Author Topic: Building Personal Computer - Need Resources (Read 7930 times)

Ryman24 · « **on:** June 12, 2005, 11:27:51 pm »

Hey guys!
I'm planning on building a personal gaming computer for myself. Now, I'm no idiot when it comes to computer hardware, but I don't know everything.
I was wondering if any of you knew any websites that provided information on all sorts of computer hardware, specifically video cards, processors, and mother boards.
Thanks in advance for your help.

***To a Mod, maybe this should be moved to Hardware Discussion, rather than support?***

gryphon · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2005, 07:29:32 pm »

I was thinking the same

Have you tried www.tomshardware.com ?
Or www.2cpu.com.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:35:01 pm »

Thanks for the link.

Anyway, this is what I've been looking at, tell me what you think. Keep in mind this is for gaming, so if there is anything that looks like it would conflict, or you think I could do better, please tell me:

Processor: AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Motherboard: Biostar Group M7NCD Motherboard (Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron, Socket A, nForce2 Ultra 400, ATX, 3GB DDR, 400MHz FSB)

I already have a video card (ATI Radeon x800). It's an AGP 8x so I made sure the Motherboard had an AGP slot, which it does. From what I've read, the AMD Athlon XP is best for game oriented comps. The sound card is an extra one my bro has, and though I can't recall the exact name, it can get the job done good. Case and power supply are also things I've had laying around and can easily keep the thing cool and powered.

Basically, I just wanted an opinion on the motherboard and processor. Tell me if you can see any conflicts.

Thanks a bunch again.

Phoenix · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:36:56 pm »

mobo: --> go asus... Socket 775

CPU.. depends.. what do you like intel or amd??? atleast the socket 775...

GPU: PCI express, X600, X700 or X800....

Phoenix · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:40:40 pm »

Quote from: Ryman24 on June 13, 2005, 09:35:01 pm

Case and power supply are also things I've had laying around and can easily keep the thing cool and powered.

Check if your mobo /cpu / gpu does need any extra power and if your power supply has those connectors...
500 Watts is required...

Ryman24 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2005, 10:16:21 pm »

By going with Socket 775, your saying that Intel will outpreform AMD with gaming hardware? If so, I would be looking at the Intel Pentium 4 w/ HT Technology - 3.6GHz Processor.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2005, 12:27:39 am »

This is a motherboard question:

Is the difference is performance of an Intel 865 Chipset to an Intel 925 Chipset worth a difference of price of $100?

Phoenix · « **Reply #7 on:** June 16, 2005, 12:28:03 pm »

uhm... yeah i think...
newer, better, faster... --> expensiver...

Ryman24 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 11, 2005, 03:13:33 pm »

What do you guys think is the best brand to go for in an LCD Monitor?

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #9 on:** July 11, 2005, 03:42:06 pm »

Quote from: Ryman24 on July 11, 2005, 03:13:33 pm

What do you guys think is the best brand to go for in an LCD Monitor?

Out of own experience, the BenQ FPS917s+ is an excellent monitor. It's a 19" with 8 msec response time.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 11, 2005, 04:32:27 pm »

Understand I don't want to go all out on price here. But taking a look at the 17 inch LCDs from Tom's Hardware.com, I found this one, and was wondering what you guys thought about it. (Note, I want the monitor to perform well for gaming, so if you see any problems with that, please speak up).

http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=5834506&SourceID=k15506

Short Summary: 17" SyncMaster 730B LCD Monitor
DVI
8ms Response
Max Resolution of 1280 x 1024

number6 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 11, 2005, 05:40:15 pm »

Seems like a good model for an LCD. I am not a big fan of LCD screens because they are not as bright as regular monitors and they lose their original brightness over time. I would go with a 19 or 20" traditional monitor, but that's just me. I would also try and see the model you are intersted in at the store to make sure you will be happy with your purchase. I always go retail with a monitor because the shipping is usually quite high and I definitely want to see it in action before I decide.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 11, 2005, 06:17:09 pm »

The thing is, the LCD/Flat panel is not so much an option, but a necesity due to lack of space. With a tradition CRT monitor, then I would not have a desk, but rather a monitor on a table.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 11, 2005, 09:32:39 pm »

What do you guys think is the best manufacturer to go for in terms of gaming RAM?

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #14 on:** July 11, 2005, 09:36:06 pm »

The BenQ 19" costed me 450 Euro's, not that bad a price...

As for RAM, my personal favorite is Corsair..

Ryman24 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 11, 2005, 09:46:16 pm »

Need to rephrase my question.

I'm nowhere near knowledgeable with RAM. I do know there are several types of RAM. Which type and socket is best suited for a pure gaming machine. I understand that Corsair seems to be the most popular.

I've seen:
Types:
DDR
DDR2
SDRAM
RDRAM

Sockets:
DIMM
SODIMM
RIMM

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #16 on:** July 11, 2005, 09:47:37 pm »

That depends on what your motherboard can handle... it should be in the features, or manual..

Ryman24 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 11, 2005, 09:48:25 pm »

I don't have a motherboard bought yet, so whatever the RAM will demand, I will be a motherboard that can handle it.

Bako · « **Reply #18 on:** July 12, 2005, 11:01:22 am »

Quote from: Doc Nyar on July 11, 2005, 09:36:06 pm

The BenQ 19" costed me 450 Euro's, not that bad a price...

well, just oredered my second one and the FP 937s+ is now about 350 Euros ....

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #19 on:** July 12, 2005, 11:45:57 am »

Quote from: Ryman24 on July 11, 2005, 09:48:25 pm

I don't have a motherboard bought yet, so whatever the RAM will demand, I will be a motherboard that can handle it.

Seek a processor you want and from there choose your motherboard. Build everything else around these two choices. I wouldn't recommend doing it any other way. If you choose a processor/motherboard, you may want to take SLI in consideration.

number6 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 12, 2005, 01:49:14 pm »

The key with memory is buy an established brand (like Corsair, Kingston, crucial, etc). Bottom line don't get cheap when buying RAM. Cheap RAM equals endless headaches. Like Doc said you need to decide on the CPU and Motherboard before you know what type of RAM you will need.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 12, 2005, 04:20:57 pm »

Memory Technology: DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM)

^That's directly off my Motherboard specs. Does this mean I can get either DDR or SDRAM. And is DDRRAM DDR2? If not, what is it. And which one is best geared for gaming?

number6 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 12, 2005, 04:34:01 pm »

Not enough information to answer your last question. Please provide make and model of motherboard.

Ryman24 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:09:36 pm »

Asus P5AD2 Deluxe Motherboard

http://stores.tomshardware.com/search_techspecs_full.php/masterid=3173507
^That is a page with all the specs.

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #24 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:11:17 pm »

This RAM guide may be of some use

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #25 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:13:32 pm »

Btw, talking about nice RAM, this sounds nice

Doc Nyar · « **Reply #26 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:17:37 pm »

Your mobo is capable of handling DDR2 533

Asus P5AD2 DeLuxe

Ryman24 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:19:45 pm »

Actually, it supports DDR2 600.

Look below the primary info:

Although Intel's 925X, 915P and 915G chipsets claimed to only support DDR2 400/533, ASUS engineers successfully unleashed their true potential. This model offers native DDR2 600,

Ryman24 · « **Reply #28 on:** July 12, 2005, 05:25:49 pm »

It says it can support 600 MHz memory spped, does that mean the max is exactly 600 MHz, or anything in the 600s? Because I seee a lot of 633 and 675, but no 600.

number6 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 12, 2005, 06:21:04 pm »

Most likely the Max is 600Mhz for your motherboard since they spec it at that. Since you actually set the bus speed in your motherboard BIOS that will dictate what speed settings you can make. Those other values are probably tied to a specific processor that runs at a different voltage than your motherboard is rated to run.

News:

Author Topic: Building Personal Computer - Need Resources (Read 7930 times)

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