Getting a new computer. Need advice.

[MrGiggles]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Damn it D:

But I mean it's technically the best I can get right now, yes? Is there any crucial piece of hardware that completely blows this one out of the water? (graphics, processor, mobo, etc)

None that are suitable for gaming, as far as I know.

But still, I strongly suggest you purchase a weaker computer and upgrade a few parts every other year or so. In the long run, you'll save a lot of money. Even if it isn't your money, it would put less strain on your mom's wallet.

That is what I worry about too -- buying the wrong parts together and having some kind of heating issues.

This is hard to **** up. Most components only require the slightest amount of compatibility checking . Mobos and cases are easy to match together since most consumer cases and mobos have the ATX form factor, and mobos and processors aren't much harder, since they generally advertise what processors they're compatible with very clearly. Video cards and mobos is also easy, since some cards (not a lot I think) use AGP, but almost all cards use PCI-e now. You just have to make sure your mobo has enough PCI-e slots for the amount of cards you want.

Hard drives are compatible with everything really, so are sticks of RAM and disc drives.

That leaves the PSU, which is actually a bit tedious. You have to make sure there are enough connectors of each type required to run the mobo, graphics card, hard drives, fans, and disc drives. Modular PSU's let you remove and add cables as you need them, while normal PSU's require you to store extras in the case somewhere and you have to make sure you have more than enough.

Heating issues, on the other hand....

[ninjaKIWI]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

I would also probably suggest buying something weaker and gradually upgrading it, you could probably save nearly $1000, at nearly no cost performance-wise, since nothing really requires something as powerful as the GeForce GTX 295. Maybe instead get two BFG GeForce 9800 GT's, and an i7 920 Processor, like I said earlier mobo's I don't have much of an opinion on.

But like above, you have to pay special attention to a PSU, since you have to make sure it provides enough power to support everything AND that it has the right connectors, there's no such thing as too many of each connector.

I remember when I had some big troubles with heating, I had to 'carefully cut' my case and put another fan in. Hasn't ever been cooler

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention. The GPU you require depends heavily on your monitor, because the higher the resolution, the more stress it'll put on the card.
Hmm, maybe a nicer processor than the 920 would be good... I second-guess myself a lot.

[MrGiggles]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Would that just be majorly overkill, though?

Just one 295 is overkill rofl.

I've got a single 260 and I have absolutely no problems running Fallout 3 on Ultra High settings. I don't have Crysis so I can't speak for that game.

I remember when I had some big troubles with heating, I had to 'carefully cut' my case and put another fan in. Hasn't ever been cooler

Purchasing cases is a huge pain for first time builders especially because you have no idea what to look for. I purchased a CoolerMaster Centurion 5 or something like that and ended up out $50 because it was too small to fit my processor heatsink. I ended up buying an antec P182 after having like 30 people recommend it to me in /g/ and it just BARELY fit everything inside. It's also a very quiet case and reasonably cool.

The GPU you require depends heavily on your monitor, because the higher the resolution, the more stress it'll put on the card.

oh **** good point I totally forgot about this.

In general, high end cards are useless if your monitor is smaller than about 22-23 inches. Smaller monitors have a lower maximum resolution, and a 295 will likely never reach full load on anything less than 28.

[ninjaKIWI]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

I was going to buy a Centurion 5, but then my friend recommended the Cooler Master HAF 932 to me and I bought that instead, to this day I have no idea how everything fits in that case.

[MrRubix]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Well my mom gave the Cyberpower PC the thumbs up, and she's going to order it sometime very soon, so I am hoping I made a decent decision.

She said not to worry about the money issues -- she was assuming it was going to cost a lot more than that haha.

Thing is I am not yet hardware-savvy enough yet to start buying more pieces here and then over the years, and I will probably have to change this sometime soon, but I just want something that's going to last me a long time.

[ninjaKIWI]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

That Cyberpower PC will probably be one of the best pre-made computers you could buy at the time, it'll last you quite a while. It also comes with a free upg to W7 so *Thumbs up

Hope it works out well for you.

[MrRubix]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Thanks for all the advice, guys

"Maybe instead get two BFG GeForce 9800 GT's, and an i7 920 Processor, like I said earlier mobo's I don't have much of an opinion on."

Is this purely for cost effiency? Like this will run stuff just fine for now, and I can upgrade to something better later which will last me until time T for cumulative cost C, versus the notion that I could buy one card now that'll last me until T for some cost>C?

[MrGiggles]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Thanks for all the advice, guys

"Maybe instead get two BFG GeForce 9800 GT's, and an i7 920 Processor, like I said earlier mobo's I don't have much of an opinion on."

Is this purely for cost effiency? Like this will run stuff just fine for now, and I can upgrade to something better later which will last me until time T for cumulative cost C, versus the notion that I could buy one card now that'll last me until T for some cost>C?

It's probably about the same, to be honest.

[PsYcHoZeRoSk8eR]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Well my mom gave the Cyberpower PC the thumbs up, and she's going to order it sometime very soon, so I am hoping I made a decent decision.

That's pretty cool. Way back when, I got my PC from Cyberpower and I couldn't be happier with it. Now, I'm pretty sure that you're not getting it directly from them, as I have only briefly checked the links and thread, but you're still getting their setup.

[MrRubix]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Yeah, I am getting it from Newegg, but I presume it's more or less the same sort of build/setup.

I'm really excited :X

[Solid Dreams]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Hey get her to buy me one too =D

I just got my first video card and it's a 9800 GT, but my mobo doesn't have a pci 2.0 slot.

Bluh, gonna have to buy a mobo and figure out how to get the blasted video card out now :P

[MrRubix]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Solid Dreams: Haha, have you seen The Reactor computer?

Posting the specs for easy access, here. Would like additional thoughts/opinions!



General Spec
Brand CyberpowerPC
Model Gamer Xtreme 1010
Recommended Usage Gaming
Processor Intel Core i7 950(3.06GHz)
Processor Main Features 64 bit Quad-Core Processor
Memory 12GB (6x2GB) DDR3 Tri Channel Memory
Hard Drive 2TB (2 x 1TB) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM HDD
Optical Drive 1 BluRay Player Combo Drive
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 1792MB PCI Express Video Card
Audio Sound card - Integrated
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Power Supply 800W
Keyboard Xtreme Gear USB Keyboard
Mouse Xtreme Gear USB Mouse
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Free upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7
Special Features NZXT Beta Gaming Case

Motherboard
Chipset Intel X58

CPU
CPU Type Intel Core i7
Installed Qty 1
CPU Speed 950(3.06GHz)
L2 Cache Per CPU 4 x 256KB
L3 Cache Per CPU 8MB
CPU Socket Type LGA 1366
CPU Main Features 64 bit Quad-Core Processor

Graphics
GPU/VPU Type NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295
Graphics Interface PCI Express x16

Memory
Memory Capacity 12GB DDR3
Memory Spec 2GB x 6

Hard Drive
HDD Capacity 2TB
HDD Interface SATA II
HDD RPM 7200rpm
HDD Spec 2 x 1TB

Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type BD Combo
Optical Drive Spec BluRay Player Combo Drive

Audio
Audio Chipset Integrated

Communications
LAN Chipset Integrated
LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps

Front Panel Ports
Front USB 2

Back Panel Ports
PS/2 2
Rear USB 6
RJ45 1 port
S/P DIF 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out

Expansion
PCI Slots (Available/Total) 3 x PCI Express x16
1 x PCI Express x1
2 x PCI

Mouse
Mouse Type USB Mouse

Keyboard
Keyboard Type USB Keyboard

Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 1 year limited
Labor 1 year limited

[MrGiggles]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Post your 3DMark score when you receive the computer. I'm curious.

[MrRubix]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

Will do.

Is there anything currently much better than the Intel Core i7 950(3.06GHz), or the Memory 12GB (6x2GB) DDR3 Tri Channel Memory, or the Hard Drive 2TB (2 x 1TB) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM HDD?

The processor seems solid but I am just curious. 12 GB RAM seems like quite a bit (my current laptop is 1 GB ram) and I don't know if something like 16 GB RAM is available or if that is even worth getting. The hard drives seem to have a TON of space, which is GREAT (my current laptop only came with like 120 GB of space... having +2000 GB sounds amazing). Not sure how good 7200 RPM is compared to what's out there.

[Nightfirecat]

Re: Getting a new computer. Need advice.

7200 RPM is the standard for desktops. You can get 10k RPM now, but they come in much smaller sizes. It's usually not worth it unless you need the faster read/write speed - most people don't.

As for the RAM, it is a lot of RAM, but it means that you can multitask like fuc... Yeah.
It's basically top-of-the-line parts only, so it's basically the best thing you'll find out there, besides SLI'ing, or getting a motherboard with 2 processor slots, or whatever.