Non-newbie New PC Advice Pleeeease!

[bm0nk]

I'm sorry if I'm violating forum rules by posting the same post twice in different areas, this just seems a better place to put it.....I'll delete me other post if I'm being a bad boy -

I've read and read and read and read, days, weeks. Now I feel sick.

My system has been running well for YEARS;
AMD 3000XP+
1GB PC3200
x800 PRO

I now have the cash to buy a new system. Sorry to say but for 90% of the time this system will be running World of Warcraft. The other 10% is film watching

Max budget....£2500, though I have done a lot of reading, and know that I don't have to spend close to that amount to have a nice new machine that runs WoW smoothly. WoW ran very very smooth until the new expansion packs/cities, where I lag right down to single digit FPS.

I'm not a complete noob, though I haven't looked at the market since I bought my machine (though I have just crammed as much info as I can)

q6600? E5** ? I don't think I'll seriously consider an AMD?
3/4/6/8 GB of RAM ? Do I definitely want the 1600mhz? DDR2/3??
I THINK I want to go for a 4870 1gb....though I could be swayed.....I have been told a 9800gtx would be perfect.

I WANT A NEW SCREEN! My 21" hyundai bust ages ago, nicked my gf's samsung tv which doesn't run at native PC resolutions, I run wow in 1200x672. I want a sexy, expensive (not a THOUSAND though), big, low latency....... 22"? 24"? 26"??? 30" ?

I think I'd rather spend less on a top of the line i7, and less than a top of the line gfx card (because wow doesnt need it, also i've heard lots of problems with dual cards) - so that I can spend more on a sexy display.

I'm the type of guy that watches how long WinRAR takes for different things, I pay attention to details, though I'm not sure how well a WinRAR speed test relates to World of Warcraft performance.

I'm so blooody indecisive, I need people who know more than me to give me some opinions, pleeeease!

Any replies are more appreciated than you'll ever know,

BMONK

[edit] P.S. - I built my machine before, I can do it again, I have no trouble buying all the components and whacking it all together, though.....I have been told that the difference in cost is getting lower as opposed to buying a pre-built custom PC? Having never done that though, I'm very weary of buying pre-built (I'd /suicide if it arrived and didn't work ((just kidding)) )
prebuilt=lazy, but cost effective? good deals to be had ?

[ConTRo13R]

Dont go for the Q6600, yes you have most likely read loads of awesome reviews abou them but old tech now, plus the latest batches are really high VID so not very good on the OC.

Id go for a nice E8*** cpu, especially if your main usage is what you say, then you certainly wont need 4 cores. you can get a nice E8*** for like a £150!

Go for an intel chipset mobo, preferably a P45

Then choose between ATI or Nvidia for graphics

And go for a 24" screen!

Would you really need I7?

[staffsMike]

Dell do decent deals on i7 Studio XPS systems but I wouldn't bother in your position.

Bit hard on AMD there, phenom II are worth a look and it's what I would currently buy in terms of value for money.

For raw performance though I would be looking at i7 though not for gaming performance, that's all on the gfx card these days as long as you have a reasonable dual core.

Not sure what to spec for i7 tbh, probably an Asus or DFI x58 (all you can pick), the lower end i7 chip and 4GB of whatever seems reasonable RAM.

If you aren't going for i7 then deffinatly take a look at the Phenom II 940 black edition Motherboards are cheaper, RAM is cheaper, chip is cheaper and the performance is excellent.

640GB Western digital caviar blue drive or drives.

A blu ray player?

Hd4870 or 280GTX (now 285GTX?)

500 - 600W enermax modualr PSU either the modu or new libetry ECO.

I'd consider the dell 2709WFP, 27" monster but a lovely screen for under £500.

[bm0nk]

Wow! ( no pun intended) - thank you so much (I don't usually use forums)

Ok, i7 not needed. ooo, OC......I have never got into OC at all, I'm a bit weary of it. I bought all OEM parts for my AMD system, if you OC you void warranty afaik....? Unless I bought it pre-OC'd, I wouldn't be that confident with it.

Blu ray is not required at all. Don't own a single blu ray disc, nor player, nor intend do in the near future. -blu ray, +£ for cpu/gfx/ram/screen/mboard

Hard drive......not TOO bothered, 500gig or 1tb, not hyped up about SUPER RAPTOR RAID....SSD too expensive. Hd's I don't need you lots advice for (no offense!)

24" screen - but what? I had to get a DVI > HDMI converter to be able to use this samsung TV....I want a screen that I can either use a straight HDMI (from gfx card that supports it? ) if no support for hdmi > hdmi, then DVI is fine (im not clued up enough to care which I use) - BUT - I've heard I definitely want 1:1 pixel mapping - I assume this is so I can run native PC resolutions on my screen with no nonsense.

I'm leaning toward ConTRo13R 's E**** advice...... hypothetical build specification for me?

[nvening]

There will be no difference in the image between DVI and HDMI - the only difference is HDMI can carry audio and obv the different connector.

I would personally go for this: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/27-De...ht-Tilt-Swivel

Same res as a 24" but that extra 3" of goodness XD

Dell allways do great screens - i have two infront of me right now (one is brand new) XD

EDIT:

Also with more than 4GB of RAM you will need a 64bit opperating system - and actually afaik witha 1GB GPU u will only use 3GB of it without a 64bit OS.

[staffsMike]

Fair enough on the hard drives but try to get a drive based on 320GB platters.. they dont cost any more but do perform better.. so why not?

I'd seriously consider the AMD quad tbh.. if you do go for dual core it might as well be one of the cheaper E5*00 pentium dual cores, they perform just the same in games.

[bm0nk]

Hmm, ok, I'll check out AMD. Just thought intel's E range performed better, using less power, generating less heat?

Now I'm even more confused. I think what would really help me is for someone to say, look bmonk, I'm running X, Y, Z, I get at least 40-50 frames per second in Dalaran in World of Warcraft, my PC cost £thismuch, why dont you get something similar?

If only.

[Webby]

Personally I would go Phenom 2, oh and Overclocking doesn't void your warranty as long as you stay within the manufacturers voltage guidelines.

So a Phenom 2 system,

CPU: Phenom 2 940 BE - £190
Motherboard: DFI Lanparty DK 790FXB-M2RSH - £130
Memory: 4GB DDR2-1066 (Corsair, OCZ, Geil, Crucial) - £40 for high latency £60 for low latency
HDD: 640GB WD AAKS - £55
PSU: 500-650W Corsair, Enermax, Seasonic, Silverstone - £50+
Graphics cards: 2x HD4830 - £180 or 1GB 4870 - £190 or GTX 260 - £210

The rest you can sort out yourself

Personally I would go with the crossfire setup faster than the other 2 options and cheaper to boot

[staffsMike]

Well.. what you are talking about souly rests on the graphic card.

Dual, quad it makes no difference as long as it is 2.4GHz or more.

No idea about what gfx card you will need but I would say anything around an ATi HD4870, Nvidia GTX2*0 will be more than enough at 1920 x 1200 in any current game.

Dual's will run cooler with less heat. My phenom 9950 (also a 125W chip) runs 32 degrees idle and 45 under load with a scythe ninja II sat on it in my antec P180 mini. A dual in the same case runs around 24 degree to 35 degrees.

Webby's system above is a very nice system. There is a saving to be had in crossfire but performance can vary game to game, and if you were to buy a cheaper motherboard (they can be had for £65 - £75) then you will make a saving enough to contibute towards a high end single card.

[shbris]

fact:

any core 2 duo system with more than 2gb ram and a reasonable hard drive and any mid range- high end (with ur budget, say nvidia GTx260) will absolutely destroy WOW at any resolution, DESTROY it (internet connection as well obviously)

so how about:

case: whatever
psu: 500+
mobo: any p45 (if ur not keen on overclocking just get budgety one)
cpu: core 2 duo E8****
ram: corsair basic 2Gb or 4Gb or take ur pic
GPU: GTX260
screen: dell do amazing ones, so say dell 24" for about 200-300 quid

overal cost won't be much more than 800 for the above

[bm0nk]

I keep thanking you for your replies, but they are valued so much!

theres a pc fair coming up this sunday, I'm gonna go check out the prices there, compare them to "pre built custom gaming" website costings, then make my decision after that.

90% sure on the Dell 24" 2408WFP now.....

Gonna look up which E processor would be better. More cache I assume the better E6850, E6750, E6700, E6600 etc etc

probably go with the 4gb low latency ram.

It's touch and go at the moment between nvidia/ati. Either the 48701gb or the 260 (gotta be the one with more cores ??????)

[staffsMike]

You've gone too far into the past there. Any E6*** is old news.

E5200, E5300 and E5400 pentium duals (what I would buy)

E7200 and onwards, bit more cache slightly different instruction set perhaps

E8200 onwards, more cache again same instruction set as E7*00's I believe.

The E8's don't offer value for money imo, the E7's push it but the E5200 is a great chip for the money, very easy to overclock too if you felt the need.

[Webby]

If you go with nvidia and a GTX260 then yes get one with 216 cores (ideally the 55nm version, lower power consumption so runs a bit cooler).

As to the computer fair be wary of pre-built systems they tend to have rubbish motherboards, memory, hard drives, PSUs and cases about the only thing you can guarantee from them is the processor. If they have built it and are selling for less than you can buy the bits etail then they have cut corners somewhere.

[bm0nk]

Core 2 Duo. IF nvidia gtx 260, THEN must have 216 core.

Dell 24" 2408WFP, Prices ranging from £315.00 AT ITC Group ITC Store (OUT OF STOCK to £434.45 MICRODIRECT)

Intel E6*** - OLD.
E5200, E5300, E5400 (what he'd buy )
E7200 and on - more cache
E8200 more cache again
E8*** not that worth it
E5200 good chip for the bux.


Nvidia seem to be more together than ATI..... same goes for intel vs AMD for processors.

[ConTRo13R]

E8*** because of its native speeds, and high cache (very important for games)

Dont go for the E5200 performance is nothing compared to the older E6*** tech! E7*** are a sort of halfway filling of the market.

4GB Ram (and 64bit vista)

P45 mobo (Gigabyte are best IMO)

Nvidia 9600 or 8800gts or if you want a 260 though there very similiar prices to the 280 last i looked

Western Digital hard drive (cant go wrong with one of these)

Samsing 24" got to love Samsung panels.

[Webby]

What exactly do you mean by "more together"?

Intel certainly hold the performance crown in terms of processor with the i7 but the Phenom 2 is competitive with the core 2 quad processors.

ATI and Nvidia both have very good products available and both offer good support and regular driver updates.

If your heart is set on Intel and nvidia nothing anybody will say will sway you but Phenom 2 probably is where the smart quad core money goes.

If duel core is the current option then you may want to consider the AMD X2 7750 BE very good processor and beats the E5200 easily when both at stock settings.

Until a short while ago it was quite hard to recommend AMD CPUs with the current batch of chips that is no longer the case, so all I ask is don't dismiss them out of hand.

Control13r - GTX260 ~£210 and GTX280 ~£260 admittably a couple of weeks ago the GTX280 was going for £230-250 in some places but it has gone back up in price now.