Need a Fast Computer

[recluse]

What sort of things should I be looking for to determine whether a computer is going to run really fast or not? I'm looking to buy a new computer with emphasis on speed. My previous computers have all run relatively slow, and I'd just like for one computer to run relatively fast.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

It all depends on what you're going to use the computer for.

For gaming, the video card is your main determining factor for performance, and the more powerful the video card, the better performance you will see when you crank up the detail settings in games.

For CAD or extensive digital content creation, the CPU would be most important. Quad-core CPUs deliver the best performance in these scenarios, and ideally, a workstation graphics card would also be needed for the best possible performance.

The RAM frequency will not matter as much as the capacity. For content creation, at least 8-12GB would be best. For gaming, 4-6GB will do nicely.

Then comes the HDD. Ideally, any 7200RPM drive with at least 16MB of cache memory would be good. For faster read-write times though, you now have the option of picking SSDs, which are far faster than HDDs, but carry a large cost penalty. Still, if pure performance is all you need, then they are what you should go for.

The motherboard would be dictated by (and for some, it would dictate) the other choices, since you would need to decide whether it would have an Intel or AMD chipset, whether it would support the CPU you are looking to buy, the maximum amount and type of RAM it supports, whether or not it has all the features (like eSATA, Firewire etc.) you need, and how big a case you need to buy for it to fit comfortably.

These are the most important parameters IMO.

If you want, we could recommend a suitable build for you, based on some information we'd need from you; the required info we need is outlined in this thread.