PC build questions.

[cj20032005]

Hey everyone,

Just have a few questions about a new PC build. I need the Computer for basic use and AutoCAD and Inventor 11.

I have been looking at the Pentium D processors, and i think im going to get one but not sure which one is best for price and performance. The prices go from $83-99. I looked at the 805 2.66Ghz and the 820 2.8Ghz. What is everyones take on these?

Im not sure of the Motherboard yet, but i have been looking at the Asrocks in the $60 range. Any specific model stand out from the rest?

I need to know of a good computer case around the $50-60 range. Should i buy a power supply seperate or with the case?

Im going to get a HD around the 80-120GB range. Which are the best for the price?

I need to know of some graphics cards that are good for CAD. I do not play any games or anything with my computer. Can i just use a 128 Graphics card?

Im going to use onboard audio with a motherboard unless it comes without.

Im kinda on a lower end budget. Tell me what you think. Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[MetalX]

Get a Pentium D 805. It's cheaper and can be overclocked to 4GHz. I really don't know what AutoCAD is so I can't make a recommendation on a videocard... I'm sure others can though.

 

[Surkitz]

Get a Pentium D 805. It's cheaper and can be overclocked to 4GHz. I really don't know what AutoCAD is so I can't make a recommendation on a videocard... I'm sure others can though.

basically autocad is software that develops 2D and 3D models.

I can recommend some cards for you:

this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150130

maybe this(pci)http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102674

All these cards fall within sub~$150 range and vary in memory size, clock speeds etc but seem to meet your budget.

 

[KingCody]

Hey everyone,

Hi

I have been looking at the Pentium D processors, and i think im going to get one but not sure which one is best for price and performance. The prices go from $83-99. I looked at the 805 2.66Ghz and the 820 2.8Ghz. What is everyones take on these?

The Pentium-D is the cheapest way to go dual core. it's a great value if you need dual core, but it's not a great performer at single threaded apps. it also overclocks like crazy, but is slow at stock speeds. if you need dual core and don't want to overclock, then you may want to consider an AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+, it doesn't cost much more but offers much better performance, here is a good article on budget dual-core processor performance

Im not sure of the Motherboard yet, but i have been looking at the Asrocks in the $60 range. Any specific model stand out from the rest?

I don't know about Intel boards, but I like ASRock. they're not the top performers, but you can't beat the features and upgrade options they offer for their low prices.

I need to know of a good computer case around the $50-60 range. Should i buy a power supply seperate or with the case?

the case is pretty much your preference, buy what you like. thick steel or thick aluminum cases are sturdy and quiet, but cost more. thin steel cases are much cheaper, but often "rattle" and vibrate due to flexing of the flimsy metal.

never use a generic PSU, they'll never put out the power they're rated for, and they have little or no protection circuitry. also 90% of the time, the PSU that comes with a case is absolute garbage (Antec is one exception, they provide decent PSUs with their cases). PCP&C, SeaSonic, Corsair, Antec, Fortron, Enermax all make good quality PSUs (Fortron and Enermax have decent PSU models under $40).

I personally use an Antec TruePowerII 380. It has plenty of power for most systems (including the one you're about to build) and runs almost completely silent. I don't think they make this model anymore, but I would recommend any Antec TruePower or Neo series PSU.

I need to know of some graphics cards that are good for CAD. I do not play any games or anything with my computer. Can i just use a 128 Graphics card?

that depends on the version of AutoCAD you're using. 2D doesn't require much, but if you're using 3D AutoCAD2007 then check here for list of supported video cards.

good luck :wave:

 

[cj20032005]

Thanks

Thank you all for the information you have provided so far. I will definately take all of this into consideration. I have a few more questions i wanted to ask. I really dont need dual core, just thought it would be better than most for that price. Will a P4 have the same performance or better? I did also look at amd processors, but thought the ones that were better were a little more than i wanted to pay.

Thanks for the information.

 

[KingCody]

I really don't need dual core, just thought it would be better than most for that price

if you're a heavy multi-tasker then it would be better. otherwise you would benefit more from a faster single core processor. the 805/820 is the only dual core CPU under $100, so it doesn't actually have a direct competitor because all other dual core CPUs are more expensive (and naturally outperform it).

a CPU like the Pentium-D 805's strength is the fact that it has two cores, but it has two slow[er] cores. so when running a single threaded application (as most are) then the CPU will only run on 1 slow[er] core. a fast[er] single core processor would easily outperform it..

Will a P4 have the same performance or better?

the Pentium-D is just a dual core Pentium-4. just as described above, a fast Pentium-4 will outperform a Pentium-D 805 on single threaded apps.

I did also look at amd processors, but thought the ones that were better were a little more than i wanted to pay

well, pretty much all the AMD processors are better

with the exception of the Intel Core-2 series processors (which are the most powerful CPUs currently available, but are not within your budget), AMD takes the crown for everything else. the Athlon64/Athlon64-X2 is more powerful than the Pentium-4/Pentium-D.

one thing to keep in mind is that you cannot use clock speeds to compare CPUs from different companies and series. for example, a 2.6GHz Athlon64-X2 would run circles around a 2.6GHz pentium-D, and a 2.6Ghz Core-2-Duo would run circles around any of those. the best way to compare is to search for benchmarking comparisons (google )

:wave:

 

[cj20032005]

Ok, i think i have what i want and need. Please tell me what you think of the setup.

CPU
Amd athlon 64 3800+ Venice 2.4GHz 512KB L2 Cache socket 939

Motherboard
Asus Ati Radeon Xpress 200 Crossfire

Hard Drive
WD Caviar SE WD1200JS 120gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache SATA 3.0Gb

Video Card
Sapphire 100119L HS Radeon X550 256MB 128 bit DDR PCI EX x16

Memory
Corsair Valueselect 2x512MB 184 pin DDR 400

Case
Cooler master Centurion 5 cac-T05

Power supply
Fsp Fortron Force ATX400-pa, version 2.0, SATA, 400w

Thanks for all the help!