Post your system specs!

[Stereo]

Alright, so I have the 2 other ones left.

Idea2: ECS P45T-A Motherboard
ATI Radeon 4850
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
DDR2 800 4GB Memory

Idea3: ECS P45T-A Motherboard
ATI Radeon 4850
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
DDR2 800 4GB Memory

I'm considering the Q9550 because it won't be outdated as soon as the Duo will.

[Pabl0z]

Well if your dad is paying, of course get the Q9550.
The pricetag is really different, they don't really compare.

But if I was gonna buy a gaming system right now, I'd still go for a duo.
I think in a couple of years time you still won't get the advantage from the two extra cores and when 4 cores in games finally get useful your Q9550 won't be powerful enough anymore.

I got an AMD 64 X2 processor a little over 2,5 years ago (when most people were still buying single cored cpu's) because I thought I'd buy it for the near future when games are gonna start taking advantage of the dual core technology.. but dual cores are really just now starting to be useful and my 4200+ processor isn't really that powerful anymore .

Next time I'm just gonna buy a "budget" pc like I used to do before, because that way I'll end up losing less money.
My current pc cost 1300€ when I bought it (that doesn't include any software or monitor and whatnot) and it's now maybe worth 250-300€..
The pc before that cost me around 400-450€ and I sold it for 250€ a couple of years later and I could've probably gotten more for it .


Edit:
And if you're getting a mobo with crossfire you might want to consider getting two HD4670's instead of the HD4850.
HD4670's in crossfire have had a slight advantage over a single 4850 in several tests.
The price would be about the same.

[S2000_Skyline12]

Games like Flight Simulator X and Crysis already utilize multiple cores like quads. And plus, if you do editing, and multitasking like Photoshop, lots of Firefox/IE/Opera/Chrome tabs open and some other things, the Quad would be good.

Why would you get 2 cards that just add up to one? And with OCing on the 4850, it's already surpassed. So 2x4670s is just taking up space for no reason. 2x4850, now that is a good crossfire combo.

Also. Just to drive the point that the 2x4670 is just a waste, The 4850X2 is soon to come, so that'll be another thing to think about. Another thing. Two somewhat lowends, just to get a tiny bit above a midranged lined card? Dunno about you but it seems a bit stupid. Might as well get the HISQ 4850, the or the Sapphire Toxic 4850 and be happy.

If you ever look at the 4870s, the Diamond XOC would be a good one to look at. 4870X2? VisionTek cause of they're lifetime warranty.

[Pabl0z]

Games like Flight Simulator X and Crysis already utilize multiple cores like quads. And plus, if you do editing, and multitasking like Photoshop, lots of Firefox/IE/Opera/Chrome tabs open and some other things, the Quad would be good.

Why would you get 2 cards that just add up to one? And with OCing on the 4850, it's already surpassed. So 2x4670s is just taking up space for no reason. 2x4850, now that is a good crossfire combo.

Also. Just to drive the point that the 2x4670 is just a waste, The 4850X2 is soon to come, so that'll be another thing to think about. Another thing. Two somewhat lowends, just to get a tiny bit above a midranged lined card? Dunno about you but it seems a bit stupid. Might as well get the HISQ 4850, the or the Sapphire Toxic 4850 and be happy.

If you ever look at the 4870s, the Diamond XOC would be a good one to look at. 4870X2? VisionTek cause of they're lifetime warranty.

I was talking purely about gaming. I said nothing about editing and whatnot.
Of course in that situation a quad would be a good choice.
But Crysis being almost the only game taking advantage of the extra cores it still doesn't run that much better with a quad core than with a duo core in the same pricerange.
You pretty much only get an advantage in the medium resolutions.
So if you're into editing and want to get the best fps out of crysis on your 19-22" screen then yeah quad is a better choice, but for almost any other game, you get a similar or even better advantage with the duo in the same pricerange.
But as far as Q9550 vs E8400, of course go with the Q9550 in any case if your dad is paying (Q9550 being about 60% more expensive).

And.. No the two 4670's don't just "add up to one 4850", they surpass it on most games by about 5-10%.
It's not much but I don't see it as a bad option if don't have any plans on getting another 4850 in the future.
The second pci-e slot would be useless.
And what's to stop you from OCing the 4670's?
And the 4850X2 is gonna be in a whole other price range again so no need to bring that up to the discussion.

[S2000_Skyline12]

Yeah, but then again, He said his father was paying for it. Plus, seriously. If he's going to have a multicard setup, shouldn't he have 2 cards that addup to a high end performer, not 2 low ends to a midrange? :/ And plus, 2 4670 outperforms one HD4850. But 2 4850s outperform a GTX280.

Source: http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?optio ... &Itemid=34


Dunno about you but I'm thinking since he has a fairly large monitor, he'd want 2 cards preforming like a high end opposed to 2 cards preforming just 5-10% above a midrange. Plus. OCing the 4670s would OC together, so it would be the equivalent of OCing a 4850, only with the 5-10% increase, which isn't that much.

All i'm saying is, telling him to XFire 2 low end cards is like me telling you to SLi 2 8600GTs just to get 86GTS performance. It's stupid and you might as well get a 8600GTS so then you can potentially SLi those and get way greater performance than a 86GT SLi setup.

Edit: He has a 24" Acer. That's 1920 res. It would be better to get one 4850 and later XFire for performance that's greater than nVidia's high end single card solution which is the GTX280.

This would be a good system.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (E0 Stepping), E8600 or Q9550
Corsair Dominator 4GB DDR2 800 (2GB DDR2 800 if in XP/3GB DDR2 800 if in Vista x32/4GB DDR2 800 if in Vista x64)
DFI DK LanParty P45 T2RS Plus
2x4850 (or 1x4850 for later XFire)


Also. I'm looking on newegg and I see the best one (HISQ) in stock for 100 bucks. That's 200 bucks opposed to 170 for a 4850.

[Carcrazy]

Kinda' chiming in late, since y'all moved to graphics card, but as an owner of Single, Dual, and Quad Core PCs, I figured I should join in. If you're going to be purely gaming, as Pabl0z said, you're going to be much happier with a Dual Core... Faster clocks out-of-the-box, more support with other hardware, etc...

However, if you're going to be like me and constantly muti-tasking between things like iTunes, FireFox, MS Office Applications, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc... the Quad should fit you more. You have plenty of Multi-tasking power, can better run high-end games like Crysis and simulation games, and also have plenty of Overclocking ability to match the speeds you'd get with a stock Dual-Core, depending on your motherboard's chipset. (DON'T GET AN OLD ONE, FOR CHRIST SAKES I CAN'T TAKE MINE PAST 2.8GHZ!!! )
My motherboard has an old X975 chipset, so I kinda' brought this on myself. Your P45 should be able to take you to 4Ghz and beyond if you want to get into some major cooling. Get a decent cooler such as the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme (or TRUE,) and you'll easily be able to meet or break 3.5 on air. (Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping, BTW)

(However, since I'm having to use the 1.6Ghz Dual Core on my laptop because of a BIOS issue on my desktop, I'm really starting to miss my 2.8Ghz Quad Core...)
Just to show, you will get addicted to a Quad's speed in multi-tasking quickly lol.

Anyway... just a thought for you, your choice should depend totally on your needs. Like Pabl0z said, a quad isn't really going to be as future-proof as you think.

[Stereo]

I do multitask and we were gonna order a Thermalright cooler too. He's thinking of waiting for the E0 stepping Q9550 to come out.

EDIT: I'm thinking of not waiting because it's only for overclocking, and he's not really into overclocking anything. He says there will be a major temp difference and yada yada yada. People are fine with he C1 stepping. He says he'll probably take it for himself someday but I don't see the point in E0 stepping if we're not gonna overclock it. O_o

[PcBuilder14]

These are my specs.

I've got a mid-atx case with bue lights
A motherboard that I need to replace because it only has 1 AGP, 3 PCI's, and 2 DDR slots and only supports 2 gb.
A 3.06 ghz Pentium 3
I've got a 512mb ATI In the AGP slot
Only 1 1/2 gb on memory
80 gb hard drive
XP Profesional Service Pack 3
17' CRT
CD/DVD Burner
I love my Speaker setup! All it is is a 3 speaker system but it shakes the whole foundation in the house!!!


What I Need, Or Want:

A new Motherboard/CPU Bundle with DDR 2 and PCI Express slots
And I plan on buying a 1 GB video card that's only $50!

[boganbusman]

And I plan on buying a 1 GB video card that's only $50!

Don't.

[baumaxx1]

Yeah, seriously... you'd be better off with an 8600GT 512mb... coz 1gb for $50 is likely to suck... like, yeah, I had a 256mb 760)GT, and ran oblivion high, but friends got a 512mb 7100, and it really didn't need the memory at all because it wasn't fast enough to use it for anything useful.

[PcBuilder14]

Well it's originally I think $170 on other websites. But this is a long way down the road and when I do I would do some research on a video card before I buy. Because right now my computer gets glitchy playin Battlefield 2! But I think that's just because I only have 1 1/2 gb of memory. When I get a new mother board I'm going to make sure that I can upgrade to at least 6 gb. Because 4 gb is the average in when you buy a computer from Best Buy or somewhere.

[PSZeTa]

Serious overkill.

[baumaxx1]

Well it's originally I think $170 on other websites. But this is a long way down the road and when I do I would do some research on a video card before I buy. Because right now my computer gets glitchy playin Battlefield 2! But I think that's just because I only have 1 1/2 gb of memory. When I get a new mother board I'm going to make sure that I can upgrade to at least 6 gb. Because 4 gb is the average in when you buy a computer from Best Buy or somewhere.

You seriously have no idea mate... 6gb of ram is retarded... A. It requires 3 ram slots, and that will slow it down... 4gb is fantastic, 2 is plenty even. You have what... 1.5gb of RAM ATM? Battlefield 2 lags... most likely video card, processor contributes to lag, or some other bug/issue or even a virus if you're over recommended specs. Battlefield 2 is smooth on 1gb of ram, a decent Pentium 4 and I think it wanted a 6600GT from memory... but it's most likely your GFX car... 256mb is ok for it too, you need a fast card, it's not all about memory. My 1gb RAM, 3.2Ghz P4 and 256mb 7600GT system did fine.

So advice, get a decent mobo, try and find a PCIE 2.0 one, Q6600 + or equivalent E series depending on budget, 2GB RAM or more depending on your budget, and the $170 is approaching 512mb 9600 -> 4850 territory. 1gb for $170 is not a goof thing in GFX, usually = slow card... unless you're going to the $400s.

2gb is the norm. Like my system $350, E2180 (not even a duo, just dual core), 2GB RAM, 512mb 8600GT and I run Crysis @ 1152x876 @ high except for shadows, shaders and water. Should run Battlefield 2 close to full as it;s not a new game.

[vellu]

Well it's originally I think $170 on other websites. But this is a long way down the road and when I do I would do some research on a video card before I buy. Because right now my computer gets glitchy playin Battlefield 2! But I think that's just because I only have 1 1/2 gb of memory. When I get a new mother board I'm going to make sure that I can upgrade to at least 6 gb. Because 4 gb is the average in when you buy a computer from Best Buy or somewhere.

You seriously have no idea mate... 6gb of ram is retarded... A. It requires 3 ram slots, and that will slow it down... 4gb is fantastic, 2 is plenty even.

Not to mention the fact that you'd need a 64bit OS to even use 6GB's of RAM. A 32bit OS max is at 4 GB, and from that you'd have deduct 1GB for your (equally not so good choice) gfx card. Leaving only 3GB's of accessible RAM.

Various devices in a typical computer require memory-mapped access. This is known as memory-mapped I/O (MMIO). For the MMIO space to be available to 32-bit operating systems, the MMIO space must reside within the first 4 GB of address space.

For example, if you have a video card that has 256 MB of onboard memory, that memory must be mapped within the first 4 GB of address space. If 4 GB of system memory is already installed, part of that address space must be reserved by the graphics memory mapping. Graphics memory mapping overwrites a part of the system memory. These conditions reduce the total amount of system memory that is available to the operating system.

The reduction in available system memory depends on the devices that are installed in the computer. That includes other devices aswell, not just your video card though that is typically the one with the highest amount of installed memory.

[baumaxx1]

About 64 bit OS... are they working properly yet? Or are there still all sorts of compatibility issues?

[t3ice]

Ive been using it for about a month n a half, and i found no issues so far.. all games seem to work great, as do programs. Most of my components have 64 bit drivers. The only confounded thing is that there are no 64 bit drivers for my Camera.. :,( ... On a 32bit machine it shows up as a mass usb device, but on the 64bit ..it doesn't seem to work that way.

[PcBuilder14]

Well the reason I want to get such high amount of memory, is so I don't have to upgrade for a long time. Plus. whenever you buy a gaming computer from Best Buy or something they come with at least 4 gb, so 6 isn't to much overkill when you think about it.

[Carcrazy]

No, it really is... that 4GB is really overkill. I'm thinking of upgrading my desktop to 4GB, but only for the fact that I like to use Virtual Consoles/PC's.

[PcBuilder14]

Here's everything I plan on getting

A EVGA GeForce 8500 GT Video Card - 1GB GDDR2, PCI Express, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) DVI, VGA, HDTV

2 OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Memory

A Masscool 8W553 / Socket 775 / Aluminum / CPU Cooling Fan

And a ECS P4M900T-M2 Motherboard CPU Bundle - Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200 Processor 1.6GHz OEM

All for under $200 at my favorite computer website, TIGERDIRECT.com!

[t3ice]

i wouldnt spend just $200 on a single graphics card, and youre buying a whole PC...wow. Imo, u should set aside a bit more for a decent PC

But considering the things u're planning on buying, thats one heck a cheap price.

[baumaxx1]

Here's everything I plan on getting

A EVGA GeForce 8500 GT Video Card - 1GB GDDR2, PCI Express, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) DVI, VGA, HDTV

2 OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Memory

A Masscool 8W553 / Socket 775 / Aluminum / CPU Cooling Fan

And a ECS P4M900T-M2 Motherboard CPU Bundle - Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200 Processor 1.6GHz OEM

All for under $200 at my favorite computer website, TIGERDIRECT.com!

GFX- 8500GT = Don't, get a 512mb 8600GT, will perform better. Faster is important for gaming. 1Gb is just necessary for a weak card like an 8500. 8600GT is under $60 AUD.
Ram is good
Stock CPU fans aren't too bad, but if you want to overclock, a better one isn't a bad idea.
The CPU... Go at least an E2180 and you can overclock that nicely. Celeron is not great.

I'd spend more if you can, because that won't be to flash for gaming.

I got:
512mb 8600GT Leadtek (go cheaper brands if u want to save, but got a good deal here)
2gb RAM
E2180 dual core 1.8ghz x2
Gigabyte M-ATX Mobo
all less than $300. Runs Oblivion on high @ 1280x1024, Crysis on medium at that res, Prostreet on max apart fro manti aliasing. Counter Strike SOurce maxxed.

[S2000_Skyline12]

What you really need to do is get a 8800GT, 9600GT or 8800GTS G92 from evga b-stock. 8600GT isn't that good, considering if you play in resolutions higher than 1280, and even then, it's not that good (I already had one for 4 months and I quickly changed to a 9600GT which is a HUGE step from the 8600GT. I recently changed to a 8800GTS G92 but you get what i'm saying). Lower reses are fine but otherwise, go for a more powerful card. And getting a E2180 wouldn't be smart either. E5200s are out, but even then I wouldn't suggest it. Core 2 Duo is right on for gaming, where then I would suggest a E7200. Gets to 4GHz and is a 45nm cpu giving it a higher thermal maximum. And never get a OEM processor. You'd never know if it was used, abused and it has a shotty warranty.

I would suggest a system like this.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200
2GB G.Skill or Corsair XMS DDR2 800 (A member here, Carcrazy recently had some OCZ ram crap out on him, so I wouldn't suggest it.)
nVidia choices: eVga 8800GT AKIMBO (Because of the dual slot cooling) or eVga 8800GTS G92
ATi choices: HD4850 or HD4870 XOC Edition
OCZ Vendetta 2 (very good cooler)
eVga 780i Ultra ATX mobo
if going for XFire then: DFI X48 LanParty Dark mobo
OS: Vista Ultimate x64 (So you can upgrade to 4GB if you'd like)

This system would be set for gaming, for a while. And you would have 4GB as a option to upgade to. It isn't overkill for vista mainly cause vista properly allocates the ram, and you would have pretty much the smoothest experience possible on Vista. Also, games like Crysis Warhead "say" 2GB is recommended, but it will eat that 2GB like a light snack. So 4GB would be good to use, especially if you're a high res gamer, going into reses 1650 and higher.

Though. if you're 1920 res gaming, a 4870, GTX280 or 4870X2 would be highly suggested.

[Stereo]

I'd choose a Thermalright cooler over any other cooler any day.

[PcBuilder14]

I know I'm iffy on the video card, but all of the other stuff is what I will get for sure. I wish that they made motherboards that held bot AGP and PCI Express so I don't have to get rid of my Radeon 512mb video card. That thing is awesome. It can run halo 2 on all high and never have a glitch.

[PcBuilder14]

Would this be a good one to get?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=1826