Choosing hardware for a new PC could be pretty confusing, hopefully this guide will make everything easier. Since this is a gaming forum, I'll make this guide more oriented toward gamers. The choice of sound cards/CD drives/Hard drives are up to you, that’s a matter of personal preference.
I also highly recommend you read This (click!) guide too, it covers some more things about installing the parts and stuff you should watch out for.
I’ll try to update this guide as much as I can, thanks for reading!
-Incinerate_IV
By the way, if anyone thinks something that should be on this guide, or something that’s outdated, please let me know! (You can post it here or PM me)
June 06, 2006, 09:31 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Excuse me?
A CPU in the 120 range is LOW END? Then what is a sempron or a celeron?
A gig of ram in the 100 range is LOW END? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820141225 Is more like it. 63.99, now that is low range.
Video Card - A video card sub 100 is considered to be low range. The stuff you list is actually mid low range.
This computer would run extremely well. It should be capable of playing most games at medium settings with full resolution, which is more or less all that you will be able to tell.
June 06, 2006, 09:35 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well this is more gaming oriented, and while I know you can play RTW perfectly fine with your Sempron, your CPU is highly OCed.
A low end computer to me costs about $500-600, and if you include hard drive/CD drives and stuff, its just that.
Ok ok I'll add a ultra low end segment just for you :wink:
June 06, 2006, 09:40 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well, adding all of your suggestions together get us to 441 dollars. The rest needed for acceptable performance - 40 for DVD burner, 120 for hard drive, and 30 for a case (it needs to be reasonablely sturdy), 30 for shipping, 20 for keyboard + mouse, and we are in the 691 zone, which is a bit high for low end.
Also, I suggest that we say just how much of a difference there is going to be from low end to midclass to high end to inform people just how much performance that they truely need.
June 06, 2006, 09:42 PM
Aristocrat
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Not one of the components in my system is on that list yet by your definitions it fits into the High end. Hurray for me and for my now officially old hardware. :)
As of now that pretty much covers the gamers range as anything below the low end and you will find the newer games will start to struggle on stock settings. (and by struggle I mean you are having to sacrifice effects, looks, resolution, etc just to play).
June 06, 2006, 09:48 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well all the components on there is what I think is the best bang for the buck.
June 06, 2006, 09:48 PM
General Sun
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Excellent Guide. Agree with everything except this:
4400+ is a better choice, more cache. I heard that there is a world of difference in the cache.
June 06, 2006, 09:53 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well it costs $140 more for only a 512 kb increase of cache, not that worth it. And the difference isn't that big, I've seen the benchmarks.
June 06, 2006, 09:56 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well, you will have to be a fool to think that FX - 62 is the best bang for the buck.....
P.S. If you want to go into a lot of money for a bit of boost as a valid reason for not spending the extra money, then you should never buy anything but the buttom of the barrel equipment.
June 06, 2006, 10:00 PM
HMMcKamikaze
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
I have a Dell Dimension 3000, and im not sure if i have the certain parts that are universal, does anyone know?
June 06, 2006, 10:01 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Yea I agree the FX series is WAY overpriced. But hey if you got the money...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee1026
Well, adding all of your suggestions together get us to 441 dollars. The rest needed for acceptable performance - 40 for DVD burner, 120 for hard drive, and 30 for a case (it needs to be reasonablely sturdy), 30 for shipping, 20 for keyboard + mouse, and we are in the 691 zone, which is a bit high for low end.
I wouldn't pay $120 for a hard drive, I was thinking $60 for a 160GB hard drive, which is more than enough for me, and my DVD burner costs me $35. And most of these stuff you can get for the same price at your local PC store like CompUSA, so get rid of the shipping, and that should be about $600.
June 06, 2006, 10:02 PM
General Sun
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
@HMMcKamikaze, you're probably better off in a new thread...
@Incinerate
Well people tell me that the difference between 4200 and 4400 are well worth it. Since there is a huge gap in terms of $$ between the Ultra high and the High, 600 dollars difference! I thought the 4400 would be better suited for the high end. But I guess it's really whatever floats your boat, it's always difficult to decide between the different models of the same family, is this little extra speed worth it, etc.
June 06, 2006, 10:04 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Quote:
I wouldn't pay $120 for a hard drive, I was thinking $60 for a 160GB hard drive, which is more than enough for me, and my DVD burner costs me $35. And most of these stuff you can get for the same price at your local PC store like CompUSA, so get rid of the shipping, and that should be about $600.
I was basing everything off of Newegg prices, and newegg does charge shipping.......
June 06, 2006, 10:08 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well you still don't need to spend $120 for the hard drive, A 160gb one is more than enough, which only costs $70+shipping on newegg. As for the keyboard/mouse, I doubt anyone would buy that online.
@General_Sun,
I'm doing Socket AM2, and the pricing for the 4400+ is WAY too high for the performance improvent over the 4200+. If it was socket 939 I would recommend the 4400+ because it cost only $60 more, but for AM2 its double that, and thats just not worth it.
June 06, 2006, 10:10 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Very well, we are still on the 630 range, which still seem a bit high for low end gear.
June 06, 2006, 10:15 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well would you like me to change the name to something else?
Like "Budget system" or "Medium low end"?
I'm choosing all the components by the description, which is "play almost all the games at 1280x1024 resolution with the settings maxed out, with a few exceptions here and there where you have to turn things down a bit."
June 06, 2006, 10:19 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well, that depends on which game we are talking about, right?
June 06, 2006, 10:22 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Yep. But I did say ALMOST all the games, which pretty much means any games thats not Oblivion or Call of Duty 2 or F.E.A.R. :laughter:
June 06, 2006, 10:23 PM
Lee1026
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Then a geforce 7300gt would be able do the trick, right?
June 06, 2006, 10:29 PM
Incinerate_IV
Re: PC Hardware Buyers Guide.
Well you got a point. I'll add 7300GT to low end and put something else on ultra low end I guess. I can't exactly move the low end components I have now to mid range, since those components will struggle on Oblivion or Call of Duty 2.