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Few quick questions before I elaborate further...
Right now I'm running with the assumption that building a machine is cheaper than buying a pre-built machine. Simply because you'll have exactly what you want, with no extra stuff bulking up the machine (like.. I have a copy of Win. 7-- why pay for it in the price of a pre-built?). If I am wrong on this assumption, please correct me!!
At the moment, for computer `deals`, I use NewEgg, Frys, MicroCenter, and occasionally DealNews (it searches multiple sites). From what I can tell, NewEgg tends to be the cheapest on a rather consistent basis. If you know of a better store/site, please let me know
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Now that that's out of the way, I'll get on to the fun stuff that's been driving me bonkers for the past few days!
I'm now in the process of replacing my highly outdated machine (Sony RS-530G if you care to take a look at the atrocious beast). I've set aside ~$500-600 for the computer itself (no monitor); I believe that amount should be able to net me a pretty nice computer, hopefully I'm right!
I've been taking a look at the various chart's on this site, but honestly, I'm quite stumped. There are simply way too many items to analyze, and since I'm not familar with them, I have to research each one individually.. quite time consuming -- like the Intel Core i7 920, even though I can find it for ~180, it also requires a ~$200 motherboard, and I can only imagine what else.
So now I'm here looking for suggestions on the bare bones...
- Motherboard.. Totally lost when it comes to the motherboard, and I know I shouldn't be. Sigh. What I do know, or think I know, is that the motherboard must be compatable with the CPU. Also the motherboard determines what can be placed in the computer in terms of VGA cards and such, so ideally a motherboard that can support 2 PCI-E 2.0 VGA cards and 6gB of ram.
- CPU.. Started by looking at the Intel line. The price and additional reqs of the i7 was quite discouraging. Then I started looking at the Q6600 -- it does look quite compelling. Also the Phenom series by AMD looks both compelling and affordable.
- VGA Card.. Im curious what is better. One very expensive VGA or two less expensive VGAs (linked with CrossFire). At the moment, I do have a nice VGA card (will get the model in the morning) ready to be installed - wondering if I should pair it or opt for a higher power one.
- RAM .. Im no expert on RAM, but I know 4gB should be the minimum that I aim for. Only question is -- DDR2 or DDR3? Will the difference really be very noticeable? I do understand that the typical DDR3 runs at a faster clock speed (1333), but I've heard that this doesn't always have a large impact on the computers performance.
- Other.. $75 set aside for Cooling System.. though this can be gotten at a later time.
Right now I'm running with the assumption that building a machine is cheaper than buying a pre-built machine. Simply because you'll have exactly what you want, with no extra stuff bulking up the machine (like.. I have a copy of Win. 7-- why pay for it in the price of a pre-built?). If I am wrong on this assumption, please correct me!!
At the moment, for computer `deals`, I use NewEgg, Frys, MicroCenter, and occasionally DealNews (it searches multiple sites). From what I can tell, NewEgg tends to be the cheapest on a rather consistent basis. If you know of a better store/site, please let me know
.Now that that's out of the way, I'll get on to the fun stuff that's been driving me bonkers for the past few days!
I'm now in the process of replacing my highly outdated machine (Sony RS-530G if you care to take a look at the atrocious beast). I've set aside ~$500-600 for the computer itself (no monitor); I believe that amount should be able to net me a pretty nice computer, hopefully I'm right!
I've been taking a look at the various chart's on this site, but honestly, I'm quite stumped. There are simply way too many items to analyze, and since I'm not familar with them, I have to research each one individually.. quite time consuming -- like the Intel Core i7 920, even though I can find it for ~180, it also requires a ~$200 motherboard, and I can only imagine what else.
So now I'm here looking for suggestions on the bare bones...
- Motherboard.. Totally lost when it comes to the motherboard, and I know I shouldn't be. Sigh. What I do know, or think I know, is that the motherboard must be compatable with the CPU. Also the motherboard determines what can be placed in the computer in terms of VGA cards and such, so ideally a motherboard that can support 2 PCI-E 2.0 VGA cards and 6gB of ram.
- CPU.. Started by looking at the Intel line. The price and additional reqs of the i7 was quite discouraging. Then I started looking at the Q6600 -- it does look quite compelling. Also the Phenom series by AMD looks both compelling and affordable.
- VGA Card.. Im curious what is better. One very expensive VGA or two less expensive VGAs (linked with CrossFire). At the moment, I do have a nice VGA card (will get the model in the morning) ready to be installed - wondering if I should pair it or opt for a higher power one.
- RAM .. Im no expert on RAM, but I know 4gB should be the minimum that I aim for. Only question is -- DDR2 or DDR3? Will the difference really be very noticeable? I do understand that the typical DDR3 runs at a faster clock speed (1333), but I've heard that this doesn't always have a large impact on the computers performance.
- Other.. $75 set aside for Cooling System.. though this can be gotten at a later time.
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