Advice on new computer and some questions...

[Running Rampant]

OK, I'm thinking of acquiring a new system as mine is just refusing to do what I want it to. So, as punishment, its being striped apart to make it work by the friendly guys in the big PC Superstore clinic that will also, very kindly, lighten the weight of my wallet as well. Obviously to make my unit easier to carry back to my car...how thoughtful.

Anyway, what I want from my PC is just about everything...I like to download movies/music/stuff from the net, to play pretty much any game (doesn't have to be the best ever graphics, but decent), easily upgradable (Vista compatible?), very reliable and last a decent amount of time before it absolutely needs to be replaced/serverely upgraded (maybe 2/3 years?). Oh, and also I have a budget of around £500 stretching to around £650 for an ecceptional bargain...Ok, maybe £700

Also, I've a few questions about current hardware...

Which processor is better? Pentium D or AM2 Athlon 64?
Is the Core 2 Duo really worth the extra money?
Are all of the above Vista Compatible or is it just Core 2 Duo?
Which motherboards go well with the above processors?
Is it worth upgrading to Vista straight away?
How essential is it to have over 1GB RAM?
Which make of graphics card is better? ATI or Nvidia?
Which series & size of graphics card would you recommend?
Are there any graphics cards that perform better with certain processor/motherboard combos?

Sorry for all the questions and the long post.

[Edit] BTW, I intend for my G/F to inherit my current system for her to use as she wishes (probably to strip of all non-essential parts and to upgrade her own PC )

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Which processor is better? Pentium D or AM2 Athlon 64?

You are technically comparing a dual core processor to single core. There are also dual core Athlon 64's which are identified by the "X2" in the name.
Between those two, an Athlon 64 (or Athlon 64 X2) will usually win out in gaming while the faster clock speeds of the Pentium D will sometimes give it a small performance lead over the Athlons when it comes to heavy encoding type stuff, but even then the Athlon 64's and X2's are very close. Overall, I would usually choose an Athlon 64 X2 over a Pentium D.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Is the Core 2 Duo really worth the extra money?

If you are buying a brand new system, then yes, they are worth the extra money. However, if you were coming from a decent Athlon 64 X2 or Pentium D system, then it could go either way. Bottom line though, if you are buying a new system today, Core 2 Duo is the way to go.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Are all of the above Vista Compatible or is it just Core 2 Duo?

All of the above are Vista compatable. The whole "Vista capable" or Vista certified" thing is just marketing hype. They are mostly referring to whether or not the system in question meets the minimum system requirements in order to run Vista. You could run Vista on an Athlon XP, Pentium 4, or even a Pentium 3 if you wanted to, but it won't run very well because Vista is going to require a lot more system resources and performance from your hardware. So it's not a question of is it compatable, it's a question of if it is good enough to run it. But don't get scared, a very modest system should have no problem running Vista, even with Aero Glass and all those goodies.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Which motherboards go well with the above processors?

This is something that is hard to answer without you narrowing down your wants and needs a little more. There are several different motherboards for each processor type that would work great, but they may not all have the features you want or need. Things like SLI or CrossFire or neither. RAID capabilities. Type of onboard audio. Overclockability.
Once we get your processor type narrowed down, then we'll look into finding you a good motherboard.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Is it worth upgrading to Vista straight away?

My opinion is NO. Microsoft is notorious for releasing new patches and fixes constantly for all the holes in their software. I'm not saying Microsoft sucks at making software, its just that it's very difficult for [i]anyone[/url] to make such a huge operating system to work well with everything without missing something here and there. That's why I say wait at least 6 months until there are good, stable drivers available from all the manufacturers and you have a chance to survey the "damage" and find out what is good and what is bad about the initial release of Vista. Then you can make an informed decision on how much support there is for Vista at that time and if you are ready for it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Windows XP right now. It is extremely tweakable and has full support from drivers and hardware. It will take some time before Vista is mature enough to drag me in...

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

How essential is it to have over 1GB RAM?

Right now, I think about half would say it is worth it and half would say it is not. I personally have a total of 1GB system memory and I have no problem gaming and multitasking, etc. If you are counting pennies trying to build a new system, 1GB of memory isn't going to burn you. However, if/when you go Vista, 2GB might be a good idea.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Which make of graphics card is better? ATI or Nvidia?

HAHA, that's like asking if AMD or Intel is better. They each make great products that will suit a wide variety of users very well. It all depends on what your needs are. It sounds like you are a gamer. What resolution is your monitor that you play games on? Do you plan on upgrading to a larger monitor anytime during the predicted lifespan of the video card you intend to buy? Do you prefer image enhancement techniques like Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering?

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Which series & size of graphics card would you recommend?

Again, it will depend on your answers to the questions I posed just above. Currently, the X1950 series are the best cards offered on the ATI side and. nVidia just rolled out with the GeForce 8 series cards the 8800GTS and the 8800GTX (both of which happen to be DirectX 10 capable cards, which is needed to run DirectX 10 games which will only be playable on Vista). The GeForce 7 series cards are also very nice and are available at all price ranges and offer good performance.

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Are there any graphics cards that perform better with certain processor/motherboard combos?

Not really. The only thing you'd have to keep in mind here is if you wanted to do a CrossFire or SLI setup with two graphics cards, you would need to buy a corresponding SLI or CrossFire capable chipset based motherboard. Currently, SLI motherboards are available on both Intel and AMD platforms while CrossFire motherboards are scarce for Intel platforms but pletiful on the AMD side (for obvious reasons).

There is a lot more to my answers and your questions, so I'll let you ask more speficic questions where needed so I don't just ramble on about anything and everything...

[Carl Martin]

How about starting here for good component recommendations:

Enthusiast Recommendations

Just a couple observations to add to gvblade's comments.

It is my understanding that (some) motherboards with ATI chipsets do not fare well running non-ATI based video cards. Worth checking into.

I'm a hard-core AMD fan, but must admit that Core2Duo has got them beat right now.

If you're going to upgrade to Vista (your new build should include a free upgrade cupon), you might as well get 2gb of ram right away.

Your girl friend's "gift machine" will be better than 3/4 of the computers sitting on the store shelves... lucky girl.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Carl Martin

How about starting here for good component recommendations:

Enthusiast Recommendations

YES!!! Thank you Carl Martin!!!
Between trying to cook my Pasties for dinner and doing laundry and trying to type out that huge post, I forgot to add that link in there. Glad you got my back

[fps justin]

i'm not sure about the pound compared to dollar, but 600-700 could get a C2D couldn't it?

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Carl Martin

Im from Menominee, which is due west of you. However, many of those in the UP question whether those of us down here in the "banana belt" are true Yoopers.

HAHA, the banana belt, I haven't heard that before!
I had a friend from Menominee named Mandi Long (now Mandi Zemba). She was a really fast distance runner who went to college with me.

ANYWAY, back on topic.......

Originally Posted by fps justin

i'm not sure about the pound compared to dollar, but 600-700 could get a C2D couldn't it?

A quick google search will show that the British pound is worth about as much as 1.9724 US dollars. So a £600 budget would be about $1183 and £700 would be about $1380
So yeah, you should be able to build a decent Core 2 Duo gaming rig with about $1200. I'll try and pick some parts out for you later when I have some time. For now, I'll just let everyone else throw in their two cents on what components might be good for you.

[fps justin]

Alright. So around 1200-1300 USD.

E6400
Gigabyte DS4 (is coming out soon) // P5b deluxe.
2 gigs of Some DDR2-667 or 800 Ram
Your choice of Videocard.
Cheaper: 7600GT
More Expensive 7900GT, x1950pro
A nice psu and case. and there you go.

You can also save money by getting the E6300 over the E6400

[JazzyJake]

you need a HDD there justin
i'd suggest a W/d 250gb caviar
under $100, and fast

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by JazzyJake

you need a HDD there justin
i'd suggest a W/d 250gb caviar
under $100, and fast

I suggest the Seagate 7200.10 PRT 320GB HD, its also under $100, and even faster.

[fps justin]

Originally Posted by Hitman

I suggest the Seagate 7200.10 PRT 320GB HD, its also under $100, and even faster.

i agree with hitman.

Any PSU reccomendations?