My next ComputerFollow

I am playing with the idea of building a new system. I currently play FFXI and WOW and have been looking at LOTRO. My current system has a 2.0 Ghx Athelon XP 2400 cpu and Geforce 6200 AGP graphics. Windows XP Home SP3. No hurry to replace but its showing signs of age. My question is the OS for my new computer if I build it. Since it will be a gaming computer, I was thinking Vista for DX10 might be a good idea. My main question though is since everything is now into Multi-core, should I get a 64 bit OS or stick with 32-bit?

Aye, I'd say Vista would be playing it safe. DX10 will eventually kick in and it'll be nice to have it then. When DX11 launches it will be backported to Vista as well. If you know anyone who bought a Vista retail/OEM disc you can sort of "demo" it for 30 days before you buy.

The worries of 64-bit are generally hardware drivers, so if you plan on going 64-bit, check your hardware manufacturer's website for drivers. I have no insider information but I'm going to assume Windows 7 will be the last version of Windows with this whole 32-bit/64-bit configuration. By the end of Windows 7's lifetime everyone should have 64-bit drivers. If you're planning on grabbing 3.5GB+, 64-bit is a must as 32-bit Microsoft Operating Systems can only see 3.25~3.5GB. If you want more info on 64-bit visit this site.

If you really need more than 4GB (which you don't), then go Vista. You really don't need Vista right now, but since everyone is going towards it and its "the future", then you might as well. It works and is alright for the most part. You don't need DX10 either really, but again that's a future directional thing so you might as well.

Ram is also very cheap, so you can get 2x2x2 kits and throw in 4 sticks (although this can be a problem populating the motherboard to full capacity... I've had some troubles depending on the mobo and ram). If you get a new video card, which I highly recommend, get the Radeon HD 4850... can't go wrong there.

So in short, yes, get Vista 64, get 8GB of memory and be done with it, and an ATI 4850 (or if you're scared of ATI for whatever reason, the Nvidia GTX260 will do just fine as well). Ensure 120mm fans for case and power supply cooling and a full copper heatsink if you can install your own (others retail CPUs come with this).

Here are my recommendations at this time:
http://www.allakhazam.com/wiki/System_Performance_Guide

I hope this helps some!
- Berek

3.5GB+ of system memory.

Right, my mistake. Sorry.

Thanks Smasharoo for the inputs! I agree on the motherboard for Intel especially. I've been looking to replace that in the value slot for some time now. The guide is being updated tomorrow, so I'll make some adjustments based on your recommendations.

- Berek


Edited, Aug 23rd 2008 4:16pm by Berek

I wouldn't follow any guide to the letter but these are very solid recommendations.

» Case recommendations are odd as design preference is mostly up to the individual. The Tsunami doesn't look to have anything worth writing home about and, in my opinion, looks like ***. The build quality on my old Thermaltake Shark was pretty good (though the door felt a bit flimsy...), if it's worth anything to you.

» If you're not ordering your parts tomorrow look for reviews of the Seagate 640GB HD when they start to touch ground. It looks "promising" but I don't honestly expect it to outrun the WD.

» The Wiki may have chosen the DFI Blood Iron for a reason (overclocking is likely, possibly reliability) but if you want a cheap no frills board the P35-DS3L is good. It's been replaced by the EP35-DS3L, which I haven't looked into, but I imagine its similar enough.

» GPU purchase decision making should be made mostly around two factors: what games you play and what resolution you wish to play them at. A 4850 should be adequate for most though. You might feel inclined to scale up to the 4870 if you want to play at max resolution on a 22~24" screen on more modern games.

Like I said, these are very solid recommendations but the best advice is to shop around and find you need... at the absolute cheapest! :)

http://www.Newegg.com/
http://directron.com/
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/index.hmx?
http://microcenter.com/index.html

Anandtech.com is also a informative review site with a nice forum.


Edit: The Operating System: XP and Vista come in three package types, Retail, OEM, and Upgrade.

» Upgrade (99.99 and 122.99), as its name would imply requires a previous version be installed, unless you're the unscrupulous type.

» Retail ($194.99 and $212.99, respectively) is the full package have no prereqs, it can be installed on a single computer as many times as you want.

» OEM packages are specifically for system builders, having no official Microsoft support, and the license is tied to the motherboard its installed to, but that cuts the price in half ($84.99 and $99.99, respectively). Most people consider the OEM packages the best value. Shop around, I bought Vista HP 64-bit OEM for $79.99 back in January, so you can probably find it around that price if you look.

Something funny I found getting prices on Newegg for this edit. 3/19/2008, so I'm not sure about the SP1 part, but the latter is... o.O. lolfudDoesn't support internet, sound, or video cards? Come'on! XD

Edited formatting

Edited, Aug 25th 2008 11:50pm by RhondaTheSly

In defense of 64 bit Vista, I've been using the Ultimate edition of 64 bit vista since I built my machine in January and haven't had any issues with drivers. I may be lucky, but it seems driver support is finally starting to arrive, at least for new hardware. Legacy stuff may not have the support but since he's building a new system anyway I would imagine that most of the things he would buy would have 64bit drivers available.

This is great, and all, but the real question is if there's any actual benefit for you. The sort of silly reality, ATM, is that for most home users, vista64 is going to be slower and use more memory.

After checking various boards at Tiger Direct and Newegg I have tentatively decided on

Asus M2N-E Green Socket AM2 nForce 500 ATX Motherboard

Yes its an older board. But I do have to watch my $$$.

For CPU I am thinking

AMD Athelon 64 X2 5000, or possibly 6000


Sound good?