- Aug 31, 2007
- 18
- 0
- 18,510
Hi, I'm looking at building a new PC to replace my old desktop (P4 2.53ghz, GF4 Ti4600, 512mb DDR333) and become my primary games machine (replacing my core duo 2.16ghz, GF Go 7900GS, 2gb ram laptop). I'm also a games developer so CPU power is essential so that I can run debug builds playably, minimise compile times and do redering/modelling in 3DS Max efficiently.
Money is no issue but naturally I don't wan't to be wasting too much money, for instance if I had to choose between a 8800GTX and an ultra I'd get the GTX.
One slightly strange requirement is that the computer needs to be able to run stable (at full load) in a room that can get as hot as 30c-35c. To make things worse water-cooling and heavy heatsinks are not a viable option as I'm building myself and don't want the risk of leaks or of the heatsink damaging the MB when I take it to lans (as happened to a friend at his first lan after buying a new rig
).
That pretty much means I won't be overclocking and I'm going to need a decent case to keep things cool, unlike my previous computer where I just bought the cheapest good looking case I could find. What's good? What's not?
Due to CPU requirements I'm definatly looking at quad core CPUs, particularly the QX6850 with it's 1333mhz fsb, however the Yorkfield (or is it Penryn?) processors sound like they may be worth waiting for especially given the 45nm architecture could help with my heat issues. Does anyone know which month they are likely to come out in? The closest date I could pin down for their release was sometime late 2007. What opinions do people have about waiting for them?
Naturally I want a BEEFY gpu for gaming so I'm getting a top end GF9 when they come out, but I may want to buy the computer sooner than that if I'm not waiting on a CPU, in which case what's a cheap nVidia card (so I don't need to worry about switching vid drivers) that'll tie me over for a few months? I've only really looked into the top end of the market so not sure what's good at the bang for buck end.
Another thing I need help with is the MB, obviously I'll need one that supports 1333 fsb, but what other things should I be looking for? And should I be getting onboard sound which I felt has been fine for me so far, or should I invest in a top-end creative card?
Also what problems am I going to face on he OS front, I'll be needing 32bit XP but was going to have a dual boot with vista ultimate. Should I get the 32bit version or the 64bit version of vista? I'm scared of the 64bit version because I'm not sure what compatibillity issues exist. I'm also a little worried about driver support for vista, is it still an issue?
I'm also looking for a good small LCD monitor with a res of 1920x1200 or better. My 17" CRT is looking a bit too big and cumbersome at the moment (well only in depth, got plenty of width and height spare). What is the smallest size 1920x1200 res monitor? I've got my nice 1920x1200 res 17" laptop panel which is excellent, I would have prefered a higher res on it as fonts are still a bit big but apparently they don't make any with a higher res. Ideally I'd like a 19" with a res of 2560x1600, but 1920x1200 will do.
Thanks
Money is no issue but naturally I don't wan't to be wasting too much money, for instance if I had to choose between a 8800GTX and an ultra I'd get the GTX.
One slightly strange requirement is that the computer needs to be able to run stable (at full load) in a room that can get as hot as 30c-35c. To make things worse water-cooling and heavy heatsinks are not a viable option as I'm building myself and don't want the risk of leaks or of the heatsink damaging the MB when I take it to lans (as happened to a friend at his first lan after buying a new rig
).That pretty much means I won't be overclocking and I'm going to need a decent case to keep things cool, unlike my previous computer where I just bought the cheapest good looking case I could find. What's good? What's not?
Due to CPU requirements I'm definatly looking at quad core CPUs, particularly the QX6850 with it's 1333mhz fsb, however the Yorkfield (or is it Penryn?) processors sound like they may be worth waiting for especially given the 45nm architecture could help with my heat issues. Does anyone know which month they are likely to come out in? The closest date I could pin down for their release was sometime late 2007. What opinions do people have about waiting for them?
Naturally I want a BEEFY gpu for gaming so I'm getting a top end GF9 when they come out, but I may want to buy the computer sooner than that if I'm not waiting on a CPU, in which case what's a cheap nVidia card (so I don't need to worry about switching vid drivers) that'll tie me over for a few months? I've only really looked into the top end of the market so not sure what's good at the bang for buck end
.Another thing I need help with is the MB, obviously I'll need one that supports 1333 fsb, but what other things should I be looking for? And should I be getting onboard sound which I felt has been fine for me so far, or should I invest in a top-end creative card?
Also what problems am I going to face on he OS front, I'll be needing 32bit XP but was going to have a dual boot with vista ultimate. Should I get the 32bit version or the 64bit version of vista? I'm scared of the 64bit version because I'm not sure what compatibillity issues exist. I'm also a little worried about driver support for vista, is it still an issue?
I'm also looking for a good small LCD monitor with a res of 1920x1200 or better. My 17" CRT is looking a bit too big and cumbersome at the moment (well only in depth, got plenty of width and height spare). What is the smallest size 1920x1200 res monitor? I've got my nice 1920x1200 res 17" laptop panel which is excellent, I would have prefered a higher res on it as fonts are still a bit big but apparently they don't make any with a higher res
. Ideally I'd like a 19" with a res of 2560x1600, but 1920x1200 will do.Thanks
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