I'm currently running a pentium 4 system with an Nvidia 6600GT in the AGP slot so I have decided it is about time I upgraded! I have built quite a few PCs a few years ago on work experience however I've never tried picking out all the parts for myself personaly. I already have a 7900GS that was given to us by a friend ready to go into the system (I shall uprade this at a later date). Currently my confusion is mainly about motherboards. I have been told that SLi would really help in future in terms of ease of upgrading however I have also been told that a board without SLi will run better somehow (the person telling me wasn't making that much sense to be honest). My first questions are, are both these statements true and if so would you recommend? I am not thinking about buying an extra 7900 and the next time it comes to upgrading I'm more likely to buy a completely new card, I am unsure after this... So would SLi still be worth it? The processor I am planning is an energy efficient Intel Q6600 for £123(ish) would any of you recomend anything different in the same price range? I don't really care if it is AMD or intel as I can adapt my motherboard choice for each. Finaly I had a bit of confusion about RAM and operating systems... I heard that if you have a 32 bit opperating system that you can't access more than 3.25Gb of RAM. However I have also been told 64 bit opperating systems have quite alot of conflicts with gaming hardware. Is this true? What opperating system would you reccomend? (I am reluctant to update to vista but can if neccesary). Thanks in advance. Doomdiver
Sup Doomdiver, 1.A computer without SLI will not run better that a one with it, it makes no difference at all. I dont think SLI is worth the money, the performance gains are minimal. Its better to buy a new graphics card when yours becomes old. 2.That 7900 is 'kinda' old (8,9,N series) Just saying. 3. That CPU looks good Amd are not that good an option at the moment. 4.32bit. Don't go 64. There are lots of compatibility issues and not many advantages (I cant think of one) Hope this helps. Lol, I only have a dodgy PC I built a while ago. Ask me if you have any other questions nikhilr51@aim.com
Thanks for the answers. I am going to be upgrading to a new card I just can't afford it at the moment. How powerful should my PSU be considering I will probably upgrade my video card soon? If I am going for SLi I'm guessing I will need a more powerful one as well. Thanks again.
Umm, not just any 500W PSU. Get a Corsair 450VX, it's cheap and reliable. He probably said motherboards WITHOUT SLI run better is because the SLI chipsets have reliability issues. Oh and get Vista 64bit. It's great and all the driver issues are worked out.
Thanks for the replies. I got a list of components now and from what I can see they are all compatable but if someone can check them over for me that'd be great thanks. CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=643237 £122 Case - Aplus CS-188AF ATX with 250mm side fan http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=660781 £31 Motherboard - Asus P5Q http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=818511 £86 RAM - 2x2GB XMS2 DDR2 1066 http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=864779 £76 HDD - 250GB Seagate baracuda http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=345219 £34 DVD writer/rewriter - HP 1060i http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=773905 £19 PSU - 650W TX Corsair http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=684734 £65 OS - Windows vista home premium 64-bit http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=527300 £ 73 And of course the 7900GS PCI-E x16 Thanks alot for all your help. If all these parts are compatable I may be going to pick them up this afternoon.
driver issues yes but not software issues. I reccomend getting the 32bit version as it is more reliable and will be supported for at least the next 10years. As for the psu, if you can afford it, get a corsair or a cooler master, otherwise it really makes no difference.
It all looks good, except for that case. Spend a little less on the PSU(get a 450VX or a 550VX) and get yourself a Cooler Master 690. nikhilr51, it DOES MATTER. PSUs are VERY important and if you get a crappy one(even thought it has high wattage) it might fry your components or catch on fire.
yeah not a crappy one! Just that you don't need a pimped psu as it won't do much unless your a hardcore gamer. But otherwise it looks good except for the 64bit vista, it should be fine though good luck Just adding on that you could get at least 500gb Hd for an extra £10 I think. Gaming takes up space and it is a worthwhile investment (my 120 is filling up fast)
What reasons would there be for changing the case? I don't really want to go too high on the case side of things to be honest. Are the DVD drives and the hard drive both compatable with that motherboard and the PSU? That is something that was confusing me. Final question (or so I hope ) when it says 6+2 pin does that mean 6 pin with an extra bit to make it an 8 pin? (Sorry if that makes little sense).
DVD and HDD are fine. The CM690 just has better cooling. Yes, come video card require 8pins, so it's a 6pin wire with a 2pin attachment if you need it.
Thanks for all your help people I have now bought all the parts and am going to be putting it together when I have time tomorrow as I am going out tonight. Thanks again for all your help and I shall return to you on my new computer if it all works!
Got it up and running now. I went with the case I had originaly planned and it's keeping it very cool anyway. Thanks again people!
