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New Rig Advice Again Please :)
BoBoDaClown
Member Posts: 57
You guys have helped me out previously, so thanks a bunch. No doubt this request mirrors many others, but I'm pretty lost here, so your help is appreciated.
Basically my girlfriend and I play games games together; one computer is 'old', the other is 'dire'. We want to replace the dire one with a brand 'spanking' new one. I am pretty clueless, so I am going to buy it as a complete working system.
However, limited funds, blah blah, means we have about 1500 New Zealand dollars to spend, which is approx 1100 US, akthough I think you guys have access to cheaper stuff.
I need to which of the following two comps would be better for us shorter and long term. We would like to run new games nicely (I guess take AOC as a benchmark, although I don't know if we'll like it or be able to run it on the 'old' system yet.), and it to be able to run games still in 2-3 years (obviously might need small upgrades and it will be dated).
Could you please let me know which of the following would be better, and if you think they are both crapola, what you think I could look at buffin up/taking down.
COMPUTER 1:
AMD Athlon64 x2 4800+ Dual Core CPU
2GB DDR2 800mhz Memory
500GB 7200rpm SATA2 HDD
20x Dual Layer DVD Writer
Video to 512MB 8800GT
Integrated Sound + LAN
Foxconn TLA-483 Tower 350W Front USB
PS2 KB + Optical Mouse + Spkr
22” Wide LCD with DVI
Windows XP Home or Vista Home Premium
No FDD or Modem
One year Parts & Labour Warranty RTB
I could get a 8600GT for a lot cheaper, is the 8800 worth $200 more?
SECOND COMPUTER
AMD Athlon64 x2 6000+ Dual Core CPU
160GB Serial ATA2 3GB/S 7200rpm HDD
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 800Mhz Ram
18x Dual Layer DVD Writer
512MB 9600GT Video
Integrated Sound/LAN
Foxconn ATX302 Tower 350W PSU
Keyboard + Optical Mouse
19" AOC 193FW 5ms wide LCD
Creative SBS A30 2.0 Speaker
Windows XP Home OEM With SP2 or Vista Home Premium?????
no FDD or Modem
One year Parts & Labour Warranty RTB
Could I reduce processor to 4800+ to save dough? Is 6000+ worth $140.
Some thoughts - I might want to add RAM in the future, but is it lookin alright for now?
- XP or Vista? I though Vista for the future.
- those monitors look ok?
- Oh yeah, I need a strong er Power Supply right?
So, any comments?
Also, if anyone has a AOC buddy key, so I can try it out on the 'old' system (going to be the secondary computer for playing the game), and wish to send it to me I would love it!
But regardless, thanks in advance for any help guys.
BoBo
Comments
You mentioned vista dont bother with it in 18months microsoft are suposed to be scraping it and releasing a new operating system.
However, Vienna is gonna be crap for the first year anyway just like Vista with performance issues. No need waiting 18 months for the next iteration with that in mind. Best to always wait a year with new Windows OS. If you get Vista. Get 64-bit and anything but Vista Basic. I recommend 64bit vista ultimate. If you get Vista, 2GB won't be sufficient. You should use 4GB. It actually sells for $80 US in the states. making memory now a cheaper solution to get more power.
The 8800 has far more power then the 8600. However, the 8800 has about the same power as a nVidia 9600. At this point I would recommend the 9600 since you really won't see the difference between it and the 8800.
The 350watt power supplies isn't sufficient. Aim for atleast 500 watt on a quality power supply. Foxconn isn't really reputable on quality builds.
The 4800+ won't really last you the next 3 years. The 6000+ is heavy in the electricity consumption. At this point it is tough to recommend an AMD processor for gaming. However, games are rarely processor dependant and more video card dependant. If you want the best value for the power. It would have to be the AMD 5000+ Black Edition. Its 2.6 ghz gives the necessary computing power, and it isn't quite as expensive.
Personaly i say stic with xp at least till microsoft sort out the dam mess they are in with operating systems.Yeh you lose out on dx10 but most games still suport dx9
vista is not as bad as most make it out to be...
its just bad if you have a low spec comp
Awesome! Thanks for the great help.
So, I should get a 9600. A faster power supply. I kind of agree with Cleffy regards Vista.
Will 3 gig RAM cut it though ( I have found some 3gig deals).
If I did get a 4800+ would that cut it for now, and would this system be easilt upgradeable (I have done a CPU before! Go Youtube!).
Thanks
You guys rock!
BoBo
Upgrading your processor depends completely on the motherboard. An AM2+ board that can support a 125 watt processor will last for years.
Two things. For starters, I presume by your comment about the cpu that you are not building this yourelf? Second, can u post a link to where ever you are purchasing these parts or the computer as a whole. I am not fimiliar with New Zealand prices and stores, however In the states, or Canada I know you can get a much better computer for the same price of about $1100 usd. Just post or send me a pm, and i'll give ya a hand.
I'll send you a msg
Thanks!
BoBo