New Computer Help

Hey, all.

Back in the game after a short absence, and considering upgrading my desktop pc. I'm basically computer illiterate, and wondering if I can get some advice on hardware. Pc will be used primarily for surfing, running online classroom programs (D2L and Blackboard), and CoX.

I'm considering the following setup as a starter, with the intention of picking up a graphics card later this summer. I could use comments on both graphics and monitor. Sound is not that huge an issue, but might eventually want to play decent movies and other video on it. I should mention that I'm cheap, too ...

AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz (Quad Core) 45nm, AM3 6MB Cache
Spire Kestrel-King II AMD 64 fan
MSI 880GMA-E45 880G, Onboard video,HDMI, SATA3, USB3.0
8GB (2x4GB) PC12800 DDR3 1600 Dual Channel
500.0GB Western Digital 7200RPM SATA3 6GB/s 16m cache
Lite On LightScribe 24x SATA DVD Recorder Dual Layer +R/RW -R/RW
Realtek HD digital audio (onboard)
Wireless 802.11 N 300MBs Network Card PCI Express
Apevia X-Dreamer 3 Black & Blue. front USB, eSATA, LCD temp. display
RocketFish 500W Extra Quiet ATX Power Supply SLI & X-fire ready
Black Windows Keyboard, 104 key, PS/2
2-Button Wheel Mouse, PS/2 Black
Black Multimedia amplified stereo speakers


If you see any glaring omissions or weaknesses, any comments would be much appreciated!

You'll definately be needing a graphics card.

I build a new PC for the parents mid last year and threw a cheap Nvidia GT240 into it since I knew I'd would need to CoX when I visited them. I couldnt justify spending bucket loads on graphics on a machine I would once use every few months.

Having said that, for a cheap card it produced decent FPS on low ultra settings AND this was playing on a ship raid.

I think its pretty safe to say that any card you buy nowdays within you budget will run the game/video just fine - depending on how uber you want the graphics to be.

(P.S. flashbacks to 8800GT and thinking OMG amazing)

Monitor wise, I've always been happy to play on whatever size I had.
Been running on a LG 24" widescreen for awhile now and cant see myself upgrading until it dies. Sure bigger would be nice but it does what I need it to do. ( I use to think my 22" was WOW THIS IS HUGE)

Guess all Im trying to say is, spend within your budget and you'll be fine.

Bit behind in my nerd mags so cant quote latest (low/mid/high) model cards you could be looking at

Okay you've answered a few questions, think you can grab a copy of the questions from the guide in my sig (paste them in THIS thread) and toss an answer on the rest of them?

"I'm cheap" doesn't help when figuring out budgets and suggesting alternate components.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

1) What will you primarily be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
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Cox and web browsing.


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
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Would like to stay south of $900 including OS


3) Where do you live? This is important as it affects what vendors you may buy from and how much shipping costs might be.
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Wisconsin


4) Are you planning to buy or build?
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Preferably buy. I've but in RAM and video cards, but that's about as far as I trust myself.


5) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need. If you're unsure what exactly you need, say so.
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CPU and fan, Motherboard, Memory, Hard drive, basic audio, DVD player/writer, Network card? (have 2 laptops that need wireless, have dual N router), tower/case - nothing fancy, power supply, keyboard, mouse, extra fans(?) Don't know if I've left anything out. Ackk! Also need monitor


6) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
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None


7) Will you be overclocking?
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No experience with it. I know basically what it is, but not how to do it.


8) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
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would like a 23" or larger. Need info about response times and contrast ratios...


9) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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Within the next 2 weeks


10) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
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No idea.


11) Any specific must-have features? Must be able to max out Ultra-Mode? Must have 6+GB of RAM? Must have an SSD? etc.
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Would like to get the most out of Ultra for my $. My current pc is slow, so anything will be an improvement.


12) Are there any vendors/brands you'd specifically prefer to use?
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Vaguely familiar with ATI, but not married to it.


13) Are there any vendors/brands you'd specifically prefer to avoid?
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No


14) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? (Note: If your current OS came with your computer, odds are that it is NOT transferable.)
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No, looking for suggestions for purchasing.

Okay dumb question, I'm assuming you're looking to stick with $900 total even with monitor?

If so, take a look at Father XMas' $725 rig

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

I'm figuring he's looking at a pre-built and not build it yourself parts list.

The IGP in a AMD 880G is the HD 4250. Not bad when compared to other IGP but we're still talking sub 30 fps at 1024x768 at the lowest settings (maybe better than lowest but still not great).

The PSU is alright, that's the limiting factor on your choice of video cards. All depends how much you want to pay for it. Right now, after rebate, the HD 5770 ATI cards are going for around $95-110 at NewEgg. They are being replaced by the identical HD 6770 cards so they are trying to clear out inventory of the HD 5770. The next two steps up from AMD/ATI is the HD 6790 and the HD 6850.

On the nVidia side for under $200 at NewEgg you have the GTS 450, GTX 550 Ti, GTX 460 768MB and the GTX 460 1GB. The HD 5770/6770 falls between the GTS 450 and GTX 550 Ti in performance. The HD 6790 falls between the GTX 550 Ti and the GTX 460 768MB. The HD 6850 is about the same as the GTX 460 1GB. Note I'm not talking about the GTX 460SE when I'm talking about the GTX 460 1GB.