Can't decide what to build/upgrade.. maybe this will help

[Xerish]

Figured I throw out some recommendations about computers/hardware in case anyone was wondering about upgrades or buying a new computer.

Computer Guide 101

Should I run the game on my laptop?

My first response to this would be no. The main issue is that laptops are not designed for gaming. If you purchase a “gaming laptop” it would be much cheaper to get a tower pc. Issues like cooling, non dedicated graphics and screen deterioration are factors to take in account if you choose this route. If you must get a laptop I would suggest getting either a Asus or CyperpowerPC.

This HP/Dell/etc etc is on sale.. should I get it.

I am jaded on this aspect. I am very anti-name brand for computers. Usually you are paying for the name of the computer; accompanied with this name is a cheaped down PSU, Motherboard and in some cases you will not have the ability to upgrade certain parts. If you are more comfortable buying a CPU rather than building one I would strongly suggest getting a Dell or cyberpower.

To build the PC (or to have one built for you).

Keep in mind a few things...

1. Will my CPU/Memory/Video card work well together? What I mean by this is if you cheap out on the CPU and buy the top of the line Vid card with 8 gigs of ram, you are wasting your money. “On a one lane road you can only go as fast as the slowest car (Assuming there is no passing).”
2. Set yourself a budget $400-$900 for lower end, $900 - $1200 for mid end $1200-$1800 for high end and $2000+ for ZOMG (lol). Keep your parts within the same level of power of each other.
3. Research your parts! www.tomshardware.com charts will help you a ton.
4. Try to keep within the same family.... Meaning AMD+ATI or Intel+Nvidia. Usually AMD+ATI is the value duo while Intel+Nvidia is the performance duo.

CASE:

Don’t go for flash. A good aluminum case will lower the temperature of your computer much more efficiently than a steel case; it is, however, more expensive. Power = go aluminum; Practicality (price) = go steel. I would even go as far as to try to NOT get a case with a PSU. Usually the case PSUs are shabby and will have to be updated with upgrades.
Steel recommendation: here
Aluminum recommendation: here

Motherboards.

Don’t cheap out on this part, consider it the foundation for your computer, but at the same time don’t go with the newest and best... they always have issues. In my OPINION I would stick with a MSI or ASUS, they have always worked well for me and tend to have the best, most stable motherboards (this is debatable). I would suggest that your get a good motherboard that supports SLi/Xfire just in case you want to upgrade down the line. Also ensure it has a good LAN card on board, that it supports the CPU and video card (SLi or Xfire) you wish to run.

AMD recommendation (Xfire): here
Intel recommendation (SLi): here

There are a TON of Mobos out there at every price; just choose wisely and make sure it has good (qualified) reviews.

PSU:

The best way to gauge your Power Supply is how you are going to use it. Unless you are supporting SLi, 3 way SLi or some Mean ATIs in xFire then you will not need 900-1300 watts (it is getting ridiculous out there lol). See what the power recommendations are for the parts you want to order (do the math) and choose from there. It is always a prudent idea to get a more powerful PSU than what you need (by about 100watts). This will help reduce the stress on your pc and help reduce heat!
Once again there are MANY different styles and manufacturers. I am an Antec fan personally. Just make sure you get one with a good fan on it.

500 watt (budget PC, single or 2 older cards): here
650watt (Xfire PSU /AMD): here
850Watt (High end PC, SLi/Intel): here

Hard Drives:

I would suggest you NOT get a 300gig or higher drive, Especially if it is 72k rpm. Your poor reader will hate you when you are gaming. My suggestion is to go one of 2 ways.

A) Get you a good 10k drive (this one) and put your OS and your game/games on this drive. If you need more storage get a cheap 250 gig HD 72k for data files.
B) Raid! You can get Fantastic performance form setting up a Raid 0 (2 identical HD) format, especially with the 10k drives, but 72k raid will suffice. In other words you can get two 150 HD (even at 72k rpm) and have 300 gigs of storage w/o the loss in performance.
One day when solid state drives become more affordable they will run circles around rotary drives. So, unless you want to spend $300+ for 34 gigs then .... lol....

I won’t go into other drives (CD/DVD), just pick something up on sale (Asus/Sony is my favorite)

RAM!

So, what do I get in terms of RAM? I hear you can never have enough?
In general most people know very little about RAM and how it can benefit your machine. You must keep in mind that any 32bit OS can use up to 4 gigs, but will only recognize about 2.8 – 3.6ish; "64bit OS' currently support up to 64GB of ram - I believe XP Pro X64 and Vista Ultimate x64 both allow 64gigs, Vista Home Premium x64 supports up to 8GB" (Quote: Howling)

A few hints:
1. I would recommend at least 2 gigs of RAM, RAM is cheap right now.
2. Getting over 4 gigs of RAM will get you no where; there are no apps that will utilize this much RAM unless you are a video designer or you like boxing 3 instances in High Quality.
3. Get 2 X 1 gig sticks or 4x 1 gig sticks. The 2 gig sticks are slower, much more expensive and are only supported by SOME mobos.
4. LATENCY, LATENCY, LATENCY!!!!!! Cas Latency of 5-9 is what I recommend.
5. MAKE SURE YOUR PC CAN SUPPORT IT!!!! Check if you want to use DDR, DDR2, DDR3 and what speed (PC2100 all the way up to PC3 16000). Also make sure that all your ram is identical in those terms.
6. Not all Ram is created equal.... “Value” is just what it is... cheap ram. Stick with the gaming ram: Corsair XMS, Kingston HyperX, or Mushkin.

Quick Picks: (I am a Corsair fan so it is all Corsair XMS)
DDR2 (2x 1 gig): here
DDR3 (2x 1gig): here
DDR3 (High end 2x 1gig): here

Remember 2 gigs of good XMS or equivilant RAM is > 4 gigs of “Value Select” RAM!!!!!

CPU:

AMD or Intel?? We should all know by now that the Intel Core2 has surpassed the AMD recently (sigh). That as it may be, AMD still offers good CPUs and at really good prices. You can get a good AMD for much cheaper than an Intel with similar stats.
AMD
Pros: Cheap and good reliable
Cons: Hot, Hot, Hot. Slower than Intel and uses older technology

Intel
Pros: Great power, Power efficient, and Runs cooler
Cons: expensive, the “box” fans are cheap

AMD Low End: Here (make sure you get the AMDs with the 65nm technology not Hot as Hell 90nm)
AMD Mid End: here (make sure you get the AMDs with the 65nm technology not Hot as Hell 90nm)
AMD High End: 6400 (This is fast but it is hot and power hunger.... 125W CPU!!) Phenom (same as the 6400... hot and power hungry)
*NOTE: don’t get the Phenom tri core... they are benching slower than the dual cores and are more expensive than the quad cores.

Intel Low End: here (great price, great CPU runs equivalent to a 5400+ AMD)
Intel Mid End: here Intel’s New 45nm technology. GREAT CPU!!
Intel High End: here 45nm and 3.16 gig... mmmm
Intel ZOMG: WOW LMFAO.. 1.55k for a CPU!

I didn’t list the quad cores here but they are very good as well. The most popular 6600 (6600 and the 45nm are good for heavy multi-tasking) these CUPs are great, but very few applications FULLY use quad cores... let alone dual cores.

Video Cards:

Everyone’s Favorite Subject!
I still stand by pairing ATI’s with AMD and Intel’s with Nvidia, they can DEFINATLY be criss-crosssed but they tend to work better paired up as such. Any one of those CPUs listed above will run great with most of the newer cards. I just wouldn’t pair a 8800 (740meg) GTX with a AMD smaller than 5600. Here is a list of my recommendations based on CPUs

**NOTE: Stray away from the Nvidia 8000, 7000 or 6000 series with a 400, 500, or 600 number (ex 8500). These cards are the dumbed down version of a good card and in most cases they will not even run some games. Example: 8500 will NOT run AoC, while a 8600 will on low and a 8800 will run it on high settings.

OLDER single Core CPU and AGP systems, don’t freat your AGP still has some life left in her! If you have an AGP card I Strongly suggest this card, this is the strongest and most bestest for your AGP system. Since it is 8x there should be no bottle necks unless you have a really old CPU to which I would suggest this.

Older Dual core systems (4000 AMD or Intel P4 X2, Pent D or any Celeron Duo CPU) with AGP... the same 3850 ATI HD is recommended. If you have PCI here is a great card, heck it is even a great all around card!


Now if you have any newer AMD or Core 2 Duo then you can have your pick (stick with a 8800 512 or less with an AMD below 5000)
$150-$200: Nvidia (good in SLi)
ATI (ATI, nice card at a nice price)

$200-$250: Nvidia
ATI (1 gig at under $300)

$250 -$300: Nvidia

$300-$500: Nvidia (1gig!), Nvidia (Over Clocked)
ATI (1 gig top o the line ATI)

$ZOMG: Nvidia

It is all how much you want to spend... remember prices will drop significantly as months pass, and ATI is launching their new 4000 series video cards soon!

Over clocking.

If you have to ask about it.. don’t do it!!!!

[Mr Mage]

Nice write up there.

[Howling]

A couple of minor issues, but I'll only point out the 1 (and a half) with the RAM.

64bit OS' currently support up to 64GB of ram - I believe XP Pro X64 and Vista Ultimate x64 both allow 64gigs, Vista Home Premium x64 supports up to 8GB, and Vista Home Basic supports 4GB (as it only comes in x32).
And if you do plan on getting 4gb of ram - ask yourself if you're going to be overclocking.. If the answer is yes, then get 2x2gb sticks. If the answer is no, then get 4x1gb sticks. Reason? Occupying all 4 slots puts more load on the system and lowers the overclock. (just a sidenote )

Overall a pretty good writeup ^_^

[Zinrae]

Overall, a decent guide, but there's a few things in it that are really bugging me.

Originally Posted by Xerish

CASE:

Don’t go for flash. A good aluminum case will lower the temperature of your computer much more efficiently than a steel case; it is, however, more expensive. Power = go aluminum; Practicality (price) = go steel.

What? Yes, aluminum does technically dissipate heat faster, but the extra cooling from that is so small it can be ignored. If you are relying on your case material for cooling you need to rethink your airflow a lot! The only reason for getting an aluminum case is for weight. That's the easiest way to cut down on the weight of your whole setup if you like taking your PC places like LANS. If your computer is just going to sit in one place all the time, there is really no reason at all to get aluminum. Steel is also sturdier and will hold up better over time.

Originally Posted by Xerish

Motherboards.

Don’t cheap out on this part, consider it the foundation for your computer, but at the same time don’t go with the newest and best... they always have issues. In my OPINION I would stick with a MSI or ASUS, they have always worked well for me and tend to have the best, most stable motherboards (this is debatable). I would suggest that your get a good motherboard that supports SLi/Xfire just in case you want to upgrade down the line. Also ensure it has a good LAN card on board, that it supports the CPU and video card (SLi or Xfire) you wish to run.

I agree about making sure you get a good mobo, but not necessarily with getting an SLI/crossfire ready one. For the average gamer, there is no real benefit for using multiple video cards. That's basically just for enthusiasts (who wouldn't need a guide a like this).


And looks like Howling already got the RAM one.

[Xerish]

Originally Posted by Zinrae

Overall, a decent guide, but there's a few things in it that are really bugging me.

What? Yes, aluminum does technically dissipate heat faster, but the extra cooling from that is so small it can be ignored. If you are relying on your case material for cooling you need to rethink your airflow a lot! The only reason for getting an aluminum case is for weight. That's the easiest way to cut down on the weight of your whole setup if you like taking your PC places like LANS. If your computer is just going to sit in one place all the time, there is really no reason at all to get aluminum. Steel is also sturdier and will hold up better over time.


I agree about making sure you get a good mobo, but not necessarily with getting an SLI/crossfire ready one. For the average gamer, there is no real benefit for using multiple video cards. That's basically just for enthusiasts (who wouldn't need a guide a like this).



And looks like Howling already got the RAM one.

I have always been a firm beleiver in Aluminum cases. They are (usually) a few guagues thicker than the steel cases, and actualy dissapates heat a bit more than you would think (coming from a professional engineering nerd). That and they wont rust lol. and like i said, was just saying to get a SLi/Xfire just in case you want to upgarde easily down the line =P

Will update the RAM section, thanks!

[Fishy McFish]

I wouldn't recommend CyberPower PC. Lots of bad stories, and their customer support is not so good. I've dealt with a lot of their customers(due to them using some company products). If you have a defective product or damages occur during shipping they most likely won't help you.