Re: First time pc builder
What is the budget, it will then give a better idea to choose the rest of the components (memory,psu,case,gpu), what other parts do you already have (monitor, keyboard, mouse....).
Re: First time pc builder
the hardware i need advice on are graphics,psu,ram for 32bit windows xp and is the sabretooth the best motherboard for the price.my budget is not too bad as i will save up.graphics aprox 100 pound.thanks.
Re: First time pc builder
get win7 64bit - XP is defunct
win7 supports SSDs and 64bit supports more RAM - plus XP no longer supported by MS to any real extent.
Re: First time pc builder
The gaming aspect is dependant on the games you wish to play, and how you want to play them. Like 1080p modern games such as BF3, Dirt 3 etc running at acceptable frame rates mean a £100 - £150 GFX card. More if you want these games at higher effects settings.
I'm doing a new build right now and these sort of games require GFX cards at that sort of price point. Of course the rest of you system, memory etc, have a part to play.
Re: First time pc builder
BF3 is memory intensive, plus you really need DX11 from what I hear, so again win7 64bit is required. XP is limited to DX9 and 3 GB RAM which isn't really cutting the mustard
Re: First time pc builder
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ik9000
get win7 64bit - XP is defunct
win7 supports SSDs and 64bit supports more RAM - plus XP no longer supported by MS to any real extent.
XP might be out of date, but if budget is limited and especially if he already has XP but would need to buy Win7, then XP will still work. If the machine is for modest purposes, like email, web-browsing, and general tasks, then it'll do the job just fine. It all depends what BTB wants to do with it, and what he already has.
I have Win 7 machines here, but I also have XP machines and they are still doing everything I need of them, and doing it perfectly well. XP might be old, but it isn't defunct.
EDIT - that said, if I had to buy an OS, it would be Win 7 not XP, but as I already have a number of XP licences, why waste the money upgrading?
Re: First time pc builder
he stated it was mainly for gaming.
Re: First time pc builder
He said he wants to use mainly for gaming purposes, I suppose we really need to know what gaming he wants to do. Win 7 64bit with Pacman...might run better!
Really though Modern games like mentioned BF3, require 64bit memory allocation. And DX10/11 support, with Win 7
Re: First time pc builder
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE.i play strategy games like settlers.(RTS)i realise i need 64bit window 7.but i need help in knowing the asus sabretooth is a good buy.i need help in knowing what gpu to buy using sli.i was thinking a about a 550w psu.
Re: First time pc builder
get one decent card rather than two in sli
sabretooth is ok, but yuo don't need to spend that much on a mobo
Re: First time pc builder
If you really really must have SLi then I'd suggest the Asus M5A99X EVO as a cheaper option than the sabertooth http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...-%28x16%29-atx
However, SLI isn't cheap, a gtx560 (non-Ti) is going to be around £140, so a pair of them is going to be around £280
Unless you're looking at a 3d monitor or multi monitor setup I'd honestly not bother with sli
Drop down to something like the Asus M5A97 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...-%28x16%29-atx get a single graphics card, gtx560 non-ti, gtx560ti about £175 or gtx560ti 448core about £210 (that really should be called the gtx565)
Cheaper options, you can still find the gtx460 1gb around for about £110 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-e...2x-dl-dvi-i-mi which for the money is a better option than the newer gtx550ti (the card down from the gtx560)
If you don't mind 2nd hand that opens up a bigger range, rts games don't need as much gpu power and xp means having the latest DX11 card is meaningless.
Again if you're on a budget then the PhenomII X4 960T is worth looking at, most games still don't make much use of multiple cores, so the faster base clock speed is going to give you better results than an extra 2 cores.
Alternately the newer Bulldozer cpu's are also worth a look the FX 8120 is only £40 more (£20 more after cash back) http://www.scan.co.uk/products/20-ca...5200mt-s-125w-
If there is a certain game you're looking at then check to find out which is the best cpu for it.
PSU, depends on the graphics cards, going sli puts a big extra load on your power requirements.
CPU + GPU are generally the two biggest power draws in a pc.
Re: First time pc builder
The OP should list more of the games the want to play,what their total budget is and what needs to be included in the budget. This way we can determine what CPU would be best.
Regarding the AMD CPUs this Phenom II X6 1045T is around £103:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-p...che-95w-retail
Re: First time pc builder
The 6850 is a GPU that can be had from around 100 pounds from novatech or ebuyer. I woudl expect that when the 7850 comes out, you will be able to get the 6870 for around 100 pounds as well. Also, I would stick to 1 better card instead of 2 as well. Just my 2 cents :)