard factory settings card.

Since you know what you want to spend, click on that link [ http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ards,1942.html ] and go to the ~$300 page, then read about the cards they recommend for that price range. That should give you a good idea of the performance you can get for the price.

[poroboszcz]

Since you know what you want to spend, click on that link [ http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ards,1942.html ] and go to the ~$300 page, then read about the cards they recommend for that price range. That should give you a good idea of the performance you can get for the price.

It's outdated. I bet that when July's roun-up comes up the ATI 4 series will be reccomended in his price range, maybe together with 9800gtx+ which has not been released yet. Beside that all nvidia cards are overpriced atm and will suddenly drop. Still I would reccomend ATI over Nvidia this time and for D3 in particular, due to DirectX 10.1 and better performance for money.

Wow... Can't figure it out but everytime I put a list together on a wishlist on newegg, it's always like 200-300 more than I thought it would be total. Even with the same things on build site I'm not seeing much savings. I have to be be doin' something wrong. Didn't want to go over 1300 with a monitor but I'm at like 1300 and I haven't even got the monitor yet.

I counted for you how much would that be for the setup i suggested above and it was $1100 before MIR. Here's what I used:
- DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
- G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
- DIAMOND 4850PE3512 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
- Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
- COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR 550W ATX from factor 12V V2.01 Power Supply - Retail
- SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

That is pretty decent config and you are left with $200 to improve on anything you like.

[termite]

I'm guessing that most of today's computers would run D3 without a problem. This ofcourse means a Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz or equivalent, 2gigs of ram, a 3870 or 8800gt video card, and windows xp/vista, along with a broadband internet connection and a 20-22" lcd display.

A system like that could easily be put together for $1,500 or even less. Even better suggestion (if you have to buy it now) is to get a cheapo video card which would be sufficient for today's games (like 7 or 8 series geforce for $100 or less), and a pci-express 2.0 motherboard. Then in the future when the game is released you've have saved up for a newer video card which would be released next year. You will more than likely be able to use it on today's motherboards.

As for me - I'll probably be buying the 3.06ghz iMac in the fall with 8600GS or whatever video card. It will more thank likely work with D3 at high res too.

[Jaklax]

http://a154.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/42/l_df01d6e88b96f346f69e1f49c280c3c1.jpg
My computer is a monster!
8800 GTS OC Editionx2 w/SLI
AMD Penom 9750 Quad-core processor 2.41ghz (AMD has better performance for gaming)
8g of ram
Windows Vista Ultimate 64
700 watt power supply
2 intake fans
2 exaust fans
not counting the 2 intake/exaust on my power supply
Fan controller
Sony DvD RW drive
250gx2 Raid - 2 HDD
Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
Logitech Gaming surround sound
30' Monitor coming soon

play crysis on ultra high setting
just had to pull a /flex

[MinionOfBoredom]

Wow... Can't figure it out but everytime I put a list together on a wishlist on newegg, it's always like 200-300 more than I thought it would be total. Even with the same things on build site I'm not seeing much savings. I have to be be doin' something wrong. Didn't want to go over 1300 with a monitor but I'm at like 1300 and I haven't even got the monitor yet.

Post it if you'd care. I have some experience building computers; I'd be glad to offer any help I can.

Look out for some predictable price cuts, if you plan to buy a computer in the near future: nVidia just cut their top of the line cards down considerably (by $100+); ATi is probably gonna follow shortly.

[ScooterMcGee]

Post it if you'd care. I have some experience building computers; I'd be glad to offer any help I can.

Look out for some predictable price cuts, if you plan to buy a computer in the near future: nVidia just cut their top of the line cards down considerably (by $100+); ATi is probably gonna follow shortly.

I'm not totally sure since I keep trying to research each part and since I have little experience at all putting stuff together part by part besides Ram and a Video card. I can't figure out what has a good track record or what may be too much.

Currently I have a Pentium D 3.2ghz(My bad earlier said I had a Pent. 4, that was what originally was shipped and broke replaced a plethora of times for free by Dell til I finally ended up with my baby of the last few years)... I figured if I was gonna upgrade I'd try a quadcore they don't seem that much higher in price compared with a duo about 40 or so bucks so I said why not.
Still try to put together stuff and and I keep skyrocketing :( Maybe i'm goin' overboard, no clue :)

Basically this is what I want...

Intel Quad Core(Tried reading the differences between the mid-range ones, can't figure out it, besides the negilible speed differences, never used AMD and never had a problem with Intel so I figure don't change now)

Ram at least 4gb, preferably in 2x2 so I can still add more at a later day.

Assuming with that much Ram I need Vistax64, again can't figure out which one, basic/home/buisness/ultimate... Read alot of problems with basic but then noticed ultimate is like 90 bucks more:(

Video Card... Looked at the 4870 there was a deal for 280... Thought that was decent so If I can stay below 300 I'm fine. Someone recommened at 4850 that was a little less. NVidia's card are a little too pricey, so time to go back to Radeon(loved my old 9800pro).

Hard Drive... Hell I don't need a ton currenly have 80g and never even come close to filling it up so like anything is fine.

DVD/CD... Just any old decent speed combo burner/reader drive.

Motherboard... IM CLUELESS. I can figure out which ones are compatible now... I just can't figure out which ones will be easy to installl and aren't ****ty, and decently priced.

PSU... I'm assuming with a quadcore a decent vid card... I'd need something like 600watts. Again I don't really have a clue.

Fan/cooling... HELP ME HERE... I know the case comes with stock fans, I knwo the processor does too, but is that enough, I'm clueless here too.

Case... Figured this would be cheap but for some reason it doesn't seem to be. Having some issues here too find a decent one and price. The PSU comes into play here.

Monitor... I figured this will be 200-300. I'm ok here I think want something like a 22" Widescreen.

Keyboard/Mouse... Love my current ones.

Speakers... Love my current ones.

When I try to put something like that together well... I get up there and but I also don't feel cofindent that I'm getting decent products since there's a ton of items and reviews of them are slightly bias'd and a little incoherent for me.


I counted for you how much would that be for the setup i suggested above and it was $1100 before MIR. Here's what I used:
- DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
- G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
- DIAMOND 4850PE3512 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
- Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
- COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR 550W ATX from factor 12V V2.01 Power Supply - Retail
- SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

That is pretty decent config and you are left with $200 to improve on anything you like.

Wow very helpful... Thank you gonna look around at that. Kinda wanted a quad core, isn't Pent. D which I currently have Dual? Looking at an old wiki page I read this...
"Intel has recently released a new line of processors based on the Core architecture under the name Pentium Dual Core. While the new Pentium Dual-Core processors boast considerably less wattage consumption opposed to the Pentium D (Using only 65W with Pentium D using 130W), it only has 1MiB L2 Cache memory while Pentium D boasts up to a 2x2 MiB L2 Cache memory. It should be noted that despite these differences, the Pentium dual-core still outperforms the Pentium D with most applications"
If that's at all true wouldn't a quad core be more of an upgrade then to a duo for around 50buck or so difference?

[poroboszcz]

Pentium Dual Core is not the same as Core 2 Duo which is MUCH faster than your Pentium D. Type "E8400 review" in google to find out more if you are curious. The quad core Q6600 is only $10 more, but you would hardly benefit from it. The thing is that most of appications don't really take advantage of four cores atm. If you really want to go quad core add some more cash and buy Q9450 (google "Q9450 review"). There is also a nice review of ATI 4870 here (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-4870,review-31046.html)and how it compares to Nvidia cards.

As to the motherboards it's very unlikely that you'll do something wrong. The chipsets you want to look at are: P35, P45, X38 and X48, but imo anything above P35 would be a waste of money for your needs. All of the motherboards with these chipsets will have all the sockets and connectors that you gonna need so no worries here. The brands I would reccomend are: Asus, Gigabyte and DFI. Just use google and do some research.

[ScooterMcGee]

Pentium Dual Core is not the same as Core 2 Duo which is MUCH faster than your Pentium D. Type "E8400 review" in google to find out more if you are curious. The quad core Q6600 is only $10 more, but you would hardly benefit from it. The thing is that most of appications don't really take advantage of four cores atm. If you really want to go quad core add some more cash and buy Q9450 (google "Q9450 review"). There is also a nice review of ATI 4870 here (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-4870,review-31046.html)and how it compares to Nvidia cards.

As to the motherboards it's very unlikely that you'll do something wrong. The chipsets you want to look at are: P35, P45, X38 and X48, but imo anything above P35 would be a waste of money for your needs. All of the motherboards with these chipsets will have all the sockets and connectors that you gonna need so no worries here. The brands I would reccomend are: Asus, Gigabyte and DFI. Just use google and do some research.

Ahh... Thanks again.

What about a cooling fan is that something I need to worry bout? Or is the stock enough? Also for say around that processor and vid card i previously said, what type of power supply do you think is enough? Tryin' to skim my price total down right now.
The thing with the motherboard I keep seeing what they're standard ram speeds or whatever are and trying to match them up accordingly, or is that just a suggestion. I see DDR2 is cheaper but some of the boards can't use DDR3, and I kinda want to have something that can be upgraded in the future. I see DDR3 is more expensive, also the annoyance of 2gbx2 being more expensive then 4x1gb and theres only 4 slots.

Then my brother said somethign about having to grease(or some kind of lube type junk) the fan by the chip or something, thats somethign I wasn't aware of. Any info here would be nice.
And I keep reading about people messing with BIOS when they build their computers. I'm assuming the BIOS is the boards basic operating thing u can do before u have a Operating system installed? I keep reading about people having to change voltages or whatnot. I kinda thought most the problem would be putting it together but I think I'm starting to understand the nuances of that. Just these little things that I keep reading about that I wasn't aware of prior are kinda worrying me.

Oh and I haven't seen anyone answer my question about Vista 64, if I missed someones post about it I'm really sorry I got like 8 windows open trying to research stuff and I kinda started a little 4th of July drinking before I head out for the night. I just wanted to know if I'm correct in the assumption that only 64 bit operating systems utilize 4+gigs of ram, but this comes at the expense of a lot drivers or programs not working with the operating system? Also if I was to get a 64bit vista is just the basic fine or is at buggy as I read bout, only the Vista64 Ultimate is what people recommend from reading out of them, wondering cuz its like 100more then home version.

Thanks again everyone I do really appreciate it.

[poroboszcz]

The messing with BIOS is for overclocking and you don't have to care about that to much, at least till you know how to build the computer in the first place.

By the cooling fan you probably mean th heatsink for the CPU. The stock one is alright as long as you are not going to overclock. So forget it for now. You can always upgrade later.

To fully utilize 4 gigs of ram you need 64 bit system. 2x2gb is better than 4x1gb. I highly recommed g.skill memory. Can't tell you anything about Vista Home vs Ultimate. Haven't used any of them. The DDR3 memory is overpriced atm with very little to none performance gains.

[Jaklax]

Can't tell you anything about Vista Home vs Ultimate. Haven't used any of them.

I have had all versions of windows, and currently have Ultimate 64. Mainly with Ultimate u get features like if u were to get a collectors edition of a game..a few extra security features, but unless ur using your computer for NASA.. those won't really make a difference to u, but the Flip 3d is a lil cool but really overrated..not all that special, and it doesn't work for games (if ur in-game).

so, i suggest getting Home Premium if u really don't want basic b/c well.. basic doesn't get u any pimp points ;)
Thats like.. Hey! look at my new bangin PC!! (Friend) is that windows basic? =P

[ScooterMcGee]

Thanks again... I made a list, hopefully it links if you could look over everything.

This is the rough draft so to speak, again I don't know a ton about everything so if you could let me know if anythings not compatible or somethings a bad product or I could save a few dollars here or there... It's still about 150-200 more then I'd like to spend:(
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=6490574&WishListTitle=Comp
I haven't ordered anything yet was just trying to start the list then edit stuff frmo there. Maybe the video card is too much, just wanted to finally be able to play some games at high/max settings with good fps for once, never been able to do that with my previous computers/cards.
This cards about 120bucks less after mail in rebatehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133220 but I can't figure out what I want/need, which is prolly my biggest problem trying find a fast cheap good card:(

Thanks again.

I have had all versions of windows, and currently have Ultimate 64. Mainly with Ultimate u get features like if u were to get a collectors edition of a game..a few extra security features, but unless ur using your computer for NASA.. those won't really make a difference to u, but the Flip 3d is a lil cool but really overrated..not all that special, and it doesn't work for games (if ur in-game).

so, i suggest getting Home Premium if u really don't want basic b/c well.. basic doesn't get u any pimp points ;)
Thats like.. Hey! look at my new bangin PC!! (Friend) is that windows basic? =P

Edit... Thanks for the help.

[poroboszcz]

It is really nice setup you've listed and it's quite high-end rather than mid-range actually. It will allow you to play any games on max settings (maybe except Crysis). If you want to save few bucks your 2 options are to go for cheaper processor or graphics card. The Q9450 is quite expensive and you could save about $100 with Q6600 or E8400. You could save even more with E7200 wich is a budget chip and you still won't notice any significant diffrence in games or day to day applications. To make it simple for you here's a quick comparison:

Q9450 ($329) - one of the latest quad cores from Intel. Performs about 0-5% faster the Q6600. You won't benefit from it atm in games and most applications over dual core until you do a lot of multitasking. There are litteraly 2 or 3 games that can utilize 4 cores, but it can change in the future.
E8500 ($269) - one of the latest and fastest dual core from Intel. It will exceed both Q9450 and Q6600 in performance in most games and applications atm.
Q6600 ($209) - Good old quad core from Intel. Great performance for the price and very good overclocker. Quite future-proof due to four cores.
E8400 ($194) - The same as E8500 but with slightly slower clock. May be a bit faster than Q6600 in applications that don't benefit from four cores. Proven to be decent overclocker.
E7200 ($129) - Budget dual core, yet great performer for the price. It's slightly slower (0-10%) than E8400 and Q6600, but you won't really see much diffrence in games.

So these are your choices. If you can wait for a while then you may want to know that Intel is going to cut prices on all it's processors on 20th of July. Also keep in mind that any of this CPU's will allow you to play on max settings in almost any games currently avaliable, since it's mostly the GPU job anyway. You can go for a cheaper processor now and upgrade in a year if needed. The same is true for the graphics card. The July's roundup on Tomshardware is avaliable now. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-cards,review-31055.html

Ps. Since you are already putting that much in you new PC you may want to think about some better case. It may be hard to find a decent one in your price range, but the one you've chosen has only 2 fans. It may be worth to add $20 to get better one if you don't want to run into overheating issues.

[xibbog]

AMD Penom 9750 Quad-core processor 2.41ghz (AMD has better performance for gaming)

You just keep on telling yourself that.

[ScooterMcGee]

It is really nice setup you've listed and it's quite high-end rather than mid-range actually. It will allow you to play any games on max settings (maybe except Crysis). If you want to save few bucks your 2 options are to go for cheaper processor or graphics card. The Q9450 is quite expensive and you could save about $100 with Q6600 or E8400. You could save even more with E7200 wich is a budget chip and you still won't notice any significant diffrence in games or day to day applications. To make it simple for you here's a quick comparison:

Q9450 ($329) - one of the latest quad cores from Intel. Performs about 0-5% faster the Q6600. You won't benefit from it atm in games and most applications over dual core until you do a lot of multitasking. There are litteraly 2 or 3 games that can utilize 4 cores, but it can change in the future.
E8500 ($269) - one of the latest and fastest dual core from Intel. It will exceed both Q9450 and Q6600 in performance in most games and applications atm.
Q6600 ($209) - Good old quad core from Intel. Great performance for the price and very good overclocker. Quite future-proof due to four cores.
E8400 ($194) - The same as E8500 but with slightly slower clock. May be a bit faster than Q6600 in applications that don't benefit from four cores. Proven to be decent overclocker.
E7200 ($129) - Budget dual core, yet great performer for the price. It's slightly slower (0-10%) than E8400 and Q6600, but you won't really see much diffrence in games.

So these are your choices. If you can wait for a while then you may want to know that Intel is going to cut prices on all it's processors on 20th of July. Also keep in mind that any of this CPU's will allow you to play on max settings in almost any games currently avaliable, since it's mostly the GPU job anyway. You can go for a cheaper processor now and upgrade in a year if needed. The same is true for the graphics card. The July's roundup on Tomshardware is avaliable now. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-cards,review-31055.html

Ps. Since you are already putting that much in you new PC you may want to think about some better case. It may be hard to find a decent one in your price range, but the one you've chosen has only 2 fans. It may be worth to add $20 to get better one if you don't want to run into overheating issues.

Ahh... Thanks a ton. Ya the processor, whether dual or quad, I gotta figure out. Ya I actually knew that very few games utilized all 4 cores, and I don't really multitask anymore then the next person. Does anyone believe anytime in the near future that more and more games are gonna utilize quad cores or is Dual's really the best option in terms of price/performance at the moment?

Thanks for letting me know about the case. Having trouble figuring out about them before starting this thread I just assumed it held everything and did little more.

If you could link me a nice case that isn't on the super high end of the price spectrum that would be great or at least let me know what type of fans I should try to get out of a case. Also can't you buy a separte fan/heat sink and install it, eliminating the case fan problem?

Didn't realize I was more on high end of things, makes me a feel a little better knowing I can skim a few dollars here and there and still have a decent machine.

Did not know that about the upcoming price cut... I can probably hold off a few weeks before ordering. Works out well so I can research a few more things.

Thanks again for the help, really appreciate it.