Time for a new build!

[Terminator]

It's been a while since i've been into gaming, the only game since half life 2 i've actually played (and completed) is portal, so been out of the scene for a good 3 years really.

My last system i built was a AMD 3800+, 2gig ram, x800xt pe (pretty well the best at the time, pre hl2) since then i sold that and reverted to a 2100+ radeon 9600 lol machine, but it's been ok since i havn't been gaming at all really.

Anyway i've got several decent games i want to play now but obviously the current PC is way out of it's depth so i need to build a new system, the problem is whilst i've been away from the gaming scene i've completely lost track of tech, going on various parts sites, toms hardware and the like it's pretty hard to take in all the info i need so i would be very greatful of some advice.

Basically i want a system that can run all the latest FPS and general games for at least a year or two to come (so a high end set up) i'll also be doing some racing sims with a logitech g25 wheel and projector

Basically i'm having trouble working out the best 'ratio' of components for a decent PC, i.e what is the component most likely to bottleneck and need good money spending on?
Since i last built power consumption seems to have doubled! (i thought my tagan 500W was potent now i see 1200W ones!)
I just need a rough quide as to what parts is should be looking to get.

I have a budget of circa ?1000 ($1980) for just the tower, all other bits are covered, i could in theory go over my budget but only if really necc.

The case will be a large server type case, most likely an antec.

Basically i'm aiming for a high quality, reliable and reasonably efficient system, in the past i have built wickedly unstable high end builds using the cheaper but powerful components but lacked reliability i have come to appreciate now (i'm never using cheap ram again)

Specific points i want to know:

-Processor, i'm miffed as to what's going on with the latest stuff, never had a multicore and have been used to the 'xxxx+' system of a few years ago, i have always bought AMD but i'd like opinions on the whole AMD v Intel thing, in relation to my budget.

-Operating system, is vista worth bothering with yet, i heard there were problems, has it surpased XP pro in general usability yet? (with a high end PC i'll be building)

-Graphics card, i'm guessing to go with nvidia? the geforce 9800GX2 looks a beast but is out of budget.

-Memory, i havn't a clue what's going on with RAM, is 4gig the max for current mobos and vista??

Sorry for the nooby questions, it has been a long time and i'd appreciate some guidance so i can start narrowing my research.

EDIT: Another point, should i wait any amount of time....any new bits coming round the corner that'll really make a decent comp or any expected drop in prices?

 

[CptStern]

is this right?

I have a budget of circa ?1000 ($1980) for just the tower,

if so

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26106&vpn=TNN300B&manufacture=ZALMAN TECH ..you can buy 2 of them with that budget

 

[Terminator]

is this right?



if so

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26106&vpn=TNN300B&manufacture=ZALMAN TECH ..you can buy 2 of them with that budget

Lol, i meant the case and everything in it, monitor and everthing else are being bought under a seperate budget (and will prob be another grand total!)

 

[DEATHMASTER]

If you mean pre-built, this is a decent place http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=224 Though items are overpriced. On graphics card especially pick the lowest thing and upgrade with another one from newegg.com

 

[Terminator]

If you mean pre-built, this is a decent place http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=224 Though items are overpriced. On graphics card especially pick the lowest thing and upgrade with another one from newegg.com

I've considered a pre built and if i spot a good deal i might consider it but for a higher end machine it seems to make sense home building.
I've built 3 computers before but like i say have not done it for a few years and completely ignored the last few years of PC part development so i was simply asking what peoples opinions on the best parts are within my budget.

I.e the Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 2.40GHz, would this match up well with 2gig ram or 4? what would be a good graphics card to go with this? geforce 8800 GTX? wait a while and get a 9???

i just want general opinions really.

 

[CptStern]

there are no good deals for prebuilt ..you can always do it cheaper yourself ..I can build a pc in just over an hour ..and I'm by no means technically literate

 

[DreamThrall]

Stern, I drool every time you link that case.

EDIT: I wanna get one and use it for my HTPC... just throw it behind the TV and use an external DVD drive and a wireless keyboard/mouse... mmmm....

 

[CptStern]

there used to be another zalman that was twice as expensive ..no fans and wasnt water cooled: completely silent ..that was indeed drool worthy ..cant find it now

 

[Asus]

Could either look at the $200 range cards or the newer 9800GX2 card (2 in one). The 9600GT, 8800GT or 8800GTS (512MB recommended) are all last years high end cards revamped and lower priced. If you want more FPS or if you have a large display with a very high resolution (more than 1680x1050) you might look into doing SLI (nvidia) or Crossfire (ATI) with 2 of the above cards. Although you would need a motherboard that is SLI or Crossfire certified (two 16x PCI-Express slots).
Review of the newest high end cards (Nvidia's 9800GX2 and ATI's HD 3870 X2) with the others included in the benchmarks.
Those were done with an Intel quad core X6800. Might as well look into getting a Intel quad core as well. Lot of the games with heavy requirements use quad core either within the game for A.I. and physics. Would help to power 2 video cards and high resolutions too.

Also Nvidia bought Ageia. Nvidia announced when they redo Ageia's PhysX tech it will work on current Nvidia cards.

Intel quad Q6700 or Q6600 would be good.

A 700-750watt PSU would handle all of that. Corsair, Seasonic or PC Power&Cooling would be good.

I don't use Vista on my PC so I don't know a lot with how it handles from the user perspective. I have seen benchmarks that show it is a little faster with some file copy tests and stuff. You can use DX10 effects which will not work in XP. If you do go Vista then you might as well get the 64bit version. FYI retail copies of Vista have both 32bit and 64bit install on the disk. 64bit would let you use 4GB a lot better than 32bit on XP. No reason to go beyond 4GB though. 2GB works very smooth for most gaming still.
2gb vs 4gb (dual core CPU, x1900GT used)

 

[Terminator]

Thank you for the advice asus, i found that quite helpful.
The q6700 seems a little out of my budget (it's ?300+ by the look of it), would a Q6600 2.40GHz (?140-150?) energy efficient suffice for a fairly future proof rig, overclock to 3ghz in the future when needed? i have been thinking about a watercooling setup anyway haha.

Also, what websites are recommended for components, weighing up customer service and cost?

(in the past i have used only ebuyer and OcUK)

I can just tell i'm gonna get obsessive about this build like i have done in the past, i stayed up to 4am last night on hardware review sites!

 

[Asus]

I think it's funny how single GPUs have not changed much for about a year and a half.
8800 GTX (launched November 2006) shown here with 75 FPS in UT3. (8800 Ultra is faster)
9800 GTX, Nvidia's current highest end card with a single GPU launched April 1st 2008, gets 75 FPS in UT3 in the above review.

 

[Ren.182]

XFX GeForce 8800 GTX Extreme 768MB:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-099-XF
?176.24 inc vat.

Pretty cheap for an awesome card. This weekend only though, so If its what you want you should order now.