Quad Core or Dual Core

I would suggest a quad core....I running a Quad (Q6600 2.4GHZ) 64-bit system and it does wonders!

I also multitask and I have I never have an issue with slowup or lag. I also have 8GB DDR2 800MHZ that I do plan on upgrading to a 1200MHZ after I get another GPU for SLI and test some overclocking.

I only use my computer for photography, graphic design, 3DS MAX 9 & a little gaming. Also if you plan on dealing with rendering I would suggest running scratch disk, they help with performance. I have 2 500GB HDD setup as Raid 0 and 2 500 GB for boot/storage including an external 320GB HDD.

Hope this helps!

Q6600 and 800 MHZ ram.

The Q6600 isn't better in performance however its a great bang for the buck CPU. Also it overclocks very well and is very popular to those who wish to overclock. Since you don't seem to plan on overclocking I would advise either the Q6600 or the Q9400 as their price isn't that far apart. But in my opinion the Q9550 is just isn't worth it and is literally a few dollars away from the price of a new i7 920.

Definitely a candidate for a Quad Core processor. The recommendations given above are perfect IMO. And definitely go for 4GB of RAM. Whether it's 800Mhz or 1066Mhz really isn't going to matter to you. Only reason to go for 1066Mhz is for heavy overclocking anyhow. Even then, with the Q9400 or Q6600 it isn't really needed.

Get a Quad Core, and get 4GB of GOOD 800Mhz RAM. Use the money you save on the 800Mhz RAM to put into a graphics card or something else.

Even if you don't plan to play games, put a graphics card in your computer. Don't rely on the onboard video. Having that many tasks open, and switching between screens, can slow down a bit with integrated/onboard video.

Without overclocking this is the best bang for your buck.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Combo deal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.165048

Are you using 64bit OS?
Yes, use 2 of these kits. 8GB total
No, use 1 kit.....4GB total
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122

If price is not a problem, go for the Q9550 or Q9400.

If you're on a budget, AMD Phenom II X4 940 is the best bet.

ok. what graphics card would you recommend? I think i will get 4gig ram for now, and leave two slots, then in 2 years i can get another 16gig or something lol.
I'm gonna look at motherboards now!

I've never liked the motherboards that support both DDR2 and DDR3. Besides, with the FSB architecture, there are other bottlenecks before the memory is a problem anyways. I'd just get a DDR2 board, 2x2GB of DDR2-800, and not worry about it.

have a look at
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2155.html

before you head down the quad core path

I use:
cpu:
INTEL Core2Quad Q9450 2.66 GHz LGA775 12MB Cache
Model EU80569PJ067N
OC to 3.6666 (via ntune which is included on the drivers disk to the motherboard)
Rock stable (for 3 days now) with low temps, when stock-cooler is hastily removed and another

plased instead.
-
Motherbard:
GA-EP45-UD3
Only one pci express * 16, but dont need more.
-
Ram:
corsair ddr2 1066 5-5-5-15-2.1v. 2*2 gigabyte ram
Small cooler included.
-
Cpu-cooler:
Noctua NH-U12P
Soundless.
-
Case:
antec 900
The 4 fans included are still a little noisy when set to low.
But very cool case, inside too. Can take all of the biggest coolers and VGA cards.
-
Powersupply:
Corsair HX520W (modular, because not much space in the antec 900 for cords and the like)
More or less soundless.
-
Gpu:
VGA PCI-E 512 MB RADEON HD 4850 GAINWARD GOLDEN SAMPLE.
-
Harddisk:
WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640 GB with 32 mb cache.
Fast and nearly soundless
-
Os:
wista ultimate 64 bit
---
I can recommend the above mentioned system to people who use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, CaD and the

like.
"Multitasking" is not a problem! Photoshop cs3 is up, under 2 seconds...
-
This is a costly system, because I live in Denmark....
with naked icebears walking the streets ;-}
I started to get the stuff together last year, and finished/assempled 3 days ago.
-
As you, i was reading a lot in the forums.
Advices needed are given her.
Have happy days

Quad. Most benchmarks out there will show less FPS on a Duo using todays best GFX cards. For most high end GFX solutions (GTX 260 216 or higher), Duos are CPU limiting the rest of the system.

Unless not building a gaming rig, there is almost no point for a Duo now that Quads are less then $200.

hang on. so im not planning to overclock. still go for q6600 over a faster one?

Ok, I've been getting a lot of advice on these forums, and I've made some decisions.

I've chosen the following setup - can I have some constructive criticism/confirmation:

Q9550 with an Intel DP43TF board.
Coupled with 4 gigs of good ddr2 800
With a ATI Radeon HD 3850 512meg

Is this machine going to serve me well?

Chris

I've looked at I7s, and its gonna cost me £20 more for the processor, £50 more for the motherboard, and about another £30 for the Ram. That takes a pc thats scraping £600 up to £700. I'm not sure i can afford that.

Guys, he can afford a Q9550. Stop recommending the Q6600 over a clearly better chip.

Hi Silviajdm

I'm currently in search for a powerfull yet reasonably priced pc for me to use for rendering with 3dsmax 9 as my current pc is struggling. The specs you have for your pc are pretty impressive and i don't think i'll need quite as much hard disk space as you have, however I'm trying to find out what type of processor you have. I've been concidering getting a gaming pc with an amd phenom 64 quad core 9.2ghz. However i'm not sure if that will work with 3ds max.

If you don't mind contacting me by e-mail my e-mail address is: edmundis@hotmail.com.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!