Yeah, so I need a new computer, and since I am hardware illiterate I was hoping you guys could help me tailor a system.

I don't care as much about games as I do about digital painting. Since my current computer is an AMD Athlon +1900-ish with 512 MBs of DDR RAM and a GeForce3, I cannot paint on canvases larger than 8" x 10" in 300dpi without severe lag issues. I need a heavy-duty working computer.
And I want to play Doom 3.

My guess is that I need plenty of RAM and a fair bit of processing power. As personal preference goes, AMD > Intel and ATi > nVidia.
I'd also love to have a shuttle PC, but that's not vital.

What I've been looking at is an Athlon64 +3000 with 1024 MBs of RAM and a 9800, but as far as processor and video card goes, I'm flexible.

Another possibility is upgrading my current system with additional RAM and a slightly better video card. But that's pretty short term... but cheaper.

So, any ideas?

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"The trick in life is not to find a way to make it perfect, it's to enjoy the good, strengthen your ability to deal with the bad, and keep your eyes looking forward to the good."
-Chelsea Brown

What's your budget?

Getting a smoking new processor might require a new motherboard and power supply as well.

If you get faster RAM and a new vid card, they can always be transplated to a new rig.

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I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

I'm in the $1000 range.

$1300 is 10000 SEK, and that's my service ceiling.



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"The trick in life is not to find a way to make it perfect, it's to enjoy the good, strengthen your ability to deal with the bad, and keep your eyes looking forward to the good."
-Chelsea Brown

A friend helped me out with finding some upgrade stuff thingies.

What he suggested [edit]:
nForce3 mobo
Athlon 64 3200+
Radeon 9800 pro
2x512MB DDR3200
A fan

This goes for about $1000. Comments?

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"The trick in life is not to find a way to make it perfect, it's to enjoy the good, strengthen your ability to deal with the bad, and keep your eyes looking forward to the good."
-Chelsea Brown

[This message has been edited by Simbachu (edited August 01, 2004).]

Okay, one--if you're doing digital painting mainly, I'd go intel for your price range. The chips have dropped DRASTICALLY in price, and they'll probably give you the best performance for that kind of thing. Also, Asus nForce3 motherboard, if you're going to go AMD64. And I don't see how that system runs for 1000.

You'll need space, and a case, and a PSU. 80+ gigs of space is preferrable, a decent case isn't more than 30, and a PSU usually comes with a case, 400+ watts.

9800 pro, at the least. If you're going above that, and can afford it, the 6800 GT gives the second-best Doom 3 performance, only slightly worse than the 6800 Ultra. It's also a great card for 400 bucks. If you also want to play HL2 at a higher resolution/image quality, get an X800 XT, but that's probably out of your price range.

I've said my piece.

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There is no signature

pfft
Not what I heard you saying before



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ZGPC

Definitely get an Intel if you're not interested in gaming.

Have you got enough HD space? You imaging people usually burn through HD space faster than a horny 17-year old with a broadband connection. Maybe invest in a few hundred gigs worth of space?

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The Massassi-Map
There is no spoon.

I have that same setup execpt I have a K8T800 chip set. But I would agree a Nforce 250 model would be much better. I also got a 3200+.

Step one:

Ignore Spork. He knows not what he says.

Step two:

Listen to your friend.

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I figure that one day I'll either be famous, or in prison. But I guess if I'm going to prison, I should probably try to do something that would make me famous anyway.

well, you are in the $1000 price range, so if you are going to get a setup cheap, this is mine:

D865PERL Mother Board
GeForce FX 5200 128mb (Asylum)
Intel Celeron 2.0 ghz
325-watt power supply (i think)
30 gig HD
512 DDRSDRAM

I gave Mystic0 money, i picked the parts and he put them in.

That's brutal for 1000. You can easily, now, get a P4 3.0ghz with HT (which will help you, I think o_O) a nice intel chipset, a decent videocard (9800 or so), a gig of RAM, or at the very least 512 PC3200, and a nice 120gb HDD.

Trust me, Intels are still somewhat expensive, but for what they do, they're decently priced nowadays. They used to be hellishly priced, but since AMD64...

They'll probably yield the best performance at non-gaming stuff.

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There is no signature

Too true; plus the fact that I *am* a 17 year old with a broadband connection...

Nah, I weed out the old crap now and then, it helps everything run smoothly. And more HD space is just an incentive (sp? Is that even the right word?) to keep the old stuff.


Okay, current stuff:
nForce 3 (250GB)
Athlon64 +3000
2x Kingston 512MB DDR PC3200
Club 3D Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB

7535:- ($983), including tax (25%) and shipping.

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"The trick in life is not to find a way to make it perfect, it's to enjoy the good, strengthen your ability to deal with the bad, and keep your eyes looking forward to the good."
-Chelsea Brown

You need a harddrive and a case. I don't know why you're STILL going AMD64, even after everyone told you Intel would be better, but to each his own.

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There is no signature

1. I'm upgrading this here computer instead of building a whole new system. Thus, case and HD is not a problem.

2. I'm hardware illiterate. My friends pointed to the Athlon 64. Gimme an Intel processor in the same price range and tell me what kind of mobo and cooling I'll need, and I'll check it out.

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"The trick in life is not to find a way to make it perfect, it's to enjoy the good, strengthen your ability to deal with the bad, and keep your eyes looking forward to the good."
-Chelsea Brown