Planning for the future

[rdcmmnst]

i need your help

The computer that I have been using at home just died. The motherboard shorted out on me. It was about time though we've had it for five years. I want to know what you guys would conisder a good computer that would be reasonably up-to-date for the next 3 or 4 years i was thinking of something along the lines of...

Cpu-2.8 to 3.o ghz intel preferably
Ram-1 gb probably kingston
Psu-This is where i'm not for sure..maybe 320 volts and any namebrand
Hdd-probably 120 gb western digital
video card-this is where i really want personal opinions..this computer won't be dong any gaming so i won't need a hardcore card but i am also for sure not getting onboard video
sound card-i was planning on just getting onboard sound..this won't be a major issue with me. I don't listen to much music or games
Mobo-this is also where i have no idea of what should be the best thing to get.

One last detail all of these parts will have to be bought in Moscow, Russia which is a downside so if i tell you guys prices please don't tell me that i'm paying too much for the parts

besides that all comments are welcome.

[EDIT: what fans should i be looking for and a heatsink..and thermal paste haha just as an after thought and do screws come with the computer parts or do you need to purchase those.]

 

[EricM]

Well for the future.. u may wanna go dual core since everything is slowly gonna be using dual cores and single cores will be phased out. for RAM 1gb is good... but more and more people are getting 2gb now.. so 1-2gb is very good. PSU...well if youre not gonna be running a high end graphics card... then i would say at least 400watts to be on the safe side. Hard drive... make sure its S-ATA because IDE is a thing of the past.. well people still use it for hard drives but sata transfers data faster. for a motherboard i would say a good board would be dfi lanparty ut nf4 ultra-d. for a video card... if you wont be gaming a lot i would go for an nvidia 6800gs. sound card i would not get on board. a seperate pci sound card takes the stress of your motherboard having to run a on board card. for a heat sink if youre not ocing.. a stock fan will be fine.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Yes, you must have dual core processor. Also make sure it's 64-bit too. 1GB is minimum and fliexible from that point on. For the power supply, get something around 450watts if you don't plan on gaming too often or if you're not a hardcore gamer. I seriously doubt you want SLi? If you somehow change your mind and go with that route, get a 550watt power supply minimum.

Video card, I would also agree with the 6800GS. It's a great all around video card. It will play games too if you need to and it's not too high priced compared to the other more capable cards. You're future proof with that video card. As for a good motherboard, use Asus, DFI, Abit, MSI using the latest chipset. I think Intel has nforce4 chipsets and of course, their own 945 chipsets as well. They're good.

As for fans, use the stock fans. Buy the CPU retail and you won't have to worry about thermal compounds, heatsinks, etc. Case fans are separate and they are really cheap ranging from $5 and up.

 

[ASSEMBLER]

Re: i need your help

(Psu-This is where i'm not for sure..maybe 320 volts and any namebrand)


i think you mean 320 watts please dont get a 320 volts psu as uk mains are only 240v and us 110v. something like 400w jeantech like i have if you can get one for the right money nice and quiet but theres plenty of chioce out there

 

[lhuser]

Re: i need your help

Cpu-2.8 to 3.o ghz intel preferably
Ram-1 gb probably kingston
Psu-This is where i'm not for sure..maybe 320 volts and any namebrand
Hdd-probably 120 gb western digital
video card-this is where i really want personal opinions..this computer won't be dong any gaming so i won't need a hardcore card but i am also for sure not getting onboard video
sound card-i was planning on just getting onboard sound..this won't be a major issue with me. I don't listen to much music or games
Mobo-this is also where i have no idea of what should be the best thing to get.

[EDIT: what fans should i be looking for and a heatsink..and thermal paste haha just as an after thought and do screws come with the computer parts or do you need to purchase those.]

The CPU must Hit Pentium 4 6xx series or higher. 3GHZ is preferable
The RAM is OK, but consider buying 1.5-2GB RAM if budget says so
320 volts PSU does not exist. 320W PSU exists, but it's too weak for the machine. consider a 500W
The Video card is not intended for gaming? Buy an ATI X500 or X700
Mobo- If you can get an Intel motherboard for best performance, go with it. If not, the ASUS P5P800 series will do

The heatsink that comes with the CPU will do. For fans, just buy 4x 80mm fans, for best cooling.

 

[joxley1990]

The P4 DUAL 880 pro is a great board, look into that, but go for intel board if you can...