Getting a new (gaming) pc

Technology and Gaming
#1

So, i’m finally getting a new pc, and i want this to be good. Last year i get one together, but i don’t know if it’s still the best choice right now. Here are the specs:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP35 DS3L $89,99
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo $199,99 3,0 GHz
RAM: Patriot Extreme dual channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz $104,99
Videocard: ATI Radeon HD4870 512MB memory $309,99
CD/DVD Reader/burner: Samsung SH-S203D $34,99
HDD : Western digital Caviar SE16 500GB $79,99
Soundcard: Diamond Xtreme sound XS71DDL $29,99
OS: Microsoft Vista home basic 64-bit $98,99
Power supply: PC power & cooling Quad PCI-Express SATA-Ready 750W $159,99
Case: Gigabyte 3D Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB $101,24

Note that these are the old prices i got last year, the price may be lower, or the item may not longer be sold.

What i really need to know is what’s best today. Will this setup last me long enough, or is it better to get another one?
Here’s a few games and programs i intend to use:
-crysis, crysis warhead
-HL series
-cnc3: tiberium wars + kane’s wrath
-Hammer editor (source and goldsource version)
-3ds max
-photoshop
-Black mesa (when it’s done!)

I also need to know wether it’s better to use windows xp/win7 beta until win7 is released, or get vista. I heard good things about win7, better than vista, so i’m leaning towards getting win7.

I also need to make sure the cooling is enough, i don’t want it overheating all the time.

EDIT: fixed that smiley D:

#2

win7 definitely is a good thing, but i don’t recommend you to set anything up before the first service pack comes out.
or even wait until the release.

ps:

that was nice ¦))

#3

buy a quadcore not dualcore

#4

No. Duals are better for games.

#5

no, they aren’t…

#6

they were. now they aren’t. the new ones.

#7

This thread should be closed.

The replies so far show why.

#8

Not a ton of games are optimized for quad core, you’re better off getting a dual core at a higher clock then a quad core with a slower clock, because fewer applications take advantage of the 3 additional cores. I’d go with dual because there are still lots of older applications I use that won’t take advantage of 4, but maybe in a couple years, when everything supports quad core, I’ll move over.

Windows 7 is a good option, but it’s still not finished yet, so when you do upgrade to the final version, chances are you’ll have to back up everything and move over which can be a hassle. But then again, so will any other operating system, so, whatever floats your boat.

#9

I’ve got another setup:

Case: Coolermaster RC690 $79.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P $134.99
Processor: Intel E8500 Wolfdale $189.99
Ram: Corsair 4gb (2x2gb) ddr2 800 pc6400 $46.99
CPU Cooler: Zalman 9700 $49.99
Power Supply: Corsair 850TX $149.99
Video Card: Sapphire HD4870 1 gb $189.99
Hard Drive: Seagate 640gb $69.99
DVD Burner: Asus Black $28.99
Blu-ray reader: BC-06B1ST (among other things) $119.99
Operating System: Vista Home Premium 32 $99.99

I’ll probably just go with Vista, it’s safer than win7 at this point.

#10

According to Microsoft the final version of Windows 7 cannot be applied on top of the Release Candidate. Therefore, you have to do a clean install. I would just stick with Vista unless you’re a big tech enthusiast. Drivers are not guaranteed to work in Windows 7 and Anti-virus support is pretty week.

#11

What about xp?

#12

I thought Adobe products were optimized for Nvidia cards.

#13

Quad core?
There’s six core already on it’s way.

Anyway, me myself, I’d go with the first spec.

#14

The point of the quad core is not so the game can use all four, it’s so you can set everything else to run on two cores and the game to use the other two so it has them all to itself.

#15

Not guaranteed, but I haven’t run into a single driver issue on my computer, and anti virus worked perfectly fine first try.
The first RC is more or less stable OS from my usage (no blue screens, no OS caused crashes, etc). If you pick up a later leak, chances are it’ll be more stable then the RC.

#16

4 is overkill in almost any game. Dual is enough. Though games will most likely get better and better graphics, so a quad core is the way to go (if you can find one cheaper than a dual core with more ghz).

#17

This is a near-final setup:

Case: Coolermaster RC690 $79.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P $134.99
Processor: Intel E8500 Wolfdale $189.99
Ram: Corsair 4gb (2x2gb) ddr2 800 pc6400 $46.99
Power Supply: Corsair 850TX $149.99
Video Card: Sapphire HD4870 1 gb $189.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Black WD6401 640gb $69.99
DVD Burner: Lite-on Black iHAS124-04 $23.99
Blu-ray reader BC-06B1ST (among other things) $119.99
Operating System: Vista Home Premium 32 $99.99

#18

You can’t call that a gaming pc with only 1 of those gpus. I would advise 2 4850s in crossfire, eternalness can tell you all about that.

#19

If you can squeeze it in your budget, get an ATI 4890 instead. Otherwise go for a nvidia GTX260+. They are better value.

#20

4890s aren’t worth it. It’s a 2% performance increase for $40. Overclock the 4870 a few mhz and you’ll get the same result. But really, for a gaming comp, you need something more than a single 4870.

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