What will an average pc of today need inside it ,in terms of hardware? Also, what are the current standards of hardware components, which are value for money, and deliver exceptional performance. Pls advice on brands of the hardware also. How long can they last? What other addition can be made and their purpose.Preferably like to hear views from singaporeans and malaysians since i'm living in Singapore for prices and availability of components.
2006-10-20 03:00:16 · 5 answers · asked by maayub15 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
This question has no answer. What you consider an average PC and what I consider an average PC and what Dell and other makers consider an average PC is all relative. What I mean is when building a PC you have to know what you plan to use that computer for. If you want to play all the latest and greatest games and have a decent online experience then you will need a dual-core cpu and mid- to high-level video card and may even consider SLI and RAID. If you are building something to fucntion as an office computer with average gaming abilities then you don't really need dual-core and a mid-level video card would suffice.
I currently have 3 complete systems. My main system which runs games and a lot of other software is as such:
ASUS A8N5X Motherboard
AMD Athlon 4800+ X2 CPU
2 (1024) Dual-Channel XMS RAM
BFG 6600 PCI-e Graphics Adaptor
2 400GB Western Digital 7200RPM Hard Drives (in RAID0)
MY second system is almost identical except for the cpu which isnt dual-core and video which is a 6200 and the motherboard being a Gigabyte.
My third system is:
MSI K8MM-V
Athlon 3200+ 754 Processor
BFG 6600+ AGP Graphics
2 200GB Maxtor Hard Drives in RAID0
all three of these computers vary but all three can run any game on the market. They can also do a lot of other applications. The dual-core system is actually a waste as few, if any, applications actually take advantage of its full potential.
Also, all three of these systems can and do run Vista as I have the beta RC2 and have installed it on all three without any problems. All three are also 64bit, but since there are software issues with 64 OSes I dont use it.
Hope this helps though doubtful.
2006-10-24 09:56:24 · answer #1 · answered by ghowriter 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are going to build your own system it is advisable to study up on the individual components and how they interface with each other. (Intel offers free integration guides on their web site that will give you some of the terminology that is used in building a system.
The basis of any system is the motherboard and the processor. You can go all out or you can purchase components of lesser degrees and lesser cost.
The whole system will be based on the motherboard you choose. Right now ASUS makes one of the best motherboards for around $280. This motherboard should be able to use the newest technology when it comes to:
1) The processor chip, (I feel the best right now is the Intel Core 2 Duo.)
2) The video card (If you are looking for a good gaming computer you should think about installing dual Crossfire video cards from ATI.) These are 16x video cards, the newest standard used by motherboard manufacturers.
3) The memory moduals. (These need to be matched to the type of motherboard you are going to use, and should really be the fastest and the most MB for your money.
4) You will also want to purchase a CD ROM drive since most software programs come on CD now. (If you wish to burn movies or music you will need a drive capable of this also.)
You will probably want a motherboard that is capale of using SATA hard drives and IDE drives as well.
In addition you will need to rate the wattage usage of the components used and purchase a power supply a little larger then the system needs.
As for how long your hardware will last is really dependent upon the changes in technology. Most system components will last at least 5 years, but technology usually makes them obsolete in two years or less.
You really need to use the internet to learn all you can about each component before you decide what to buy. If I need to know about motherboards I just do a general search for motherboards, open the web sites that list motherboards and start reading.
In addition: What you get when you have a manufacturer build a system for you is usually....... The motherboard and processor you asked for coupled with a substandard power supply, video card and memory chips or even a cheap hard drive. The reason you can't build a system as cheap as a company is they buy cheap components in bulk at bulk rate prices.
2006-10-20 10:18:02 · answer #2 · answered by The Eight Ball 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If it is a first time computer, I would get a used, with warranty, refurbished Dell, or name brand unit, and run http://pclinuxos.com
liveCD on it, and hit the Install Button on the desktop.
That way, it is fully burned in, fully tested, and, cheap enough to blow up during my learning experiences...
It will run 50X faster with Linux installed. http://pclinuxos.com or http://livecdlist.com Free, 5500 games, programs, tools.
http://cheaptronicsdepot.com has them. Also, on the web, do a search for refurbs...
My second through 8,000th system are a mix of new build and old parts... and, I also have Macs... Used donations are cheaper, and I don't void warrantees when I hotrod them...
2006-10-20 10:29:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I strongly advise www.cyberpowerpc.com. You pick the specs, and they build it for you. I got a computer much better than dell wanted to give me for nearly $100 less. Good luck with your decision.
2006-10-24 02:52:43 · answer #4 · answered by Justin V 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Honestly, if you go to www.stupidcheapcomputers.net, they can get you a top-notch system with a warranty for LESS than it would cost you to build yourself. I've been building my own systems since 1985 and I can't piece one together myself for what these guys can sell one to me. I don't even bother anymore.
Incidentally, I don't work for them.
2006-10-20 10:21:53 · answer #5 · answered by MegaNerd 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋