If I were to buy a new PC...

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I'm not really. Too many expenses, too little time to do anything on the computer. But soon I'll have to anyway.

So, supposing I were to buy it now - since it makes no point speculating about the future in this sector of the market.

What I have is

CPU: Pentium 4c 2.6 GHz/512 MB cache/800 MHz FSB/HT
mobo: ABIT IS7-E (burnt one but have to replace with the same or lose the XP OEM license)
RAM: 4*512 DDR1/400 Kingston CL3
GFX: Radeon HD2600XT DDR3 AGP
HDD: WDC 1200JB (Special Edition from Caviar - ATA100 that runs like ATA133)
Sound: Audigy ES (full normal chip, no goodies like gold or firewire or optical)
DVD: whatever... plenty of stuff around the house, but no SATA
PSU: 480W noname (Colors.it)

Say, Project Minimum:
C2D from series 4 (4400, 4500, 4600, whatever cheap used CPU I get)
any mobo that will work with it, and offer 800 MHz support for DDR2 (no AGP DDR1 C2D mobos, just don't feel like buying any more old tech), may be used mobo
the cheapest used 8600GT
4 GB DDR2 at 800

same old case, CPU, ATA HDD, DVD, soundcard

total: 300 euro with change (a bit less than $500)

+ Vista license

Or Project Max:

E8400 (or whatever's better for the kind of games we play)
4 GB of whatever fastest DDR2 goes in
good mobo
9800GTX or some such
SATA HDD, say, 1 TB, 32 MB cache, that like
SATA DVD
OC-ready case
Tagan... 'nuff said (I mistyped "'nuff sad" first )

same old soundcard (well...)

+ Vista license

total: circa 1100 euro ($1500) aka argh-that-hurts....

Or Project I-Got-A-Raise:

E8400 or Q9K-something
fancy mobo with SLI, heatpipes and stuff
CL6 DDR3 at 1333, dearly paid for (probably 4 GB max anyway)
still a single 9800GTX or some such (there's no way I'll be paying 500 euro for a GFX card that'll drop in half after several months, or get a second card before it drops in half for that matter)
still a single SATA 1 TB, just the fastest I can get (since I don't believe in RAID and who needs more than 1 TB anyway)
SATA DVD (blue ray can still wait)
fancy case (well, what about that 25 cm fan?)

same old soundcard... unless I got a big raise (Extreme Gamer costs less than 100 euro anyway)

some Vista

total: I don't even want to know

So, any opinions? What sounds like the best deal given the current state of technology and the way things pop out of the blue (GeForce series 7 was a new thing one year ago, now it's 9...)? What's the best deal given that I work long shifts and don't have that much time to play, meaning it isn't worth investing too much, but at the same time I want the best out of my gaming experience?

My objectives are comfortable gameplay in 1680*1050 or at least 1440*900. By comfortable I mean 20 fps and uber-pretty graphics kind of gameplay like what you'd do with NWN2. I don't play games with a crosshair. I might be tempted to buy a wheel and a racing game for Project Max, of course. And Red Alert 3 will be played. KotOR 3 won't hide from me, either. Perhaps Mass Effect PC, perhaps Oblivion (not really), maybe something else.

I need a long-lasting mobo because that's what OEM license sticks to and I don't feel like paying double or triple the cost for non-OEM. Doesn't apply as much to Project Minimum, since in that case brother will likely inherit the rig in whole when I move on after a year or so. At any rate, mobo trumps all other expenses, although I don't necessarily need anything fancy with Project Minimum, or anything too fancy with Project Max.

Also: Would I really see any significant difference with something like E4600 + DDR2 RAM and GF8600GT over what I have now (P4 2.6, DDR1, HD2600XT - which is on par with 8600 GT)?

And I'm using Intel nomenclature since I don't know much about AMD. But try and convince me. Also, I believe ATI series 3K sucks and 2K is too old, but correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Why bother with Vista? Bloated, useless trash.

The only redeeming quality I can think of about a Vista license is the fact you can legally install XP...

 

DX10. Won't run under XP unless you do some serious tweaking. Besides, it's easier to get a 64 bit Vista than a 64 bit XP and you need 64 bit to get more than 3.2-3.5 GB RAM to be seen by your BIOS.

By the way, you're an AMD fan. What's good now?

 

Intel...

 

Quad, tri and dual Phenoms are all out now.

Phenom X4 (quad) range from 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz, and two of those models - the 9600 and 9850 are also offered as 'Black Edition'. The Black Edition CPUs have an unlocked multiplied which makes overclocking much easier. Overclocking is not my cup of tea, though.

Phenom X3 (tri) range from 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz, but no Black Edition this time.

Dual-core Phenoms are sold as Athlon X2, go figure, and they clock in at 1.6GHz.

I can't afford an upgrade, but I wanted to get a Phenom Quad Black Edition when I do. I've personally been very satisfied with AMD processors and I see no reason not to upgrade to another AMD.

 

I've got the C2D E8400 and it's awesome...if not nearly impossible to find in stock.

As for RAM, I'd go with DDR3 for your "Project Max" or "Project I-Got-A-Raise". I've got 2GB of it and they're fast. Little pricy though...

As for Vista...at this point I can't recommend it to anyone...I'd wait for Windows 7 to be released in late 2009...which in M$ lingo means mid-2010... M$ knows how poorly Vista ended up, so they're going to be hard at work trying to make Windows 7 a redemption product.

 

First, vista is not that bad I run it whit no problems. No reason to avoid vista. I don not know exactly why but from what I get, vista uses a software emulation making a soundcard less usefull, and sometimes problematic whit drivers. Don't get me wrong, XP is still better.

My mainboard is a Intel socket 775 Gigabyte p35 ds3r. For sound it uses an exceptional good south bridge. It can run whit a core 2 duo, but also whit the new quads. My advice is get a high end motherboard no matter what, but you know that.

I run an E6600 whit 4 gig ddr2-800 low latency memory and a 3870 toxic. In Oblivion everything is on, high or full, 8 AA. max widescreen resolution for a 20 inch samsung 206bw. (18??x10??) I think that the e 6750 will even be better.

The ati 38xx series are very good. Nvidia has a few better cards I know, but the prices for the 3870 are much lower.

 

Yeah, I need a high-end motherboard to keep an OEM license as long alive as possible - it also needs to be open to higher tech than I'll be buying. And if I buy an Intel - which is likely, given how they are now cheaper than corresponding AMD chips - it will all depend on the mobo. I suspect the fact AMDs have an integrated RAM controller on the CPU rather than on Northbridge has something to do with this. So yeah... high-end mobo all the way.

As for CPU, I think I'll get a quad because you can crank up all four cores, while no matter how you overclock a Duo, you can't add more cores.

This means I'll have to spend some serious buck, while the reality is that I work long shifts, I have overdue academic work and I need to write a Ph.D. paper, which means I'm at risk of buying an expensive gaming monster and having it wait for me until I get the time to play and it gets old. So perhaps I might even end up buying a laptop... I don't know, really. Now I don't know. I'll be reanimating the old computer because a new mobo is cheaper than new Windows and it only takes mobo replacement to have it back running. Perhaps it'll suffice for now. Maybe I shouldn't even have bought a PC monitor...

EDIT: Guys, change of plans. Microsoft says I can replace my old mobo with any mobo. What's the best mobo/CPU combo that works with AGP and DDR1? I particularly mean AMD here since AMD used DDR1 for a long time and back in the time of those old CPUs, AMD was cheaper than Intel processors of the same power.

 

First off...for high end Mobos...I usually always go with Abit, but on my newest computer, I bit the bullet and got an Asus...which I an very happy with. I now recomend both companies. For a high end Intel Mobo, you're either going to want an X38 or X48 based board. The only difference between the two is official support for a higher FSB speed...but while the X38 doesn't *officially* support it, it handles it just fine, so you might be able to save a few $$$ if you can find an X38 board. Also...the current high end boards are phasing out DDR2 in favor of DDR3. You might be able to find some boards that support both types.

IIRC, unless you have programs that are programed to take advantage of more than 2 cores, you'll only see mild performance differences. My C2D E8400 can handle anything I throw at it without breaking a sweat.

[EDIT] I just read your edit...and you're not going to find anything "high end" that still uses AGP. At this point I think it would be a waste of money to buy anything that supports AGP and DDR1.

 

I might able to find a new MSI socket 939 board. for socket A I know one person who has lots of old stuff. As I said, not sure on both accounts but possible.

I kooked again and found a shop whit a Socket A in stuck, brand new. Asrock K7s41 gx

 

Where I live it turns out Intel processors and mobos are now cheaper than corresponding grades of AMD at least from s478/939 on... Means I'll probably be better off staying with Intel...

 

Between a P4 and an Athlon 64, I'm taking the Athlon, thanks a lot...

 

Well, after some fishing and looking up, I took Athlon 64 4000 with an Abit AV8 for 135 USD. Works with AGP and DDR1, which is what I have. Since I have four identical 400 MHz DDR chips and a new AGP card (HD 2600XT), that's the best way, I think. Let's see if I can make the Thermalright 947U cooler work with it (it works with Socket A and s478 and it came with a lot of mounting devices, so I might get lucky if I play around a bit with it).

 

If it doesen't work you can get an Arctic Cooling. They're cheap, and very effective.

 

I still have an old CPU cooler left over.It came from an amd ahtlon 3500. It was a processor for socket am2, but if it fits...