by ctjoyce » Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:05 am
Well if I were you I would look twards a budget of about $1000. That should give you enough room to get a decently high end system with the top end brands.
Suggested parts.
CPU: AMD x64 3800+ / Intel Prescott 650. Both are 64bit processers so your fine for Vista, and I know that both clock very well. But buyer beware, the Intel will run hotter, however multitask better. However if its mainly gameing and music that this comp is getting used for the AMD all the way.
Motherboard: There are a bunch of options here. Basically look at ASUS MSI and Gigabyte. ASUS and MSI seem to have the best high end NF4 boards, so if you go AMD look to them. However for the $90 range Gigabyte is what you look for. Some people say the bios is limited, but I disagree. Aslong as you dont use the boards onboard IDE RAID your fine.
RAM: Basically OCZ, Corsair, GeIL, are the main brands. Look for a PC3200 1GB (2x512MB) kit with 2-2-2-5 or 2-3-3-6 timings. I have two sticks of Corsair XMS 2-3-3-6 and their amazing.
GPU: X1800XL-XT / nVidia 7800GT or GTX. Both companys cards are amazing. At the top of the GPU spectrum they will provide unmatched proformance. ATi tends to be a better all around card IMO, so if your like me and watch movies on your comp as much as you play games go ATi, however if your all games all the time nVidia is where to look. ATi Brands: ATi, Sapphire Tech, Connect 3D. nVidia: eVGA, BFG Tech, Leadtech
HDDs: May not seem important, but in this crazy world of SATAII, SATA150, SATA3, ATA133,UltraATA, and others its easy to get lost. Well let me suggest SATA3 or SATA150. Both are the fastest data transfer currently, and both are very cheap ($55 for an 80GB) I suggest a 10,000RPM 74GB if your building only for games, and a 250GB 7,200RPM one if your going all around. WESTERN DIGITAL. Rember the name. I have an old WD 30GB ATA drive from back in 2000 that still works like the day I bought it. Have not had the same luck with Maxtor or Seagate.
Cooling: Yes its important, esp on a P4 system. Yes I do have a 3.9Ghz 550 P4, however the heatsink I have on it is massive (Zalman CNPS-9500). If you want to keep your system cool (low 30s) and mabe overclock a wee bit I suggest a Zalman CNPS-7000Cu and for only $35 you really cant pass it up. GPU is also very important to keep cool. The Zalman VPS-700Cu is the best cooler for the job. Just look at my GPU clock, and that runs 36C idle. And everyone ends up overclocking their GPU, you just cant get around it.
Case: ThermalTake, LianLi, CoolerMaster. Take your pick. There are liturally thousands of cases, and most are crap. Look for the better brands. I personally have a ThermalTake Soprano, and besides a LianLi case, is by far the best and easiest case I have ever worked with. I just love the thing.
Power: 400Watts + is a MUST. I personally suggest any ThermalTake PSU, but if you want the best on the market, you must go for the Hiper Type R. This is the PSU I have, and it delivers 580Watts constent with a max of 640W. The thing is amazing and soo stable.
Well I hope this helps a bit.
Cheers
Cameron
CTJoyce, Modding and voiding warranties since 2003
Sheila's Specs:ASUS Striker Extreme 680i, Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.2Ghz, Corsair XMS2 PC2-6400C4 2GB, 2x eVGA 7900GT KO, Western Digital 80GB SATA & 250GB SATAIII
[b]Vesp
Ramos
