Between choosing AMD and Intel, consider price the most important factor since at stock both chips perform virtually identical. However, look at complete system price rather than CPU price only. Here is a chart comparing the E7200, Q6600, and 9950BE. You will see from the chart that both the Q6600 and 9950BE are better than the E7200. When looking at the charts though, make sure you read the units of measurement. Don't always look for the highest number. When something is encoded for example, it will be measured in seconds, so a lower value will be better. The prices of the chips are $100 for the E7200, $188 for the Q6600 and $170 for the 9950BE. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-q3-2008/compare,828.html?prod[2189]=on&prod[2194]=on&prod[2160]=on The chart suggests that the Phenom 9950BE has the edge when it comes to video editing and encoding compared to the Q6600. In overall performance, both are much better than the E7200 and the Q6600 is better than the 9950BE. Since you will be doing video related work, this will actually stress your system to its max, so get a quad core CPU. Between the 9950BE and Q6600, let the complete system build be the deciding factor. The only thing that is going to make a big difference in price is some type of combo deal. A full build for either scenario would be roughly the same price. I was thinking about the emulation... For Dreamcast, you might need some real power. Dreamcast was pretty strong in it's time and I think it will eat up a ton of resources. I think you need about 8x - 16x the original hardware spec just to run emulators. So dreamcast was: -CPU: 200MHz clock rate -Graphics Core: 100MHz/8MB/32bit -Memory: 16 MB main RAM, 8 MB video RAM, 2 MB sound RAM I would put the minimum requirements to run it decently at: CPU: 1.6GHz RAM: 256MB GPU: 400MHz/128MB/128bit I would recommend a minumum of: CPU: 2.4GHz C2D RAM: 1GB or more GPU: nVidia 6800/ATi x1600xt What this means is that you will definitely need a dedicated video card. The 4670 that sammorris recommended will be a good choice.
Don't worry about overpowering the PC. A PSU will use only as much as the system asks it for. So a 1000 watt PSU will run at 350 watts if that is all the PC needs. As for picking, Corsair is well priced and good quality. Get something around 500 watts. The EP45-DS3R as recommended by abuzar1 is a better motherboard. As for CPU, you said no overclocking, so stick with the more powerful Quad Cores. Those will help more with your video work. Since it looks like you decided on Intel, go with the Q6600. The 8800GT is a fine card. So all that is left for you is CPU Swapping in the Gigabyte Motherboard for the Intel one Power Supply Aftermarket heatsink/fan (optional) The processor will be $180. The Motherboard will be $93. The Power supply about $60. That is $333. Intel Motherboard is -110, so total cost will be $469 + 333 - 110 = $692 (I didn't factor shipping) Maybe the AMD build is still better: -CPU/GPU $370 ($350 after rebate): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.143286 -Mobo $139: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128352 -RAM $110 ($70 after rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197 -$50 Case is your choice -PSU $60 after rebates: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005 -HDD $70: The one you chose -OS: Use the Windows 2000 you have -Optical Drive: Use yours -Case fan: Your choice Total cost: $739 (I didn't factor shipping). You can swap the motherboard for a cheaper one, but it must have 790 south bridge (SB790). $50 more than the Intel Build, but you get a HUGE upgrade on the Video card!! This would maximize performance per dollar. The only reason I am recommending this build is because of the video card. $350 for a 9950BE and a 4870 is extremely cheap! Add one build to your shopping cart and calculate total cost (including shipping). Next, clear your cart and add the 2nd build and calculate the total cost. There is a chance that the shipping will make some difference.
The Dreamcast Emulator runs better on XP than on Windows 2000 SP4. Plus Windows 2000 has been officialy discontinued for support with microsoft(no more updates).Plus some of the programs out there are no longer supporting windows 2000. I have gotten some apps that where made for windows xp and edited them with orca( msi editing app) and got them to work on windows 2000, but they run slow.
what does the 10666 mean? ORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX - Retail
my brother said that he will also help me with my build. Here is what we have came up with so far: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q8200 Intel BOXDX48BT2 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
The corsair RAM (XMS3) is DDR3 RAM. This is not going to work with most motherboards. It is newer RAM meant for i7 & AM3. i7 is the newest intel chip and AM3 is the new AMD chip coming out next year. As for the Q8200, here is a review on it pitted against the Q6600 and Phenom 9950BE. http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,...Quad_Q8200_versus_Q6600_and_Phenom_X4/?page=1 The Q8200 seems like a good CPU at stock. Use the same thinking as with the AMD vs. Intel. Choose the cheaper of the two. Ditch that motherboard though!!! $250 is insanely expensive for that motherboard! You are better off investing that in the CPU or Video Card. The only difference between the X48 series and the P45 series is that the X48 gives full 16x PCI Express in Crossfire/SLI mode (the P45 is 16x in single card and 8x/8x in Dual Card). However, based on what I have seen, the Gigabyte P45 series performs just as well and costs 1/2 the price. Do you plan on using Crossfire or SLI? Use that $120 difference to upgrade to another component. Put it towards either the CPU or Video Card. A $320 CPU and a $120 motherboard is much better than a $190 CPU and a $250 motherboard. So: CPU: Q6600 or Q8200 is fine. Q9550 if you want to put that extra $120 to something more useful. RAM: Corsair or G.Skill DDR2 Motherboard: Gigabyte P45 series As for the build I suggested, yes, that would fit the case you selected. However, it looks like the $20 rebate from ATI expired yesterday for that video card. As for the 9950BE vs. Q6600 vs. Q8200, they all perform pretty much the same. The Q6600 will be the fastest if you decide to overclock, but if you leave them stock, it makes no difference except for price. If you want a stronger CPU potential (upgrading CPU) if you choose an Intel Build, your upgrades would be to higher model CPUs (the ones that are $300+ now). For AMD, it would be the new AM3 cores when they come out. Let the complete build price be your deciding factor. If you plan on spending more than $700, Intel is the way to go as they offer more powerful CPUs than the 9950BE (at a high cost of course).
he's paying for the rig as a Christmas gift( he said that that board was better for graphics(able to Crossfire if I get a second graphics card). Here is an update 1 COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119047 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$5.00 Instant $54.99 $49.99 1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822136284 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $119.99 2 SAPPHIRE 100256L Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814102804 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$5.00 Sale $199.98 $189.98 ($94.99 each) 1 OCZ OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817341018 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$5.00 Instant $25.00 Mail-in Rebate $129.99 $124.99 1 OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P16004GK - Retail Item #: N82E16820227297 Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy -$41.00 Instant $25.00 Mail-in Rebate $195.99 $154.99 1 Intel BOXDX48BT2 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813121338 Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $249.99 1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q8200 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115055 Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy Intel Gift - PC game - OEM Item #: N82E16800995059 Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$49.99 Combo $239.98 $189.99 Subtotal: $1,079.92
Trust me, the money is better spent on a different motherboard and CPU upgrade. What you currently have setup would be about equal to the $660 setup that sammorris setup up for you and slower (in games at least) than the $730 AMD build. The Q6600 & Q8200 are both entry level CPUs. A $250 motherboard for an entry level CPU is overkill and will not get you any performance gains. You can get Crossfire on a $130 P45. The P45 will have 8x/8x in crossfire mode vs. 16x/16x in the X48. You will get a very small gain in actual performance over the P45. Something like 2% - 5%... Not worth the extra $120. You might as well just get an X58 motherboard and a 920 i7: CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362 The CPU is better than the Q8200 and the motherboard supports CrossfireX which means you can run 3 video cards on the board. If you run an i7 setup, you will need triple channel RAM, so 3 stick kits to get maximum performance. Also, if you are running 2x video cards, get a better PSU. You do not want to damage your expensive components. At this point, I don't think it is worth investing $1000+ on an LGA 775 setup. The Processors will no longer be supported, so you will see the maximum out of your system with a QX9775 and it will be unlikely that you will find this chip when you want to upgrade. If you are going to spend $1000+, go for the better i7 system. The CPU/Mobo/RAM will cost $780. The final cost would be $1300 vs. $1100 and for $200 you get a performance boost and potential upgrading in the future. If you want a setup using the old (current really) socket, try to stay at a budget. If you want to spend $1000+, go for an i7 system, or a much better CPU, like the Q9550 with a cheaper motherboard. As for the Video Cards, one 4850 is a better performer than two 4670 in crossfire mode. The money is better spent on one 4870 than two 4670s. If you want to save money, go for one 4850. If you want crossfire, do two 4850s. Another thing to consider, the 4850 can max out just about every game by itself. The 4870 can do it at higher resolution. If you are planning to get a larger than 21" monitor, the minimum to buy is the 4850. If you go larger than 24" I would say the 4870. If you are using a TV as a monitor, 1080p is 1920x1080. The 4670 crossfire can handle up to 1680x1050 comfortably. One 4870 is comfortable at 1900x1200. The 4850 has a slight edge on the 4670 crossfire, but I would not consider it a 1900x1200 card. However, you can probably see that crossfire may not be needed. What is the new budget for the build? You say your brother is buying, but he must have a budget in mind too. Also, look for some multi GPU tests on X58 setup. It's a little late now (4:30AM) and I won't be able to help too much at this point (4 hours of sleep total in the past 5 days...). After you get a new budget, we can help you with a good build. If I have time tomorrow (unlikely), I can see if I can make a sub $900 build with the Q9550. If someone else wants to attempt this, go right ahead. I am going to be very busy from now on as I am starting work this week and I will have to start going to bed before 11PM which leaves me little time to be online.
Intel boards are baaaad. More expensive, zero features. As for i7, realistically, if the system is for games, you don't want i7, as existing Core 2 stuff is faster. If you're going to be video encoding or whatever, then i7 is certainly a good option. The 4850 does 1680x1050 fine, 1920x1200 is ok, but better suited to the 4870. Neither card is really ideal for 2560x1600 at max detail, and no LCDs use the immediate resolutions (1800x1440, 1792x1344, 1920x1440, 2048x1536). For 2560x1600 I'd have to recommend an X2, but since 30" monitors cost $1000+, that's a rare situation.
Here is a Q9550 build: $320: CPU Q9550 $116: Motherboard EP45-UD3P $70 4GB DDR2 RAM Corsair Dominator $210: HD 4870 Gigabyte $110: 1TB HDD Western Digital $100 Power Supply Corsair 750 Watts $50: The case you like The total cost here is $976. If you want it under $950, substitute the power supply for a $70 Corsair (650 watts). This will be a lot better than the Q8200 build. The Q8200 is the same as the Q6600, so look at this comparison for the virtual Q8200 vs. the Q9550: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-q3-2008/compare,836.html?prod[2181]=on∏[2194]=on As for the i7, I think this is a faster choice, but more expensive (because of the motherboard and RAM). There is a chance the 920 can outperform the QX9775 ($1200 CPU), however, this is based on people's speculation. If you want to compare the cost, the i7 build will cost $1200 vs. $975 with the Q9550. If spending $1200 is fine, go for the i7 920 build. It is the best you can do with $1200. The Q9550 build can come down a little bit in price if you want to downgrade the RAM, Video card and PSU (to a lower wattage not different brand). Maybe under $850 and it will still outperform the Q8200 build. If you want a more budget build on either the i7 or the Q9550, it can be done. As for the Q8200, swap that into the build that sammorris suggested if you prefer that CPU over the Q6600. Here is the processor breakdown: AMD 9950BE = Q8200 = Q6600 < Q9550 < i7 920 Video card breakdown (CF used for crossfire): 4670 (1024x768 ??) < CF4670 (768p Best/1080p low-mid) = 4850 (768p Best/1080p low-mid) < 4870 (1080p mid) < CF4850 (1080p best) Basically, anything over 4850 in crossfire will be overkill for your system and really anything over a single 4850 is too much if you plan on casual gaming. Emulation is the only thing that would put stress on your system and graphics. The Dreamcast will need the 4670 minimum to get smooth play. The GameCube would need more from both CPU and GPU. Motherboard: Intel < Gigabyte Motherboard 2: P45 = X48 < X58
You'll never need a 750W PSU for that build, the 650TX or 520HX will do fine. For video editing, a Core i7 920 will outpace a QX9770 by up to 15%. However, for games, the i7 920 is slower than the Q9550, sometimes as slow as a Q6600, which makes the extra expense needless, especially if the system is for mostly gaming. Your Q9550 build is solid Jaguar, but you can do away with the UD3P unless you're using Crossfire from the outset. a DS3L or UD3R will be ample.
On a personal computer no way like you said, but on Nintendo's development unit(pc) it can(there where made for it)
like I posted before: what does the 10666 mean? ORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9DHX - Retail
The 10666 is transfer speed, so 10666 MB/s. The speed is 1333 MHz. This is DDR3 RAM, so before buying it, make sure the motherboard you buy supports DDR3. Most only support up to DDR2 at the moment. The only Gigabyte P45s I know of that supports DDR3 are the EP45T series. Those are the "extreme" series motherboards, which come with Extreme prices DDR3 can work in three channel mode with the new i7, but you are paying more for those setups. Sammorris said that there is about a 15% gain over the QX9775, so that will be about 20 - 25% better than the Q9550 in video editing and encoding. What that would mean about 15 minutes faster (approx 67 minutes vs. 52 minutes) for a movie (XviD encode). So, ask yourself if that is worth an extra $400. If it is, go for the i7, if not, go for a Q9550 build. The Q9550 will give you exceptional gaming and excellent non-gaming use. The overall difference between a Q9550 build and a Q6600 build will be the price difference of the CPU. That is going to be $150 more for the Q9550 build. Also, if you go for the LGA775 socket, decide whether you want Crossfire or not. If you do not, go for the DS3L. That will save you about $30. So, assuming the DS3L & 4850: MOBO: $88 GPU: $140 RAM: $70 HDD: $110 PSU: $70 Case: $50 ----------- Total: $528 Now, all is left is to pick the CPU. Decide, do you want to spend $718 or $848? $718 will be the Q6600/Q8200 $848 will be the Q9550. These are your base values. To upgrade: 4850=>4870 ~$60 4850=>CF4850 ~$166 (extra GPU & Motherboard upgrade) Those are probably the only ways to upgrade. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that is reasonably priced... I think the Q9550 will be better for you since you want to do some editing, but only if the budget permits it. I only recommend the i7 920 if you want to upgrade the processor in the future (within 3 years), or spending $1200+ is not a problem. The i7 will be better for you, however, it is a large price difference, also, it will NOT improve how fast you can back up a DVD9 to a DVD5 as the limiting factors on that are your Optical Drives and your HDD. There is no way to get a backup faster than 25 minutes.
And remember, the i7 920 is slightly slower than the Q9550 for games. So when you're considering whether the extra cost is worth it, think about that fact.
