And what about built-in versus non-builtin video and sound cards?
This depends entirely upon how the computer is going to be used. For a system that might be used for nothing besides browsing the Internet, picking up email, with limited multimedia demands, some users might be satisfied with onboard video. But for smooth game play, watching DivX and DVD movies, and working with graphic arts programs, in the main, onboard video is not the best choice. Perhaps an exception can be made of the nForce mainboards, which are based around a GeForce2 MX core. But even in that situation, you are looking at affordability ... not high-end performance.
Onboard video doesn't normally support high resolutions and refresh rates, so this isn't suitable for larger, powerful monitors with a high RAMDAC clock.
Here are some nForce links you might enjoy checking out:
<A HREF="http://www.xbitlabs.com/mainboards/nforce-1/" target="_new">NVIDIA nForce Chipset Review</A>
<A HREF="http://www.infosatellite.com/news/2002/03/h150302nvidia_nforce.html" target="_new">Nvidia introduces DDR333-based nForces</A>
<A HREF="http://www.digit-life.com/articles/roundupmobo/" target="_new">VIA KT333 Mainboards Roundup</A>
In the past, onboard audio was a bad idea. Most people still avoid purchasing mainboards with onboard audio, or disable it in the BIOS, and install a decent sound card. Basically, it just sounded bad, and had little support for more than two ordinary low-wattage desktop speakers. Onboard audio chips often caused conflicts with other PCI devices, and their usage was demanding on processor cycles. This could slow down the computer considerably if the CPU was not that fast to begin with. But there have been some improvements recently in this area, with some mainboards now shipping with chips like the C-Media 8738-MX, with DirectSound 3D, Aureal A3D, and SPDIF digital support. This is still not in the same ballpark as a PCI sound card, but it is a vast improvement over the audio chips offered in the past.
If sound is not really a major consideration for you, a chip like this might be sufficient for your needs. For general game play, and mated with a fairly good set of speakers, you'll get satisfactory results. But if you are willing to invest in a good set of computer speakers, or if you wish to hook up your stereo system to the computer, and great sound <i>is</i> an important feature, installing a PCI sound card is still the preferred method.
In my experience, those people who try to save money when ordering a new system by cutting back in the areas of audio, video and memory tend to be disappointed in their purchase within a few months, and find themselves in a position where they are upgrading much sooner than expected. For example, if I had a choice between buying a system with a 1GHz processor with onboard video and audio, or buying a system with an 850MHz processor with a GeForce2 card and a SoundBlaster Live! Value card ... and the prices between the two systems were comparable, I'd purchase the system with the slower processor.
Now some links for information about memory, with the first one right here at THG:
<A HREF="http://www17.tomshardware.com/mainboard/00q4/001030/index.html" target="_new">DDR-SDRAM Has Finally Arrived</A>
Another typical article:
<A HREF="http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=sdrvsddr&page=1&bhcp=1" target="_new">SDRAM vs. DDR SDRAM</A>
On a subject like this, running the questions through a standard search engine will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about DDR and the differences/advantages over SDRAM.
Personally, I don't think it's truly a relevant issue anymore. If you want to run a new system with a high-end AMD processor, you are going to need DDR. If you want to run a new Intel processor and want the best performance, stick with RDRAM. It's as simple as that. I suggest that you avoid buying a "new" computer that only supports SDRAM, or trying to cut costs by getting a Pentium 4 system mated with DDR.
As for identifying the RAM in a system, there are several ways to go about this. The easiest, IMHO, is to flip through the mainboard manual. If you don't have a printed copy, many manufacturers offer downloadable manuals online. Most mainboards have a brand name and model number silk-screened somewhere on the board, and this is also searchable.
If you need to physically identify the RAM, check out this link:
<A HREF="http://www.kingston.com/newtech/ddrvssdram.asp" target="_new">DDR vs SDRAM Modules</A>
The two notches in the SDRAM module are a dead giveaway.
On the software end of things, for hardware identification within the GUI, a program like <A HREF="http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html" target="_new">Belarc Advisor</A> can come in handy, as it will build a profile of your hardware and software and display it in a browser window. Another program that is useful for this purpose is <A HREF="http://www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/sandra/start.htm" target="_new">SiSoftware Sandra</A>.
Toejam31
<font color=red>First Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=17935" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Devastating Dalek Destroyer</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
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<font color=purple>"Some push the envelope. Some just lick it. And some can't find the flap."</font color=purple>
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