Time to start planning my new computer

[Cantousent]

Okay, my brainy friends, give me a hand. I was thinking of an asus motherboard supporting a dual core AMD chip. Yes, I'm going to take my chance with AMD. So, what do you suggest? I figure that I'll decide on the motherboard, upgradeable to 6 gigs of memory, set with 2 gigs when I build the system, the processor, and then I'll decide on the video card. I've enjoyed and had good luck with ATI, but I'm willing to listen to advice concerning nvidia.

[angshuman]

How much are you looking to spend on the video card? IMO currently ATi have better high-end and low-end products (X1900 and X1300) but nVidia have better mid-range products (7600GT etc.) ... although you'd probably be hard pressed to find a difference gameplay-wise. Brute-force peak frames-per-second wise, nVidia newest GPUs probably score higher but such scores are quite pointless.

 

Keep in mind that only the newest ATi cards will give you the ability to run HDR simultaneously with Antialiasing (exception: HL2's HDR implementation runs with AA on all current cards). For Video processing, I seem to remember a review or too declaring nVidia's PureVideo's de-interlacing quality to be superior to ATi's Avivo. ATi may have fixed their bugs with the latest driver revisions, though.

[Cantousent]

For the video, I plan on get something in the mid range. I don't want to go over $300. ...But I haven't used nvidia for years.

[jaguars4ever]

Is now really the time to start a new build, Eldar? The processor market is kind of in flux atm, and the 8 series GeForce cards shouldn't be to far away.

[Bokishi]

Dual core GPUs, FTW

[Cantousent]

No. It's not imperative that I build it right now. I might wait until the newest vidio hits the market and buy the current models a little cheaper. How long are we talking?

[metadigital]

All the current mobos are at least 12 months old, too.

[angshuman]

No.  It's not imperative that I build it right now.  I might wait until the newest vidio hits the market and buy the current models a little cheaper.  How long are we talking?

Intel's Conroe should arrive in about 3-4 months. Same timeframe for AMD's socket AM2. I believe the shipping of DX10 GPU's (nVidia G80, ATi R600) will coincide with Vista's shipping (end of 2006, hopefully?)

[alanschu]

All the current mobos are at least 12 months old, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Though I haven't heard of any really new standards coming in. I guess memory for DDR2, but at least you shouldn't be getting screwed by having an AGP only motherboard like I was.

[metadigital]

Rambus's new XDR DRAM looks potentially better (on paper) than DDR.

[Cantousent]

Well, I'm not normally willing to wait for computer purchases just becuase there's "something better" on the horizon. If you play that game, you end up in a waiting cycle forever. However, if we a significant number of releases slotted by the end of the year, then I agree that I should hold tight.

 

Probably the biggest factor right now is the operating system. I should probably wait for Vista. Let's face it, I'm going to upgrade to vista when it's finally available. I don't want to buy something now and then have to buy an upgrade again. On the other hand, Windows XP home edition is only something like $90. I could get that and then upgrade. This is especially true since you can never tell when Microsoft ship an operating system.

 

So, if it ends up being the middle of next year, I'll be stuck without a gaming rig the whole time.

 

Don't get me wrong, I use my wife's right now, but going from three to two computers just doesn't work. Even if I used my laptop for computer gaming, it's only got an ATI mobility x300. Inferior graphics, a slower processor, and hotter than hell. I could warn my hands in the wintertime with the damned machine.

 

Anyhow, please keep the advice coming. I especially appreciate the links to articles.

 

EDIT: Oh, and I'm hoping to keep this expenditure down to 2k or less.

Edited May 13, 2006 by Eldar

[Fenghuang]

My god, for 2k you could buy a supercomputer if all you're doing is adding new parts to the old ones.

[jaguars4ever]

Well, if one's willing to spend 2k on the GPU(s), but too impatient to wait for the DX10 dual-core GPUs, then the Nvidia GeForce 512MB 7900GTX in Quad-SLI is your best route (cost of Mobo not included). "

[Bokishi]

Without DX10, that quad-sli setup will become obsolete within 3 months!

[jaguars4ever]

Which is precisely why he should wait.

[Bokishi]

Hell, everyone's comp is going to be obsolete. I think I'm going to cry right now.

 

 

and save up later

 

[jaguars4ever]

and save up later

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good idea, Bok. That way you can upgrade your Dell monitor too. ^_^

[Bokishi]

and save up later

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good idea, Bok. That way you can upgrade your Dell monitor too. ^_^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Dang you prolly need dual-quad-SLI to game on that thing @ XXXHD rez!

[Cantousent]

Oh, I don't need to get it before the end of the year. I just need to have an end game in mind. I think your advice is quite reasonable, Don Jags. Hell, Angs made pretty much the same point up above. Apparently, it's all hinging on new hardware coming up within the next few months and the operating system which should hopefully be here before the new year.

 

EDIT: Also, I'm pretty much determined to get all the parts new for this one. I've used my old parts to build my mom's computer. It's not awesome, but it's a p4 2.8ghz with 1 gig of pc3200 ram and a Radeon 9600. She wants me to keep it for her, but I've been reluctant to put any of my own software on it. It is, after all, her computer.

Edited May 13, 2006 by Eldar

[Surreptishus]

The home version of Vista has been delayed till 2007. The professional/enterprise/whatever version is supposed to be released in Q4

[Gromnir]

as much as we likes ati video cards, we always has driver issues with games. am not sure what is the problem with ati drivers... so stick with sli.

 

am a big fan of msi for mbs. were an asus snob for years... but am a convert.

 

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod...asterid=6417699

 

am not convinced that the new diamond series is better than the platinum, but as the platinum sli seem tough to find they tends to be more expensive than the newer diamonds.

 

best cost v benefit ratio for cpu is probably the 3800+x2

 

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod...terid=10479095/

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Cantousent]

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I've never used an AMD before. I have a friend who works for them and he's been trying to get me to switch for years. This rig will use AMD.

 

Here I was thinking that the big question would revolve around the video card. Turns out, the big question is really whether I should wait on the chance all this stuff is out this year or just figure that the stuff won't be out until the middle of next year. If it's going to take that long, then I'll build a rig right away and wait until I build the next rig after that, probably in two years before I use the newer offerings.

[alanschu]

I'm still an ASUS snob, and a huge fan of AMD. I prefer ATI, but am more willing to recommend an nVidia card than I ever will recommend an Intel chip (when it comes to gaming anyways).

 

 

I agree that you shouldn't keep waiting forever. The important things to "wait for" are new standards. I got a bit burned on my last computer because I wasn't really paying attention, and didn't know that PCI-E was coming out soon. As a result, I got stuck with a motherboard that does not have a PCI-E slot, so my upgrade options were limited.

 

Waiting for the nextest bestest more l33t video card though, less important. Otherwise, like Eldar said, you'll be waiting forever.

[angshuman]

Decisions, decisions, decisions.  I've never used an AMD before.  I have a friend who works for them and he's been trying to get me to switch for years.  This rig will use AMD.

Eldar, if you are buying a processor *now*, there's no reason for you to even consider Intel. AMD have an unquestionably superior product at the moment. It's very different from the ATi-nVidia duel, where the differences are marginal at best. The only balancing factor is price - AMD dual cores are noticeably more expensive that Intel dual cores.

Edited May 13, 2006 by angshuman

[metadigital]

Decisions, decisions, decisions.  I've never used an AMD before.  I have a friend who works for them and he's been trying to get me to switch for years.  This rig will use AMD.

 

Here I was thinking that the big question would revolve around the video card.  Turns out, the big question is really whether I should wait on the chance all this stuff is out this year or just figure that the stuff won't be out until the middle of next year.  If it's going to take that long, then I'll build a rig right away and wait until I build the next rig after that, probably in two years before I use the newer offerings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm about to buy all the components for a new gaming rig, since I purchased my current laptop almost three years ago ... and I am waiting until the end of Q3, at least, because there are a lot of standards about to change. Even if they are priced too high for a purchase, they will make all the older stuff much cheaper. (More CrossFire motherboards should be released soon, for instance, and even some that are able to support both SLi and CrossFire, hopefully, too.)

 

Secondly, I have a feeling that the next generation of video cards will be big ... nVidia need to pull something out of the bag, and they undoubtably will ... and ATi should have all the kinks out of the CrossFire production line (meaning all the motherboards and driver support, etc) in the next months; for example I would expect forward-compatiblity with DirectX 10, even though Vista is delayed (as the GPU duopoly will have been working to the standard for a year or so by now).

 

Also, the top end cards currently available do NOT have the juice to power a 1600x1200 res monitor with all the candy at maximum, so I don't see any point in buying them (as they are already out of date).

 

Thirdly, monitor prices seem to be in freefall at the moment: every time I check the prices they have dropped. (I can buy a 21" CRT monitor 1600x1200 for just over