$1500 to spend on a new computer

[Akaru]

Sorry for posting so late, my internet has been down, sorry.

 

Okay Shadow a couple things first,

 

I didn't pick things that were shiny, I based most of the choices on how good the reviews were, isn't that what I should be doing?

 

Second, I know its newer technology, but is an i7 cpu really gonna be better for gaming? I thought there were even few games out today that can use more than 2 cores let alone 4.

 

Also, I have no experience with this, but I don't think I really will need a sound card, I would rather spend that money on a wireless card and high range antennae to go with it, because for now, yes (q.q) I have to use wireless internet because my mom isn't cool with me putting an ethernet cord through the ceiling.

 

And Akaru, I went with OCZ-COOL paste because a lot of people were saying that it is better than MX-2, but if you say so, I can go with MX-2.

 

I'm not even close to ordering anything yet though just to let you know, but thanks for all of the help.

 

No. Don't change your mind just because I said it was better. I have never used MX-2 before; I am only basing my thoughts on the reviews I see.

 

Also, I doubt a sound card is necessary, unless you are using surround sound or you want to hear the footsteps of a walking enemy on games.

 

The Intel Core i7 is not very useful right now, but newers games are starting to shift to multi core. I don't think I can post links, so I will tell you to Google "Prototype Performance Analyzed" and click on the first result. On page 9, it tells you the core and clock speed scaling. Prototype is a new game and it is shows favoritism towards the i7 (i7 @ 2.66 with GTX 260 = 80 fps, while a C2Q @ 2.4 = 35 fps). I understand that the C2Q is a lower clock, but .26 GHz should not reduce your frames to less than half. So, if this trend continues, a lot of new games will start to favor i7.

[Finzz]

Okay, I was just gonna go with a dual core, and use an awesome case (Coolermaster HAF) and a good cpu fan, and just overclock it once I need to.

[Shadowex3]

Yeah but the thing is, as I've shown you, you can actually get a core i7 quadcore for less than the dualcore design you'd picked out. Also I know you didn't literally pick it just for the shiny, that's more of a figure of speech for not looking at the hard math too closely since everything you picked seemed to be combo deals.

 

The thing about a comp is you need to plan ahead, you're probably going to have this thing for at least 3 years and while you can upgrade parts like the videocard every other year reasonably ($250ish tops over 2 years is pretty little) the CPU isn't worth changing out that often.

 

So consider that most games now actually DO use all 4 cores, Source's newest engine version has multi-threaded rendering, Unreal Engine 3 (UT3, Americas Army, shitton of other games) use all 4 cores quite heavily, and once you're already using dual cores (which virtually all gamers have now so games do) it's trivial to step up your usage to 4 or 16 or 32 cores. Then consider that even only counting two cores the Core i7's two cores are a respectable improvement over the core 2 duo's two cores and it's only going to get better as the software gets more advanced. Simply put if nothing else for barely $1200 you may as well go ahead and get the quadcore and enjoy left4dead maxed out and UT3 at 90fps with physX enabled and no slowdowns ever.

 

Now. Soundcards and thermalpaste. I use headphones, actual good quality headphones, so a soundcard DOES make a difference to me since it does HRTF processing for me and basically spits out the sound in such a way that neurologically my brain is fooled into thinking sounds come from above or behind me and so on. If you use speakers, really cheap headphones (including those "gamer" trash ones), or surround sound of any kind you probably don't actually need a soundcard as you likely already have full surround sound support or just won't need the audio processing or anything.

 

Thermalpaste... if you buy ANY quality paste from Arctic Cooling or Arctic Silver odds are how good you are at attaching the heatsink will make a MUCH bigger difference than your paste ever will. I've done this literally dozens of times and I still have a harder time putting the heatsink on well than getting the paste right. As long as you use a blot about the size and shape of a grain of generic rice you're probably going to be fine. It's pretty hard to kill a processor by head nowadays if you have even a halfway decent heatsink and the one I suggested is literally the best or second best right now.

 

 

Super short version: Swap out the soundcard for whatever you want dude it's personal preference, and if you're willing to accept going down to a 650 watt (52amp) power supply you can easily keep the whole design below the $1200 mark, maybe even down to $1100.

[Finzz]

Yeah I'm going to be keeping this computer for a long time, so I might as well go new so it lasts.

 

I'm going to overclock when the time comes so thats why I wanted good paste, heatsink, fan, and case. Is that mobo you suggested shadow handle overclocks good and stable? That's all I'm worried about is that I just need this thing to last me as long as possible. I don't think I will be doing SLI because a lot of people say that's its better to just get a better video card. I'll get that soundcard when I get more $$$$, but for now I'll use that money on the network card. Thanks for all of the help guys. I'll go with your suggestions then shadow.

 

So a grain of rice of paste will be enough to completely cover it, but not overflow?

[Akaru]

Yeah I'm going to be keeping this computer for a long time, so I might as well go new so it lasts.

 

I'm going to overclock when the time comes so thats why I wanted good paste, heatsink, fan, and case. Is that mobo you suggested shadow handle overclocks good and stable? That's all I'm worried about is that I just need this thing to last me as long as possible. I don't think I will be doing SLI because a lot of people say that's its better to just get a better video card. I'll get that soundcard when I get more $$$$, but for now I'll use that money on the network card. Thanks for all of the help guys. I'll go with your suggestions then shadow.

 

So a grain of rice of paste will be enough to completely cover it, but not overflow?

 

Yea, a grain on top of the middle of the processor. Then just let the heatsink do the rest of the work.

 

BTW, I found a couple of deals for monitors.

[Finzz]

Shadow, Newegg also sells the Noctua Heatsink you reccommended, shouldn't I just buy it on Newegg to be easier?

 

Also, what's your opinion on brands of graphics cards, like EVGA, BFG, XFX, Sparkle, like what have you had the best experiences with? I'm getting that XFX one you posted, because it's cheaper than the EVGA one and comes with 2 free games instead of 1. Nice find.

 

And Akaru, the monitor I'm gonna get is (click link)

 

:Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor

 

For $189.99

 

Also, I'm just gonna go with Windows 7

 

I was thinking of getting this Vista Home Premium, but it comes with a free coupon to upgrade to Windows 7

 

Windows Vista 64 bit with free coupon to upgrade to Windows 7

 

I don't know if I should get that, or just wait till Windows 7 comes out, because I would rather have the Windows 7 disc itself in case I need to re-intstall, because I don't wanna get screwed if the coupon only works once.

[Akaru]

Shadow, Newegg also sells the Noctua Heatsink you reccommended, shouldn't I just buy it on Newegg to be easier?

 

Also, what's your opinion on brands of graphics cards, like EVGA, BFG, XFX, Sparkle, like what have you had the best experiences with? I'm getting that XFX one you posted, because it's cheaper than the EVGA one and comes with 2 free games instead of 1. Nice find.

 

And Akaru, the monitor I'm gonna get is (click link)

 

:Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor

 

For $189.99

 

Also, I'm just gonna go with Windows 7

 

I was thinking of getting this Vista Home Premium, but it comes with a free coupon to upgrade to Windows 7

 

Windows Vista 64 bit with free coupon to upgrade to Windows 7

 

I don't know if I should get that, or just wait till Windows 7 comes out, because I would rather have the Windows 7 disc itself in case I need to re-intstall, because I don't wanna get screwed if the coupon only works once.

 

That's only for the Release Candidate version of Windows 7, which is, if I'm not wrong, 1 step before the official release. It's not the final build. I can get the Release Candidate from Windows 7 site for free. The Release Candidate also expires at a certain date. Taken from the Windows 7 site:

 

Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you'll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You'll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use.

 

Nevermind, maybe it does come with a free upgrade. Ignore everything above this. Sorry.

 

Here is my company ranking list: (The top 4 are fore sure high quality graphics card companies, I'm not sure about Sparkle and Asus, never considered them.)

1. EVGA ~ Lifetime warranty. Best factory overclocks usually. Step-up program.

2. BFG ~ Lifetime warranty. 2nd best factory overclock. Trade-up program.

3. XFX ~ Lifetime warranty. 3rd best factory overclock.

4. MSI ~ 1-3 year warranty. 4th best factory overclock. Really nice and effective custom coolers.

5. Asus ~ 1-3 year warranty. 5th best factory overclock.

6. Sparkle ~ 1-3 year warranty. 6th best factory overclock.

 

Step-up and trade-up are the exact same thing. Basically, it is a program that lets you trade in a older card for a new model that came out. You do have to chip in some money. Your current graphics card must be registered and eligible. Eligibility is different for both companies, but usually its 100 days within purchase date and on the list for eligible cards. For example, you have a 9800 GTX+ and the GTX 260 just came out. You can trade in your 9800 GTX+ + 50 dollars for a GTX 260.

 

I can also get you a better deal on monitors. Acers are not that good of a monitor company. I can get you Samsungs or other high quality company monitor for the same or cheaper price.

[Finzz]

Alright, lemme know about what monitors you can get. I'm more concerned about max resolution (like how good it looks) rather than size. But I don't really wanna go much lower than 21-21.5 inches, also I'm not sure about getting a wide-screen, they just seem weird to me.

 

For now tho, im logging off, its 3 AM and I need some sleep, I'll check this thread tomorrow, thanks.

[Shadowex3]

For motherboards Asus is currently among the best for overclocking, largely because they tend to have good cooling and their "load line calibration" helps immensely with vdroop and they also have the most experience making many-phase power boards. The asus p5k-E was one of the most popular mobos for benchmarking (overclocking just to see how high you can go) back when the Q6600 was the processor of choice a few years ago.

 

Now... monitors. That's a tricky subject. First off you need to know that most claims about contrast ratios and response times are bullshit and for a very real and surprisingly understandable reason: There's no standardized method of testing or measuring them. Monitor makers basically test a couple dozen ways and pick whatever gives them the best numbers.

 

The trick to picking flatpanels is the type of panel you get. This page has a good explanation of all the panel technologies currently in use, although their list of which monitor uses what is kinda outdated. S-PVA and S-IPS are obviously the two best LCD monitor technologies but they're also kinda hard to find and fairly expensive.

 

For aspect ratios you've got 16:9 which is in general going to give you much lower resolutions than the other two, 16:10 which is the standard for computers because you get 1920x1200 as opposed to 16:9's 1920x1080, that's about 200 more vertical lines of resolution which makes a pretty big difference in image quality. It wont match a CRT in quality or speed but a good quality non-TN 16:10 LCD at 1920x1200 can be a decent workable monitor.

[Finzz]

Ok, I know you were saying how CRTs can be better, my dad has tons of old ones laying around, problem is, I don't know how good they are or how high the resolutions go, the one I am using right now goes to 1024 x 768 (lol). If I go any higher it says out of range which sucked the first time it happened because I had to manually go in and change the resolution back to default for the game because it just said out of range. They shouild put a 10 second thing to click ok because that was a pain.

 

So I think it is the monitor, but it could also be the limit of my video card (Nvidia 6800 GTX )

 

 

Also, I see where you are going with aspect ratio, but I thought max resolution was also important isnt it? Because I see monitors that are 16:10, but the max. resolution is only like 1680 x 1050