Newbie here with some questions!

[Drizzt]

Yes, i did not know about the TRUE at the time, only reason i have a tuniq.

 

[thirdshiftdj]

The E2180 will most likely mean you'll have to upgrade soon while the Quad you won't have to for a long while. The 9600 that b1gapl or the 8800 gt that Vern suggested are both good cards.

 

[Drizzt]

Yes, but the E2180 is $130 cheaper... When its time to upgrade he will be getting rid of this
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
instead of a $200 processor.

And ya, i would personally go with the 9600 GT cause its cheaper and newer, even if the 8800 GT outperforms it a little.

 

[gsteffens]

first thanks for all the support in a short time!

But I will admit a lot of the numbers you guys gave me don't mean a whole lot right now.

But I gather the best bet is to hand pick each part of the computer one by one and build it that way? A buddy of mine said this would be a good way to go.

How do I go about compatability, like motherboard to CPU, and power supply, etc?

 

[b1gapl]

How do I go about compatability, like motherboard to CPU, and power supply, etc?

For starters, which company will you go with? Intel or AMD. Most will say Intel at the moment, because right now they have the upper hand in performance. But there's no problem going with AMD, if you chose them.

So with Intel you go with a Socket 775 motherboard and CPU, because that is the latest from Intel. And if you chose AMD, you go with an AM2+ motherboard and CPU.

With the power supply, any reliable brand of power supply will be fine. Top brands include PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, Silverstone, FSP(Fortron), SeaSonic, Antec, etc.

With memory, you go with DDR2. As it is widely available, and it is at it's lowest prices.

Graphic cards. You go with PCIe slot graphic cards, because they are the newest type of graphic cards. There are two versions of PCIe type graphic cards, and that's 1.1 and 2.0. Obviously 2.0 is the latest and the one to go for. And the newest motherboards are 2.0 compatible. Don't worry if you've settled with a PCIe 1.1 graphic card, because it is backwards compatible with motherboards supporting PCIe 2.0.

Hard drives and optical drives. Go with ones that are SATA, because again, SATA is the latest. For hard drives stick with either Seagate or Western Digital, because they are the top two brands. Optical drives doesn't really matter with the brand. An optical drive is an optical drive.

If you are planning on overclocking, an aftermarket CPU cooler is recommended. Most of latest ones, are compatible with most of the Intel and AMD sockets.

And for short, I've already made a guide that picks out the best or recommended parts, in my Recommended PC Components guide, in my sig:
Recommended PC Components
...There are three sections. From low, medium, to high-end/budgets.

 

[Drizzt]

Good post b1g.

gsteffens, try to get your hand on a 32MB cache Harddrive. Don't let fan boys try to push you in the opposite direction for what is best for you. If AMD is the best bet for the money you have, go with them, if not go with intel. Same goes for Video Cards.

 

[gsteffens]

Thank you thank you!!!

That's a lot of good information. I'm saving this thread for starters. I can't wait, in the next few days I'm going to order a case and start my project.


I appreciate all the info.

My plan is to play battlefield 2 immediately, but I would like to have more than enough to play that and have the potential for other games in the future.

I hear there is a 'quad core' processor by intel that is awesome for gaming. How much better would this be over an AMD unit?

I'm looking at this case BTW


Newegg.com - APEVIA X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

thanks again! All your info is much appreciated!!!!

 

[b1gapl]

The quad core processor by Intel, that's been receiving so much praise, is the Core 2 Quad Q6600. And it's an excellent processor. I suggest you get one, and you wouldn't need to upgrade for a very long time. If you can find a Microcenter near you, a Q6600 can be bought for $199. Not sure how long that deal will last. It's in stores only though. Also if you are planning to get one, make sure it's the G0 stepping. Before you ask, the G0 stepping is a revision of the old Q6600, that consumes less power. A place that sells guaranteed G0s, is Clubit.com.
Here is a link:
Q6600 G0 OEM


That Apevia case is ok. But the downside is it's cooling. 2 x 80mm fans, is not really what you want to cool a nice system with. I would suggest something like the Cooler Master 690, or the Antec 900 (free shipping on this one). They both have great cooling, and they provide more than enough room for future upgrades.

 

[gsteffens]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge!

I'm going to order at least the case today and possibly that processor.

So that's the latest and greatest processor and will be good for what I want to do?

I figure I am going to build this computer for gaming but I will still be able to do homework on it too.

*edit*
is there a particular motherboard I will have to get to go with it?

I think I'm going to order that processor and case today or this week.

Thanks guys!

 

[b1gapl]

That processor will pretty much do anything you want it to.

About the motherboard, it depends. Do you find yourself wanting to SLI or Crossfire graphic cards in the future? If so, I would only suggest it, if you are planning on playing games at a high resolution of 1920 x 1200, or a monitor that is 24 inches or larger.

If not, the Abit IP35-E that both vernong and I suggested, will do fine.