How Will This PC Run (Part 2)

On my last post I asked if the computer I put together would run light gaming well (my first build.) But since then I have recieved several hundred dollars more than my previous build. This system should be able to tackle some of the craziest games out there, (Not expecting Crysis or anything, but its a possibility.)

Well here it goes im going to put the link up: http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=view

And also I am going to list the parts

Mobo: Asus M2N68-VM AM2+ Micro ATX Mobo (a little big for a micro ATX) Includes 1 PCI-E card slot and 4x240 1066 Memory Slots $64.99

Processor: AMD Athalon X2 6000 3.1GHz Dual Core Processor $76

Memory: Kingston Hyper X 4GB (2x 2gb) DDR2 1066 $46

Video Card: EVGA Geforce 9800 GT 512 MB 256-Bit GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0 x16 SLI supported (Includes World at War =])$129

HDD: WD 320 GB 7200 RPM $50

Case: Raidmax Smilodon (includes 500w Power Supply not sure if its powerful enough, includes fans, looks really sweet.) $80

Monitor: Acer black 19" Widescreen monitor $119

OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP $90

There ya go, im not entirely sure if I have everything and if all of this stuff is compatible. Let me know if I should upgrade or downgrade something.

get vista and get a gtx260 video card

then you are good to go

get vista and get a gtx260 video card

then you are good to go

schu

for gods sake don't get vista... stick with XP... windows 7 is coming out in a year or so then you can upgrade to that. Skip vista!simardbrad

[QUOTE="simardbrad"]for gods sake don't get vista... stick with XP... windows 7 is coming out in a year or so then you can upgrade to that. Skip vista!NeverEndingXx

You should still get Vista... Why? You ask.

Reasoning: It has been confirmed that Vista will be getting DX11 when Windows 7 comes out. Now here's the tricky part, so read carefully. If Windows 7 turns out to be Vista or worse then you don't have to worry about upgrading because you already have Vista =)

If you get XP, you will have to upgrade to one of the two OSs regardless of how Windows 7 turns out to be, but if you had Vista, you might not necessarily have to waste another $200 on a OS.

Besides, there's hardily any proof that Vista runs worse than XP (I think the latest Crysis benchmark show a 1fps difference between 32bit XP and Vista, 64bit Vista was faster than both) and a majority of the people that complain about Vista issues haven't even tried the OS or are incapable of doing a Google search to fix a simple problem.

[QUOTE="NeverEndingXx"][QUOTE="simardbrad"]for gods sake don't get vista... stick with XP... windows 7 is coming out in a year or so then you can upgrade to that. Skip vista!Swiftstrike5

You should still get Vista... Why? You ask.

Reasoning: It has been confirmed that Vista will be getting DX11 when Windows 7 comes out. Now here's the tricky part, so read carefully. If Windows 7 turns out to be Vista or worse then you don't have to worry about upgrading because you already have Vista =)

If you get XP, you will have to upgrade to one of the two OSs regardless of how Windows 7 turns out to be, but if you had Vista, you might not necessarily have to waste another $200 on a OS.

Besides, there's hardily any proof that Vista runs worse than XP (I think the latest Crysis benchmark show a 1fps difference between 32bit XP and Vista, 64bit Vista was faster than both) and a majority of the people that complain about Vista issues haven't even tried the OS or are incapable of doing a Google search to fix a simple problem.

Wow, very very good reasoning. I may get Vista. The only problem is I don't really care for the latest and greatest stuff for a PC. I am a console gamer and just want to have a nice computer to play WoW and a few other select games. But you have definetly swayed my viewing on vista though.

[QUOTE="Swiftstrike5"]

[QUOTE="NeverEndingXx"] That is exactly what I was thinking, Vista is horrible. I will lose pc power from that crappy OS. And XP is cheaper anyways.NeverEndingXx

You should still get Vista... Why? You ask.

Reasoning: It has been confirmed that Vista will be getting DX11 when Windows 7 comes out. Now here's the tricky part, so read carefully. If Windows 7 turns out to be Vista or worse then you don't have to worry about upgrading because you already have Vista =)

If you get XP, you will have to upgrade to one of the two OSs regardless of how Windows 7 turns out to be, but if you had Vista, you might not necessarily have to waste another $200 on a OS.

Besides, there's hardily any proof that Vista runs worse than XP (I think the latest Crysis benchmark show a 1fps difference between 32bit XP and Vista, 64bit Vista was faster than both) and a majority of the people that complain about Vista issues haven't even tried the OS or are incapable of doing a Google search to fix a simple problem.

Wow, very very good reasoning. I may get Vista. The only problem is I don't really care for the latest and greatest stuff for a PC. I am a console gamer and just want to have a nice computer to play WoW and a few other select games. But you have definetly swayed my viewing on vista though.

64bit Vista Home Basic (It will take advantage of all 4gigs of RAM) $89

There's also the 32bit Version. $89

64bit OSs (XP as well as Vista) seem to have some game specific issues, so you might consider the 32bit Version, but it will only use 3.2/4 gigs of Ram you have (more then enough for running WoW or any other game). Neither have Aero though, but Aero really isn't anything special.

*edit* sorry I posted the upgrade before. These versions should be retail. They are OEM editions, which means you can only install it on one motherboard, otherwise it requires reactivation. It also doesn't come with a fancy box an manual. You can read about OEM editions here.

I don't want to have my memory being robbed though. Will it be much of a difference with 4 gigs with Vista? I read the system requirements on Crysis and the requirements are higher for vista, this scares me into buying vista.NeverEndingXx

I found this kinda interesting. Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3. It will help you decide on which OS you want. Vista requires more CPU power when running games (as you can see from the Crysis CPU Benchmark), but the overall impact seems to be minimal (Vista's avg FPS is between 1%-4% of XP).

You probably won't notice the difference between 4gigs and 3.2gigs, but 64bit can support upto 128gigs, 32bit can only handle 3gigs.

[QUOTE="NeverEndingXx"]I don't want to have my memory being robbed though. Will it be much of a difference with 4 gigs with Vista? I read the system requirements on Crysis and the requirements are higher for vista, this scares me into buying vista.Swiftstrike5

I found this kinda interesting. Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3. It will help you decide on which OS you want. Vista requires more CPU power when running games (as you can see from the Crysis CPU Benchmark), but the overall impact seems to be minimal (Vista's avg FPS is between 1%-4% of XP).

You probably won't notice the difference between 4gigs and 3.2gigs, but 64bit can support upto 128gigs, 32bit can only handle 3gigs.

[QUOTE="Swiftstrike5"]

[QUOTE="NeverEndingXx"]I don't want to have my memory being robbed though. Will it be much of a difference with 4 gigs with Vista? I read the system requirements on Crysis and the requirements are higher for vista, this scares me into buying vista.NeverEndingXx

I found this kinda interesting. Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3. It will help you decide on which OS you want. Vista requires more CPU power when running games (as you can see from the Crysis CPU Benchmark), but the overall impact seems to be minimal (Vista's avg FPS is between 1%-4% of XP).

You probably won't notice the difference between 4gigs and 3.2gigs, but 64bit can support upto 128gigs, 32bit can only handle 3gigs.

It seems like Vista 64bit runs WoW rather well actually.

DO NOT plan on using the power supply that comes with that case. Most power supplies that come bundled with cases are notorious for being poorly manufactured. For power, 500 W is plenty (note that the power supply that comes with that case is most likely from a no name manufacturer and won't actually be able to sustain anywhere near 500 W for any lenght of time). I would recommend looking at getting a power supply from corsair, antec, seasonic, PC power and cooling, or any other big manufacturer. Something between 400-500 W will be plenty.

I would also recommend getting a full size atx motherboard, rather than the micro atx that you're considering.

I can also tell you from experience that the Smilodon is a very nice case (I currently have it), a couple of my case fans started to make grinding noises (bearings wore out), so you may want to grab a couple backups (an 80 mm and 120 mm) for $20 just in case.

[QUOTE="NeverEndingXx"][QUOTE="Swiftstrike5"]

I found this kinda interesting. Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3. It will help you decide on which OS you want. Vista requires more CPU power when running games (as you can see from the Crysis CPU Benchmark), but the overall impact seems to be minimal (Vista's avg FPS is between 1%-4% of XP).

You probably won't notice the difference between 4gigs and 3.2gigs, but 64bit can support upto 128gigs, 32bit can only handle 3gigs.

Swiftstrike5

It seems like Vista 64bit runs WoW rather well actually.

I am for sure getting windows vista now, possibly the 64 bit. I just hope it can run some old games I am willing to buy, such as Half Life CS-Source. What are you running?

DO NOT plan on using the power supply that comes with that case. Most power supplies that come bundled with cases are notorious for being poorly manufactured. For power, 500 W is plenty (note that the power supply that comes with that case is most likely from a no name manufacturer and won't actually be able to sustain anywhere near 500 W for any lenght of time). I would recommend looking at getting a power supply from corsair, antec, seasonic, PC power and cooling, or any other big manufacturer. Something between 400-500 W will be plenty.

I would also recommend getting a full size atx motherboard, rather than the micro atx that you're considering.

I can also tell you from experience that the Smilodon is a very nice case (I currently have it), a couple of my case fans started to make grinding noises (bearings wore out), so you may want to grab a couple backups (an 80 mm and 120 mm) for $20 just in case.

tmbroe01

I highly recommend that case, like I said I have it and love it, but I would use that power supply at your own risk. The extra $40-$50 you'd spend for an Antec earthwatts or something similar would more than make up for the cost of frying your motherboard/gpu/cpu. Power supplies that come bundled with cases are not to be trusted, especially when you check the bundle on Newegg and it won't even tell you the brand of power supply that comes with it.tmbroe01