new pc for gaming

[masta209]

Hey everyone,
I am new to this forum and would like some suggestions on hardware for my new pc. I am currently running an Athlon XP 1.7ghz /512mb and am way behind in technology, so I have no idea what im looking for anymore as far as performance hardware goes. I've always been an AMD man for multimedia pc's, but times have changed and I have an open mind for Intel. I do have a budget that I could stretch to about $800 max, which I know isn't alot. BTW, this system will be used for gaming mainly, some very small video editing possibly. One thing I am worried about is overheating. I don't know if its just the Athlon XP series, but it overheats constantly. Also, the fact that my house is always extremely hot in the summer, doesn't help much. Anyway, any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Thanx ahead of time.

 

[pilotguy121a]

as you might have seen AMD dual cores and some intel dual cores are really cheap right now. If you want to go the dual core way go for it. If you want quad core the cheapest for the performance is the Intel Core 2 Q6600. Get a good aftermarket heat sink and you won't really have to worry about over heating.
This is the OEM version meaning it just comes in a small plastic container:
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Processors
Ram is also very cheap for 4gb.
for the price these honestly cannot be beat if you want to get two of them:
Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
I also noticed a lot of people suggest the ATI HD4850 for a graphics card and the Corsair 650w powersupply.

 

[masta209]

what about the motherboard, and is there gonna be that much of a difference performance wise between the dual and quad core?

 

[veg1992]

Performance wise right now a faster clocked Dual-Core would beat 4 cores in most games except UT3 and Crysis

However more and more games are Quad Intensive.. and the few FPS lost now because of Quads instead of duals, will become a lot more when games are quad-intensive

So get a Quad-Core Q6600

For Boards: that depends on what you want on it... like features like two Video Cards and RAID etc

Heres what I recommend:

Q6600
Biostar P45
HD 4850
Corsair 650tx (I recommended the 650tx in case you wanted to add another HD 4850 in the Future)
4gb DDR2 Patriot Viper
Rosewill RCX-Z775 Black Cooler or the Xigmatek Rifle 120mm if you have the extra budget room with the retention bracket
HD of your Liking based on how much size you want
Case of your choice
Optical Drive of your Choice

 

[masta209]

Performance wise right now a faster clocked Dual-Core would beat 4 cores in most games except UT3 and Crysis

However more and more games are Quad Intensive.. and the few FPS lost now because of Quads instead of duals, will become a lot more when games are quad-intensive

So get a Quad-Core Q6600

For Boards: that depends on what you want on it... like features like two Video Cards and RAID etc

Heres what I recommend:

Q6600
Biostar P45
HD 4850
Corsair 650tx (I recommended the 650tx in case you wanted to add another HD 4850 in the Future)
4gb DDR2 Patriot Viper
Rosewill RCX-Z775 Black Cooler or the Xigmatek Rifle 120mm if you have the extra budget room with the retention bracket
HD of your Liking based on how much size you want
Case of your choice
Optical Drive of your Choice

why would you lose FPS on a quad oppossed to a dual? that doesnt make sense to me. i am not interested in overclocking.

 

[veg1992]

Because games will go and get higher FPS on the higher clocked CPU right now.. not which has the most cores (except the games mentioned above)

Haha.. nowadays its quite foolish to not overclock, free performance with hardly any risk (unless you get selfish about it)

 

[masta209]

Because games will go and get higher FPS on the higher clocked CPU right now.. not which has the most cores (except the games mentioned above)

Haha.. nowadays its quite foolish to not overclock, free performance with hardly any risk (unless you get selfish about it)

wouldnt that just stress the cpu and make it hotter? well, what about just daily multitasking if its that much of a difference i dont mind paying the price

 

[veg1992]

It might run a little warmer, but if you have a good cooler (which is needed on a q6600 anyways) it can help maintain bad temps..

Multitasking is better with Quads

 

[masta209]

does everyone use onboard sound now? Theres so many different brands of those video cards, and all priced around the same. A 512mb card will be enough to run the latest games?

 

[veg1992]

RAM doesn't matter... just the GPU...

Get the Asus HD 4850