03-17-2003, 12:37 AM
Hail Chromios,
I recently built myself a new PC...well, mostly. I still have a few of the old components in the new box, but most things have been replaced already. Anywho, as such I have recently been going over what you are looking at now.
Motherboard: I personally prefer the Gigabytes. I've been told there is a new one out by some other brand that spits on the GB for gaming, but I forget it now (sorry).
HDD: Seagate, no question. I have a 40 (FAT32) and an 8 (ext2) which serve me well enough; if you plan to have a lot on though, you may want to look at more. I know someone who used most of his 250GB, but he's an extreme case really.
Video: Totally agree with Roland here. However, if you are not looking at high-end graphics games, then perhaps look at a cheaper GeForce2 (I did: after all, I play Nethack most of the time, and HATE these new fancy graphics, no substance games).
RAM: Get at least 512MB DDR - doubling that if you have the money ;)
CPU: I personally prefer Intel, as they are very reliable. Most of my mates prefer AMDs, but all of them have had issues with them. I have a P4 2.4. Just pick up based on whole GHz though: the difference between a 2.4 and a 2.6 is marginal, but the difference between a 1.6 and a 2.6 is quite noticeable. Try for something in the 2.x range that is within your buget.
CD/DVD: Get separate CD-RW and DVD-R. The combo drives take a serious hit in performance, and are not worth it. Lite On is the best brand I have used, though a mate once told me there is a new brand out made by the same company that is a tad cheaper (sorry, forget the name again).
Building the PC is pretty easy really, but if you are unsure, get someone with experience: there's nothing worse than making a mistake. Also, ask around your mates: if you know someone who can get you parts at a warehouse prices, you'll make a killer saving (I've not payed retail since before I was working in sales :P). For OS, I would say Win98 for gaming. I've heard that GNU/Linux is better for gaming, but you need to do a lot of messing with WineX (a program I cannot seem to get my hands on to test) before it'll run with most games. Apparently the framerates are higher though, and the OS is far more stable. Anywho, I'd suggest you laugh insanely at anyone who suggests ME, and I personally hate everything about XP; I've not used a lot of 2000, but I've heard it's not quite as good as 98 for gaming. I know someone who uses `Win95 w/ USB' for gaming...but he's quite mad ;)
Oh, and Roland's right about leaving Macs: I have not used one in about 10 years or so. Well, I saw one for the first time in ages a week ago: they look so wierd now compared to what I remember. Macs got colour? :huh: :lol:
I recently built myself a new PC...well, mostly. I still have a few of the old components in the new box, but most things have been replaced already. Anywho, as such I have recently been going over what you are looking at now.
Motherboard: I personally prefer the Gigabytes. I've been told there is a new one out by some other brand that spits on the GB for gaming, but I forget it now (sorry).
HDD: Seagate, no question. I have a 40 (FAT32) and an 8 (ext2) which serve me well enough; if you plan to have a lot on though, you may want to look at more. I know someone who used most of his 250GB, but he's an extreme case really.
Video: Totally agree with Roland here. However, if you are not looking at high-end graphics games, then perhaps look at a cheaper GeForce2 (I did: after all, I play Nethack most of the time, and HATE these new fancy graphics, no substance games).
RAM: Get at least 512MB DDR - doubling that if you have the money ;)
CPU: I personally prefer Intel, as they are very reliable. Most of my mates prefer AMDs, but all of them have had issues with them. I have a P4 2.4. Just pick up based on whole GHz though: the difference between a 2.4 and a 2.6 is marginal, but the difference between a 1.6 and a 2.6 is quite noticeable. Try for something in the 2.x range that is within your buget.
CD/DVD: Get separate CD-RW and DVD-R. The combo drives take a serious hit in performance, and are not worth it. Lite On is the best brand I have used, though a mate once told me there is a new brand out made by the same company that is a tad cheaper (sorry, forget the name again).
Building the PC is pretty easy really, but if you are unsure, get someone with experience: there's nothing worse than making a mistake. Also, ask around your mates: if you know someone who can get you parts at a warehouse prices, you'll make a killer saving (I've not payed retail since before I was working in sales :P). For OS, I would say Win98 for gaming. I've heard that GNU/Linux is better for gaming, but you need to do a lot of messing with WineX (a program I cannot seem to get my hands on to test) before it'll run with most games. Apparently the framerates are higher though, and the OS is far more stable. Anywho, I'd suggest you laugh insanely at anyone who suggests ME, and I personally hate everything about XP; I've not used a lot of 2000, but I've heard it's not quite as good as 98 for gaming. I know someone who uses `Win95 w/ USB' for gaming...but he's quite mad ;)
Oh, and Roland's right about leaving Macs: I have not used one in about 10 years or so. Well, I saw one for the first time in ages a week ago: they look so wierd now compared to what I remember. Macs got colour? :huh: :lol:
May the wind pick up your heels and your sword strike true.