CPU's

[Kernel Kev]

Ok im looking at building a new PC for my room and i am a little mythed with the CPU's.

I see these core 2 duo ones but they only seem to be 1.8 - 2 GHz.

Whereas Pentium 4 go over 3.0 GHz (in my price range).

So what i want to know is, is a core two duo 2 GHz better that a 3GHz pentium 4?

Thanks



Kev
8)

[lightt]

I bet it is, im not so sure though, i tell this because, I have used 2ghz pentium 4 before, and they are not as fast as my 1.83ghz core 2 duo

but still im not sure

[Kernel Kev]

Well the pent 4 is going to be slower, its an older design, but i was wondering if the core 2 duo are like the same as double themselves in pentium terms, i dont know.



Kev
8)

[Cabe]

Yes they are faster.

Put it this way. A Pentium 4 3Ghz has one core that can do 3Ghz of work whereas a Dual core processor with two cores at 2Ghz has combined total of 4Ghz of work.

Also dual core processors are much better at multitasking meaning 1 core can be dedicated to something (such as in game physics) and another can do other things at the exact same time.

So yeah, dual core is the way to go. Less heat, less power consumption, better at multitasking.

Whats your price range, I'll help you find something good. Also I would recommend looking for an AMD processor rather than an Intel one. They are easier to overclock. Since you said you're building a new PC I may be able to help with the other components aswell having just built a new one. myself

[Kernel Kev]

Well a dual core cpu is a must, i would also rather AMD, i think Intel and AMD are like the Sony and Sandisk thing, just as good but cheaper.

My price range is about £400 - £500, over time though as it isnt really that important yet.

Im wondering if i should have vista or go Linux, if it was vista then the proce wouldnt be included in my budget if you get my drift :wink:

It dosent need to be a gaming machine or nothing, i have a 360, but i am looking into 3d mapping etc for some games i have in mind so CAD software will be used, which do take some power.

Im not bothered about multi card readers and sh*t like that, it just has to be fast.

Any suggestions would be excellent.



Kev
8)

[lightt]

Vista will eat up most of the memory you have, though u can have a lot, linux is so simple and nice (though i don't like it, i am not like a simple guy) and does not require much memory, so CAD can use most of the memory it needs, as it requires a lot.

[Kernel Kev]

I think i would go with linux, i have looked at AMD cpu's and have decided to go with AMD, now i need to figure out how much RAM i am going to want, anyone know how to work out according to your cpu what would be the best ram, like no point having loads of it if the cpu cant keep up.



Kev
8)

[Cabe]

First of all I'd say go with Vista but get the OEM edition which is far cheeper and things like DirectX 10 are Vista exclusive. It used to be that it was illegal to buy an OEM edition unless it came with a PC from the likes of Dell etc but the rules have changed meaning you can get a Full Vista Home Premium for only £75. I know. One of my friends did just that.

Processor wise I'd say go with the X2 4600+ http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/122941
It should be perfect for your needs.

I'd say go with this M/board since its socket AM2 like that processor I linked. http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/113843
Gigabyte boards also tend to be really easy to overclock.

Software like CAD and Photoshop and so on are really dependant upon the speed of your RAM. So I'd say go for this.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/119738
Its 800Mhz RAM which is really fast, not the fastest on the market but it'll handle your needs just fine. I have 1Gb of this stuff and I can tell you it makes a difference. Chances are the RAM in your machine now will be 133Mhz, maybe 266Mhz at a push.

For your graphics card I'd say wait till the new 8 series cards come out from Nvidia. (The only ones out atm are the 8800's which start at £200+ and go up to a good £450)
The other 8 series cards are not out yet but when they do they'll give you the advantage of having DirectX 10. They'll also be a good bit cheeper than the 8800. I've heard the 8600's are supposed to be around £80-100

Also since the M/board is SATA you'd need to make sure your current HD's are SATA or, more likely, if they are IDE. If you have one IDE HD then thats fine since it can be put in master-slave with your drive. Thats what I'm doing. I have one 200Gb IDE and one 250Gb SATA drive.
SATA is faster but slightly more expensive. My 7200rpm 250Gb SATA drive was about £40

All of that comes to around £400 including Vista but not including Graphics card

[Kernel Kev]

Why do you choose vista over Linux?

My main reasons i want Linux is

1) Cost

2) I will be studying computer science after college, so having an operating system with its source code readily available is a major advantage.

3) I want fast loading times, i dont want a ram-eater of an operating system.



Thats it really, what do you think?



Kev
8)

[Cabe]

Originally Posted by Kernel Kev

Why do you choose vista over Linux?

My main reasons i want Linux is

1) Cost

2) I will be studying computer science after college, so having an operating system with its source code readily available is a major advantage.

3) I want fast loading times, i dont want a ram-eater of an operating system.



Thats it really, what do you think?



Kev
8)

I'd still get Vista and you can always dual boot into Linux when you need it. The advantages of Linux don't outweigh the disadvantages imo