Hi, I'm new here.
I'm basically looking for some opinions and advice on what hardware would best fulfill my specific needs. I used to build PCs for a living, but I've been out of the business for 5+ years and want to make sure I put the best parts my budget will allow into my new system.
The PC will be used for:
[*:b3c070b356]3D Gaming (Quake 4, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, etc)
[*:b3c070b356]Video Editing and Encoding
[*:b3c070b356]3D Modeling and Game Modding
[*:b3c070b356]Watching DVDs and playing MP3s
[*:b3c070b356]Intense Multi-Tasking (e.g. Photoshop, Premiere, Firefox (several windows/tabs), WinAmp, Flash MX, several code editors, and several windows explorer windows...all running together)
What I THINK I want (based on my own research):
[*:b3c070b356]Mirrored 250GB SATA drive
[*:b3c070b356]1-2GB RAM
[*:b3c070b356]AMD Processor (dual core maybe?)
[*:b3c070b356]nVidia GeForce 6800
[*:b3c070b356]SoundBlaster X-Fi
I'd like your opinions on what hardware you think would best suit my needs, and also to know if what I THINK I want would serve my needs well or if something else would fit better.
My budget is around $1,500, and could go up to around $1,750 if the performance gained is worthwhile. I don't need peripherals, just the box.
Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm basically looking for some opinions and advice on what hardware would best fulfill my specific needs. I used to build PCs for a living, but I've been out of the business for 5+ years and want to make sure I put the best parts my budget will allow into my new system.
The PC will be used for:
[*:b3c070b356]3D Gaming (Quake 4, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, etc)
[*:b3c070b356]Video Editing and Encoding
[*:b3c070b356]3D Modeling and Game Modding
[*:b3c070b356]Watching DVDs and playing MP3s
[*:b3c070b356]Intense Multi-Tasking (e.g. Photoshop, Premiere, Firefox (several windows/tabs), WinAmp, Flash MX, several code editors, and several windows explorer windows...all running together)
What I THINK I want (based on my own research):
[*:b3c070b356]Mirrored 250GB SATA drive
[*:b3c070b356]1-2GB RAM
[*:b3c070b356]AMD Processor (dual core maybe?)
[*:b3c070b356]nVidia GeForce 6800
[*:b3c070b356]SoundBlaster X-Fi
I'd like your opinions on what hardware you think would best suit my needs, and also to know if what I THINK I want would serve my needs well or if something else would fit better.
My budget is around $1,500, and could go up to around $1,750 if the performance gained is worthwhile. I don't need peripherals, just the box.
Thanks in advance for any help!