I am building a new system with a current budget of $1300. I have read through a lot of the forums, read up on the new Conroe's and have some questions about getting "bang for the buck"
I do not do video editing, run other cpu intensive programs, multi-task etc. This machine is going to be used for gaming, and specifically MMORPG gaming - WoW, DDO online, Vanguard etc. Vanguard is what this machine will ultimately be used for
1) My first question is do I really need a dual core processor to get the most out of my online gaming, or am I better off going with a single core processor and spending the big $ elsewhere (on vid card/memory)
2) I am not going to be overclocking much, perhaps a bit using the stock instructions that can handle it withought having to use intensive extra cooling.
3) I want to get an SLI board and use a single 7900 GTX and add a second one in a few months when I can afford to buy a second one. I know these are beefy vid cards, will I need to add in extra fans to keep my system cool doing this.
4) Is it worth it to get a 10 000 rpm hardrive such as the 150 gig raptor to load up my OS/games and then a 2nd 7200 storage drive for everything else. What I mean here is will the 10 000 rpm drive increase my online gaming? I know it is very effective for applications, but for MMORPG would it be worth my while to spend the extra $ there?
5) This ties in a bit to Q4, but would it make sense to have a RAID set up if I am using this mahcine for MMORPG gaming. From what I have read it does not seem like it would help me much, but want to make sure I am not missing anything.
6) Memory - Since I will not be overclocking, do I need to get the super high end memory, or will I be fine using a good brand such as Corsair, getting 2 x 1 gig of a mid end memory.
I know this is a lot of Q's and spans a lot of forums. I appreciate the input of the users in this forum and would love some advice from those of you who know this stuff backwards and forwards.
I do not do video editing, run other cpu intensive programs, multi-task etc. This machine is going to be used for gaming, and specifically MMORPG gaming - WoW, DDO online, Vanguard etc. Vanguard is what this machine will ultimately be used for
1) My first question is do I really need a dual core processor to get the most out of my online gaming, or am I better off going with a single core processor and spending the big $ elsewhere (on vid card/memory)
2) I am not going to be overclocking much, perhaps a bit using the stock instructions that can handle it withought having to use intensive extra cooling.
3) I want to get an SLI board and use a single 7900 GTX and add a second one in a few months when I can afford to buy a second one. I know these are beefy vid cards, will I need to add in extra fans to keep my system cool doing this.
4) Is it worth it to get a 10 000 rpm hardrive such as the 150 gig raptor to load up my OS/games and then a 2nd 7200 storage drive for everything else. What I mean here is will the 10 000 rpm drive increase my online gaming? I know it is very effective for applications, but for MMORPG would it be worth my while to spend the extra $ there?
5) This ties in a bit to Q4, but would it make sense to have a RAID set up if I am using this mahcine for MMORPG gaming. From what I have read it does not seem like it would help me much, but want to make sure I am not missing anything.
6) Memory - Since I will not be overclocking, do I need to get the super high end memory, or will I be fine using a good brand such as Corsair, getting 2 x 1 gig of a mid end memory.
I know this is a lot of Q's and spans a lot of forums. I appreciate the input of the users in this forum and would love some advice from those of you who know this stuff backwards and forwards.