[sephka]

Is it the correct time to build a new PC? I'm asking this because I, personally, am seeking to upgrade from this old P3 1GHz, etc. computer. It's simply not cutting it for games, even though it's rigged out to the max (as far as it can be with motherboard limitations, anyways).

My main concerns about upgrading (I'm thinking AMD btw) are the transition to a 64 bit era (I’m not planning on getting a 64 bit chip) and other obsolete-related issues. So, if anyone can advise on that, and additionally, possibly, good places to look into for deals on parts (building from scratch), I would appreciate it greatly.

 

[lan]

Transition to 64bit shouldn't be a concern because it's still a way off and software support will be lacking. The AMD 64bit chips are very nice performance wise in games. I wouldn't mind getting one but I do a lot of multimedia so a P4 with hyperthreading is better for me.

If you're not that big into the last ounce of performance then whether you go AMD or Intel is about the same.

I like newegg.com in buying parts.

A more immediate concern is the move to PCI express and DDR2 memory. That will render current memory and AGP video cards not future compatible. The top video cards now are a bit "old". I myself would wait till all those new things came out but since your computer is quite old, I wouldn't bother waiting.

 

[EyEPoD]

It really depends. I would say its an excellent time to build a budget machine (maybe wait another month to get really good deals on videocards). However for top-of-the-line machines, I would suggest waiting.

While intel just released its new prescott cpu, this new chip wont be advantageous until the 4-4.5 ghz range. You could consider the current top-of-the-line chips from AMD or Intel (judging your first post, i dont believe you had that in mind anyway) are extremely expensive given their performance when comparted to the 200-250$ chips from both companies.

As for video cards, both ATI and Nvidia should be releasing next generation cards soon. So this is a important whether you are considering top of the line or last generations cards. It will also introduce the next step of the pci standard, aka pci express.

Look for Intel's new chipset to introduce a new formfactor new cpu (tejas, probably the p5), and usher in the era of DDR2 and PCI express. So, to summarize, if you want budget there are alot of good deals to be had on both the ATI and Intel side. If you are looking toward top-of-the-line, wait a few months for the major new technologies. IMO now is one of the best times for a home built PC in the 1200-2000$ range.

[Edit: I use newegg.com for just about everything nowadays, pick a budget and search their site.]

 

[sephka]

Thanks for the responses so far! I've bookmarked newegg - it looks like a pretty nice site. I wasn't aware of the move towards PCI express or DD2 - thanks for alerting me there.

I've browsed Price Watch, and i'm a bit hesitant - a lot of the things they sell at bargain prices come from manufacturers i've never heard of. Does anyone have experience with them? They sell some things for quite cheap (ex.: AMD Athlon XP 3000 motherboard combo).

 

[EyEPoD]

From past experience I find it much better to give up a few dollars and go with a trusted online vendor. Use resellerratings.com before using an unknown vendor. I have used so many in the past few years, if you would like to PM me about a vendor listed on pricewatch, I very well may have dealt with them.

But as the edit in my last post states, I use newegg for almost everything now. Its prices are competitive, it processes and ships orders quickly, and the customer service of pretty good for a vendor of this type (if you need to rma or something of that nature).

However if budget it tight, there are good deals to be had from pricewatch, just be careful. Make sure to call the vendor to verify that the item is in stock, and that it will be processed the day of payment. This is important because a alot of vendors dont update their sites regularily.

Other vendors that I have had good experiences with: ABS Computers, GoogleGear (now ZipZoomFly.com), Monarch Computers, 3DCool.com, and 1CoolPC.

 

[lan]

Experience with certain brand names of products? I'd stick with the big brand name motherboards. It's not as if they're THAT much more expensive.

What is your budget?

 

[doug zdanivsky]

You think yours is old..

Try a P3 450, with a TNT2 videocard.. : )

I'm also going to be upgrading this summer.

I don't want top-of-the-line, I want to save a few hundred bucks buying what is near top-of-the-line now, but will be darn near middle of the road come the DDR 2, BTX cases, etc..

Right now I'm looking at a P4C 2.8g with an 9800pro, Audigy 2ZS, 875P chipset, Antec Sonata case, and a 10k Raptor HD..

 

[sephka]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan Experience with certain brand names of products? I'd stick with the big brand name motherboards. It's not as if they're THAT much more expensive. What is your budget?

I probably should have verified this earlier. My budget is, max, $1000 (this is including monitor...), but I have a few things already, including:

CD-RW
Firewire/NIC
Floppy (Probably won't bother)
Video card

 

[EyEPoD]

Ugh, accidentally closed my browser while typing a long post. To summarize, if you want AMD, a barton/nforce2 setup can be build easily for 500$ in parts. IMO, to get the best setup for 1k look to an intel p4c processor and a 800mhz fsb motherboard.

Pickup 512 (2x 256) in value ram from crucial or kingston.
Start with 80 gig hard drive, and add more as needed.
Use a high quality Case/PSU combo
Save atleast 200 for a monitor.

 

[weems]

80 gig HDD? screw that. get at least a 120. HDD prices are ROCK BOTTOM right now. i just managed to nab a maxtor 160gb 8mb cache 7200rpm for 74 dollars shipped (no rebates)....of course that was a one time deal....but it gives you the general idea of how cheap they are.

i agree with eyepod though. right now is a great time to build a budget PC...but not a good time for a high end one. intel is still far from releasing the mega prescotts, and the new 64 bit amd processors are still hindered by pretty crappy chipsets (compared to what will come.)

and yeah, 1K bucks is hardly a budget computer by todays standards. a few years ago it would build you a turing machine, but today 1k gets you an upper mid machine, especially if you already have a nice video card. they can take out a big chunk...well, not as much as they used to. you can get a 9800 pro for like 210 bucks now...

edit: wow, i seem to be one of the few people on this forum with less then stellar grammar. you can certainly tell this is an audiophile hangout!

 

[andrzejpw]

stay away from preshots (prescots) at the moment. Their heat numbers are quite scary. You're better off going northwood.

 

[radrd]

As has already been said, it appears to me that this a very good time to start researching components, and possibly to build a budget machine, but not necessarily a good time to buy the high end stuff. You can certainly get good deals, but in both the CPU and the video card market, we are waiting for some significant changes. Also, there is also a new Turtle Beach sound card coming out, and IIRC, PCI Express should be showing up fairly soon. Plus, the big name games (Half-Life 2 and Doom 3) have yet to appear, so any high end gamers would be wise to wait.

 

[Ctn]

Buy you comp when hl2/d3 comes out which should be before the end of the year if you can hold out that long. If you cant, anytime is as good as any.

Btw UT2004 is simply awesome. ASMD has been restored to its former glory. Gameplay now feels like the original UT.

 

[Ctn]

So you know, a near high end comp runs the beta d3 and hl2 like a dog. It's a total lag fest. I hope the final release is more optimised.

 

[EyEPoD]

I get 60+ fps on both at 12x10, if you were to buy a high end machine now you would certainly be fine. But if you are thinking of buying a system to last 3+ years you should wait for the groundbreaking technologies.

The truth of it is that these technologies wont make a significant impact initially. PCI express merely increses bandwidth (well it is a cool new formfactor) that wont be advantageous for atleast a year. DDR2 also has promise, but its inital release speeds wont offer too much over the current top of the line DDR. The most important thing to wait for if you are considering top of the line is the next-gen video cards. They could easily carry a computer for over a year, in similar fashion as the 9700pro has done. However in the case of nvidia it was actually better to wait for revision 2 (5900).

[edit.. yikes spelling]