DIY PC

• fifteen

  26 Dec 08, 19:51

  Ha ha. But to get 2k budget i need to either work like mad or save for sometime. LOLS. Oh ya, what's overclocking and why do I need it? OS I thought most people will recommend XP SP3? What's the diff?

• SBS7484P

  26 Dec 08, 20:02

  overclock is to make ur computer parts run  faster than the speed they came in.

• SBS7484P

  26 Dec 08, 20:02

  of course, given that im the person i am, this includes the computer fans.

• MyPillowTalks

  26 Dec 08, 23:06

  xp service pack 3 means a patch from microsoft to fix the problems with xp service pack 2
  
  If you can get higher budget, i will say try to aim for the x58 and core i7

  u can crossfire or sli if you want

• fifteen

  26 Dec 08, 23:13

  But that will need 2k right? Hmm, I'm actually only interested in current games such as L4D, GTA 4 and Mercenaries 2.

• Raraken

  27 Dec 08, 00:34

  Originally posted by fifteen:

  But that will need 2k right? Hmm, I'm actually only interested in current games such as L4D, GTA 4 and Mercenaries 2.

  Then you dont really need such a high end PC.

  My com can run all those really well. Way less than 1.5k.

  Core 2 Quad Q6600 at 2.4GHz

  Foxconn mobo, nForce 630i Chipset

  2GB of RAM

  MSI nVidia GeForce 9500 512MB

  500GB HDD.

  So, you dont have to break the bank to get great performance. My Q6600 is rated at 4.68GHz, so its fast enough. Highly overclockable. Though you might want to go for an ASUS board. They got a CPU step up function in the BIOS. Good for people who dont really know how to overclock. 

   

  On the games, L4D runs really, really smooth. Graphics are excellent. GTA IV, it lags a bit cause I dont have 2.5GB of RAM (Recommended for Vista) but no lag when huge explosions occur.. Mercenaries 2, well, runs through like a breeze. 

  PS. Get 3 to 4GB of RAM. 2GB is too little.

• fifteen

  27 Dec 08, 06:33

  So how much did you get yours for? So I should go for something like:

  Core 2 Quad Q6600 at 2.4GHz

  Asus mobo ??

  4GB of RAM

  MSI nVidia GeForce 9500 512MB

  500GB HDD.

  I can change the graphics card in the future right?

• Raraken

  27 Dec 08, 15:34

  Originally posted by fifteen:

  So how much did you get yours for? So I should go for something like:

  Core 2 Quad Q6600 at 2.4GHz

  Asus mobo ??

  4GB of RAM

  MSI nVidia GeForce 9500 512MB

  500GB HDD.

  I can change the graphics card in the future right?

  Yes, but try to get the 9600GT if possible. If you really have to get a 9500GT, get the GDDR3 version.

• nenepokey

  27 Dec 08, 16:05

  Originally posted by fifteen:

  So how much did you get yours for? So I should go for something like:

  Core 2 Quad Q6600 at 2.4GHz

  Asus mobo ??

  4GB of RAM

  MSI nVidia GeForce 9500 512MB

  500GB HDD.

  I can change the graphics card in the future right?

  ok...let me see...i'd rather u get a MSI mobo...

  MSI P45 NEO2-FR coupled with C2Q Q6600, and that is $499.
  Kingston DDR2-800 CL5 2GB x 2 = 4GB, and that will be $56.
  WD 500GB /16M ( 5Year ) GreenPower, and this costs $85.
  MSI GF9500GT 512MB HDMI DDR3 Overclocking edition, this costs $135.

  up till now, these cost $775. you will need Windows, a proper casing, and a PSU.

  Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, this will be $149.
  CoolerMaster ExtremePower Plus 500W, this costs $82.
  CoolerMaster RC 590 (Centurion 590), not sure of the cost of this...

  you will surely need a DVD drive to install Windows...

  Samsung SATA 22XDVDRW - internal, this is $34.

  in total, excluding the price of the Casing, it will cost $1040.

  so how is this customisation?

• fifteen

  28 Dec 08, 06:55

  Hmm, but the windows if I install the 32-bit, I can't use much ram what. What's good about MSI mobo?

• MyPillowTalks

  28 Dec 08, 14:54

  Vista homepremium sp1 can detect 4gb ram

  although the windows cannot detect, but it is used
  My first  comp is using MSI, lasted verylong

  now my third comp is also MSI, i spilled water on usb, dvd short circuit, dvd into burned, my motherboard still running fine.
  
  Maybe i am just lucky lah, MSI is not bad onli, people say for overclocking can go for DFI or gigabyte

• fifteen

  28 Dec 08, 20:33

  Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

  Vista homepremium sp1 can detect 4gb ram

  although the windows cannot detect, but it is used
  My first  comp is using MSI, lasted verylong

  now my third comp is also MSI, i spilled water on usb, dvd short circuit, dvd into burned, my motherboard still running fine.
  
  Maybe i am just lucky lah, MSI is not bad onli, people say for overclocking can go for DFI or gigabyte

  So XP SP3 or Vista home premium SP1 better?

   

• MyPillowTalks

  28 Dec 08, 21:16

  Originally posted by fifteen:

  So XP SP3 or Vista home premium SP1 better?

   

  
  Well, for this there is not real answer

  Many say most games are still working better with Windows xp than windows vista.
  
  And then, some say that games in the future are build for windows vista.
  
  And for you to run games in vista without lagging, u need a system with a decent processor and a reasonable amount of ram(i recommand at least 3 gb). Reason is because vista have a lot of background process running, and all that good looking stuff like the new aero interface, will eat quite some ram and use some processing power

  SO as long as you are sure that your drivers for the hardware are compatible with vista, and your system is fast enough, vista is fine