Looking to buy a new PC. Is this configuration any good?

I

Inferos

First time out of the vault
I'm looking to buy a new computer and a friend who is a member of these forums advised me to place the question here.

I was wondering if you could advise me on the configuration I've chosen. Overall, this is the best I could come up with, having in mind the availability of components at my local store, quality and price vs. what they offer.

Here is is:

Case:
JNC SJA-229-B 450W [SJA-229-B]
http://www.xtc.ro/carcasa-sja229b-450w-p-75349/

Motherboard:
Gigabyte 890XA-UD3, socket AM3 [890XA-UD3]
http://www.xtc.ro/placa-baza-gigabyte-890xaud3-socket-p-84572/

CPU:
Phenom II X4 955 Quad Core, socket AM3 [HDZ955FBGIBOX]
http://www.xtc.ro/procesor-phenom-quad-core-socket-p-82659/

Hard disk:
WD 1Tb Caviar Green 64Mb sATA2 [WD10EARS]
http://www.xtc.ro/hard-disk-caviar-green-64mb-sata2-p-83228/

RAM:
Kingston 4Gb DDR3 (kit 2x2Gb) Bus1333 [KVR1333D3N9K2/4G]
http://www.xtc.ro/memorie-kingston-ddr3-2x2gb-bus1333-p-80320/

Video:
ASUS GT220 1Gb PCX [ENGT220GDI1GD3(LP)]
http://www.xtc.ro/placa-video-asus-gt220-p-84356/


Thanks in advance.
 
The video card isn't any good at all.

Try getting and Nvidia GTX460 or Ati 6850/70... if you are really low on budget Ati 5770. However the GTX460 1gb/Ati 6850 will give you a significant performance boost and aren't that expensive either.

RAM is fine, don't forget to use a 64bit operating system.

Edit: It seams that this store does not offer the new Atis and the 5770 is nearly as expensive as this one: http://www.xtc.ro/placa-video-gainward-gtx460-7003600mhz-p-84438/. Get the later, you won't regret it.

Although PC hardware seems to be more expensive in Romania. You can get the GTX460 1gb for 140€ in Germany wheres the cheapest starts at 199€ in this store.
 
Thanks a lot for the advises.

Regarding the video card, I didn't have anything more than slightly-above-average on mind, simply because I am not using the PC for gaming or video processing.

I will be using it for web and graphic design, with applications such as the ones in the Adobe family (PS, DW etc.)

If in this case you still think the Asus card won't do, I'll most definitely reconsider it.

And yeah, unfortunately the prices here are quite higher than anywhere else in the EU; I thought about ordering some components online from Germany but when it comes to warranties and such, things are much simpler if I can personally go to the store.

As for the OS, I'll try to let XP go and have a Win7 on 64bit. It's always hard to abandon a OS you're with for years. It was the same when I turned from Win98 SE to WinXP.
 
Well in this case the GT220 should do, although I will spend a few teardrops on the spent potential. :wink:

Although I would wait for some opinions on the other parts.

How much more would you spend on a Intel i5 System?
 
Well, I'll take a look at some of the other more expensive cards also. I could, however, upgrade to a stellar video card sometimes in the near future if the situation demands it.

For now, the overall price for this configuration is around 600€, and that's pretty much my current budget for a new system.

I checked on Intel's i5 CPUs and a good one is quite expensive, at least on this store. Overall, it would raise the price with about 80€.

I heard only good things about Phenom QuadCores so I went along with that.


Later edit:

@iii - I'm now looking at this one: http://www.xtc.ro/placa-video-gainward-gts250-9001800mhz-p-84357/

Price says it's quite better than my initial choice. What's your opinion?
 
I recommend that you either go with the GT220 or with the GTX460 1gb.

It really does not make sense to compromise either you decide that your PC should have gaming capabilities (GTX460) or you want to use it purely for work (GT220).
 
I would agree with going for GTX 460, but really even GTS 250 is a big step up from GT 220. Might wanna take a look at it as a compromise. It would surely grant your PC gaming capabilities.
 
more ram

W7 is a hog

8-12 gb ram is good

and you will find multiple smaller HDs to be better overall

and for your OS i would run that on a drive partitioned to like 50 gig and install everything somewhere OTHER than in program files.

solves many problems.
 
clercqer said:
I have 4GB of RAM with W7 and I have absolutely never felt like it needed more.
Click to expand...

Same here, anything higher than 6GB is overkill today, unless you are working with CAD or other professional programs
 
RAM: I went with 4GB as if there's a need for more, I can always add.
Video: since I won't require gaming on this computer other than some old Unreal Tournament, I believe a strong video card won't be needed at least for now. It would be nice, I agree, but I'll have to make it a secondary priority.

OS: I feel too attached to the good old XP and it does what I need pretty well, so is 7 really worth the install? Will it improve my PC experience so dramatically that I won't mind the fact I have to get used with a new OS, from interface to structure? Also, is 7 fine with any application that I choose to install or it is bothered by cracks & hacks?
 
Well, you get Direct X10/11.
Other than that it's a matter of taste, I think. I've been using XP for years and never touched Vista, but I thought I'd give 7 a try, and I actually like it a lot.
 
i say 12 gb ram because i prefer to future-proof my computers

plus with ram as cheap as it is, while you may not need more than 4 gb, it sure sounds nice dont it :D

plus as games get bigger, eventually you may run into games that can use it.

games and apps may not NEED it, but its nice for when they CAN.

dual cpu mobo and 2x quad core i7 is not needed, but for games that CAN use it, it will rock.

not even i would go with 2x vid card tho, they dont provide enough of a benifit
 
TheWesDude said:
i say 12 gb ram because i prefer to future-proof my computers
Click to expand...

Oh please.... Do you call yourself a computer expert ?
You can always add more ram when needed...

You're not future-proofing anything, you're literally throwing money out the window for an impact on your daily computer use that will be near 0.
Do what you want with your money, but please don't come tell other people they have to do the same where they obviously don't...
 
TheWesDude said:
i say 12 gb ram because i prefer to future-proof my computers
Click to expand...

That's one of the more stupid things i've ever heard. 4 Gig is ample for almost any computer user. Only a very small percentage will use more than it.

Basically what Arronax said.

TheWesDude said:
games and apps may not NEED it, but its nice for when they CAN.

dual cpu mobo and 2x quad core i7 is not needed, but for games that CAN use it, it will rock.

not even i would go with 2x vid card tho, they dont provide enough of a benifit
Click to expand...

Jesus christ. Most games don't even Multithread for quad cores, let alone 2 CPU's. Getting a duel CPU mobo and 2 I7's is the most inane waste i've ever heard. Hell, can you even GET duel CPU Mobos for personal use? Basically, that's retarded.

Inversely, as a Crossfire user, i can confidently say your statement regarding video cards is a load of shit. Two graphics cards is for the most part, THE most future proofing thing i ever did with my system. It's expensive and not for everyone, but it brings a noticeable performance gain to a number of games.

On Topic: I'd swap out the HDD for a Samsung or Seagate. In my experience Western Digital drives have proved to have very poor reliability.

OS: I feel too attached to the good old XP and it does what I need pretty well, so is 7 really worth the install? Will it improve my PC experience so dramatically that I won't mind the fact I have to get used with a new OS, from interface to structure? Also, is 7 fine with any application that I choose to install or it is bothered by cracks & hacks?
Click to expand...

Go 64 bit 7. Unless you go 64bit XP your RAM won't be detected fully. 7 Is a great operating system and is vastly superior to the shit that is Vista. XP was a fantastic system but it's just reaching a age where it's beginning to creak and fall.
 
well

with a 12 gb ram or more you could always setup a virtual drive in ram and install/copy your games there :D

from everything i have seen running the dual GPUs only raises FPS by like 25-30%

even the old voodoo cards managed upwards of 75%+


and you guys may think what i am saying is a joke, but it really isnt.

5 years ago i built this rig... dual core amd 4800 with 4 gig ram and xp64 and nvidia 8800

it cost me a shitload back then. and nowadays that is a "standard" computer setup.

i have been building my computers always keeping in mind that it needs to be good in 5 years.

what i am saying means that in 5 years you will have a "standard" setup.

buy it now, and in a few years what i am suggesting is going to be a standard setup in 5 years...

do you have to? hell no

but what im suggesting will be a standard setup in 4-5 years
 
I'm hoping to be able to ask a question myself to you more knowledgeable people, about RAM's.

Got myself two 2Gb DDR3 RAM-sticks running in "Unganged" mode. I know roughly what unganged means, but what I don't know is if I would gain or loose anything by changing this to Ganged?
Since I've got a Phenom II quad-core CPU do I actually have any use of running it in unganged mode, since each single core does'nt get access to a stick of its own?

Google came up with a bit too technical answers on forums wich does'nt really tell me much without reading through 10+ pages of discussions going back and forth.
 
Aphyosis said:
On Topic: I'd swap out the HDD for a Samsung or Seagate. In my experience Western Digital drives have proved to have very poor reliability.
Click to expand...

This.

Don't know anything about samsung HDD's but Seagate is probably one of the most reliable brands out there. I say this because i have had Seagate HDD's(both external and internal) and i haven't experienced any problems with them so far(after almost 4 years).
 
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