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Quad-core

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by cynthia r.

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Can anyone offer any suggestions on having a quad built?

8 replies

by oh smeg

This is important as what the unit will be used for determines the way that it is built and what parts are used and how the system is configured.

Col

by cynthia r.

Thank you for answering. I have been testing alot of games for different companies and I find that my dual-core just doesn't have enough "umph" to handle the gaming and my day to day work. If we weren't confused; think how boring life would be. Cynthia

by oh smeg

And at a pinch a Faster CPU but I would be adding the RAM first.

As for Quad Cores with Intel at the moment that are only available in Xeon CPU's which are treated as Server CPU's and have an accordingly high price for all components involved as well as requiring ECC RAM read that as the expensive stuff. And the Core 2 Quads which currently are not listed on any of the Parts Suppliers Price Lists. As such they do not list M'Boards for these either so they need sourcing. As a result I'm not overly sure that components they require to make a working computer as well. However the Quad Intel's are only rated to 2.66 GIG while the AMD fastest is rated to 2 GIG or there abouts As AMD isn't overly helpful in promoting this CPU type and have very little information on their Web Site.

As I mainly work Business units I'm not overly sure what AMD currently has because these are not used much by business.

However as the AMD Phenom? Quad-Core Processors is available currently but finding a suitable M'Board is the main problem I've just had a look through several Parts Suppliers and none of them are currently caring any M'Boards for these CPU's from the major makers. This doesn't mean that they are not available just harder to get and then you need to look at what they require in terms of Parts that are fitted to them.

As these are Top Of the Range CPU's they are priced accordingly and so are the parts that are used with them. So a unit built using one or more of these CPU's will be priced accordingly. Personally I would be looking at a Multi Processor M'Board that uses the more commonly available cheaper CPU's to get the same effect at a better price with tested & proven technology. As well as faster replacement parts if required.

Then you need to find a Operating System that will support a Quad Core CPU and suit your own needs. That means if you want Windows XP is not suitable and Vista remains a Unknown Product from all prospectives. Of course Unix. BSD or Linux will drive these to 100% capacity but they may not be suitable for your needs.

Col

by cynthia r.

I want to thank you for all the time and effort you put into helping me decide. You reminded me of some very important issues. I had Vista at one time and got rid of it because of compatability issues with just about everything. I'm going to hold off on the Quad and see if I can put together another machine with the speed, power,etc. that I'm in need of. I thank you again for your help. Happy Holidays, Cynthia Roubique

by jdclyde

From looking at the specs, they are more graphics card heavy than CPU heavy.

That is the second place I would look after the Ram.

A quality PCIe card with MINIMUM 256M on it is a starting place, but looking at the specs for some of the new games coming out, 512M looks to be the new starting point pretty soon.

by jamesrl

As a heavy gamer, I agree that the order of operations for a good game platform is;

1) good gaming card (8800 series nVidia or the new 3850/3870 ATI). If I had to chose between a slower card with more video RAM or a faster GPU (graphics processor) with less RAM, I would always chose the later. 256 is the minimum.

2) RAM - 2 GB is the accepted standard these days, I use 2 GB but turn off alot of unneeded apps before I start the games. 4GB is not unheard of even though most systems will see that as 3.5 GB. If you are running Vista, go for more RAM than XP.

3) Processor - These is the least importnat of the three for MOST games. I would improve the others before getting into a faster processor.

I will disagree with Oh Smeg, I don't know about availability in Australia, but its quite easy to get a Core 2 Quad in North America. I can go down to Best Buy etc. and get a premade machine or build my own from tigerdirect, newegg etc. But I am not there yet as I can buy a new vid card and extra RAM for my PC.

There are good sites for this kind of information - Tomshardware.com for example.

James

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