- Jul 22, 2008
- 2
- 0
- 18,510
Hi All -
First post on here, though I was an avid reader several years ago and have just recently tried to catch back up on the technology. My 7 year old desktop (surprisingly still running without even a single hardware problem) is in dire need of an upgrade. I'm sure there are tons of these requests but if people have a few moments with thoughts I'd love to see what people think. Much appreciated in advance.
My budget is $2500 and I'm essentially starting anew. My old desktop has a 17" lcd that I might use as a second monitor, a very lightly used 300gb ata seagate that I'm thinking of bringing over just for archival storage, and a DVD-RW that I could use for a second optical drive. I've never built my own PC before (my most recent computer purchases have needed to be laptops), but I'm fairly tech-savvy even if I haven't looked at modern desktop technology in several years and I have a brother and friends who have built PCs recently that could help me get things up and running. I am looking for a computer for gaming; while I am not a bleeding-edge gamer, I would like something to keep me reasonably playable for several years to come. [I'm pretty tolerant of aging computers with new games - I have raided in WoW and played Vanguard and Oblivion at absolute bare minimum graphics and FPS that barely breaks 20 at max and will drop to middle single digits in heavy action... Essentially, as long as the game -runs- several years down the line. ;-)] It is 50/50 whether or not I will overclock - I never have before, but I've never had a system capable of it, so I'm willing to spend a little more to tweak components if it will give me the flexibility to do so.
Here's where I'm at after poking around for awhile:
- 24" widescreen HDMI monitor - not set on what brand name yet, but I'm expecting to spend $400-450 depending on what kind of a deal I can find
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
- Asus Rampage x48 MoBo
- Radeon HD4870
- Antec 900 case
- LG Super Multi Blu-ray burner
- Probably leaning 4gb DDR2-1066 ram since I've heard the DDR3 isn't worth the price
- Maybe $150 for a couple HD's - had good experiences with seagate but WD seems to have the best out at the moment?
I'm only looking at one 4870 for the moment, but making sure I have room to crossfire in a second one later on. Also, its okay if I pull up a little short from $2500 - I'm looking also at a G15 keyboard and either a G5 or MX revolution mouse, along with either the Belkin n52te (love my n52) or Saitek PZ31A.
Uncertainties:
- Power: How much power will I need? ATI certifies supplies from 700-1200W for 2x 4870's, but some testify they're running them on 620's. Also heard about some issues with the cords not being long enough from the bottom-mount Antec 900 to the mobo power, but cord extensions seem to be a cheap solution.
- Graphics manufacturer? Are Sapphire, Gigabyte, MSI, Asus all about the same? I recall from years ago Sapphire seemed to be the way to go.
- Ram: DDR2 v. DDR3, as well as brand name
- Mobo: Do I need an x48 board for this setup? Would the x38 do it just as well, or something else do it better/cheaper?
- Is there anything else I'm overlooking?
Again, many thanks in advance for your time and energy!
Cheers!
First post on here, though I was an avid reader several years ago and have just recently tried to catch back up on the technology. My 7 year old desktop (surprisingly still running without even a single hardware problem) is in dire need of an upgrade. I'm sure there are tons of these requests but if people have a few moments with thoughts I'd love to see what people think. Much appreciated in advance.
My budget is $2500 and I'm essentially starting anew. My old desktop has a 17" lcd that I might use as a second monitor, a very lightly used 300gb ata seagate that I'm thinking of bringing over just for archival storage, and a DVD-RW that I could use for a second optical drive. I've never built my own PC before (my most recent computer purchases have needed to be laptops), but I'm fairly tech-savvy even if I haven't looked at modern desktop technology in several years and I have a brother and friends who have built PCs recently that could help me get things up and running. I am looking for a computer for gaming; while I am not a bleeding-edge gamer, I would like something to keep me reasonably playable for several years to come. [I'm pretty tolerant of aging computers with new games - I have raided in WoW and played Vanguard and Oblivion at absolute bare minimum graphics and FPS that barely breaks 20 at max and will drop to middle single digits in heavy action... Essentially, as long as the game -runs- several years down the line. ;-)] It is 50/50 whether or not I will overclock - I never have before, but I've never had a system capable of it, so I'm willing to spend a little more to tweak components if it will give me the flexibility to do so.
Here's where I'm at after poking around for awhile:
- 24" widescreen HDMI monitor - not set on what brand name yet, but I'm expecting to spend $400-450 depending on what kind of a deal I can find
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
- Asus Rampage x48 MoBo
- Radeon HD4870
- Antec 900 case
- LG Super Multi Blu-ray burner
- Probably leaning 4gb DDR2-1066 ram since I've heard the DDR3 isn't worth the price
- Maybe $150 for a couple HD's - had good experiences with seagate but WD seems to have the best out at the moment?
I'm only looking at one 4870 for the moment, but making sure I have room to crossfire in a second one later on. Also, its okay if I pull up a little short from $2500 - I'm looking also at a G15 keyboard and either a G5 or MX revolution mouse, along with either the Belkin n52te (love my n52) or Saitek PZ31A.
Uncertainties:
- Power: How much power will I need? ATI certifies supplies from 700-1200W for 2x 4870's, but some testify they're running them on 620's. Also heard about some issues with the cords not being long enough from the bottom-mount Antec 900 to the mobo power, but cord extensions seem to be a cheap solution.
- Graphics manufacturer? Are Sapphire, Gigabyte, MSI, Asus all about the same? I recall from years ago Sapphire seemed to be the way to go.
- Ram: DDR2 v. DDR3, as well as brand name
- Mobo: Do I need an x48 board for this setup? Would the x38 do it just as well, or something else do it better/cheaper?
- Is there anything else I'm overlooking?
Again, many thanks in advance for your time and energy!
Cheers!
. I've had several friends buy very solid computers for just over $1000 (no monitor), so I was hoping to use the slightly deeper pocket due to my loan situation to make sure to get something that would be future-proof for a little while and easily upgradeable before components changed too much (like an open slot for another HD4870). In that vein, would it be worth it to look for a mobo that supports both DDR2 and DDR3?
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