Sleinous
Author Level
OK so i've come up with a rather cunning plan to cut down on the amount of typing I have to do on here.
I've written this post purely so I can link anyone's desktop query to this page and just tell them which section to look under for advice.
I'll be constantly updating this when new stuff comes out or as I learn more. Each colour of text represents contributions by a certain member, please check teh key below.
Key:
Sleinous
Nemesis
Please note that at the moment i'm only referring to Intel and Nvidia, my next step will be to learn a bit about the ATI card so I can slot them into my ROUGH order of performance.
Please also note that i've left out the Xeon's as I have zilch knowledge on the subject for the time being.
Section 1 - Hardware
i) CPU
Nowadays the CPU isn't everything to do with a computer but it still shouldn't be overlooked. The CPU family is just as important as the frequency it runs at. For example, an Intel Atom @ 1.66Ghz won't be anywhere near as powerful as an Intel Pentium 4 @ 1.66Ghz.
Celeron and Pentium Dual Cores
Both of these two CPUs are very cheap and ideal for a general purpose computer (web browsing, photo management, file storage, word processing, video viewing, etc) The pentium cpu was only £16 more (at time of writing) so i'd suggest going for this family whatever the use you plan on putting this computer through as it will give you that little bit more performance for a tiny amount more.
Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad
You can use any of these CPUs for mid-level gaming if you're restricted by a budget and you will still be left with a decent computer as long as you pair it up with a powerful enough GPU. You shouldn't experience any 'bottlenecks' with these families. If you do, Gorman will be the one to beat as he disagrees
The Core 2 Duo's are also fine for the same uses as the Celeron and Pentium processors but will just give you a slightly more responsive experience (as long as the HDD also matches the spec). The E7600/E8400/E8500 would be ideal CPUs for this kind of spec with the E7600 costing roughly £40 more than the Pentium CPU (at time of writing).
Core i3s i5s and i7s
If you're building an HTPC (home theatre PC) then you can quite easily get away with a dual core Atom CPU but, it depends on what you intend to use it for. If you're doing a bit of video editing ro something like that, then you will want something like an i3 550/560 or even an i5 650/660 as most miniPCs dont have the room for a proper dedicated GPU (nor the PSU requirement) so most of your editing will run through your CPU rather than on a dedicated GPU as your motherboard will have some form of integrated chipset on it.
If you're more into having a standard desktop pc, and will be using it for light gaming, programming of some sort, video editing or transcoding, folding or other cpu intensive tasks you'd be better off looking at the higher end cpus in this new family like the i5 760 or i7 870/880. All these CPUs are quad core, with the top end i5 being the only quad core in that sub-family.
If you want long-lasting technology, high-end gaming, or just a machine that will be running 24/7 folding / other cpu intensive task then you may want to look at the top of the range, that is, all the i7 900s. The 970 and 980X are the only two CPus to currently offer 6 cores hwoever you'd be better off going for an i7 950 or 960 if you aren't planning on running software such as folding@home thatw ill make proper use of all the cores and threads. This is mainly because those 2 top end CPus cost a horrific amount!
Sandy Bridge
These are the new core i5s and core i7s, if you want an overclocked system chose a K series cpu as it has an unlocked multiplier HOWEVER, if you dont know what it is or how to overclock, stick to teh regular ediiton as this is the IDENTICAL chip. Only difference is the K series has that unlocked multiplier which just makes it far easier to overclock the CPU. For example a i7 2600K is the same as the i7 2600. (Note this also applies to the older K edition i5s and i7s but the numbering is a little more confusing, e.g the i7 875K is the same chip as the i7 870).
The i7 2600K will outperform the i7 980X in gaming as very few games use a 6 core setup as of yet.
The i7 2600 range is a quad-core CPU and will perform better than the i7 950, i7 960 etc.
The sandy bridge chipset has a built in graphics adapter on teh CPU die. P67 has no IGP pass thru and can OC, H67 has IGP pass thru and cannot OC. The H models are so you can use the on-chip gpu. You cannot use it if you have the P model. If you are going to be using a discrete card though, it is better to get a P model board.
ii) Motherboard
Expansion Slots
The PCS configurator will check everything for you to make sure every GPU / network card / USB interface card etc will fit but you can always double check by finidng an image of your motherboard then checking which expansion slots will be free once the computer is entirely built.
Some common things to take into account are that all the new Nvidia Fermi (400 series) GPus are dual width, that is, they will hide the expansion slot directly below the PCIe x16 slot that they are plugged into.
This means you need to be careful what extras you buy for your pc so that you dont end up with something you have no available slots to plug it into. It's also worth noting that a PCIe x4 device can fit into a PCIe x4/x8 and x16 slot. The same applies for PCIe x1 (x1/x4/x8/x16) and so on, but obviously, you cant but a PCIe x16 graphics card in a PCIe x1 expansion slot.
WLAN cards can be bought as the PCIe x1 or PCI standard now which should give us more flexibility in chosing where to place them incase one of the two ports is blocked up due to a dual-width GPU.
If you have an older motherboard and wish to keep it (or indeed buy a much cheaper motherboard) and it only has x8 bandwidth as opposed to x16 (not to be confused with x8 sized expansion slots) then you should NOT experience too much of a loss in performance when using a mid-level gaming GPU such as a GTS 450 or GTX 460.
Internal USB Headers
Again, the PCS configurator will prevent you from adding a 52in1 card reader (for example) if your motherboard has no free internal USB headers left due to the "MIN 2 FRONT USB PORTS" under the USB Options tab.
A common issue is with teh ASUS Rampage III Extreme motherboard as it only has one header on the board. In this case, if you chose a case with 4 front USBs (such as the HAF 932) then only 2 USBs will work. To solve this little issue you can purchase an "NZXT IU01 Expansion Module" from here: http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_3418.html
When chosing your motherboard, you also need to decide whether you want to have the ability to add another graphics card in SLI (Nvidia) or Crossfire (ATI) with the first card. If you do, then you will need a motherboard with atleast 2x PCIe x16 slots and that is SLI and/or Crossfire capable.
If you do NOT, then you can go for one of the cheaper boards, save yourself some money, and maybe but it towards a better GPU/CPU/PSU or something else.
iii) RAM
Intel states somewhere that their latest X58 chipset is designed for 800 mhz and 1066 mhz RAM, however, it is perfectly possible to install 1333Mhz, 1600Mhz, and 2000Mhz RAM onto your motherboard. Just make sure XMP is enabled in BIOS settings.
Generally, the Samsung 1333Mhz RAM is more stable for general purpose, word processing, light gaming etc
If you're doing serious video editing, an avid gamer etc you mayw ant the 1600Mhz, if you want to get the best of the best then I guessthe 2000 Dominator is for you.
iv) GPU
There's 4 GPUs to chose from if you're just using your pc for home or office use, watching videos, or playing low-end games with the GTS 450 being the best of those 4 and only slightly less powerful than the GTX 460.
The geForce 210 should only be speced if you're not doing any gaming, apart from tetris or something lol. It will still play videos etc etc.
If you have a little more to spend, a GT220 or 240 will allow you to play some of those classics like AoE 3 etc etc. Even some more modern games like Cod4 but not on max settings.
GTX 400 Series
The GTX 460 768MB is a good all-rounder for gaming. It really depends on your budget. I'd tend to avoid buying 2 460s in SLI as you can buy 1 470 for a similar price tag, and similar (but slightly less performance). However, the advantage then is that you can add a second 470 in SLI in a year or so time for much less than if you had bought both at the start. If you want extreme gaming then the 480 is for you. But most of what the 480 breezes through, the 470 ALSO breezes through.
If you're using CUDA enabled software such as photoshop, or (I hope soon for the 400 series cards) Badaboom media converter then an Nvidia card will be a plus compared to an ATI card as obviously teh ATI cards lack the CUDA tech.
If you're doing professional video editing, consider going for a Quadro card instead as this excels in 2d design rather than 3d design. (Gaming GPUs like the 400 series focus on 3d tech with not so much 2d tech inside the card).
You'll also want to ask Gorman for tips on Quadro setups as he's way more clued up on all this.
I've written this post purely so I can link anyone's desktop query to this page and just tell them which section to look under for advice.
I'll be constantly updating this when new stuff comes out or as I learn more. Each colour of text represents contributions by a certain member, please check teh key below.
Key:
Sleinous
Nemesis
Please note that at the moment i'm only referring to Intel and Nvidia, my next step will be to learn a bit about the ATI card so I can slot them into my ROUGH order of performance.
Please also note that i've left out the Xeon's as I have zilch knowledge on the subject for the time being.
Section 1 - Hardware
i) CPU
Nowadays the CPU isn't everything to do with a computer but it still shouldn't be overlooked. The CPU family is just as important as the frequency it runs at. For example, an Intel Atom @ 1.66Ghz won't be anywhere near as powerful as an Intel Pentium 4 @ 1.66Ghz.
Celeron and Pentium Dual Cores
Both of these two CPUs are very cheap and ideal for a general purpose computer (web browsing, photo management, file storage, word processing, video viewing, etc) The pentium cpu was only £16 more (at time of writing) so i'd suggest going for this family whatever the use you plan on putting this computer through as it will give you that little bit more performance for a tiny amount more.
Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad
You can use any of these CPUs for mid-level gaming if you're restricted by a budget and you will still be left with a decent computer as long as you pair it up with a powerful enough GPU. You shouldn't experience any 'bottlenecks' with these families. If you do, Gorman will be the one to beat as he disagrees
The Core 2 Duo's are also fine for the same uses as the Celeron and Pentium processors but will just give you a slightly more responsive experience (as long as the HDD also matches the spec). The E7600/E8400/E8500 would be ideal CPUs for this kind of spec with the E7600 costing roughly £40 more than the Pentium CPU (at time of writing).
Core i3s i5s and i7s
If you're building an HTPC (home theatre PC) then you can quite easily get away with a dual core Atom CPU but, it depends on what you intend to use it for. If you're doing a bit of video editing ro something like that, then you will want something like an i3 550/560 or even an i5 650/660 as most miniPCs dont have the room for a proper dedicated GPU (nor the PSU requirement) so most of your editing will run through your CPU rather than on a dedicated GPU as your motherboard will have some form of integrated chipset on it.
If you're more into having a standard desktop pc, and will be using it for light gaming, programming of some sort, video editing or transcoding, folding or other cpu intensive tasks you'd be better off looking at the higher end cpus in this new family like the i5 760 or i7 870/880. All these CPUs are quad core, with the top end i5 being the only quad core in that sub-family.
If you want long-lasting technology, high-end gaming, or just a machine that will be running 24/7 folding / other cpu intensive task then you may want to look at the top of the range, that is, all the i7 900s. The 970 and 980X are the only two CPus to currently offer 6 cores hwoever you'd be better off going for an i7 950 or 960 if you aren't planning on running software such as folding@home thatw ill make proper use of all the cores and threads. This is mainly because those 2 top end CPus cost a horrific amount!
Sandy Bridge
These are the new core i5s and core i7s, if you want an overclocked system chose a K series cpu as it has an unlocked multiplier HOWEVER, if you dont know what it is or how to overclock, stick to teh regular ediiton as this is the IDENTICAL chip. Only difference is the K series has that unlocked multiplier which just makes it far easier to overclock the CPU. For example a i7 2600K is the same as the i7 2600. (Note this also applies to the older K edition i5s and i7s but the numbering is a little more confusing, e.g the i7 875K is the same chip as the i7 870).
The i7 2600K will outperform the i7 980X in gaming as very few games use a 6 core setup as of yet.
The i7 2600 range is a quad-core CPU and will perform better than the i7 950, i7 960 etc.
The sandy bridge chipset has a built in graphics adapter on teh CPU die. P67 has no IGP pass thru and can OC, H67 has IGP pass thru and cannot OC. The H models are so you can use the on-chip gpu. You cannot use it if you have the P model. If you are going to be using a discrete card though, it is better to get a P model board.
ii) Motherboard
Expansion Slots
The PCS configurator will check everything for you to make sure every GPU / network card / USB interface card etc will fit but you can always double check by finidng an image of your motherboard then checking which expansion slots will be free once the computer is entirely built.
Some common things to take into account are that all the new Nvidia Fermi (400 series) GPus are dual width, that is, they will hide the expansion slot directly below the PCIe x16 slot that they are plugged into.
This means you need to be careful what extras you buy for your pc so that you dont end up with something you have no available slots to plug it into. It's also worth noting that a PCIe x4 device can fit into a PCIe x4/x8 and x16 slot. The same applies for PCIe x1 (x1/x4/x8/x16) and so on, but obviously, you cant but a PCIe x16 graphics card in a PCIe x1 expansion slot.
WLAN cards can be bought as the PCIe x1 or PCI standard now which should give us more flexibility in chosing where to place them incase one of the two ports is blocked up due to a dual-width GPU.
If you have an older motherboard and wish to keep it (or indeed buy a much cheaper motherboard) and it only has x8 bandwidth as opposed to x16 (not to be confused with x8 sized expansion slots) then you should NOT experience too much of a loss in performance when using a mid-level gaming GPU such as a GTS 450 or GTX 460.
Internal USB Headers
Again, the PCS configurator will prevent you from adding a 52in1 card reader (for example) if your motherboard has no free internal USB headers left due to the "MIN 2 FRONT USB PORTS" under the USB Options tab.
A common issue is with teh ASUS Rampage III Extreme motherboard as it only has one header on the board. In this case, if you chose a case with 4 front USBs (such as the HAF 932) then only 2 USBs will work. To solve this little issue you can purchase an "NZXT IU01 Expansion Module" from here: http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_3418.html
When chosing your motherboard, you also need to decide whether you want to have the ability to add another graphics card in SLI (Nvidia) or Crossfire (ATI) with the first card. If you do, then you will need a motherboard with atleast 2x PCIe x16 slots and that is SLI and/or Crossfire capable.
If you do NOT, then you can go for one of the cheaper boards, save yourself some money, and maybe but it towards a better GPU/CPU/PSU or something else.
iii) RAM
Intel states somewhere that their latest X58 chipset is designed for 800 mhz and 1066 mhz RAM, however, it is perfectly possible to install 1333Mhz, 1600Mhz, and 2000Mhz RAM onto your motherboard. Just make sure XMP is enabled in BIOS settings.
Generally, the Samsung 1333Mhz RAM is more stable for general purpose, word processing, light gaming etc
If you're doing serious video editing, an avid gamer etc you mayw ant the 1600Mhz, if you want to get the best of the best then I guessthe 2000 Dominator is for you.
iv) GPU
There's 4 GPUs to chose from if you're just using your pc for home or office use, watching videos, or playing low-end games with the GTS 450 being the best of those 4 and only slightly less powerful than the GTX 460.
The geForce 210 should only be speced if you're not doing any gaming, apart from tetris or something lol. It will still play videos etc etc.
If you have a little more to spend, a GT220 or 240 will allow you to play some of those classics like AoE 3 etc etc. Even some more modern games like Cod4 but not on max settings.
GTX 400 Series
The GTX 460 768MB is a good all-rounder for gaming. It really depends on your budget. I'd tend to avoid buying 2 460s in SLI as you can buy 1 470 for a similar price tag, and similar (but slightly less performance). However, the advantage then is that you can add a second 470 in SLI in a year or so time for much less than if you had bought both at the start. If you want extreme gaming then the 480 is for you. But most of what the 480 breezes through, the 470 ALSO breezes through.
If you're using CUDA enabled software such as photoshop, or (I hope soon for the 400 series cards) Badaboom media converter then an Nvidia card will be a plus compared to an ATI card as obviously teh ATI cards lack the CUDA tech.
If you're doing professional video editing, consider going for a Quadro card instead as this excels in 2d design rather than 3d design. (Gaming GPUs like the 400 series focus on 3d tech with not so much 2d tech inside the card).
You'll also want to ask Gorman for tips on Quadro setups as he's way more clued up on all this.
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