New Computer Help

[Husar]

i actually heard that the 8800 is beter than the 9 series. is that true?

No, the 9800GT is just a renamed 8800GT though. The other 9x00 cards are slightly better than their 8x00 predecessors IIRC, the 9600GT being a lot faster than the 8600GT etc.
An 8800GTX would of course be faster than a 9600GT since the GTX is a top card of it's generation and the 9600GT is a mainstream (mediocre) card of it's generation. But an 8800GTX does not beat a 9800GTX (which has now been renamed to GTS 250 or 260 or something just to confuse people even more).

[Decker]

Pevergreen- I live in the States... And thanks very much for your input I'm still rereading your post to make sure I understand anything I'll be look at Intel's as well... almost forgot about them

Hooahguy- Thanks for your input as well... No offenses taken, just needing help to weed out the best possible choices

Husar- I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at

Anyways, I just need something with decent enough graphics for a few games. Mainly M2TW and SotS(as examples), and maybe 1 or 2 others for rotation.

Next question... what is this DDR mean and the GDDR, not to mention GT and GTX??

[Beskar]

Next question... what is this DDR mean and the GDDR, not to mention GT and GTX??

DDR: Double Data Rate

GDDR: Graphics Double Data Rate

GT and GTX are simply model letters for the Nvidia graphics card range, the GTX are better than GT.

[Hooahguy]

try to find an outlet that sells computers that you can customize before you buy. i would suggest dell, but now i know better.

[Beskar]

I don't know any in the USA, but overclockers.co.uk is rather good in the UK, if you know what you are doing with computers as all they basically do is assemble it and ship it you with the OS installed (de facto due to OEM status)

[Husar]

Husar- I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at :inquisitive

Two things:
1. Intel has overall the faster CPUs but in your price range I'd seriously look at AMDs, they might just offer the faster ones for a lower price, but try to look at Phenom IIs, not the older Phenoms.

2. A 9800GT is not expensive and perfectly fine for M2TW.

edit: Just went to ibuypower and made the following system:

Case: Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case Black
Processor: AMD Phenom™ II X2 550 Black Edition Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology AM3 & AM2+ support
Memory: 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1333 Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT PCI-Express x16 - 512MB Single Card
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 DDR3 AMD 770 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, PCI-E MB
Power Supply: 450 Watt -- Standard Power Supply
Hard Drive: 320 GB HARD DRIVE-[Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]
Optical Drive: [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black

All that without mouse and monitor etc. for 587$.
I used this as a base and changed some components, replaced the crossfire(two graphicscards) by a simpler, cheaper one etc. since you prolly don't want crossfire, especially not with an NVidia card.
How the Phenim II dual core performs can be seen here. Should be more than enough for your purposes.
I thought about putting in a somewhat more expensive power supply, might be worth considering as they have become relatively important over time and can cause a few problems, would cost quite a bit more but that's up to you(as everything, else, just suggesting here).

[Decker]

Beskar- Thanks a lot... That definitely clears up a lot for me

Hooahguy- I'm guessing customization is the best way to go nowadays by the looks of the posts I'll check out Intel nonetheless...

Husar- Thanks for the clarifications and the example you used... I'm better understanding this stuff now

[pevergreen]

Is the power supply enough?

[Husar]

Is the power supply enough?

I guess it has enough power but like I said above, a power supply from a good brand might help anyway.
I do however not know which brands are really good and it can depend on luck. The store where I bought my PC replaced the first power supply with a different one because with the first my motherboard used to make beeping sounds when idle. the new one has less Watts but the system used to run fine. (until)

Power supplies are a bit of a science for themselves sometimes but I would hope that ibuypower makes sure the system runs fine with the components you chose.

[pevergreen]

I dont know that it does...

I would throw in another 100W at least.

But I'm still new to this whole thing, and power supplies are the thing I know least about.

[Hooahguy]

Hooahguy- I'm guessing customization is the best way to go nowadays by the looks of the posts I'll check out Intel nonetheless...

absolutely. by customizing it, you can tweak it to your liking, like i did, and you can take away a few things, which will save money. for me, i took away bluetooth and the webcam, which saved me about $100.