New Computer Questions

[callouspenguin]

Alright, so I've taken it upon myself to build a new computer for college. I have a basic idea of what I want (good for gaming) and I just have a few questions, if anyone can answer them.

First, I have a personal preference for AMD cards, but I was wondering how the speeds compare to intel cards. Right now I'm looking at an AMD 64 3200+ (I think thats the 2.0 gigahertz model) in socket 939. Just wondering how you all felt about AMD versus intel.

Second, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with running their computer off a tv, rather than a moniter. I can run it off a moniter (I have an extra somewhere, or I can just buy another), but the graphics cards I'm looking at (radeon x800 in a form thats not se) have s-video out ports, and if need be, I could save some space just using a tv. I'm just curious if the picture quality is similar to a moniter.

Well, that's really all I have, I appreciate you all taking the time to look at this. As an afterthought, if anyone can provide any tips for building a computer, I would highly appreciate it.

[lucky644]

Do not use a TV as a monitor unless its a plasma hdtv or something with dvi output....

TV resolutions are far far far too low for computers.

AMD is fine.

[siddy]

don't bother with a TV unless it's HD.

AMD is a much better choice over Intel for gaming. Also, it's much cooler (quieter) than intel chips. So i'd go for that.

Whatever mobo you pick up, PCI-E is a must. AGP is a dead gfx slot, so don't waste your money on it.

[Somedude]

As stated already, televisions will not work well as a replacement for a monitor. Things usually end up looking blurry, and small text is hard to read. However, if you're trying to save space, you could use the computer as a television by getting a video card with coax in or getting a seperate TV tuner card.

[callouspenguin]

Alright, thanks guys. I figured that a tv wouldn't cut it, but I have no experience in that area. I'll be sure to go for AMD as well. Any more hints on basic computer building? Be gentle, its my first build.

[Agent Law]

http://www.pcmech.com/build.htm
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/
http://archive.gamespy.com/hardware/february02/byopc/

May not be up-to-date, but not much has changed in how you jam things together. The small instruction manuals that come with each component will also tell you how to connect what-to-what.

[StandingCow]

If you have the money to spend, check out the dual core AMDs... Thats the future right there.

[siddy]

Here's some suggestions for building your computer.

mobo: DFI and Asus are the mobos you should be looking at. If you'd like to try something a little different there's the Asrock ULI mobo, which apparently is quite good, and very cheap (will be my next upgrade). But s939 is preferable. s754 is a 'dead' socket, and does not support dual channel ram.

ram: OCZ, Mushkin, Kingston, and Corsair are all reputable names. I personally love OCZ ram, and they've worked fantastically for me.

CPU: there's been some big price-drops for AMD CPU's in the last little while. You should be able to pick up a 3000 venice for 160 canadian, and a 3200 for a hair under 200. But on the other side of the spectrum, the 3800 x2 is the best 'bang for your buck' dual-core.

GPU: I suggest PCI-E cards, there are no new AGP cards coming out, so it's a bit of a waste. On the low end, the 6600GT is a nice card for it's price. If you want to softmod your card, the x800GT can be modded to a x850 because it uses the r480 chip. So for 200 bucks you can get yourself a 500 dollar card. On the high end the 7800GTX is the best performing card you can buy. Prices will be dropping soon, as nvidia is releasing it's new GTX with 512 ram.

Powersupply: Never forget a decent power supply. Bad power can ruin your system. Reputable manufacturers are OCZ, Antec, Enermax, Power and Cooling, Fortron, Sparkle, and there are many others. Don't assume a 20 dollar bargain bin 500 watt PSU will work for your system. The rails probably suck, and might not have enough amps. Best suggestion is to have at the VERY LEAST 18a on the 12v rail. You're pushing it at 18 actually, and should have something at least 24a + to give yourself a bit of headroom. For the best value, i suggest the Fortron Blue Storm 500 watt. Great PSU, quiet, and pretty cheap. On the high-end the OCZ Powerstream is one of the best PSU's out there, but it comes with a price tag.

Well, I hope this clears things up.