The Geek EmergenceSo what have I been doing since liberation? I've logged 40+ hours of hardware research and product comparisons. This post is a synopsis for those that were speaking of building a new rig as I've lost all my notes with my retired system including prices. Hardware technology moves at a brisk pace but intimidatingly at so many component-levels and parts-of-component-levels; On top, you have different tech manufacturers (Nvidia/ATI) and retail manufacturers (BFG/XFX); it's overwhelming just to get a gist of how it all stacks up. There is a definite trend in utilizing multiple components; you have your dual processors, dual cores, quad cores, Crossfire/SLI, dual channel. More on this point, Intel is pushing for 32nm technology to be used in Project Keifer. Fortunately for you I will not bore you with product comparisons and leave that to the pro reviews on the net. Let's take an aggregate consumers' look at each of the major components for those upcoming builders: -Processor: The latest buzz in this component is the continued development of the Core2 technology; in general doubling cores double performance. Core 2 Duo's are highly overclockable due to their low heat and power consumption nature. All those processors are simply amazing and here is an opportunity to save a tremendous amount of loot (albeit a quarter of the savings will go toward higher quality parts). Three major notes here:
1) Intel vs AMD performance cannot be compared simply by looking at clock speeds.
2) Price cuts! C2Quads started rolling out recently. The major price cut we're looking at is in Sept when the Q6600 2.4ghz is expected to drop down to $266 (compare to this months coming price cut to ~$650). The new line of C2Duos themed 6x50s will underprice current 6x00s as well.
3) Bear in mind the processor is only responsible for sheer data processing (compiling, encoding, file compression; multitasking) . In other words if you're putting together a system for gaming, which most of you are, the lowest end C2D running at stock speed will pass recommended specs for any game including the feared Crysis. The only real strain on the processor from gaming comes from heavy physics and AI calculations a la Crysis. Below are the system requirements which would make a great model for your new rig. Minimum Requirements
CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 6600/X800GTO (SM 2.0)
RAM: 768Mb/1Gb on Windows Vista
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 256k+
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9.0c with Windows XP
Recommended Requirements
CPU: Dual-core CPU (Athlon X2/Pentium D)
Graphics: Nvidia 7800GTX/ATI X1800XT (SM 3.0) or DX10 equivalent
RAM: 1.5Gb
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 512k+ (128k+ upstream)
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX10 with Windows Vista
-Motherboard: At the mercy of all other components' technology requirements. (If oc'ing, you'll need a durable / flexible one)
-HDD: Seagate develops new method of data storage (PRT) in hard drives. We'll be seeing 3.5" 1TB drives v.soon. Lower manufacturing costs and end-user data reliability.
-PSU: Power supplies don't seem to have much development besides quality unless you're looking into one of those fancy power guzzling GPUs in which you'd definitely be looking for a 12v rail just for the card. When looking at PSU's there are really only 3 things to look out for:
1) Wattage
2) Efficiency 85% is as good as it gets
3) Combined amps running through the 12v rails (8800 cards requires a PSU with at least 400w 12v @ 28A)
4) Steady power stream (look for hardware reviews).
-RAM: Comes in 2 mainstream flavors DDR2 667 & 800; aka PC5400 & PC6400 respectively. (If oc'ing, look for quality 800mhz sticks; the tighter the timings [x-x-x-xx] the better). Two things to consider:
1) Dual channel kits need to be supported by the motherboard first. Get it. It's exactly what the name implies; two channels double your memory bandwidth.
2) Given the amazing prices on 800mhz sticks I was tempted to upgrade to 4gb. The general rule currently is there is a diminishing return of at least 50% on exceeding 2gb of ram. In short, the inability to use over 2gb of ram stems from the 32bit environment's (WinXP) inability to address the excess ram; and moreso the lack of 64bit applications to make use of >2gb ram.
-GPU: Those running media center systems shouldn't be overly concerned here since the resources required to bring up 2D images is relatively minute. Microsoft posted the specs for HD media systems and the recommended card spec is 128mb capable of 1920x1440 resolution. The gaming industry has fueled the burst of GPU technology to have this quasi-secondary-CPU handle rendering of 3D graphics. The GPU is, by far, the largest determining factor of your gaming experience. Now that the importance of the card and the metaphor is established, we take a look at the specs to look at:
1) RAM: I personally value this aspect very highly. While a 128mb card is capable of running most games at minimal settings, the lack of ram has unpleasant consequences, thus defeating the purpose of gaming. Currently, 256mb is a good amount of video ram but insufficient at max settings of most of the recent games. When the games point-of-view moves and a new number of objects need to be loaded on-screen, the GPU retrieves the textures and attempts to store it all in it's vram. All data that doesn't fit will have to travel through the computer bus and into your system RAM. This happens relatively slow and must travel back to the GPU once again to process. The late rendering of vital screen objects will halt the game until the process is finished, resulting in a stuttering of the game. While it doesn't increase the raw speed of the video card, the swapping of data completely negates the aggregate performance of the other GPU features. I recommend throwing down another 40 bucks on 256mb card's price for a 512mb card.
2) Core Clock: Similar to the CPU clock this number is the frequency commands are run
3) Memory speed: Similar to RAM frequency 8800s: In the transition period of Vista and thus D3D10(component of DX10), there is a huge change in video card structure. Nvidia's 8 series features the same unified structure DX10 will demand. Upon reading up on this new series of cards and barely comprehending the revolutionary architecture, the little I grasped I was sold on the performance:price value on these babies. Instead of having me misinterpret this information, just visit xbitlabs.com. Onto the main point of how this affects the user. The particular GPU is extremely efficient and is more powerful than running two 7900GT cards, but the need for DX10 compatibility is not a necessity as it is a luxury for the following reasons: a) DX9 capability still has a long ways to go, b) DX10 will only be available to Vista, and c) software developers will take awhile to properly utilize DX10. Those still running AGP ports... the top card is ATIs x1950pro almost exacts the specs as the PCI-E version. AGP cards are not inferior but manufacturers likely have shifted to PCI-E as the standard development platform because the bus potential of PCI-E slots quadruple that of an AGP8x interface. In fact, the AGP x1950pro has probably bode well feeding rumors an AGP x1950xt will be released. Tom's Hardware compiled a hierarchy of v.cards. Overall price: The cost can vary lots depending on the GPU you select. These days you can find GPUs on sale from 50 bucks for low end 3D cards and up to 550$ for an 8800gtx; and more if it's factory overclocked. The cost without the card to piece your own monster rig including case and fans using premium parts will run ya about 650 if ya shop around. I've found Newegg prices to be extremely competitive for the majority of the parts. If you want to do further price comparisons, it may prove worth your trouble to visit ZZF (great ram deals right now), eWiz, and clubIT (best deal by far on Q6600 atm [compare 630$ to 800$ elsewhere]). Using a combination of E-tailers, my beastial system ran me exactly 995$ net. It's a steep price tag but as you know I splurged on the 8800 GTS 640mb which ran me 350$ alone with a rebate. Check out this monster: Intel e6300 2mb shared L2 cache (1.86ghz stock) running @ 3.2ghz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 rev3.3
Corsair TWIN2x2048-6400 (2x 1gb sticks)
Ultra Wizard Black Mid-Tower
OCZ GameXStream 700w
EVGA 8800 GTS 640mb
Well, those are the major points for drawing up an upcoming system. Hope this write-up helps one of you.
_________________________________________________________________________ Addendum: 1) Q6600 - C2Q processor for CHEAP
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