Looking to get a new pc. Couple of questions/concerns

[Coot 1]

Hello. I'm thinking of getting a new pc. I've done Dells in the past but this time around I'm going to IBUYPOWER. I have a few questions.

 

1. Is it worth getting Windows Vista right now? I ask this as I'm most familiar with XP and more importantly, I seem to hear that certain games, sims in particular, don't run well or at all with it. Would it be better to wait until a future time? (Some of my other questions will certainly be interelated with this first question.

 

2. I hear that onboard sound is no longer a performance concern for games. Is this true as it would save money to get a motherboard with onboard sound.

 

3. With respects to the mother board, I can't imagine any time soon, having the desire to try a SLI configuration. But should I go ahead and get a motherboard with multiple pci-e slots just in case I were to change my mind? Its not that much more money to do so.

 

4. If question three is a yes, then I would get a 600 watt psu that they have listed as sli ready. I assume this is plenty powerfull for one card?

 

5. I would like to get 4GB of memory. What is the difference between 32bit and 64bit for the Vista OS? I would like to get 4gb of ram, but I hear that only 64bit can utilize that much memory. Can XP utlize 4gb ram If I were to go for that operating system instead?

 

6. I think I would like to get the Nvidia GeForce 9800GTX+ 1GB card. Is this a good card?

 

Please keep in mind this as well: My last good computer that I had I gave to my sister for her schooling probably two years ago. It was a P4 3.6ghz 2gb Geforce 6800 Dell XPS machine. For these past two years, I've been wrestling with computers older than that one as well with another pc we had not made for gaming whatsoever. At this point, for me, ANYTHING would be a major breath of fresh air. As mentioned before, my last good computer I gave away probably two years ago and I probably owned it previously for two years. So it was at least four years old. I've tried to keep up with the changing technology so that I wouldn't be totally in the dark when I was able to buy a new computer, but there's a bunch I just don't know.

 

To give you an idea of what I would like to play on this computer, I would like to be able to play games and sims that I already own (Lock On, IL-2 series, Flight Simulator, SH3, Oblivion, TW series) as well as games and sims I've been looking forward to playing (ARMA, SH4, FSX).

 

Thank you for your patience with my questions and I thank you for your help and suggestions.

[column5 63]

Hello. I'm thinking of getting a new pc. I've done Dells in the past but this time around I'm going to IBUYPOWER. I have a few questions.

 

1. Is it worth getting Windows Vista right now? I ask this as I'm most familiar with XP and more importantly, I seem to hear that certain games, sims in particular, don't run well or at all with it. Would it be better to wait until a future time? (Some of my other questions will certainly be interelated with this first question.

 

Most Vista problems aren't really Vista problems but stubborn users who can't adapt to or figure out how to disable certain security features new to Vista. I run all of the SF games on Vista, and have played a number of other games both new and old without any problems.

 

2. I hear that onboard sound is no longer a performance concern for games. Is this true as it would save money to get a motherboard with onboard sound.

 

Discreet sound is still generally better to have than most on-board solutions. Some motherboards offer an on-board chip from Creative, which is fine, but stay away from the Realtek and other El Cheapo stuff.

 

3. With respects to the mother board, I can't imagine any time soon, having the desire to try a SLI configuration. But should I go ahead and get a motherboard with multiple pci-e slots just in case I were to change my mind? Its not that much more money to do so.

 

I see no advantage to SLI when a single GTX 260 offers so much performance. SLI would not be a factor in my motherboard choice.

 

4. If question three is a yes, then I would get a 600 watt psu that they have listed as sli ready. I assume this is plenty powerfull for one card?

 

Even a single-card video solution today requires a good power supply. Don't skimp on it.

 

5. I would like to get 4GB of memory. What is the difference bet

ween 32bit and 64bit for the Vista OS? I would like to get 4gb of ram, but I hear that only 64bit can utilize that much memory. Can XP utlize 4gb ram If I were to go for that operating system instead?

 

Only a 64-bit OS can address 4GB of memory. I run Vista 64 with no problems. You need 64-bit drivers for all of your hardware. XP cannot address a full 4GB of RAM, and the 64-bit version of XP is really Windows 2003 Server with the XP interface. I've used it, and it works well, but driver support for new hardware will be a major headache as vendors aren't supporting it anymore (support was never good to begin with).

 

6. I think I would like to get the Nvidia GeForce 9800GTX+ 1GB card. Is this a good card?

 

You would be better off with one of the 216-core GTX 260 boards.

[Coot 1]

How about dual core and quad core? Which would be a better cpu for games/sims?

[column5 63]

How about dual core and quad core? Which would be a better cpu for games/sims?

 

I built a new machine late last year--I think it was in September--and I went with a dual-core 3.0 Ghz Intel CPU that I was able to overclock to 3.6 Ghz with no effort whatsoever.

 

I guess my point of view is that going from 1 core to 2 will give you a very noticeable improvement to the overall responsiveness of your PC, but going from 2 to 4 will be less obvious. I base this on subjectively comparing the performance of my dual-core home machine to my quad-core work machine.

 

The right solution for me was going with the fastest dual-core chip I could afford and then overclocking as much as I felt comfortable with. Your mileage may vary--everything I have said in this post and the one above is just my opinion and I can't guarantee you happiness or success.

[Coot 1]

LOL I know that but I do appreciate your advice and suggestions. Like I said, anthing will be a breath of fresh air as anything I purchase will certainly be leaps and bounds beyond my last pc.

 

IBUYPOWER has only one mother board in their list that is not sli. Here it is:

 

Asus P5KPL-CM Intel G31 Chipset w/6-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA 3Gb/s, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB

 

Is this a descent motherboard and will it handle that card you suggested as well as onboard sound well? I know that I don't want to do sli but this is the only mb they have listed with only one pci-e slot.

[column5 63]

ASUS makes good baords--although I am not familiar with that one, I would be comfortable with their products. Most enthusiast boards are going to have SLI or Crossfire, so I wouldn't factor it in my decision one way or another. ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, etc. are all good products.

[Coot 1]

I was just informed that the mb I listed here was a low end mb with the integrated graphics on it. So you do not have to necessarily have a mb with only on pci-e slot if your choosing to have only one card? You can get a sli ready board that may be better quality and still go the one card route just fine? Here is the list of choices they give me for the weekly special configuator:

 

Asus P5KPL-CM Intel G31 Chipset w/6-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA 3Gb/s, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB

 

[sLI] Asus P5N-D Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB EPU Technology [+ $50]

 

** $100 OFF Mail-In Rebate ** [sLI] Asus P5N-T Deluxe NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, 3-Way PCI-E 3-Way SLI & EPU Technology; == $100 OFF Mail-in-Rebate == [+ $149]

 

[sLI] eVGA Nvidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way PCI-E MB 3-Way SLI [+ $88]

 

[sLI] eVGA Nvidia NForce 680i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 Dual PCI-E MB [+ $79]

 

[sLI] MSI P7N SLI-FI Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Three PCI-E MB [+ $38]

 

[CrossFire] Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB [+ $62]

 

[CrossFire] Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB [+ $177]

 

[CrossFire] Asus Rampage Formula Intel X48 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB [+ $252]

 

[CrossFire] Asus Maximus II Formula Intel P45 CrossFire Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB

[column5 63]

Yeah, you can get a SLI or Crossfire board and just use it with a single card, no problem. Those ASUS boards with the P45 and X48 chipsets look interesting to me. I'd look for some reviews of those on HardOCP, TechReport and other hardware sites and see which one is considered the best.

[+ace888 327]

Coot...

 

I think you might want to wait for the Intel Corei7 965 extreme 3.2Ghz (8 core chip) with Asus Rampage Extreme x58 motherboard and the new Window 7. The combination plus which-ever fast graphic card/ddr3 memory/hard dive/etc... you plan to buy... would put you at the top of the computer system.

[Coot 1]

What is Window 7? I'm trying to stay around the $1300 range. I saw a couple of gaming pcs on newegg that has that Corei7 your suggesting there. Like I said, I'm pretty behind on the times here so just about anything would be good.

[column5 63]

I've got access to MSDN at work and I've downloaded a copy of Windows 7 and installed it on my laptop. Its nice, but its basically just Vista Part 2 so I would not expect it to be a panacea.

[JediMaster 451]

Core i7's are pricey right now thanks to needing DDR3 RAM (which costs a lot more than DDR2). Also, quads don't give you as much bang for the buck.

They're not out yet, but Intel will be releasing a 3.5GHz Duo soon that I'm looking to replace my 3.0 Duo with. A 3GHz Quad costs more than a 3.3GHz Duo right now and for most things is likely not as fast.

Of course, it depends how long you want to wait before upgrading again. I'd say dual cores will be competitive for at least 2 more years, but after that quads will likely surpass them as everything is written to take advantage of them.