comp help

[skriFF]

So Ive been shopping for a new computer lately. My main uses for it are going to be mostly CD/DVD play and writing, e-mail/web browing, some school work, and online gaming. I don't know a whole lot about computers and I decided I wanted to customize my own with the help of a friend. This is what we found:

Processor:
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 540J w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB Cache

Memory:
512MB Alienware® Single Channel Low-Latency DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 1 x 512MB

System Drive:
250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache

Optic Drive:
NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive

Storage:
Alienware® 10-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround Firewire (IEEE® 1394)

Graphics Processor:
ATI RADEON™ X300 PCI Express 128MB DDR w/Digital and TV Out

Now my question is, how well will all of that work together? Will there be significant lag during games/CD and DVD downloading or anything along those lines?

Thanks for any help in advance.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by skriFF

So Ive been shopping for a new computer lately. My main uses for it are going to be mostly CD/DVD play and writing, e-mail/web browing, some school work, and online gaming. I don't know a whole lot about computers and I decided I wanted to customize my own with the help of a friend. This is what we found:

Processor:
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 540J w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB Cache

Memory:
512MB Alienware® Single Channel Low-Latency DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 1 x 512MB

System Drive:
250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache

Optic Drive:
NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive

Storage:
Alienware® 10-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround Firewire (IEEE® 1394)

Graphics Processor:
ATI RADEON™ X300 PCI Express 128MB DDR w/Digital and TV Out

Now my question is, how well will all of that work together? Will there be significant lag during games/CD and DVD downloading or anything along those lines?

Thanks for any help in advance.

well from your list the only thing that requires power is "online gaming". First of all what kind of games do you refer to? EverquestII, Counter Strike...?

Anyway if high end games are your thing go the AMD route and make yourself a favor by getting something more than a bargain video card.

Also how much multitasking to do you intend to do and what is your budget?

[skriFF]

I would be doing mostly counter strike and halo, along with playing and copying DVD's and CD's.

The other kind of stuff I might be doing with it are iinternet browsing, email, that kind of thing. I would also be doing occasional school projects. As for my budget I would prefer to not spend more than $1000 to $1100 if possible.

[Neutrino]

if your going to play games I would recomend something along those lines:


3200+ Venice or Winchester core or if you can afford it go with a higher model San Diego core
If your going to multitask a lot and want a seemless experience you could fork 550 or so for a 4400+X2 which is two San Diego cores

socket 939 mobo ultra or sli NF4

2 pc3200 mem for dual channel (go with a good brand like OCZ, Muskin, Corsair etc...) preferably based on Winbond Bh5/BH6 or Samsung TDDC/TDD5 chips

6600GT videocard

the audigy 2 you chose is a good selection

for optical go with the newer NEC ND-3540A

for case whatever you like, just make sure it hass good airflow

for powersupply go with a ATX 2.0 native 24 pin min 480W, and amke sure its a good brand (OCZ, Antec, PcPower&Cooling, Enermax)

for HD get a serial ATA segate with NCQ, get a small drive for the operating system and a large separate one for all your media files (it will make it much easier to reinstall your system anytime you want)

[tman]

6600gt is a great card. It's like a PCI-E graphics card but it connects to an AGP slot. I'd go with the 6800, but thats just me. As long as you get a 256mb vid card, you'll have no trouble with DVD watching, or heavy gaming.

I'd also suggest at least a gig of ram. 512 is fine, but you'll see the difference when really multitasking. The way ram is so cheap today, you'd be a fool not to upgrade. Try to stick to name brands here also like transcend, crucial, and micron. Newegg.com usually has the best deals on ram. I don't know about alienware, but Dell inflates their ram prices terribly. On an inspiron laptop, they'll charge you 1000 dollars to get 2gb of ram, when you can buy the 2 1 gig sticks from newegg at 120 apiece!

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by tman2093

6600gt is a great card. It's like a PCI-E graphics card but it connects to an AGP slot. I'd go with the 6800, but thats just me. As long as you get a 256mb vid card, you'll have no trouble with DVD watching, or heavy gaming.

I'd also suggest at least a gig of ram. 512 is fine, but you'll see the difference when really multitasking. The way ram is so cheap today, you'd be a fool not to upgrade. Try to stick to name brands here also like transcend, crucial, and micron. Newegg.com usually has the best deals on ram. I don't know about alienware, but Dell inflates their ram prices terribly. On an inspiron laptop, they'll charge you 1000 dollars to get 2gb of ram, when you can buy the 2 1 gig sticks from newegg at 120 apiece!

not sure what you were trying to say but they make the 6600GT in both AGP and PCI-E flavors(of course with the config i gave him he has to get a new PCI-E one since all the NF4 based mobos are PCI-E). The reason I recomended it is because its the best card on a budget. Yes the 6800 is better but its also pricier.


Oh and another small note, Crucial is just a divison of Micron. And you are correct they are also one of the better brands out there.

[tman]

I was saying that the AGP one is the PCI-E only designed to fit in the AGP slot. PCI-E will yield better performance.

Naturally the 6800 is more money, but it seems a bit faster in the systems I've seen it in. I've seen a 6600, but not a gt, so they may not be that different.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by tman2093

I was saying that the AGP one is the PCI-E only designed to fit in the AGP slot. PCI-E will yield better performance.

Naturally the 6800 is more money, but it seems a bit faster in the systems I've seen it in. I've seen a 6600, but not a gt, so they may not be that different.

there is a huge difference between a 6600 and a 6600GT this is why I recomended the Gt version.



For casual gaming a 6600GT will be more than enough, i woukd rather see him spend more money on the proc, especially if he can afford a dual core.

[tman]

In light of that, I'd say the GT is the way to go. Good info neutrino