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$1500 pc
#1
26 Oct 2009 @ 8:29
Darxdog
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my old pc just broke so i want to buy a new good gaming one
my budget is up to a max of $1500
i need advice ...
1. intel vs. amd ... is there anything to know ??
2. which processor is best for price/performance ratio ?
intel core i7 [the 920 one]
intel core i5
amd phenom ii
3. which gfx card to choose ? [still not so expensive ones]
nvidia vs. ati
geforce vs. radeon
4. is crossfire / sli really worth it or better a single gfx card ?
5. crossfire vs. sli ?
6. how much mem really needed on gfx card ?
1gb enough or too much for latest games ?
7. how much ram do i really need for good gaming experience ?
6 gb enough/too much/not enough ?
8. alienware aurora or gamer paladin f770 ?? [alienware more expensive for less specs <_<]
9. motherboard ... important or not ?
10. any good motherboards to suggest ?
11. where to get best deals ?? ibuypower ?
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Configurators.aspx?mid=405#PageTop
i like this pc [link above]
[with minor changes 12gb ram and geforce 9400 gt 1 gb sli] ...
can i get the same specs for less elsewhere ?
my budget is up to a max of $1500
i need advice ...
1. intel vs. amd ... is there anything to know ??
2. which processor is best for price/performance ratio ?
intel core i7 [the 920 one]
intel core i5
amd phenom ii
3. which gfx card to choose ? [still not so expensive ones]
nvidia vs. ati
geforce vs. radeon
4. is crossfire / sli really worth it or better a single gfx card ?
5. crossfire vs. sli ?
6. how much mem really needed on gfx card ?
1gb enough or too much for latest games ?
7. how much ram do i really need for good gaming experience ?
6 gb enough/too much/not enough ?
8. alienware aurora or gamer paladin f770 ?? [alienware more expensive for less specs <_<]
9. motherboard ... important or not ?
10. any good motherboards to suggest ?
11. where to get best deals ?? ibuypower ?
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Configurators.aspx?mid=405#PageTop
i like this pc [link above]
[with minor changes 12gb ram and geforce 9400 gt 1 gb sli] ...
can i get the same specs for less elsewhere ?
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 26 Oct 2009 @ 8:30
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#3
26 Oct 2009 @ 12:07
Hi Darxdog,
first of all: Don't bump posts ridiculously early, it's rare that anyone will get a chance to answer a post this size within 2 hours of posting it.
1. In general, a $1500 gaming PC will fare better with an Intel CPU, AMD CPUs don't really extend to high-budget high-performance systems like this.
2. The core i5 is the best of the three for gaming.
3. nvidia=geforce. ATI=Radeon. At the moment, ATI are your best choice for graphics.
4. That depends on the game. Crossfire is very beneficial for most games, but depending on what resolution you use it may or may not be necessary. One thing to note, it is always better to have one faster card than two slower ones.
5. Both offer similar gains, but crossfire is far less restrictive.
6. 1GB is ample for graphics cards using all except 2560x1600 (30" monitors, very expensive)
7. 4GB is enough for most games with Windows 7. Core i5 boards allow the use of 4GB RAM with the option to upgrade to 8GB later.
8. Preferably neither, prebuilt gaming PCs are an absolute ripoff. Build your own if you can.
9. Very important - unreliable motherboards mean an unreliable PC. Steer clear of lower quality brands like ECS, Jetway, ASRock, Asus and anything with the word 'nforce' in it.
10. For a core i5, any of Gigabyte, MSI or Biostar's offerings are excellent.
11. Ibuypower prebuild PCs, and very bad PCs at that. The PC you've linked to is terrible, it can't play ANY modern games, the 9400GT is a very weak card, designed for playing video, not games.
first of all: Don't bump posts ridiculously early, it's rare that anyone will get a chance to answer a post this size within 2 hours of posting it.
1. In general, a $1500 gaming PC will fare better with an Intel CPU, AMD CPUs don't really extend to high-budget high-performance systems like this.
2. The core i5 is the best of the three for gaming.
3. nvidia=geforce. ATI=Radeon. At the moment, ATI are your best choice for graphics.
4. That depends on the game. Crossfire is very beneficial for most games, but depending on what resolution you use it may or may not be necessary. One thing to note, it is always better to have one faster card than two slower ones.
5. Both offer similar gains, but crossfire is far less restrictive.
6. 1GB is ample for graphics cards using all except 2560x1600 (30" monitors, very expensive)
7. 4GB is enough for most games with Windows 7. Core i5 boards allow the use of 4GB RAM with the option to upgrade to 8GB later.
8. Preferably neither, prebuilt gaming PCs are an absolute ripoff. Build your own if you can.
9. Very important - unreliable motherboards mean an unreliable PC. Steer clear of lower quality brands like ECS, Jetway, ASRock, Asus and anything with the word 'nforce' in it.
10. For a core i5, any of Gigabyte, MSI or Biostar's offerings are excellent.
11. Ibuypower prebuild PCs, and very bad PCs at that. The PC you've linked to is terrible, it can't play ANY modern games, the 9400GT is a very weak card, designed for playing video, not games.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#4
27 Oct 2009 @ 2:28
thnx a lot sammo
btw ... y u suggest i5 than i7 ?
and y u do not suggest prebuilt ?
where i live [not in us] ... pcs are actually expensive and u wont get good specs at all for 1500 usd ... buying your own parts and building it yourself will cost me much here ...
btw ... y u suggest i5 than i7 ?
and y u do not suggest prebuilt ?
where i live [not in us] ... pcs are actually expensive and u wont get good specs at all for 1500 usd ... buying your own parts and building it yourself will cost me much here ...
-.-
#5
27 Oct 2009 @ 10:18
i5 CPUs are better than i7s at gaming. They're much cheaper, and they're actually slightly faster. Not to mention more efficient, newer technology etc. etc.
I don't suggest prebuilt PCs because they cost a LOT more than building yourself. A PC you build for $1500 might cost $2200-2400 if you bought a prebuild, exactly the same specs. Worse, most prebuilt PCs use poor quality parts meaning they're prone to premature failure.
I don't suggest prebuilt PCs because they cost a LOT more than building yourself. A PC you build for $1500 might cost $2200-2400 if you bought a prebuild, exactly the same specs. Worse, most prebuilt PCs use poor quality parts meaning they're prone to premature failure.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#6
27 Oct 2009 @ 17:29
I agree with most of what samm has said accept about low quality boards. ASUS is fine quality board as long as you don't cheap out on their low end mobos. Nforce is fine too. After working at a computer shop that built custom computers, I have seen the least amount of returns from ASUS boards. I'm not saying though that ASUS is the only quality mobo manufacturer either, there are plenty out there.
As for GeForce vs. Radeon, they are both pretty close, but Radeon is slightly ahead. Crossfire vs SLI is insignificant. Some games work better on either one.
As for GeForce vs. Radeon, they are both pretty close, but Radeon is slightly ahead. Crossfire vs SLI is insignificant. Some games work better on either one.
#7
27 Oct 2009 @ 17:38
Quote:That's what I thought initially, but doing some research it really makes no difference. The top-end boards are almost as bad as the basic ones, maybe fewer DOAs, but just as many mid-term failures.
ASUS is fine quality board as long as you don't cheap out on their low end mobos.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#8
27 Oct 2009 @ 17:43
Originally posted by sammorris:Hmm really? Unless Asus has changed their quality in the past couple years I have never heard of any major problems with them. I've been rockin' my M2N32-SLI Deluxe mobo for 2 3/4 years and never had an issue with it.
Quote:That's what I thought initially, but doing some research it really makes no difference. The top-end boards are almost as bad as the basic ones, maybe fewer DOAs, but just as many mid-term failures.
ASUS is fine quality board as long as you don't cheap out on their low end mobos.
#9
27 Oct 2009 @ 17:45
That was about the turning point. Around 2005 was when the cheap boards became dire, the high-end boards followed suit around early 2007, during the release of the Core 2 chipsets.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#11
27 Oct 2009 @ 22:43
That's rather vague. Care to explain it a bit better?
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#12
27 Oct 2009 @ 23:04
ddp
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cielarski, edit that link out of your sig ASAP as per forum rules.
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#13
28 Oct 2009 @ 0:11
Originally posted by sammorris:Well that sucks. I rather liked Asus back then. I guess I'll have to keep that in mind when I finally get around to building a new PC.
That was about the turning point. Around 2005 was when the cheap boards became dire, the high-end boards followed suit around early 2007, during the release of the Core 2 chipsets.
#14
28 Oct 2009 @ 2:59
i changed idea ... i think ill buy a laptop ...
http://forums.afterdawn.com/t.cfm/f-216/gaming_laptop-809787/
http://forums.afterdawn.com/t.cfm/f-216/gaming_laptop-809787/
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#15
28 Oct 2009 @ 6:58
Suit yourself, but a laptop as powerful as a $1500 gaming PC will cost $2500-$3000.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#16
28 Oct 2009 @ 9:42
Originally posted by sammorris:yea i know ... but i live in mauritius where pc parts are expensive and we dont have latest ones ... to get good pcs ... we got to buy it abroad ...
Suit yourself, but a laptop as powerful as a $1500 gaming PC will cost $2500-$3000.
and carrying / shipping is a prob ..
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 28 Oct 2009 @ 9:45
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#17
28 Oct 2009 @ 9:44
I don't really understand why that makes buying a laptop a better idea... :S
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#18
28 Oct 2009 @ 10:00
Originally posted by sammorris:yea well if i buy the pc from ibuypower ... how i get it here ?
I don't really understand why that makes buying a laptop a better idea... :S
ibuypower ships only to usa ?
-.-
#19
28 Oct 2009 @ 10:02
Then don't buy a PC from IBuyPower, they're rubbish - seriously, I'd recommend you try and build your own.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#20
28 Oct 2009 @ 10:08
Originally posted by sammorris:ok ... i wanna build my own ... how do i get the parts to here ?
Then don't buy a PC from IBuyPower, they're rubbish - seriously, I'd recommend you try and build your own.
-.-
#21
28 Oct 2009 @ 10:13
Find somewhere that will do international delivery. A Few US stores will do it (though sadly not newegg) or alternatively find somewhere closer to Mauritius.
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#22
28 Oct 2009 @ 12:22
what do u think about this pc and this laptop?
the intel sli gaming or the dell xps m1530 ... still for gaming
links
http://www.fastclick.mu/pdf/computers/Computer%20OCT09.pdf
http://www.fastclick.mu/pdf/notebooks/Notebook_OCT09.pdf
72 000 Mauritian rupees = 2 372.328 U.S. dollars
the intel sli gaming or the dell xps m1530 ... still for gaming
links
http://www.fastclick.mu/pdf/computers/Computer%20OCT09.pdf
http://www.fastclick.mu/pdf/notebooks/Notebook_OCT09.pdf
72 000 Mauritian rupees = 2 372.328 U.S. dollars
-.-
#23
28 Oct 2009 @ 19:43
Why is it called Intel SLI gaming when it uses crossfire, not SLI? This site already loses my confidence when building PCs. Here's what's wrong with that build:
1. i7s are overpriced (very) compared to i5s for gaming, which are better
2. Asus motherboards are unreliable
3. OCZ RAM can be unreliable
4. Modern Seagate HDDs are unreliable
5. HD4850s are old news, you'd be better off with a single HD4890 or HD5850.
6. OCZ PSUs can be dodgy
The Dell XPS M1530 is a popular laptop as it is reasonably well built. However, it does not have a graphics card capable of playing games. Literally any games. Even basic 5-6 year old games like Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament 2004 will be very laggy or unplayable. None of the laptops in this list can play any games except the Inspiron T735 with its HD3650 - that can play some games, not at all well (thepair of HD4850s in the desktop is 30-50x as powerful as the HD3650 mobile) but it will actually play old titles at minimum settings. Also take note - the reason it's on there for cheap is that it's Pink. Do you really want a pink laptop?
1. i7s are overpriced (very) compared to i5s for gaming, which are better
2. Asus motherboards are unreliable
3. OCZ RAM can be unreliable
4. Modern Seagate HDDs are unreliable
5. HD4850s are old news, you'd be better off with a single HD4890 or HD5850.
6. OCZ PSUs can be dodgy
The Dell XPS M1530 is a popular laptop as it is reasonably well built. However, it does not have a graphics card capable of playing games. Literally any games. Even basic 5-6 year old games like Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament 2004 will be very laggy or unplayable. None of the laptops in this list can play any games except the Inspiron T735 with its HD3650 - that can play some games, not at all well (thepair of HD4850s in the desktop is 30-50x as powerful as the HD3650 mobile) but it will actually play old titles at minimum settings. Also take note - the reason it's on there for cheap is that it's Pink. Do you really want a pink laptop?
Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#24
29 Oct 2009 @ 1:37
thnx ... im gonna buy parts from uk and tell my friend to bring em
i will play most upcoming games on this pc such as assasins creed 2 and modern warfare 2 ...
so ... any good parts to suggest ?
motherboard ?
is gigabyte good ?
what brand/model do u suggest ?
does gigabyte motherboard support crossfire ?
ram ?
ddr3 is good ?
and 6 gb ?
corsair or other brand ?
processor
im gonna take the intel i5 BUT More specifically which one ?
gfx card
... ill buy one locally... u suggest ati ... which model more specifically ? and crossfire or not ?
btw ... u know any good shops in london to get pc parts?
mouse , keyboard and hdd[1 160gb and 1 80gb both sata ... i dont need much hdd and it is fairly cheap] and cdrom and other peripherals already have ...
again ... thnx for all your help ...
i will play most upcoming games on this pc such as assasins creed 2 and modern warfare 2 ...
so ... any good parts to suggest ?
motherboard ?
is gigabyte good ?
what brand/model do u suggest ?
does gigabyte motherboard support crossfire ?
ram ?
ddr3 is good ?
and 6 gb ?
corsair or other brand ?
processor
im gonna take the intel i5 BUT More specifically which one ?
gfx card
... ill buy one locally... u suggest ati ... which model more specifically ? and crossfire or not ?
btw ... u know any good shops in london to get pc parts?
mouse , keyboard and hdd[1 160gb and 1 80gb both sata ... i dont need much hdd and it is fairly cheap] and cdrom and other peripherals already have ...
again ... thnx for all your help ...
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 29 Oct 2009 @ 1:40
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#25
29 Oct 2009 @ 7:20
Gigabyte makes very good motherboards.
I suggest this model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404
Yes it supports corssfire and SLI.
As per your RAM, none, the i5 as well as the i7 800 series mobos only support 4 GB or 8 GB. Not 3 or 6 like the i7 900 series does.
Theres only one i5 processor on the market.
The video card thing was covered as to what models to get. As for going Crossfire(hint at what brand of card to get), more then likley no. You dont need it.
As for hard drives, these are important to. Dont cheap out on them as you can expect failure if you do and there goes all your data. Plus its still an important part of gaming performance. I would suggest this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148309
Although you can actually get a 1 TB drive for not much more.
I suggest this model:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404
Yes it supports corssfire and SLI.
As per your RAM, none, the i5 as well as the i7 800 series mobos only support 4 GB or 8 GB. Not 3 or 6 like the i7 900 series does.
Theres only one i5 processor on the market.
The video card thing was covered as to what models to get. As for going Crossfire(hint at what brand of card to get), more then likley no. You dont need it.
As for hard drives, these are important to. Dont cheap out on them as you can expect failure if you do and there goes all your data. Plus its still an important part of gaming performance. I would suggest this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148309
Although you can actually get a 1 TB drive for not much more.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 29 Oct 2009 @ 7:34
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