Topic: What components are the best???

[cerebus]

Hey guys i'm tryin' to build a pc and this forum came up in a serach so i thought i'm try it.
Well the mane point i started this topic is because there are so many components to choose from, and i thought i'd ask some pros. well guys can you help me please!

[Simon]

Hi Cerebus, and  

It very much depends on what you want to spend, and what you want the PC mainly for.  For example, if you are a big gamer, you might want to spend a bit more on a higher spec graphics card than you might need if you were mainly using your PC for Internet, E-mail and office tasks.

Give us a clue as to what you want, and someone should be able to help you.  

[Dack]

Depends what you are after and what your budget is

Memory? Crucial is very good for the price, corsair and Mushkin have good reputation for overclockers.

Motherboard? Which processor do you want to support? Athlon? Pentium 4? Dual processors versions of athlon etc.

Graphics card? Are you looking for performance in a particular type of game or is image quality more of a requirement?

Etcetera Etcetera.

Thats why it's pretty much impossible to give a definitive answer as it comes down to the best component for the job you need.

e.g. I bought a wireless USB adapter so I could access the internet from my television. As the rest of my network is 11g then I got a 11G adapter made by DLink (a good company). Problem was the box I plugged it into didn't recognise the adaptor and, I later found out, has a very limited range of supported ones - I had to get a 11b version(shorter range and slower speed). Even though the adaptor was a better component than the one I had to get it wasn't right for what I actually needed.

[Tony]

plus it is down to how much money you want to spend, in so far as " How bigger bang do you get for your Buck"

For instance an AMD AthlonXP PR2500+ (RTL) Barton Ref: CPU1009
333FSB - Includes Cooler will cost you £59.07

Where as a AMD AthlonXP PR3000+ (RTL) Barton Ref: CPU1013
333FSB - Includes Cooler will cost you £110.45
 
In other words, for an increased gain of 20% CPU power, you will be paying an 87% increase in price. Would that cost saving be better spent on a better graphics card, or taking me down the pub for a few bevvies.


 

 

[cerebus]

Thanks! . I was planning for usingh it both internet and e-mail,games and downloading music.
I was wondering if AMD Athlon is better than pentium 4? I have a pretty rough plan of prices its just witch is best and witch is more reliable.
And another thing if i got a AMD Athlon processor would i need a AMD Athlon mother board to support it or just any thats compatible!

[ketamininja]

Here's my opinions:


If I had the money, I would get Penty, but AMD are pretty fast for what you probably want to do, and at a cheaper price. I've NEVER had a problem with either chip types.

I can't remember if this is AMD ATHLON XP vs INTEL PENT 4, but I think it is: Penty's have DOUBLE the cache. This means that if you compared two processors @ 3Ghz exactly, the penty can process twice the data that the AMD can in the same time - they are still processed at the same speed, just one has biger processing capacity.

Mainboard: These days I am happy with GIGABYTE mainboards. They have been doing me proud and got great support for when I requried. Of course, go for a MEDIUM grade board at least (ones that cost £70ish.. the £30ish ones aren't great). The good ol' names like Asus are now making boards for major overclocking etc... but you can find some nice ones still for everyday use.


Memory: Crucial yes, in fact any registered memory. I would also go for DDR 333 (make sure board supports) over 400 because of the cost/speed difference (it aint worth 400 IMO..). Also I would go for a better CL - 2.5 is normal DDR, try going for 2 for a better performace (will increase price).


Graphics: Well, I've been happy with my ATI 8500 for a while now. One day I'll have to upgrade, but this is perfect. I now prefer ATI over NVIDIA (various reasons, mainly company ethics). I would look at getting the same manufactured GFX board as MAINBOARD... it really doesn't matter but I like compatibility.


Sound: Onboard. What else do you really need? My onboard has 5.1, optical etc etc.


CD etc etc:  Well, DVD Writers are only £60 now.


I think thats all you need to know for now. Oh, the AMD BOXED CPU'S come with a heatsink and fan. These are usually crap if you are really stressing your system. Cooling is everything! Make sure your case has a lot of space if you are getting a BIG cpu.

[cerebus]

Well thnx for that .K. i think i'm gonna go for AMD and wich type of cache do you think is best
L1 built in chip OR L2 seperate chip???
(i personaly go for the L1 built in chip but then i don't know mutch)

[ketamininja]

L2 all the way lol