Rob1960

What are the main attributes that determine the power & speed of a computer... ie: How much Ram makes it very strong and fast? What other things influence this?

I'm shopping for a new computer. I often need several programs running at once. My 2002 Dell dimension 4500 often slows to a crawl when several things are running simultaneously. My 37 GB HD is about 90% full with mostly programs. My 150 BG G drive is half full with all my data, including thousands of photographs.

I'd love to have "In a nutshell" suggestions about what to get. thanks.

Geekgirl

Processor, memory.... of course the motherboard is the backbone of a system because everything in the case gets connected to the motherboard.

Rob1960

In your opinion, how much memory, and processor speed? What size or strength of mother board? It's the numbers I don't really know... ie: how much is good, how little is bad? Thanks.

Jtsou

Id say 2GB of memory is pretty much the standard now. There are so many motherboards its hard to name a good one. The amount of processor speed you need depends on what you are doing, but the higher speed it is, the better. The graphics card in your system affects gameplay, this is like a whole processor dedicated to graphics.

2pistolpacker

When choosing parts for a new build, it is really about picking the fastest parts that all work together. Of course spending more will get you better quality parts. The basis for your system will be the motherboard as it controls the function and options of the other parts. Next is the CPU as it determines the speed at which the system runs. After these two are chosen, you add parts that will not bottleneck or slow down your system, at least 2gb of fast, quality memory, speedy hard drives, and a powerful video card. The last, important part that people sometimes neglect is the power supply, if the PS is weak it will not supply enough power to run the parts at their full potential. A good quality PS with 3x 12v rails is as important as the cpu speed to the newer systems. Good luck on your new build. Mike

geek73

Just my 2 cents...
The Power supply is like the oil in your car.. It is the life blood. Never skimp on these..


Get a good one (not like ANtec) but pc&p tagen etc..(Rails do not matter anymore)
2 gigs of memory will suffice, but ram prices are low now so buy buy.. They will go up again..
And make sure you get a motherboard that has future proof capabilities like SATA inputs PCI express
Cooling is key as well, as you do not want it to melt on ya.

TheMatt

Remember that the motherboard (or more specifically the chipset) controls everything in the computer with the exception of the power supply and possibly the fans. When I build a system, I start with a high quality power supply and motherboard, then work from there.

Rob1960

Thank you to everyone who has responded to this query. Below is what I THINK is a synopsis of the 8 points mentioned. In numbers 4 thru 8, could anyone add a further description such as number, brand, type, level, etc. I USE my computer many hours each day, but don't have much technical knowledge about how things work. Thanks very much. Robt

1...MOTHERBOARD [chipset]… w/future proof capabilities like SATA inputs PCI express.

2...MEMORY ……2GB at least.

3...POWER SUPPLY..Good quality with 3x 12v rails.

4...CPU … how fast is fast?

5...PROCESSOR…how fast is fast?

6...RAM… how much is alot?

7...COOLING .. how good is good?

8...GRAPHICS OR VIDEO CARD… how powerful is Powerful?

themisiek1

My view on computers is everything need to be well balanced performance and price wise. I would say the Powersupply is the most important component. A great stable/fast and price efficient computer would have a set up that looks like this.

Gigabyte P35 Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Dou E6750 2.66Ghz
G.Skill 2x1GB 800Mhz RAM
EVGA 8800GT 512MB GFX Card
OCZ GameXStream 700W Power Supply

That setup would be nice and fast. As for cooling I would choose an Antec 900 with a Zalman 9500 for the CPU. Sorry I can't get links right now but when I get home if I have time I will jump right on it.

EDIT: About the RAM question. It all depends what you need it for. If your just gaming 4GB is more than enough. If your gaming and doing large transfers 8GB helps. I have tested 4x2GB 800Mhz sticks vs 4x1GB 1066Mhz sticks in my computer and the 8GB runs alot better when it comes to transfering, booting, and multitasking. The 4GB run games the same as the 8GB, I see no difference only when minimizing the window the 4x1GB 1066Mhz sticks are slower. But it not by much.

Sybex

If you are going to use 4 GB of Ram or more you will need a 64 bit OS to benefit from it

TheMatt

Windows XP & Vista 32-bit will only recognize and utilize 3.25GB - 3.5GB of installed RAM even if the BIOS recognizes all 4GB.

Rob1960

http://www.nowdirect.com/exec/templa...FQPrlgodrzeLPA

I just stumbled onto the above website, titled: "Build Your Dream Super PC." Would it be accurate to say that the component choices shown on this web page for a "Dream super PC" are largely comperable to the components we've been discussing in this thread? Thanks.

TheMatt

Yes, but I don't really like their selections of power supplies or motherboards specifically for a lack of a good selection of quality components. I also don't like that they have no FSB-1333 Intel CPUs.

themisiek1

They allow you to browse their site and pick which ever one you want. Just have to put in the Part Number in the Other box.

ebackhus

I'd say it really depends on what you plan to do. My webserver at home has 2 550Mhz processors and delivers up data just great. My room mate uses an IBM ThinkPad T22 that runs at 900Mhz to IM and do basic webstuff. It's blazing fast for those purposes. My main machine has a dual-core CPU running at 2.6Ghz/core and I already want something faster.

Rob1960

Is there anyone on this list who might be interested, and professionally able, to build a component built computer like the one we've been discussing in this thread? If so, I'd like to communicate with you. thanks, Robt

Sybex

I build many computer / servers etc, I'm in the process of setting up my own business, if theres anything I can help with, I'll do my best.....

Geekgirl

Here's the specs of the last system I built

ANTEC ATLAS 550 SERVER CASE w/ 550W PSU
MSI K9NNOEF Motherboard
AMD ATHLON 64 6000 X2 AM2 (3.0GHz)
3GB DDR2-800 1.8V MEMORY
GEFORCE 8800 GTS 640MB PCIE X 16
(2) SEAGATE 320GB SERIAL ATA Hard Drive (RAID 1)
BLACK LITE-ON 16X DVD ROM DRIVE IDE
LITE-ON 20X DVDRW BLACK/BEIGE
1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE BLACK
SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY SE
MS WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
Acer 24" LCD Monitor (1920 X 1200)

3YR Warranty / parts
1YR Warranty / labor (in-shop only)

forcifer

the thing everyone needs to know, although no one ever does, is a processors OPC. its pretty much the efficency of a processor. how a 1.86 C2D beats the crap out of a 3.0 pd