Well I'm getting closer to taking the plunge and building my first PC. The info on these forums and elsewhere have given me enough knowledge as to what parts I need for the build that I want and how to put them together, so I won't ask you guys to rate another list of parts- at least not yet anyway. I want a rig to use primarily for gaming and in the $1200-$1400 range. From the info that I have gathered I have decided to go with an Intel configuration and a Nvidia graphics configuration. No reason except that these seem to have more info and seem more familiar to me.
(1)Please let me know if there is some distinct advantage to going with AMD etc- prices, performance, more future-proof etc. I am by no means married to Intel and Nvidia, just more familiar with them.
(2)OS: I have read posts that say Vista is a real POS and replies that say they have had no problems and love it. As of now, I am tempted to go with XP because it is tried and true and that will give me one less doubt. I know that I cannot have DX10 unless I have Vista 64 but I think I can live without it. Sounds dumb but I don't know what the difference is between Vista 32 and Vista64. I know its 32 bits and 64 bits but what does that mean? I guess my question is: how future-proof is XP as it relates to gaming? Are there going to be games that come out 6 months from now that XP just won't do justice? Is there any reason to just go with Vista 32 instead of XP? If I'm gonna do Vista, I might as well go all the way right? But then I have heard that 64 is the one that is buggy.....
(3)SLI: I've read a lot about this. Seems like this is the 'big thing' right now. My idea is to get one of the lower priced SLI ready motherboards and an 8800GT so that down the road I can go SLI with another 8800GT. What general improvement am I going to see going from 1 to 2 8800GT's? Does this sound like a good way to go?
(4)I think I was the last person to buy a laptop that had XP. Is there any new technology coming out soon that I should maybe wait for? Any big price drop coming?
(5)I'm comfortable with putting all the parts together to build the thing. What makes me nervous is that first boot. Is there a good on-line guide you guys could recommend for troubleshooting when you get to that step? Ive seen videos where the guy just pops in the OS disk and hits the power button. It can't be that easy can it? I have also heard that some motherboards make for an easier first boot. Is this true and if so, any recommendations?
Sorry for the long post and your help is greatly appreciated.
(1)Please let me know if there is some distinct advantage to going with AMD etc- prices, performance, more future-proof etc. I am by no means married to Intel and Nvidia, just more familiar with them.
(2)OS: I have read posts that say Vista is a real POS and replies that say they have had no problems and love it. As of now, I am tempted to go with XP because it is tried and true and that will give me one less doubt. I know that I cannot have DX10 unless I have Vista 64 but I think I can live without it. Sounds dumb but I don't know what the difference is between Vista 32 and Vista64. I know its 32 bits and 64 bits but what does that mean? I guess my question is: how future-proof is XP as it relates to gaming? Are there going to be games that come out 6 months from now that XP just won't do justice? Is there any reason to just go with Vista 32 instead of XP? If I'm gonna do Vista, I might as well go all the way right? But then I have heard that 64 is the one that is buggy.....
(3)SLI: I've read a lot about this. Seems like this is the 'big thing' right now. My idea is to get one of the lower priced SLI ready motherboards and an 8800GT so that down the road I can go SLI with another 8800GT. What general improvement am I going to see going from 1 to 2 8800GT's? Does this sound like a good way to go?
(4)I think I was the last person to buy a laptop that had XP. Is there any new technology coming out soon that I should maybe wait for? Any big price drop coming?
(5)I'm comfortable with putting all the parts together to build the thing. What makes me nervous is that first boot. Is there a good on-line guide you guys could recommend for troubleshooting when you get to that step? Ive seen videos where the guy just pops in the OS disk and hits the power button. It can't be that easy can it? I have also heard that some motherboards make for an easier first boot. Is this true and if so, any recommendations?
Sorry for the long post and your help is greatly appreciated.