Re: Looking for Recommendations for my next PC
- From: "Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:19:49 -0500
John Weiss wrote:
"Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...
I'm ready to purchase a new PC. I'm not sure yet if I should buy
something preconfigured or build my own. I want it to be powerful and
fast, but I don't believe I will have any requirements for 3-D
graphics
as I am not a gamer. I'm pretty sure I will want to do both audio
(electronic music recording, editing, and mixing) and video editing,
so
I know RAM is important. What other specs should I be concerned with?
Especially, what is the best kind of CPU? Does the type of CPU
required depend on particular software I may run (I'm not sure yet
which audio
and video editing software I plan on using)? Also, any
recommendations
for graphics and sound cards would be appreciated.
In general, the Intel Core2Duo/Quad and AMD X2 CPU are your top
choices. Which you choose is a matter of personal brand preference
and price/performance. Intel has the performance nod at the top end,
but AMD may have the edge in price/performance in the middle.
You only "need" a quad core CPU if the software you run can take
advantage of more than 2 cores or if you participate in a distributed
computing project like Folding@Home (http://folding.stanford.edu).
Otherwise, a higher clock speed dual-core will serve you better for
most apps at the same price as a lower clock speed quad.
For 32-bit OSes like Win XP, 3 GB RAM is the most they can address,
and few people can effectively use more than 2 GB. The 64-bit
versions of Windows still have significant deficiencies in driver and
application availability.
For reasonably priced gfx, an ATI X1950 Pro card with 512 MB VRAM
will handle just about anything you need.
I just built one with a Gigabyte mobo, P35 chipset, C2D E6850 CPU, 2
GB Crucial Ballistix RAM, and X1950Pro gfx. You may find some
advantages with the new X38 chipset for an Intel system, at slightly
higher cost.
I would like to thank *everybody* for all the helpful replies.
John (or anyone else), I've just started scratching the surface, and as
you might imagine, I keep coming up with more questions! The videoguys
web site Bill recommended had a lot of useful information. I think that
I will tentatively go for an Intel CPU and hold off on sound cards for a
bit; the audio and video production at present is more of a hobby than
anything else, but I'm certainly open to the idea of making money from
it eventually. :-)
So here come the questions...
Can you recommend a good online company where I can configure a
custom-made PC?
Should I stick with a 32-bit system, and if so, would 64-bit
motherboards (e.g., Intel DX38BT) run a 32-bit OS (I don't know if
they're backward-compatible or not)?
I already plan on running XP. Is there any reason to get Pro? Or is XP
Home sufficient?
It seems like 2 GB of RAM should suffice, but I wonder would it be a
better idea to go for 3 GB instead? (I would imagine that anything more
than 3 GB is overkill.) Is there a particular type or brand of RAM I
should get? What about dual-channel and ECC? DDR2 vs. DDR3?
Laugh if you will, but I still want a floppy drive! Do modern
motherboards have floppy controller ports?
Any recommendations for power supplies?
I did some preliminary research at Tiger Direct. I saw a number of Intel
motherboards (are other brands better?). Is there a particular FSB speed
I should try to get? I know this would also determine the type of RAM I
get. Chipsets were G33, P35, and X38. I assume the higher the number,
the better? I don't know much about chipsets... how important is a
southbridge (I noticed only one of the mobos had a southbridge)?
Again, TIA.
P.S., at Tiger Direct, I came up with a PC that would cost $1,269.95
(US):
Systemax Mid-Tower
Intel D975XBX2 ATX motherboard
Intel Core2 Duo E6420 2.13 GHz 4M 1066Mhz CPU
2GB DDR2 PC6400 800 MHz Dual Channel (1GB x 2)
160GB 7200RPM 3G SATA II Hard Drive
250GB 7200RPM 3G SATA II Hard Drive
20X DVD+R/RW-R/RW Dual Layer Drive
Creative SoundBlaster X-FI Fatality (w/o this, the system would be
$1,069.96)
Radeon X1550 512MB PCI-Express (1DVI / 1VGA) video card (I found it odd
that Tiger Direct doesn't carry the X1950 Pro)
Windows XP Home (generic OEM, I presume... it said "DSP")
500 Watt Power Supply
and One floppy drive :-)
.
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