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I made enough money to build my first desktop in 6 years. I am retiring my laptop and giving it away to my parents. They have a old P3 with 300mhz and thier harddrive just went out on them.

 

I just need yalls advice in what parts to order. Which hardware is the best out there! Oh and websites would be appreciated to. Pretty much i need yall feed back on some hardware that you have. Oh the cooling system is a must. I have no knowledge on that and i do not know anything about power supplies.

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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"enough money" is a relative term. Have you decided what your total budget is going to be?

Cruise on over the forums at Toms Hardware website and see what hardware is being recommended for your budget range. You should be able to get a good idea what the best choices are after a little research. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html

 

A popular website for pricing hardware is http://www.newegg.com/

You can "build" virtual systems and save the items in "Wish Lists". That site is also pretty good about showing any available rebates or price cuts.

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Asus P5w DH Deluxe

 

2 Gigs of Corsair Dominator PC6400

 

Intel Core 2 Duo (E6400 Overclocks real nice)

 

nVidia 8800GTX

 

WD Raptor 74 gig (2 for Raid 0)

 

XFi Fatality soundcard

 

22" LCD

 

Antec Sonata 2 case.

 

550 Watt PS

 

TM Cougar HOTAS

 

Track IR 4 with Track Clip Pro

 

All in all you should be spending around 2K or more

 

I have ordered a lot of stuff from newegg.com with no issues. I also have local vendors for my company but that really wont help you.

 

Do it right the first time and spend the $ on a great box that will last at least 3 years. The above specs are almost identical to my box that runs lock on with 16X AA and 16X AF with 60+ FPS at all times. I only hit about 40FPS while on the ground next to a large city.

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I'm a self titled hardware freak, ask anyone that knows me (actually maybe im just a freak :) )

 

Soooo like others asked, whats your budget?

You building it yourself?

What are you using it for?

You keen to overclock at all?

 

 

p.s... this thread will probably be moved to the tech section ;)

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Asus P5w DH Deluxe

 

2 Gigs of Corsair Dominator PC6400

 

Intel Core 2 Duo (E6400 Overclocks real nice)

 

nVidia 8800GTX

 

WD Raptor 74 gig (2 for Raid 0)

 

XFi Fatality soundcard

 

22" LCD

 

Antec Sonata 2 case.

 

550 Watt PS

 

TM Cougar HOTAS

 

Track IR 4 with Track Clip Pro

 

All in all you should be spending around 2K or more

 

I have ordered a lot of stuff from newegg.com with no issues. I also have local vendors for my company but that really wont help you.

 

Do it right the first time and spend the $ on a great box that will last at least 3 years. The above specs are almost identical to my box that runs lock on with 16X AA and 16X AF with 60+ FPS at all times. I only hit about 40FPS while on the ground next to a large city.

 

around 2k?? 2K minimum!

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

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Forget about the dual cores, get the quad core Q6600 at ~US$290!

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Forget about the dual cores, get the quad core Q6600 at ~US$290!

 

Errr . . . . why?

 

I don't know of anything that actually makes use of it yet . . . Googling a quick benchmark shows that the quad-cores actually perform WORSE than the similar dual-core chips, simply because the software doesn't know what to do with them yet.

 

 

Yep, an overclocked Core 2 Duo, 2Gb RAM, and an 8800 is the way to go for speed at the moment.

 

The exact model of all of the above may vary depending on your budget ;)

 

 

22" TFT? Nice, but make sure it's a good one.

Don't forget TrackIR and a decent control system - it's no good spending all that cash on a fast PC if the eventual input devices hamper your enjoyment of the game!

 

And who suggested that 74Gb of hard drive was enough?

 

Aim for a minimum of 400, you'll use it up in no time . . .

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Errr . . . . why?

 

Why not?

The recent Q6600s, especially the G0 stepping, are great overclockers. They can hit 3 GHz without much of an effort (default voltage, 333 x 9). If the opening poster is going to use this new setup for another 6 years, a quad core purchase is a much better purchase than the dual core in the long run.

 

Just my 2 cent.

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Why not?

The recent Q6600s, especially the G0 stepping, are great overclockers. They can hit 3 GHz without much of an effort (default voltage, 333 x 9). If the opening poster is going to use this new setup for another 6 years, a quad core purchase is a much better purchase than the dual core in the long run.

 

Just my 2 cent.

 

Hmmn. That's a good point, well made ;)

 

OK then - if your budget allows, sounds a good plan!

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I have ordered a lot of stuff from newegg.com with no issues. I also have local vendors for my company but that really wont help you.

 

Sorry Dude but I would recommend staying away form new Newegg.. They have a tendency to overcharge. There Ok for maybe one item but to use them for supplying parts for a whole new system is not recommended ..

 

Raised Dead, try this web sight once you have decided what hardware you expect to use... http://www.bizrate.com/this is the best sight for comparison shopping, and its what I always use when purchasing hardware for my system builds.. Usually ZipZoomFly or MWave are the cheapest .. And then sometimes newegg is cheaper.. Also I have been using this method for years and haven't ever been ripped off... You can trust all of the vendors that they list, and I'm speaking from experience....

When you decide what you're going to need I'd be glade to go over all of the items of choise and help you with details..

 

P.S. My present build includeing Joystick Mod and '32 LCD screen cost me several thousand dollars and I was whatching the sales slip very closely.. Hardware is a lot more expensive then it was a few years ago...

 

Happy Shopping

 

Blaze

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Sorry guys i wasnt been able to use internet we got shut off of all communications because something bad happened here probably read it on the news about now.

 

About my budget, its around 3,000 to 4,000 max. Im really excited to actually start enjoying building a PC from scratch my self. Last one i built my self was 4 years ago and it was the bomb i loved it because it ran smoothly for LOMAC. I built a AMD 2400 2.4 with ati 9800 pro 256mb with creative sound card with 1.5g ram.

 

I already got 21 ich TFT CTR LCD bright as hell screen. You can connect tv, camera, camcorder, pretty much anything. I got COUGAR HOTAS and and Tracket IR 4 pro with the pro clip!

 

AMD NOOOOOO INTEL they suck abunch im sorry about that. AMD all the way. I know Intel benched higher because they came back but im not interested in supporting intel anymore.

 

Im running little late but ill check in hopefully tommorow. Thanks for the feed back you guys!:smilewink:

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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OH BTW i am building it for gaming and ONE QUESTION though! Why is it matter if you make it a gaming computer or not it will function like any other computer if it gots alot of speed! People sometimes say wow looks like a gaming computer and have the thought of not able to put regular working apps.?! Weird but okay maybe im weird!

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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A low end gaming system could be considered a high end business computer.

Unless your business requires a high end workstation (think CAD/CAM, 3D artwork, making movies or audio tracks) you wont find higher hardware requirements than for PC gaming. Your budget is more than enough to get a great gaming PC. If anyone asks just tell them you have an Extreme Business PC.

 

Since you want to stick with AMD you'll be looking at the X2 6000+ 3.0Ghz for about $180.

Performance wise it compares well with the Intel Conroe E6750 @ 2.66Ghz for about $212.

Check out this review for a performance comparison:

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_athlon_64_x2_6000/default.asp

The major difference between the AMD/Intel in terms of peformance is overclocking ability. The X2 6000+ can be pushed to hard about 3.2Ghz and the E6750 should be able to hit 3.2Ghz fairly easy and could reach 3.6Ghz with the right setup and a little bit of luck.

 

If you want to consider a quad core option you'll be looking at a comparison between:

(a) Two AMD Athlon 64 FX-74 Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket F (1207pin) @ $310 x 2 for $620 cost for 4 cpu cores in a Socket F motherboard.

(b) One Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache for $577.

Here is a comparison of the FX-74 four core and the Q6700 four core.

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/intel_core_2_extreme_qx6850/default.asp

Again the Intel CPU is the better overclocking option by a wide margin.

(I'm not suggesting the QX6850 because of the way too high cost)

 

The major advantage quad core has over dual core is better multi-tasking while gaming (think Game, plus TrackIR, Teamspeak and Touchbuddy all running at the same time). Plus of course the newer games which will make better use of Quad cores like MS FSX and Crysis.

 

A few last questions:

(1)--> Keeping in mind that Lock On won't run any faster on a Quad core system than a Dual core system do you want to go Dual core or Quad core? AMD or Intel? Planning on any overclocking?

Here is a list of AMD and Intel CPUs http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000340343&StoreType=7&CompareItemList=N82E16819115027%2cN82E16819115028%2cN82E16819115017%2cN82E16819115029%2cN82E16819103773%2cN82E16819103866&page=2&bop=And

(2)--> Any preference between ATI and nVidia video cards? Interested in Crossfire or SLI setup?

(3)--> Do you have any type of space limitations where you'd have trouble with a large computer case fitting in your gaming area? Room for the case on the floor or must it fit on a desktop?

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Forget about the dual cores, get the quad core Q6600 at ~US$290!

 

 

 

depends on the softwareas well , many of the new games still dont even take advantage of dual core cpus still, nevermind quads...

 

i have a intel dual core E6700 ..nothing wrong with this cpu by anymeans

 

 

why stick with amd? intel blow away amd atm with there cpu range...

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Okay, i am sticking with quad core and ATI graphics. I have no knowledge on Crossfire though. AMD and ATI teamed up to work with each other so that they can configure the hardware to work perfectly together unlike Intel where they just make there sh*t fast as processors and motherboards but when it comes to adding other hardware to work with it, it has a major down grade performance. Thats why i choose ATI and AMD partners to bring out everything good for every one.

 

Intel slows down when you have youre simple programs running in the back ground, ie anti virus, ati Control Panel, and others. And as for hardware i always had a problem with sound card working with intel's ware. It work until one point it will just start to slow down and then speed back up.

 

I live in the Barracks and we have metal wall lockers so it limited but i have a tendancy to make room so im not worried about the space! :)

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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Okay, i am sticking with quad core and ATI graphics. I have no knowledge on Crossfire though. AMD and ATI teamed up to work with each other so that they can configure the hardware to work perfectly together unlike Intel where they just make there sh*t fast as processors and motherboards but when it comes to adding other hardware to work with it, it has a major down grade performance. Thats why i choose ATI and AMD partners to bring out everything good for every one.

 

Intel slows down when you have youre simple programs running in the back ground, ie anti virus, ati Control Panel, and others. And as for hardware i always had a problem with sound card working with intel's ware. It work until one point it will just start to slow down and then speed back up.

 

I live in the Barracks and we have metal wall lockers so it limited but i have a tendancy to make room so im not worried about the space! :)

 

What are you on? Looks like you don't really know much about hardware... or it's just your ego making you think AMD is better then Intel (right now) because it isn't :D It's all your money and all but if you want better performance for LockOn and getting all new hadware from scratch, you'd be a "fool" not to go with Intel CPU.

No longer active in DCS...

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Okay, i am sticking with quad core and ATI graphics. I have no knowledge on Crossfire though. AMD and ATI teamed up to work with each other so that they can configure the hardware to work perfectly together unlike Intel where they just make there sh*t fast as processors and motherboards but when it comes to adding other hardware to work with it, it has a major down grade performance. Thats why i choose ATI and AMD partners to bring out everything good for every one.

 

Intel slows down when you have youre simple programs running in the back ground, ie anti virus, ati Control Panel, and others. And as for hardware i always had a problem with sound card working with intel's ware. It work until one point it will just start to slow down and then speed back up.....

 

I thought you might talk a bit about how you're boycotting Intel due to business practices...

 

I would encourage you to read more.

 

I cut my building teeth on AMD and really do like the company, but hard earned cash put towards the highest performing PC available need to go to Intel... at least for the next few months

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AMD and ATI teamed up to work with each other so that they can configure the hardware to work perfectly together
That may be the true in the future but they haven't been together long enough to justify your faith at the moment. For example the ONLY motherboard that will handle the FX-74 Quad is an Asus nVidia 680a chip set.

 

Keeping in mind your preferences you (and anyone else) can look over these suggestions:

 

(1) FX-74 core components: $3,032 (before $160 in rebates plus tax (if any) and shipping)

Two AMD FX-74 3.0 Ghz / ASUS L1N64-SLI WS (Socket 1207FX) nForce 680a SLI Motherboard / 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) RAM / POWERCOLOR 2900 XT 1GB Radeon HD 2900XT 512-bit GDDR4 PCI-E x16 GPU

AMD FX-74 wish list at NewEgg

ASUS L1N64-SLI WS review @ HardOCP

 

(2) X2 6000+ core components: $2,178.87 (before $160 in rebates plus tax (if any) and shipping)

One AMD 6000+ 3.0 Ghz / MSI K9A Platinum Socket AM2 ATI CrossFire Radeon Xpress 3200 Motherboard / 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) RAM / POWERCOLOR 2900 XT 1GB Radeon HD 2900XT 512-bit GDDR4 PCI-E x16 GPU

AMD X2 6000+ wish list @ NewEgg

MSI K9A Platinum review @ HardOCP

 

Common components:

Case/Cooling/PSU:

COOLER MASTER Stacker Black Case / Two ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED CPU cooler(s) (1 cooler for X2 6000) / OCZ GameXStream OCZ850GXSSLI 850Watts Power Supply

Storage:

Seagate ST3400833NS 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive / LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner / CORSAIR Flash Voyager GT 4GB Flash Thumb Drive for ReadyBoost Cache

Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers/OS/Power Protection

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard / Logitech MX518 8 Button 1 Wheel USB-PS2 Optical Gaming-Grade Mouse / Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers / Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate OEM / BELKIN F6C1000 1000VA 615 watts UPS

 

Some notes:

(a)The Asus ASUS L1N64-SLI WS motherboard and 2900 XT video card is a poor compromise. The board is SLI only and using an ATI card will work but its not what the board is designed for. If you want keep the dual GPU option for SLI video cards I'd also recommend bumping the PSU up a notch.

(b)The FX-74 Quad & Socket F MB looks to be a dead-end. Future AMD Phenom quads will be using AM2+ motherboards. If you're REALLY set on AMD and a Quad waiting a few months is a REALLY good idea.

 

:music_whistling: Right now my recommendation would be the X2 6000+. It should perform close enough to the FX-74 on most games (especially Lock On) that you wouldn't notice the difference. Some people buy Chrysler's & some buy Chevy's. Others get Honda's or Subaru's. The smart ones get pickup trucks.

 

VMFA-Blaze's pricing and buying advice is good. Its just easier to show a whole system with NewEgg's wish lists. It's also easier to dump the wish list into the shopping cart and then give 'em your money. Remember to add in the shipping and any taxes and then compare the total costs.

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What are you on? Looks like you don't really know much about hardware... or it's just your ego making you think AMD is better then Intel (right now) because it isn't :D It's all your money and all but if you want better performance for LockOn and getting all new hadware from scratch, you'd be a "fool" not to go with Intel CPU.

 

Kuky im on lots of drugs but thats besides the point(not really). Look, experience is what i can give you 100% and not much about hardware. I dont have time to spend trying to keep up with hardware upgrades. I went from what i had before and what i now! I dont have a ego about being a geek but i do have a ego in what my experience is coming from!:smilewink:

 

I went from 3.0ghz processor and upgraded to 3.8ghz and guess what it did only half a fraction of performance. So tell me if you can about what the problem is with AMD processors.

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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That may be the true in the future but they haven't been together long enough to justify your faith at the moment. For example the ONLY motherboard that will handle the FX-74 Quad is an Asus nVidia 680a chip set.

 

Keeping in mind your preferences you (and anyone else) can look over these suggestions:

 

(1) FX-74 core components: $3,032 (before $160 in rebates plus tax (if any) and shipping)

Two AMD FX-74 3.0 Ghz / ASUS L1N64-SLI WS (Socket 1207FX) nForce 680a SLI Motherboard / 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) RAM / POWERCOLOR 2900 XT 1GB Radeon HD 2900XT 512-bit GDDR4 PCI-E x16 GPU

AMD FX-74 wish list at NewEgg

ASUS L1N64-SLI WS review @ HardOCP

 

(2) X2 6000+ core components: $2,178.87 (before $160 in rebates plus tax (if any) and shipping)

One AMD 6000+ 3.0 Ghz / MSI K9A Platinum Socket AM2 ATI CrossFire Radeon Xpress 3200 Motherboard / 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) RAM / POWERCOLOR 2900 XT 1GB Radeon HD 2900XT 512-bit GDDR4 PCI-E x16 GPU

AMD X2 6000+ wish list @ NewEgg

MSI K9A Platinum review @ HardOCP

 

Common components:

Case/Cooling/PSU:

COOLER MASTER Stacker Black Case / Two ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED CPU cooler(s) (1 cooler for X2 6000) / OCZ GameXStream OCZ850GXSSLI 850Watts Power Supply

Storage:

Seagate ST3400833NS 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive / LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner / CORSAIR Flash Voyager GT 4GB Flash Thumb Drive for ReadyBoost Cache

Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers/OS/Power Protection

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard / Logitech MX518 8 Button 1 Wheel USB-PS2 Optical Gaming-Grade Mouse / Logitech THX Z-5300e 5.1 Speakers / Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate OEM / BELKIN F6C1000 1000VA 615 watts UPS

 

Some notes:

(a)The Asus ASUS L1N64-SLI WS motherboard and 2900 XT video card is a poor compromise. The board is SLI only and using an ATI card will work but its not what the board is designed for. If you want keep the dual GPU option for SLI video cards I'd also recommend bumping the PSU up a notch.

(b)The FX-74 Quad & Socket F MB looks to be a dead-end. Future AMD Phenom quads will be using AM2+ motherboards. If you're REALLY set on AMD and a Quad waiting a few months is a REALLY good idea.

 

:music_whistling: Right now my recommendation would be the X2 6000+. It should perform close enough to the FX-74 on most games (especially Lock On) that you wouldn't notice the difference. Some people buy Chrysler's & some buy Chevy's. Others get Honda's or Subaru's. The smart ones get pickup trucks.

 

VMFA-Blaze's pricing and buying advice is good. Its just easier to show a whole system with NewEgg's wish lists. It's also easier to dump the wish list into the shopping cart and then give 'em your money. Remember to add in the shipping and any taxes and then compare the total costs.

 

Very nice WhiskyRomeo thank you, i do have alot of catching up.

I need more people tell me how Intel is better before i can deside to go with them. Other than that i will wait a few months until AMD Quad comes out. I im afraid making a mistake in buying something that im going to be restling like i do now with this intel ware!

|Windows 8 64bit|I7-950| |X58Mobo| |1T HDD| |18gigs PC3-16000 TC 2000mhz||Nvidia GTX 660 Ti Graphics||Cougar HOTAS-CHPedals/TIR5ProClip|

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