I was searching for a list of computer components that help make the computer faster. Like for instance saying look for atleast 512mb ram, 800mhz front side bus, needs to have 8mb buffer or better, hard drive needs 7200 rpm's. Can some of you compile some good components that help increase the performance of the pc's. For us unfamiliar with the insides of the machines, so we know what to look for when we get a new one. Thanks alot.
It's not about price, I want to be able to compare what the features do. Like If I'm looking for a computer, what would I be looking for to make sure I get something worth while as far as price goes. Like if someone said if your going to buy a computer make sure it has at least a 8mb buffer, etc...
It deepends what ur looking for to make the computer faster?, like a CPU or RAM or a whole new comp, and what slots for CPU and RAM ur comp has at the moment?
Yes, I see you have a good pc. What are the "key" components that make it faster than the one you had before. And if you could with an unlimited amount of money, what key components would you get. ex. 4.0 ghz cup, 1500 fsb, 100 mb hd buffer that has an rpm of 20,000. That kind of stuff is what I'm looking for here.
well for starters my old machine which i still use is a p4 3.06ghz that only has a 533 frontside bus with rdram @1066mhz . in my opinion the rdram is faster than todays ddr ram . the 3.06 machine has a intel motherboard which does not allow for any overclocking at all . its limited in the tweaking department . also in that same machine im only using a seagate 7200 rpm hard drive . this machine still runs fine . now the machine listed in my sig as you can see has a 3.2e with a 1mb L2cache which is bigger than the 3.06 which has 512kb cache . i also have 2 western digital raptors that run @10000 rpms on serial ata raid 0 . these out perform my single 7200 rpm seagate by far . the ddr400 ram is dual channel memory which i really dont think performs as good as the rdram does . the asus motherboard is a nice board that has all kinds of tweaking options . in my opinion this board is the best board i have ever owned . im really satified with this machine as far as preformance goes and the only upgrade i plan for right now is new video card to a asus 6800 ultra . there are better machines than this but they cost too much for my bank account . there are some really nice AMD machines out there that do a better job at gaming than what im running . to be honest with you this is all about what you prefer . some of the newer stuff like pci express vs agp 8x are nice . i use agp as my board does not have pci express . by all means what i have is not the top of the line so to speak . there are alot of new features and hardware coming out that i cant use with this setup . that is why i build a new machine every 2 years . its my hobby . its what i like to do . if really want to spend some money on the latest and greatest stuff . have a look at alienwares stuff . they usually have the top end machines with the top end price tag . they sell machines that run @4ghz with all the goodies for like $6000 . thats a lot of cash . i built what im running for right around $1600 which will soon be $2000 after the purchase of the video card . how far do you want to go ? we can break the bank here if thats what you want to do ? there are many options out there . i dont have any dream machine that i would like to have as i dont have the wallet for it . some think i paid too much for what i have now and guess what some of it is already outdated . i feel what i have is a mid range machine . thats all i ever need as any more is a waste of money in my opinion . hope some of this helps you make some decisions .
well see my big question here is when you go looking for a computer theirs things you look for in a computer which will tell you if that computer will out perform the others. That is what I want to know. Like you said the rdram out preforms the ddr. That kind of stuff is what I'm looking for. I know more ram is better, so if I were going to compare the ram in two machines it will be somewhat easy if they were of the same kind. Say I want to know which was better in two different machines. Option 1, a pc with 1gig or ram that has sdram and option 2, a pc with 1 gig with ddr. Which would be better. That kind of info is what I'm looking for.
ok i will start simple with cpu's . amd vs intel . they both make great cpu's . intel uses hyperthreading with their latest cpu's while amd uses hypertransport. these are the better cpu's to get . the older cpu's dont have hyperthreading or hypertransport which makes the older cpu's not as good at multitasking . some like the older cpu's as you can overclock some them more easly on some models . getting a cpu that has a higher ghz doesnt really mean its better as i have seen lower ghz machines outperform higher ghz machines . amd for example doesnt make a cpu as high as intel's but yet they out perform some of intel's cpu's at different tasks . in this case it depends on what you plan to use the machine for . amd has been known to perform better than intel at gaming while intel has been known to perform better at video editting . so my opinion here is to buy a cpu that fits for what you plan to use the machine for . now for the ram . im not a expert so dont hold me to this . rdram is becoming a thing of the past because of the cost not because of its performance . intel no longer uses rdram because of the issue . computer manufactures can sell more computers if they can make them cheaper in turn sell them cheaper . i really dont know a whole lot about ddr memory as this is the first machine i have used with ddr . when buying memory i dont cut corners here as some of the cheap stuff is really bad . memory should be purchased on what the motherboard will handle speed wise . if it calls for 3200 like in my case that is what i bought . there is ecc and non ecc memory . ecc is generally used on servers . i use non ecc . latency is a factor with memory also or timings as it refered to . i try to buy lower latency memory as it performs better . so speed , ecc or non ecc , and latency are what to look for when buying memory . motherboards need to beable to except what ever parts you buy . i bought a motherboard with serial ata as thats what is being used on most of the newer machines . when i build my machines i purchase a motherboard and build on that . whatever it is able to handle in terms of cpu , memory , serial ata , pci express or agp . i dont try to max it out . i just buy a good combination of parts not the fastest the motherboard will handle . i buy high watt power supplies as a lot of todays hardware is power hungry . like video cards for example . some of the newer video cards call for nothing less than a 480 watt power supply . i will end here as you should get the idea and beable to compare parts . i dont discuss video cards nvidia vs ati . that choice is in what you prefer . i dont know what all the best parts are . you will have to do some research and compare and come to your own conclusion .
That helps alot, What do you think would be better for the dvd backups. A amd 3200+ or an intel p4 3.2 ghz. And thanks alot for the help here.
im not really sure as i have never compared the 2 side by side to see which one did a better job . im guessing the the intel 3.2 would do a better job as its a faster cpu than the 3200+ . backing up dvd's is a cpu intense job and with the 3.2 being the faster cpu here i feel it would do a better job along with a speedy hard drive and some good ram . dont get me wrong amd makes some nice cpu's . most gamers enjoy amd cpu's as i have read a lot about them beating intel in that department . all in all i think the 3200+ would do a good job with dvd backups against the 3.2 . i just think the intel 3.2 would be a little faster about it .a little warning with the p4 3.2 , these cpu's run hot , so a good case with good cooling is important with this cpu . im not trying to side with intel here because thats what i use or anything . i plan to build a amd machine for my girl and im sure it will be a nice running machine . one other thing you need to know here is the 3200+ does not mean its a 3.2ghz cpu . it is a 2.2ghz cpu . the numbers of amd cpu's are misleading . that is why i think the intel 3.2 cpu would do a better job with dvd backup . its a full 1ghz faster than the amd 3200+ . hope this answers your question
