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Specification guide
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14-10-2008 6:05pm#1
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I think you've gone a bit overboard there Yarnhall, he was only looking for the basics.
For a total beginner, this is really all you need:
CPU: They come in various types - single core, dual core, triple core (only AMD) and quad core. You have AMD versus Intel - Intel are far better in most ways, though if you're not an overclocker and only require a really basic machine, there is value in the lower end AMD products which are often faster then Intel at the same price point - but only the low end really. In 90% of cases, Intel CPU's are faster per clock and euro. Single core CPU's are fine, but dual core's, even the basic ones, are so cheap these days there's really no reason to go single core. Unless you're on an incredibly tight budget and can't afford to go a cent over budget. But even in such a scenario, there are Intel Celeron dual cores now, which are sufficient for the day to day tasks at a price point of sub 50 euro. These are not sufficient for heavy gaming or heavy multi-tasking. 150 would purchase you an excellent CPU for games and multi-tasking; as low as 50 euro would purchase one equally excellent for typical 'office' and casual entertainment purposes.
Ram: Doesn't really make a blind bit of difference to a normal or casual user. If you plan on overclocking, it will make a difference, ram is rated at different speeds from 533mhz upwards. But generally speaking, you don't have to worry about this, as long as the ram is the correct type for your motherboard (ie it is DDR2 or DDR3, and the board supports that speed, some boards will only support speeds of 667mhz and below). Good ram is so cheap these days, it's worth it just to get it over the cheap generic stuff.
Motherboards: Not really much to say here, at a very basic level you have different boards - those that support AMD cpu's, and those that support Intel cpu's. Be careful to get a board compatiable with your chosen cpu, i.e the current Intel socket is called Socket 775, but there are socket 775 motherboards that only support older socket 775 cpu's from the Pentium 4 and Pentium D era, and again there are newer 45nm S775 CPU's that will not work on certain older motherboard that support Socket 775 Core 2 Duo - this can be confusing for some people as the older 65nm CPU's are still available in healthy quantities alongside the newer 45nm. It's rare that someone would make this mistake after doing even a tiny bit of research into what you're buying, but it wouldn't be the first time someone bought a board assuming because it was that socket, it was automatically compatiable with the latest cpu's. The layout of motherboards varies, there are differences in cooling (the chipsets), number of ram banks, number of sata ports (for connecting dvd drives, hard drives, etc), BIOS features (overclocking, changing voltages memory speeds and timings, etc), number of expansion slots (PCI-E, or PCI), onboard features (HDMI, Video, Audio, USB, etc). Personally I always buy cheap motherboards, not cheap as in poor, but cheap as in reliable and basic. 50 euro will buy you a solid, reliable motherboard capable of decent overclocking. For certain other features, like for example if you wanted a motherboard capable of running dual video cards at full speed, the minimum price would dramatically increase.
GPU: Video card is very important for games, not important for normal day to day use - for this purpose, many motherboards have built in video cards which are perfectly good for normal use and even HD playback, and the playing of older or kids games. Say the example you have given:
9500GT DDR2 vs 9500GT DDR3. Both are OK cards but the DDR3 one is much faster. DDR2 is standard 400mhz, so 800mhz effective on the memory. DDR3 is 700mhz, so 1400mhz effective on the memory. See the difference? It can lead anywhere from a 10-30% difference in performance, depending on what you are playing, at what resolution. But it will always be faster with the DDR3 model. Only ever consider a DDR2 card if it's for light/budget gaming or something like HD content. For example - a DDR2 9500GT would rip any old game (Half Life 2, Company of Heroes, Call of Duty 2, etc) to shreds. But it would be handicapped on newer games.
Power Supply: Don't go cheap. A cheap PSU risks dying unpredictably, often (mostly?) never reach their specified output without dying or failing, and often draw ridiculous amounts of power to generate said wattage. For example, a good PSU will draw maybe 500w to generate 450w, whereas the really cheap ones often draw twice that for the same power. Avoid brands like Q-Tec, iCute, NorthQ, Advance, etc. Usually it's easy to spot them a mile away. High wattage for low price is nearly always to good to be true - they advertise things like '500w PSU for 25 euro' but they're be missing on critical features (for example, have a very low 12v rail, which is essential for powering video cards, or no Sata headers, needed for all modern drives and hard drives) and be realistically more like 350-400w. Some good makes would be Seasonic, Tagan, Corsair, OCZ, etc.
But of course feel free to ask any more questions. the post above mine is technically sound but I don't think what you were looking for - you don't need to know most of those things, don't let it scare you off.
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