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[Sisco22 Profile]

Hey guys,
I am getting ready to build a new desktop and need some suggestions on what to build. I am going to be doing a little gaming with it and mostly running VM's and developing and what not on it. What processor, mobo, memory, video card and such would you suggest?
thanks!
Adam

[Grav!ty Profile]

Hey it's always nice building a new system Depending on your budget, I'd say go for the following:

Processor: Core i7 I7-920 Quad Core Processor (2.66GHz, 4.8 GT/s Bus, Socket B LGA 1336) - Approx. $280.00 at ZipZoom or TigerDirect.

Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 - Approx $290.00 at Newegg

RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - Approx $100.00 at Newegg

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready - Approx $170.00 at Newegg


Those are the main components all based on current technology. I prefer NVIDIA GPU's but the ATI above seems to be good value. I'd say steer away from the Intel socket 775's as they are getting old now and stick to DDR3 RAM for the same reason. I think make sure that RAM is on the motherboards Memory QVL list but I can't see it won't work.

[mnemonicj Profile]

Can't get a better processor for the money than the one Graham recommended and I agree with Graham about the DDR3 RAM. Everyone, including your mother, has Dual channel DDR2, so DDR3 is the way to go now.

[JabbaPapa Profile]

You can save some $$$ without sacrificing any meaningful gaming performance by getting an AMD Triple Core system and an AM3 motherboard -- or even plunk the $$$ saved into better graphics card capabilities

And yes you certainly need three DDR3 RAM modules

[Grav!ty Profile]

You can save some $$$ without sacrificing any meaningful gaming performance by getting an AMD Triple Core system and an AM3 motherboard -- or even plunk the $$$ saved into better graphics card capabilities

And yes you certainly need three DDR3 RAM modules

Oh no, you can't even begin to compare the performance of any AMD CPU with that of the Intel i7 series. They don't even get close to being comparable to the older Intel Core 2 Duo series.

AMD have lost it for the time being, considering that the i7's use Triple channel memory architecture which is far superior to the same old same old (once really great) on chip memory controller of AMD.

[JabbaPapa Profile]

Oh no, you can't even begin to compare the performance of any AMD CPU with that of the Intel i7 series. They don't even get close to being comparable to the older Intel Core 2 Duo series.

I really did just mean to say that performance of the triple core Phenom II is *quite* sufficient for gaming

... but ...

AMD have lost it for the time being, considering that the i7's use Triple channel memory architecture which is far superior to the same old same old (once really great) on chip memory controller of AMD.

oops yes, and triple channel won't be coming to AMD looks like til the second or third wave of their upcoming 6-core CPUs, so likely not for nearly a year now

[Grav!ty Profile]

Yeah, I'll be one of the first punting AMD again when they recapture the total preeminence they held for so long.

[augie]

Ya, the i7 is a monster. I know people who have 4 VMs running full blast folding and there's still plenty cycles left! That'll be my new machine next year if the prices come down.

[Sisco22 Profile]

Thanks guys! I agree, i think i am going with the Core i7. Seems to be alot better processor than AMD. I might go with 12gig of ram instead of 6gig. Just because I'll be running Virtual Machines and all.

Gravity,
Would you not pick Nvidia over the ATI board that you listed? "GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready - Approx $170.00 at Newegg"

I haven't been a big fan of ATI, but i haven't kept up with the latest cards, so i don't know which is better right now. Budget wise, i'm not really on one. But i don't want to get crazy with it

I do know i am going to buy around 5 1TB drives to stick in there. Just so i have plenty of space.

[Grav!ty Profile]

Yeah although lately ATI seems to have more advanced stuff than NVIDIA. I don't think there's a single NVIDIA released with GDDR5 yet. See if you can find something you like comparable HERE