~Noob~Want to learn.

[Burn_Cycle]

Hey I would like to buy a new computer. I am very eager to learn and am a lot smarter than i was a few days ago. I am currently a senior in high school, but i am going to be done in 4 months. So i will be going to college fairly quickly. i do have a job so i got income comming in. I would like a basic computer that i can ugrade later when i have more knowledge. I do plan on putting Linux on it so extra software does not matter. The faster the better.

-Details-

-Budget
$1K (I think that is way more than enough for what kind of computer i want to buy)

-Purpose
Computer Programming
The only game i ever play is Diablo II so i dont think that is much of an issue.

Feel free to ask questions on thing i may have forgotten to say. Post what you believe would be the best for the money and please explain why in an easy detailed way because i am a
"noob". Any information you can give will be greatly appreciate.
THANKS!
Johnny

 

[dipique]

I can't spec it fully right now, but here's what I'd include:

*Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (wait about a month for the price to drop)
*2GB Dual Channel DDR2-800 RAM
*(2) 7200RPM hard drives run in SATA 3.0GB RAID
*Decent sound card
*Power supply with decent amperage (at least 20A on the 12V rail)
*Whatever video card you can afford after that

Good luck.

Dan

 

[The Napster]

r u wanting to buy or bulid?

 

[Burn_Cycle]

"Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (wait about a month for the price to drop)"
I defenately dont think the price will drop in a month because from my research that specific part hasnt had much trouble finding a home. But that is one item i think i will get.

Buy or build...
The more and more i think about it, building would probably be the best choice for me so i wont have to spend as much money because i do have some parts and i would be able to completely customize it to my likings.

Thanks for the recommendation Dipique. Any more to compare with his would be GREAT.

 

[dipique]

"I defenately dont think the price will drop in a month because from my research that specific part hasnt had much trouble finding a home. But that is one item i think i will get."

Production will be ramped up significantly within the next six weeks, and the first wave of enthusiasts will have their units. But I suppose we'll all just have to watch and wait.

Dan

 

[LU4sTrooper]

Sure the e6600 is nice, but by god it isn't necessary, the e6300 is cheap, and it kills the AMD CPUs on stock speeds, and can reach x6800 speeds if overclocked carefully.

 

[Jam3s-Zer0]

*Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (wait about a month for the price to drop)
*2GB Dual Channel DDR2-800 RAM
*(2) 7200RPM hard drives run in SATA 3.0GB RAID
*Decent sound card
*Power supply with decent amperage (at least 20A on the 12V rail)
*Whatever video card you can afford after that

Weird picks. Can you explain some things to me cause its a overkill/waste of money in my opinion.

Why a E6600? IMO overkill. A cheaper AM2 x2 3800 would be more suited.
No mobo?
2Hdd's? any need?
2GB ram for a Linux base machine for programming and a game that needs 256mb? 1GB is needed max.

 

[Syrillian]

Sure the e6600 is nice, but by god it isn't necessary, the e6300 is cheap, and it kills the AMD CPUs on stock speeds, and can reach x6800 speeds if overclocked carefully.

I agree. If an individual is just entering the PC building arena, the E6300 is a great place to start. It provides a lot of headroom to squeeze more from the processor in the coming months and years.

I was shopping around, and an E6300 can be purchased for US$190.00 (+/-).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a $200 CPU has the potential to rival and even beat a $1000 CPU.

 

[dipique]

Weird picks. Can you explain some things to me cause its a overkill/waste of money in my opinion. Why a E6600? IMO overkill. A cheaper AM2 x2 3800 would be more suited.
No mobo?
2Hdd's? any need?
2GB ram for a Linux base machine for programming and a game that needs 256mb? 1GB is needed max.

I'll suspend my disbelief long enough to answer this. If you have a thousand dollars to spend on a PC, why on earth would you buy an X2 3800+? It's slower, has less cache, and it's completely outclassed. If you have enough money, C2D is the way to go right now. And not terribly expensive, either.

I didn't name a mobo because I was listing important technologies to include. Naturally, he should pick a mobo that supports dual channel, RAID, etc.

Hard drive access time is the slowest thing on pretty much any computer. If you've ever used RAID, you know that it changes the whole feel of the computer. It feels much more responsive.

Yes, 2GB. I still can't believe I'm hearing this. Even 2GB is going to seem inadequate in a year. Remember, this is the industry where 64MB was standard just five years ago. Memory is cheap, anyway; hardly the place to skimp.

I agree. If an individual is just entering the PC building arena, the E6300 is a great place to start. It provides a lot of headroom to squeeze more from the processor in the coming months and years. I was shopping around, and an E6300 can be purchased for US$190.00 (+/-).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a $200 CPU has the potential to rival and even beat a $1000 CPU.

The E6300 has 2MB of L2 Cache vs 4MB. As cache figures start climbing up, the E6600 will remain competitive far longer than the E6300. Meanwhile, the E6600 is the best overclocker of the bunch (except the extreme, of course). I've seen it pushed over 5Ghz on some forums.

My philosophy on getting value for your dollar tends to be this: buy the cheapest version of the best technology. With the E6600, you're getting everything the computing world has to offer right now with paying the $800 premium for an ultra-high end piece.

Dan

 

[LU4sTrooper]

@ dipique, the price difference between the e6300 and the e6600 is alot when your budget is $1k, however both CPU's are more than adequate, and will be for a long while, so I think in this instance the e6300 would be the better choice.