new pc

[ronin786]

Hello all
new member here.
Im thinking of building a new pc (no overclocking)
i was thinking of a gtx 280 with a quad core processor and 4 gb ram
but from what im reading im not sure about the processor. should i get dual core or quad
plus the gc what do u guys recommend.
i also dont knwo anything about motherboards, so around how much do you think i should spend ona motherboard??
any recommendations???
any help is appreciated thanks a bunch

p.s. my budget is betwen 1200-1500 $

 

[o1die]

For non sli, alot of p45 boards will work fine for you, especially if not overclocking. I use asrock, and they work fine. Several brands have rebates right now at newegg. If you get a high end graphics card, set aside $100 for the power supply. Right now, Fry's stores has the antec 650w ps for only $54, a great price. Corsair, enermax, seasonic, and pc power and cooling are also excellent ps. For the cpu, the e8400 and 9550 will both work fine. The q6600 is still a great cpu, especially when overclocked.

 

[ronin786]

thanks for the quick reply.
so you would recommend a dual core over quad core???
plus what are your thoughts on the GC??? is the bang for teh buck good enough or should i wait a bit for a new line?

 

[o1die]

Any of the dual or quad cores will work fine for gaming. The e8400 is a good value, but for $50 more, you can get some 9xxx quad cores. Avoid the 8200 "low end" quad core; it has a low multiplier and doesn't overclock as well as some others. As far as graphics cards go, I'm not a gamer. I would just set a budget that is reasonable; anything brand new will be overpriced for awhile. I like closeout deals. List your favorite games, and ask around about graphics cards that run them well.

 

[Peaks]

In terms of Nvidia graphics cards it generally goes that anything with a 500 or 600 in (8500 GT, 8600 GT, 8600 GTX) are seen to be mid range. Anything with a 700 or an 800 in (GeForce 8800 GT, GeForce 8800 GTX) are seen to be high end cards. Also don't forget the amount of graphics memory they have. 512MB seems to be a good standard, anything less i personally wouldn't go for, anything more you are probably gonna have to pay big bucks for. Afraid i don't know much about ATI cards.

In terms of mobo's i say get p45 if your not interested in SLI or crossfire and x48 if you are. These chipsets are the next generation of Intel chips (improved on the p35/x38). Try to avoid anything with a 'G' or a 'Q' in the name...means it has integrated graphics...not good!

 

[ronin786]

thanks for the comments.
well i was looking at this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500053
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209
It comes to around 1250 with psu hd and dvd drive.
my biggest concern is the motherboard. how good is the nvidia chipset?? should i stick with intel?

 

[Peaks]

Its a good chipset. Not sure about it ocing ability but it supports SLI so its great with the gpu that you want.

In terms of the GPU tho this is considered the best on the market:

Asus ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2048MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

But it does all depend on the games that you want to play. For example Crysis will run better on the GeForce GTX 280 because it was developed with Nvidia in mind. Its all a marketing ploy!

 

[Peaks]

oops i accidentally posted my reply before i had finished...i sometimes get a little click-happy with my mouse lol!

I was gonna say:

The good thing about the ATI card is that it is technically two cards in one, so there is no need for crossfire. This therefore opens up your options in terms of motherboards. If you want the ATI card, or a similar ATI card i suggest a mobo with a intel p45 chip. If you want to go for your original Nvidia card, the mobo you have selected and the chipset are fine