t0mme
Great Red One
This semester my gf and I have to write our BA-thesis and we realized we only have one decent machine; my laptop (which is not too good).
However, its a valid excuse to buy a new PC and I want to do it right from the start. So I thought of the following PC:
-Basic PC, but with good upgrading possibilities
-It has to run Civ IV (decent gfx card) and Dwarf Fortress (cpu intensive) properly
-Around 700 (169 for the monitor leaves me with 531 with some room for more)
Now I have several questions:
1. CPU (Intel v. AMD)
My budget allows me either an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (2,1GHz) or an Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 (1,8GHz). Which one should I pick? Do they both have the same functionality (manually assigning programs do different cores)? Benchmarks show that this AMD is better FPS-wise than this Intel, but both choices leave me with a socket which fits dozens of other and better processors for the future. And the high-end Intel seems to better than the high-end AMDs. I never had an AMD before
Or should I save another 10 by opting for the Intel P DC E2140 (1,6Ghz) and upgrade when I need to? Or spend 7 more for an Intel P DC 2180 (2,0GHz)?
2. GPU (NVidia v. ATi)
The choices Ive given myself to start with are an ATi Radeon HD2400PRO and a NVidia Geforce 8400GS. Both DirectX10, shader 4.0 and 256 MB RAM. Will both these cards play Civ IV (I suspect they do). The Geforce has a fan, the Radeon is passively cooled (no fan), should I take that into account? I know, theyre both not brilliant cards, but for now Im happy with just Civ IV playability. Which one? I prefer the Geforce, is that justified?
3. Memory and OS
I want to start with 2GB, DDR2. Should I go for 1x2GB or 2X1GB? Both the mobos Ive picked have 4 slots for RAM. The Intel mobo supports a max of 16GB, the AMD a max of 8GB. 1x2GB is cheaper and leaves me with 3 open slots, but 2x1GB is somewhat faster, right? Is the speed difference notable, on a budget system as this one?
The OS will be Vista Home Basic, as I dont care for the fancy premium. Should I go for 32bit or 64bit? In case of upgradeability, 64bit would be wise considering memory upgrades, but it is also more expensive than the 32bit. And how is the compatibility at this moment? My Canon MP370 (scanner/printer) is not entirely supported by Vista 64bit (the printing is, the scanning isnt) so that seems to be a no-no, as I definitely need the scanner.
Do I need more than 3GB RAM (32bit limit) in the next 3 years? And can I get the 64bit cheaper if I already own the 32bit?
4. PSU
Ive a choice between 450W and 550W. Will 450W be enough for the above mentioned hardware plus 1 optical and 1 HD drive (160Gb) and perhaps 1 or 2 additional HDDs in the future? Or better safe than sorry and go with 550W?
I thank you for your interest if youve read this far
and I hope to get some useful feedback.
However, its a valid excuse to buy a new PC and I want to do it right from the start. So I thought of the following PC:
-Basic PC, but with good upgrading possibilities
-It has to run Civ IV (decent gfx card) and Dwarf Fortress (cpu intensive) properly
-Around 700 (169 for the monitor leaves me with 531 with some room for more)
Now I have several questions:
1. CPU (Intel v. AMD)
My budget allows me either an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (2,1GHz) or an Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 (1,8GHz). Which one should I pick? Do they both have the same functionality (manually assigning programs do different cores)? Benchmarks show that this AMD is better FPS-wise than this Intel, but both choices leave me with a socket which fits dozens of other and better processors for the future. And the high-end Intel seems to better than the high-end AMDs. I never had an AMD before
Or should I save another 10 by opting for the Intel P DC E2140 (1,6Ghz) and upgrade when I need to? Or spend 7 more for an Intel P DC 2180 (2,0GHz)?
2. GPU (NVidia v. ATi)
The choices Ive given myself to start with are an ATi Radeon HD2400PRO and a NVidia Geforce 8400GS. Both DirectX10, shader 4.0 and 256 MB RAM. Will both these cards play Civ IV (I suspect they do). The Geforce has a fan, the Radeon is passively cooled (no fan), should I take that into account? I know, theyre both not brilliant cards, but for now Im happy with just Civ IV playability. Which one? I prefer the Geforce, is that justified?
3. Memory and OS
I want to start with 2GB, DDR2. Should I go for 1x2GB or 2X1GB? Both the mobos Ive picked have 4 slots for RAM. The Intel mobo supports a max of 16GB, the AMD a max of 8GB. 1x2GB is cheaper and leaves me with 3 open slots, but 2x1GB is somewhat faster, right? Is the speed difference notable, on a budget system as this one?
The OS will be Vista Home Basic, as I dont care for the fancy premium. Should I go for 32bit or 64bit? In case of upgradeability, 64bit would be wise considering memory upgrades, but it is also more expensive than the 32bit. And how is the compatibility at this moment? My Canon MP370 (scanner/printer) is not entirely supported by Vista 64bit (the printing is, the scanning isnt) so that seems to be a no-no, as I definitely need the scanner.
Do I need more than 3GB RAM (32bit limit) in the next 3 years? And can I get the 64bit cheaper if I already own the 32bit?
4. PSU
Ive a choice between 450W and 550W. Will 450W be enough for the above mentioned hardware plus 1 optical and 1 HD drive (160Gb) and perhaps 1 or 2 additional HDDs in the future? Or better safe than sorry and go with 550W?
I thank you for your interest if youve read this far
and I hope to get some useful feedback.
