New Gaming PC build

Coolzer · July 30th, 2008, 12:14 AM

Hey everyone. It's now time for me to build a new computer. You guys were so helpful with my last last build in 2006, therefore i am consulting you all once more. Now one thing...

I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA

Last time i got all these Newegg replies, which were great deals if only i could buy from there.

It's been awile and technology has kind of swept by me.... so i may ask some questings theat appear stupid so be patient with me.

Budget = $1000 AUS (not too strict) Prefrebly form this Aussie website www.techbuy.com

Currrent setup. (pile of crap)
Case: Antec Solution series
CPU: AMD Sempron 1.8Ghz
MOBO: ASROCK K8NF4G Sata2 (i think)
RAM: 1GB corsair 400Mhz Ram (2x512)
PSU: Vantec Ion2 460W PSU
HDD1: 360GB Western Digital 7200rpm SATAII
HDD2: Samsung 80GB HDD 7200rpm SATAII
Graphics Card: 6600GT (reciently upgraded to 7600GT second hand $50)
Monitor: 19" BenQ LCD 1440x900 res
(might have missed something...)

New Setup Questions:

AMD or INTEL? Last time i was paying attention INTEL was the leader on best value for money...
Do i want or need an SLI motherboard?....
Should i upgrade my HDD.... it's around 1.5 years old...
I am thinking about upgrading the graphics card again but only if my budget allows... if so should i.. if you understand what i mean.
What PSU do i need (depending on the setup)
What can i keep from my old build? I'm keeping the monitor, i have a keyboard and mouse.

RamonGTP · July 30th, 2008, 01:22 AM

1) Intel

2) No, SLI is limited to nVidia chipsets which IMO are far inferior to Intel chipsets in every respect. Plus, with what's available out there today, I'd recommend an ATI video card anyway, so SLI would be out of the question on two fronts.

3) I see no reason why you could not reuse your 360GB HDD

4) See post #2, specifically, I'd go with an HD4850 in your case.

5) You can keep the hard drive, and possibly the case. What are the specs of that cooler master PSU? It's possible you MAY be able to transfer that to the new build depending on the quality as well as the overall specs of the new system. Your optical drives may be able to get moved over as well.

Coolzer · July 30th, 2008, 02:23 AM

Thanks for the reply.
The PSU is a Vantec ION 2 460W Power Supply - VAN460N Vantec's ION 2 460W Power Supply - VAN460N Not a Coolermaster.... dunno what i was thinking.

If i am going to upgrade the graphics card i'd like to get something top of the range....
Also what sort of RAM should i buy? DDR2 or 3

RamonGTP · July 30th, 2008, 02:42 AM

The HD4850 is a pretty high end card, I can only think of 3 single GPU cards that can outperform it and that's the 4870 and the GT260 and GT280. If the 4850 isn't enough, then the 4870 is, IMO the best option.

Coolzer · July 30th, 2008, 03:01 AM

What's equal to the Nvidia 9800GT?

Also what sort of RAM should i buy? DDR2 or 3

Doktr_Joe · July 30th, 2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolzer

What's equal to the Nvidia 9800GT?

Also what sort of RAM should i buy? DDR2 or 3

As far as I know, there isn't a 9800GT, you mean the GTX? If so, I'd say the HD4850 is still your best choice.
As for RAM, DDR3 is superior if you have a decent CPU I assume, but it's also a lot more expensive. DDR2 is insanely cheap at the moment, so it's the best budget choice, it'll probably be more than good enough for most people's needs.

RamonGTP · July 30th, 2008, 04:05 PM

The 4850 is the closest match to the 9800GTX and is actually faster than the 9800GTX and equal or slightly better than a 9800GTX+

I would go with DDR2 over DDR3. ATM, DDR3 does not offer any real performance gains over DDR2 and isn't worth the price premium IMO.

qrs321 · July 30th, 2008, 04:10 PM

No the 9800gt is out, albeit very recently. It's just under the performance of the 4850. I'd still go with the 4850. DDR2 is the obvious choice for people without money to burn, and if you get lots of it you can get some great performance.

Coolzer · July 31st, 2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doktr_Joe

As far as I know, there isn't a 9800GT, you mean the GTX? If so, I'd say the HD4850 is still your best choice.
As for RAM, DDR3 is superior if you have a decent CPU I assume, but it's also a lot more expensive. DDR2 is insanely cheap at the moment, so it's the best budget choice, it'll probably be more than good enough for most people's needs.

It's out in australia.....

Maybe i should get a motherboard that has both so it's future proof.....

Also PCI express v2 is considerably better right? Is it backwards compatible?

These are the cards i am choosing out of:
MSI Radeon HD 4850 - 512MB DDR3, 256-bit, 2x DVI, HDTV, HDCP - PCI-Ex16 v2.0 (625MHz, 1.98GHz) (86150 | R4850-T2D512) | Techbuy Australia
ASUS Radeon HD 4850 - 512MB DDR3, 256-bit, 2x DVI, HDTV, HDCP - PCI-Ex16 v2.0 (625MHz, 1.98GHz) (86851 | EAH4850/HTDI/512M) | Techbuy Australia
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4870 - 512MB DDR5, 256-bit, 2x DVI, HDTV, HDMI, HDCP - PCI-Ex16 v2.0 (86317 | R487-512H-B) | Techbuy Australia

RAM:
OCZ 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) PC2-6400 800MHz DDR2 RAM - 4-4-4-15 - Titanium XTC Edition (85520 | OCZ2T800C44GK) | Techbuy Australia'

Or something cheaper
Corsair 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) PC2-6400 800MHz DDR2 RAM - 5-5-5-15 - TWIN2X4096-6400C5 (73901) | Techbuy Australia

What do the numbers mean? Eg. 5-5-5-12 etc
Sorry about all the questions

RamonGTP · July 31st, 2008, 11:32 PM

No, not considerably better, atleast not with a single video card. If you start getting into crossfire or SLI setups then it may make a slight difference, but for one card, the performance is virtually the same. However, since you're building a new system, I'd recommend getting a board that does have PCIe 2.0 just to make you a bit more future proof