[Tech] New PC System questions

[Salvation122]

Would I simply be better off spending that money on a single higher end card?

In most cases, yes.

In every single case unless you are buying two of the best boards available you are better off, from a price/performance standpoint, buying a single card.

[3278]

Agreed. It's too bad, too, because I like a lot of the SLI motherboards, but it's a waste to step up when you have to pay the premium for SLI as well. The mobo Jeff has behaved itself admirably, and for non-overclockers is a very good choice. [It's a decent choice for overclockers, but probably not number one, even in the non-SLI realm.]

Jeff's system is a nice baseline for a midrange system right now, but features a number of choices made specifically for him. People looking at building a system for themselves would likely want to reconsider choice of processor, OS, video card, and even DVD.

[3278]

What video card are you going to get?

[TheScamp]

Actually, I ended up going with pretty much the system you put together for Jeff, at least for most of the major components. Our requirements are pretty similar (low noise, moderate cost, upgradability, etc), and I've started to come to grips with the fact that I'm not the hardcore gamer that I used to be. (Coincidentally, we're also coming from exactly the same old systes specs.) I haven't overclocked anything since 1998, and don't give two squats any more about impressing people with my computer stats. Midrange should suit me just fine.

I did end up going with Vista, primarily for DX10, and an Antec P180B tower. A large, silent black monolith is vastly superior to a jet engine filled with LED's.

[Jeff Hauze]

So, I've run into my first game that the godbox struggles on: GTA IV. So, I figured, time to finally look at a new video card, and maybe toss in that extra 1 gig of RAM. Imagine my surprise when I saw how fucking cheap hardware has become. For those that need a refresh, the original system can be found here.

I plan on adding these two things:

2 of these to add another gig of RAM. It still keeps me under 4 gigs, since I'm still using XP. I guess my only question here is that previously, it had been mentioned that DDR should be kept paired. So there should be no real issues with having two paired 1GB DIMMS and two paried 512 MB DIMMs? And really, for $8 a piece, I just couldn't resist.

For the gaming end, I'm thinking about this. It seems to fit the things I want for gaming. Two questions here, I think.

Module-specific, obviously this will change around the noise of the case a bit, with the additional fan on the video card. I don't believe I should be worried about any heat issues with the additional fans running. Any concerns you can think of there?

Secondly, does anyone know of any issues with using a PCI Express 2.0 card in a standard PCI Express slot? Obviously it will have the lower speeds for data transfer with the older protocol, but most things I have read imply pretty solid backwards compatibility. I figure with this card, it'll be easy to swap out to another tower several years down the line when a new mobo and case may be in order.

[3278]

2 of these to add another gig of RAM. It still keeps me under 4 gigs, since I'm still using XP. I guess my only question here is that previously, it had been mentioned that DDR should be kept paired. So there should be no real issues with having two paired 1GB DIMMS and two paried 512 MB DIMMs? And really, for $8 a piece, I just couldn't resist.

Personally, I'd just buy the same kit again, for another gig. $23 versus $16 is a pretty good deal. If you do go for a pair of 512mb chips, you may as well get the kit. That's $13 for the pair, rather than $16, and they're a little more likely to "match." Still, $23 for another matched pair would be good. You don't have to worry, as I understand it, about hitting the 4gb barrier and having things explode or anything; XP just won't be able to use anything additional.

And yes, 1 pair of 512s and a pair of 1gbs will be fine together.

For the gaming end, I'm thinking about this. It seems to fit the things I want for gaming.

It's a good budget choice. Not wildly more powerful than your 8600, but a good card.

Module-specific, obviously this will change around the noise of the case a bit, with the additional fan on the video card. I don't believe I should be worried about any heat issues with the additional fans running. Any concerns you can think of there?

It'll be marginally louder, but the inside of the case probably won't get hotter; in fact, the extra circulation will probably do some good.

Secondly, does anyone know of any issues with using a PCI Express 2.0 card in a standard PCI Express slot?

Um. I don't know, actually. Not that I'm aware of, but I don't know everything.

[Jeff Hauze]

It's a good budget choice. Not wildly more powerful than your 8600, but a good card.

So what would be your recommendation if I were going non-budget, and tossing Benjy's around like Fitty?

[3278]

A GTX 260 would be my weapon of choice in the midrange segment. [Anything beyond it is frankly a waste at the resolutions of LCD monitors under 30 inches.] I just bought one for another guy's computer, specifically this XFX card; other good choices are the EVGA 260 cards, which I mostly recommend for their lifetime warranty [provided you register in the first 30 days]; I don't recommend the 55nm parts, because the cooler is anemic compared to the 65nm cards, and the prices on 65nm parts will be low a bit as they try to shift the remaining stocks.

Another good choice would be the 55nm GTX version of the 9800GT you were looking at, which would be the 9800GTX+. I like the cooler and size of this Asus version, but this assortment of EVGA cards are excellent choices, as well; just pick the highest-clocked one you can afford and go. The one with 1gb of video RAM is probably overkill for your screen size, but I think GTAIV benefits from extra texture memory; don't quote me on that. Anyway, the 9800GTX+ cards are a nice in-between series, and should be cool and quiet, also.

On the higher end, you could get a 285 or 295, but you don't need one, and they're really expensive. And louder. But neat, anyway.

One very, very major consideration. If you get an 11 inch card, you're going to try to put it in your case and you're going to say, "Oh. Shit." Because it won't fit. It genuinely is too long for your case. This case I bought the card for earlier today is the same way, and I had to make a cut in the drive cage to fit his 8800GT; it was just wide enough to hold the PCB, and thus allowed the card to be supported on each end, which was nice. Five minutes with a hacksaw, and all was well. However, the GTX 260 isn't just PCB-width at the rear end of the card; it's actually a couple inches thick. Again, it'll just be a few minutes with saw or Dremel, but unless you want shit all over your case, it means pulling the motherboard out, or covering it with a garbage bag to prevent filings from being down on it. So that's something to consider. Looking at pictures of GTX 260s and 9800GTX+s, it would appear the 9800GTX+ won't have any fitment problems at all.

And, of course, I'm always at your disposal if aid in installation is required; Centralia by winter must be intoxicating, anyway.