Buying a NEW Computer, NEED HELP TO CHOOSE

[moneyb]

well i plan to buy a computer within this week or next and i don't know much about computers...lol...well i do abit, but pretty much the basic stuff...im looking to buy a 3.2GHz or 3.6GHz computer with 1GB of DDR RAM, maybe 100+ GB HDD...i want to put the CPU on a ASUS Motherboard cause ive never had a problem with them yet and they seem to be the best in the market....i just want help with parts, like some companies have crap stuff compaired to others...i want a computer thats Gaming/Performance...so please any help would be great.

[Drthorne]

you gonna buy the parts and build it yourself?

[moneyb]

no, i will be going to a store to pick what i want so they can build it for me

[networkguy]

Well you already are choosing an Asus MB, good choice IMO. When it comes down to the other parts, lets say with HD, I have never found much of a difference in quality between Maxtor, WD or Seagate. Video cards are another story, unless you stick to a real ATI or Nvidia card, otherwise there are many other companies who make them too, but for slightly less money. Power supply is important, size it to your needs and how many HD's and optical drives as well as fans you are going to have in your system. Optical drives are another choice, I personally like NEC, but search the web and read reviews.

NG

[Ziggurat]

What price range are you looking at? Once we know this it'll be easier to suggest specific parts.

[lbjgh]

If gaming is your bag you should get an Athlon64.

Asus A8N-SLI - $176
AMD 3700+ - $339
OCZ EL PLATINUM REV.2 - $232
Video Card ? budget.


... snip ...i want a computer thats Gaming/Performance...so please any help would be great.

[AMD]

...im looking to buy a 3.2GHz or 3.6GHz computer...

I hope that your computer will be in a basement or that you have air conditioning - if not, be prepared for either a noisy system or one which overheats. The only processors around that range put off 100W+ worth of heat and require additional case cooling to operate within Intel's specifications.

If you aren't into video encoding or multi-tasking, I suggest going for an Athlon 64 chip - in addition to being cheaper, they consume less energy and throttle down when idling.

Other than that, the other major components are just as important as the processor. Ram certainty helps things, but if I had to choose between an additional 512Mb or a better video card, I would take the better video card any day. Your average mid range to high end system doesn't need 1Gb of memory to perform well; 512Mb is standard right now. (and I'm perfectly happy with 256)

Regarding motherboards - pay special attention to chipsets and do plenty of research. Asus and every other manufacturer out there has put out bad boards.

[Athlon2600Plus]

Well this is just my opinion here so not sure if it counts for much but I myself prefer the Amd processors, especially for gaming ...

[moneyb]

well i called the guy that usually builds my computers....and he offered a AMD Athlon 64 3000+ with 512DDR RAM, 160GB HDD, WinXP Home & DVD-Burner for $799+taxs...does that seem alright??? and what would a 3000+ convert to in GHz?? :S...thanx again for all the replies...being really helpfull

[lbjgh]

You'd have to list the hardware to know if the price is ok.

3000+ Socket 939 is 1.8ghz but most can clock to 2.5 with stock cooling.

[AMD]

The 3000+ is comparable to a P4 E 3Ghz give or take, according to benchmarks.

Of course, it depends on what you're doing; encoding, multi-tasking and content creation tend to be slightly faster on Intel chips, while the Athlon 64s are excellent (a little bit quicker in comparison) for gaming, office applications, and general use.

[jessomine]

I may have come in a little late on this thread. I just ordered a new 'puter and was advised to NOT get a Maxtor hard drive as although they replace with little struggle, they poop out more often. I had one go on me and my friend who looks after several computers in the office has had four replaced. My new system is coming with a Western Digital.