CPUS - It All Starts Here

Intel's Finest

The P4EE is the flagship processor from Intel. With 2.5 MB of L2 and L3 cache this chip indeed packs quite a wallop, unfortunately at roughly $1000 Bucks per chip they are not exactly a "budget" solution.

Your alternative choice with Intel would be an improved version of the standard P4, the Prescott with improved instruction sets for better performance in gaming and multimedia, not to mention better hyper threading. Onboard cache is also up from 512kb to l MB. Interesting news is it appears as if 3.8GHz will be the end of the line for Prescott with Intel shifting focus to dual core cpus probably launching in Q4 2005 / or early 2006. Photoshop fiends and Multimedia encoders-this is your chip.

Celerons: Friends don't let friends buy Celerons, gurutoo does NOT recommend them.

AMD

For 2005 all AMD's top of the line and mid-range chip offerings are 64 bit with the Sempron line taking care of budget ( read 32 bit) needs. So what's up with 64 bit computing? Advantage number one is 64 bit supports an obscene amount of ram! If you need 8gigs of ram you can have it. The second advantage is the ability to process 64 bits at a time essentially doubling the work of a 32 processor. Only holdup is waiting for Windows to release a 64bit OS. Fortunately until that release takes place A64's are also insanely fast at 32 bit computing as well. If you are into gaming the AMD A64 or FX series is definitely for you. An added benefit of having the A64 CPU is when the 64 bit version of Windows hits the streets - you'll be ready and you'll also be able to take advantage of games written for 64 bit.

Motherboards-Your Rig's Foundation

Right now is both a good time and a bad time to upgrade or start a new build. (Isn't this always the case?) With a new memory technology in the making (DR2 and a peripheral bus (PCI-Express) not to mention a new motherboard form factor (BTX) today's bleeding edge rig can be yesterday's news fairly quick. Some very good news is tried and proven hi-tech parts will suddenly be selling at fire sale prices giving enthusiasts unheard of lower prices than ever before. If you are buying today or very soon and want the newest technology make sure you get the following:

AMD: Nforce4 or Via 890 chipset.

Intel: 925XE w DDR2 533



ATX vs. BTX

Engineers did not anticipate the massive amounts of heat that modern cpus, video cards and larger power supplies are generating. The single difference between a BTX and an ATX motherboard is its layout. Where the cpu socket on an ATX board is positioned towards the rear of the case, BTX places the socket at the front of the case next to an intake fan. This allows the cpu to get cool air before other components in the system have heated it. Simple but smart, BTX form factor will be available in 3 types, picoBTX, microBTX and normal BTX (in order of decreasing size.) Note that ATX and BTX are completely incompatible with each other with the exception of power supplies. Your existing power should work with a BTX board but even that is not for certain. Since Intel is pushing for the new BTX standard it will be at least 6 months or so before we'll know if it will become popular with motherboard manufacturers. As of now, AMD has no plans to support it.


Video Cards

ATI / Nvidia-basically the only game(s) in town.

ATI

ATI is my personal choice for games and personal computing as well because of excellent video playback, 2D rendering and overall a "prettier" gaming experience. Video card selection is subjective so you will have to make up your own mind.


NVidia

When you absolutely have to have every single frame per second (even at the cost of appearance) Nvidia might be the card for you. The performance of both manufacturers is so close it's simply a matter of taste and who offered the best deal on the day of your purchase. By all means buy the very best card you can afford. Not a place to scrimp if you are into gaming.

Hard Drives

Western Digital
Seagate
Maxtor

This is an easy one. Selecting any of the above brand name drives with 8meg cache and SATA 7200RPM will get you a great performer. In my opinion, the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 w/16meg cache is the best 7,200 RPM drive on the market today. For a new rig 200-300 Gigs should be just about right.


Optical Drive / DVDRW

In a word - NEC 3520

For complete satisfaction you must research carefully every component that you purchase for your new rig. Only you can decide where to go all out, and where to compromise so you can make every penny count. If you have never built your own rig before you are in for quite an experience. The first time somebody drops by and looks at your new rig in awe and says breathlessly "Where'd you get that?" and you reply "I built it"- makes it even more worthwhile.


This composition is really more of an “outline” of current and upcoming technology than a guide. If you want bleeding edge technology in your next rig, this list will keep you as far as possible from obsolesence.

Questions? PM me.



Best Regards,

gurutoo

Nice guide, pretty comprehensive. Just a few suggestions...

1) "Celeron" may be awful, but "Celeron D" can hold its own as a budget CPU. This is especially true if you plan to overclock. As soon as I get a working motherboard, I'll be able to personally verify this with my 2.4 GHz (90 nm, 256 kb, 533 MHz) Celly D.

2) The Intel mobo rec of a 925XE w/DDR-2 really only serves the very upper end of the market. Unless you're a millionaire, a 915P-based board is probably more suitable.

3) Samsung also makes good hard drives. They the quietest 3.5" 7200 rpm drives out there, AFAIK, and quite fast too.

This guide is exactly the kind of thing we need to keep producing here at Fix-IT. Keep up the good work, guru.

I'd skip Samsung drives until they've proven themselves for a few years.

-MrD

Comparison of the Intel Celeron D 335 2.8Ghz vs AMD'S Sempron 3100+ 1.8Ghz

Conclusion: "Intel has taken trip down memory lane, and released a value processor line that matches up well against such classics as the Celeron 300A and Celeron 500A. The Celeron D 335 sports an entry-level price, but displayed serious overclocking potential and the ability to compete with a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4.

The Sempron 3100+ may be the best value overclocking chip AMD has ever released, and no Duron has competed against Intel in this way. At 2.15 GHz, our Sempron 3100+ results were excellent for this class, and surpassed Intel in terms of real-world gaming performance. Both processors offer excellent value and overclocking, and it's been a long time since entry-level buyers had this much power at their fingertips."

NOTE: This is @2.15 GHz for the Sempron -They will do 2.5+ on a mainboard with a working AGP/PCI lock

Read Full Review here:
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardwa...3261_3398581__8

CURRENT PRICING
Celeron
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-112-186&depa=0

Sempron
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-104-214&depa=0

While I'm inclined to agree with you, I prefer to "shop" down.

I omitted Samsung due to replacing so many failed ones. Same w/Quantum.
Jury is still out on Hitachi...
Thank You for the kind words and encouragement.

Good read Mr. Gurutoo...

Thanks Pete!

Here's a quick write-up on memory by me.

Memory

With the current shift in platforms from both AMD and Intel, there are also several new trends in memory. For AMD systems, you still need DDR. The rule of thumb is to get it at the speed of 3200, which matches the CPU. For most systems, memory with average Cas latency, such as Corsair's Value Select at Cas latency 2.5 is a good choice. If you are planning on overclocking or just want the fastest memory around, look for TCCD chips. These are often in memory with latencies of 2-2-2-5, such as Corsair's XMS XL line.
On the Intel side, it depends on your platform. DDR2 was recently introduced, but price and performance of this new memory just aren't top notch yet. In general, it can oly be had with latencies of 4-4-4-12, with a few exceptions such as some ddr2-533 with latencies of 3-3-3-x by OCZ. However, it is not wise anymore to get regular DDR on an Intel platform, as it is simply not futureproof.

For a new gaming PC, 1024mb of RAM are recommended. If you are getting a budget PC based on a Athlon XP, Sempron or Celeron D processor, you might only get 512, but if you are getting a Pentium 4 or an AMD64, you should buy a gigabyte.