Have $1500 to blow on a new computer :)

[pares101]

I'm in the mood to buy a complete new computer, basically this will be my design computer ( NOT A MAC ) does anyone have recommendations on what i should buy from the type of motherboard to the type of ram and so forth?? ( I don't need a monitor or keyboard )

[JoshuaJonah]

well obviously i'll start the war by saying, go AMD.

[SlowRoasted]

Yeah get an amd dual core. Go with a nvidia 7800 gtx. For ram you can get corsair xms. For the motherboard go with Asus or Gigabyte, you choose if you want SLI or not. Get one of those SATA harddrives, maybe a western digital. Rest is up to you.

[Indecisive]

AMD all the way.

During December I upgraded my motherboard, processor, and graphics card because I couldn't take the lag/slowness I was getting while using Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver all at once. I also play PC games and the new upgrade was like night and day; I couldn't believe the difference in performance.


Motherboard: Abit KN8 SLI
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor +3800
Videocard: EVGA NVidia 7800 GT PCI Express

(I did weeks worth of research before purchasing these items)


It was the best upgrade I've ever done to my computer hands down. Although your budget is much larger than mine was...I'd highly suggest the AMD X2 Dual Core Processor and the NVidia 7800 series cards (get 2 and go SLI heh)

-Ind

[JoshuaJonah]

<whisper> go ATI </whisper>

[G]

make sure you get a motherboard that supports all the latest hardware - ddr2, raid, pci express etc and if you are after raw power go for a very high end intel p4 dual core or go for a amd 64 x2 any speed you can get those fairly cheap now and they are beasts :)

Look to put at least 1GB ram in there, and if you are playing games then go for a 256mb graphics card mid range one look at about $150 and you'll be fine.

As for a screen you want a 19" TFT you can these very cheap now and a mid range one will set you back about...say $400.

Your budget should be enough for all that I've mentioned and if you have say $100 left or so get another 1GB stick of ram and slap it in :) you can nvere have enough ram.

[Willofdarkness]

get an AMD.... dual core if you've got the money, but a 4000+ will be just fine for another couple years.


GPU get a Nvidia 7800 GT or GTX.... the latest ATIs do get better scores on HL2 based games, but in my experience they crash much more often during application usage and ATI drivers just aren't updated that often.

HD's get Seagates or Western Digital Caviar.

[creativeFuzion]

Here's what you oughta get:

Case:
ASPIRE X-Navigator ATXA8NW-BK/500 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811144090)

Motherboard:
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131517)

Gfx/Video Card:
ASUS EAX1800XT/2DHTV/512M Radeon X1800XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814121546)

Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 San Diego 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADAFX57BNBOX - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103558)

2x 1 GB RAM:
Kingston HyperX 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model KHX3200AK2/1G - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820144114)

1x 40 GB 10,000 RPM Hard Drive:
Western Digital Raptor WD360GD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144200)

2x 250 GB Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144701)

Monitor:
ViewSonic VP2130b Black 21.3" 8ms gray-to-gray (avg); 16ms black-white-black (typ) LCD Monitor - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824116372)

DVD/CD Burner w/ Lightscribe:
SAMSUNG Black ATA/ATAPI LightScribe DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Write Model SH-W162L/BEBN - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827151118)

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum Pro 70SB036000000 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829102164)

Speakers:
Logitech THX Z-5300e 280 Watts RMS 5.1 Speaker - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16836121121)

That's a good machine right there. Get it, it will change your future. :beam:

BTW, that's part of my wish list on Newegg. :)

I have half saved up.... buying the monitor this week. :smirk2:

Good luck with your purchase.

~Philip

[KaiserSouze]

Seeing as it's your design computer, go for a CRT. Even though they are thinner on the ground now, you'll end up most of your budget to get a monitor that has the same colour and video performance of something like a Lacie ElectronBlue or Mitsubishi Diamond Pro

[hl]

First off, he didn't ask for a monitor.. second off, that computer is wayyyy over 1500 bucks.

What you want is probably any decent case with an ATX form factor and probably around a 500 watt power supply. Then you need an ASUS that'll support Intel Dual Core Pentium D.. (Socket 775), you'll also need an AGP nVidia anything. Onboard sound will work fine (look for a motherboard with one). Kingston or Ultra is good for the memory, western digital or maxtor is good for the hard drive.

That's about it...

[andizzle]

GET A MACINTOSH

[Jeff Wheeler]

He said he didn't want one. ;)

I'd go with AMD, nVidia, and err… I don't know enough about hardware to suggest anything else. :P

Oh, 4 gigs of ram, minimum. ;)

[Templarian]

2gigs minimum you will only notice the difference unless your a Gamer or using some large software.

AMD Duel Core (you will love the multi-tasking.)
nvidia or ati which ever is best for the price and what you need PCI-Express ONLY.
DDR2 Memory.

Do not cheap out on the motherboard/Power Supply(500-550w)!