Hi all, I have 3 questions to ask, about RAM, HDD, and CPU, so any help would be greatly appreciated; 1) RAM: Is this 'Kingston DDR2 667mhz' RAM make and model/spec any good?? or would I be better off looking for 800mhz RAM?? 2) CPU: Is the Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2 x 2.67Ghz 4Mb (cache) any good? and how much better is it than than the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2 x 2.4Ghz 4Mb (cache)?? 3) HDD: Is a 250GB S-ATA2 3.0Gb/s HDD any good?? The reason I ask these questions is that I am getting my new PC now, and I just want to make sure I am getting the best for my money, or @ least decent parts that will last long and well, and will do me good. Take into account that I am a gamer. This is the motherboard (Gigabyte 965P-S3) (in-depth mobo specs)I am most likely to be getting, unless anyone says otherwise for various reasons. Could any one tell me if this mobo is good and has good upgrade-ability for the future?? Also, I do have one more little side question... this is, is it better to build your own PC, or to buy the PC you want to your specs?? Thanks very much for any and all help. P.s. I also noticed on other threads people talking about FSB speeds and then memory types, and which memory type they could use to increase the processor speeds? What does all this mean and is there anything I can do with the details I have given above to increase the E6700??
1)Unless you're overclocking, you will gain no benefit from DDR2-800, but yes, Kingston in general is fine. 2.)The E6700 is faster no doubt, but how much you'll notice depends on what you'll do. Encoding work would benefit, but not for gaming so much. 3.)Yes. SATA is the new desktop hard drive interface standard. If nothing else, the fact that you don't have Master/Slave designations also helps in the setup. Gigabyte has been getting a loyal following with their motherboards as of late, so it's a good choice. Build vs. Buy If you build you're own, you have ultimate control on exactly which parts go into the system. You can also shop at various stores to find the lowest price, but also to find products that another store may not have or is out of stock, or just has better shipping costs. The downside is that each part, if it breaks, you'll have to likely deal with the manufacturer for a replacement. If you buy, you've got a company that's guaranteeing you support and repair if something goes wrong. The downside is typically fewer options on parts that you have, and because of support and labor, that's going to be part of the cost.
Umm i see. Well as per usual Big B ur words have been of much help, so I thank u once more. I am not going to be overclocking to be honest so in that case i guess 667mhz will do me fine. So generally speaking would you say the components I outlined in my first post ARE good and that they are roughly what I am looking for, especially for gaming? other things I do on my computer are just general net usage, msn, skype, running, apps, but mostly gaming.
Those parts are fine. While you don't need to have the fastest CPU out there, as long as you have something decent, your biggest concerns shift to the amount of RAM and the video card, which do more for loading the game and framerates, respectively.
yes indeed. I mean, the E6700 is a good processor though anyway isn't it?? In addition, 4GB of RAM is A LOT lol so I am sure i'll have little problems on that front. As for the gfx card I am treating my self to an Nvidia GeForce 8800GTX @ 768MB, so again, I should have minimal amounts of problems graphically for the time being. Would you say with these specs i'll have little problems in the way of multitasking and gaming?? One last thing I really need to ask is Vista? most comps come as standard with it, do I get it? or should i just get a 64bit version of XP?? As for compatibility issues for Vista, I have very little programs in the way which may cause issues. the major piece of software I use other than anti virus etc is the Office suit, and I plan to get Office 07 anyways. What do you think?
well, getting Vista might not be a must at the moment or at all. Granted you are going to be gaming, and for DX10 games Vista is required, but that probably won't really come into play for another year at least. But anyways, you might be able to hold out with XP until Microsoft makes a new OS. But i wouldn't go XP 64, no point, but Vista wouldn't really be a bad investment, i just wouldn't buy it yet. On that, i would get a pretty hefty case to fit all of that, and as well, a big PSU, as the 8800GTX's draw a lot of power. But yeah, thats a great system so far, you shouldn't have any problems running anything for at least a couple years.
Yes, I see what your saying Swansen, I totally know what you mean. There is no real need for me to go Vista as of yet, but again like you said I'll be gaming, so in that front yes I would need it, however, I think a lot of the problems and criticisms about it having limited compatibility issues should not affect me any way near as much. As I said before I use little applications, so I guess it wouldn't be so bad for me. As for the PSU I should be getting a 700W Thermaltake Toughpower PSU, which is supposed to be good. (If any one knows otherwise please let me know?) The case as well will be a Thermaltake. Thermaltake Aguila to be precise. This case is supposed to be good, with very good air inflow and outflow, and other beneficial features. (again, if anyone knows otherwise please let me know?) All in all I should have a very powerful and sweet gaming rig. It'll be my first really good PC, so I am very excited about getting it. I basically just wanted to finalize a few things and my queries have been pretty much answered, so I am now more or less set to get my rig. Thanks for any and all help so far btw guys :good: if there is anything else you all feel I should know before I go ahead, just lemmie know. otherwise, give me the thumbs up and I'll be on my way
Well, the flip side of going with Vista is that you may not notice the drop between it an XP if you're upgrading to a real power house. Toughpower's are good for current gen stuff. If you want a second opinion, Corsair's 620HX or an OCZ GameXStreme 600-700W unit might be worth a peek too, but yeah, the Toughpower units aren't too shabby from what I've read.
Well, the thing is, the pc i am getting, with the parts i have mentioned to you all are coming as stock - so i am buying into a real powerhouse. The PSU, the Thermaltake I mentioned to you (toughpower) will be as standard. In that instance, what I can do, if it is still a good unit, id get that, and then later upgrade to a better one. Is that ok to do you think?
yeah, that should work fine, but even then, 700 watts is a decent amount, granted i don't think it will be running an 8800GTX SLI setup, but should to fine for anything else, but yeah, its suppose to be a really nice unit, i don't think you'll have any problems there.
