General

[z1p101]

Here is an AMD if you are interested.

[Skull Lazer]

Originally Posted by z1p101

Here is an AMD if you are interested.

Who the heck would use that? You can game fine on one processor and 8gb of RAM....let alone 2 DUAL CORE processors and 16gb RAM EACH!!!

[Jaan]

Originally Posted by Skull Lazer

Get Vista on your laptop too BTW.

Vista? Have you used it yet? Vista sucks. Period. I've used it on 2 machines, Ultimate edition and Home basic, and both are flaky as hell. The network decides to work...meh...whenever. Drivers are a pain. Too freaking slow. Etcetera, etcetera.

If you get stuck with buying a new machine with Vista,what I would do...what I did do...is erase the hard drive and dual boot Windows XP and Vista. I gave Vista a fighting chance, but I keep coming back to the more stable XP just so I can get work done.

[Moose]

Ahhh....

AMD vs. Intel, almost as good as Mag vs. Cocker

Before I go any further, take note that I have used nothing but AMD CPU's in all of my builds over the last 6 years.

Now, having said that, I will start....

Currently, most of the Intel dual cores will out perform their corresponding AMD dual core counterpart. I am basing this on benchmarking performed by MaximumPC over the past year. Now, cost wise, I would stil go AMD, but you mught have a slightly less powerful system.

Now, motherboards...

Stay away anything with an Intel northbridge. I suggest any of the Nforce mobos. I am a fan of ASUS (Used in all of my builds). If you are going AMD, look for a Socket AM2 board. Intel, go for a 775.

Memory....

Memory will vary by motherboard. See which memory your motherboard will accept and buy the fastest you can afford.

Case...

Find one you like. I suggest buying a case locally as shipping can get expensive on them.

Power Supply...

Power is everything. Get a minimum 600W.

Video Card....

NVIDIA all the way. How to choose which one? Find a game you want to play. Look for the minimum required specs and go from there. Some of the games you want to play will require a DX10 card, make sure the card you choose will handle DX10.

Operating System....

Don't go to Vista until SP1 is released. It is a system hog and is currently causing more problems than it is worth.

Hope I helped, feel free to drop me a line.

[Lrrpie-CT]

Go to the Dell outlet and pick up an XPS Core 2 system with 2 gigs of ram, ATI or Nvidia video and all kinds of other goodies for not much more than $600. Same as new, Same Dell warranty. Is it the best system? No, but a very, very good machine for the money.

I've been a self-employed IT consultant for 12 years. Though I don't build boxes much anymore other than for myself using the spare parts around the office, I've built more PC's than I can possibly remember since the early 90's. Rarely is a custom built box quite as tight and quiet as a good Dell/HP/IBM/etc. Rarely is it a better buy either. Just order it and plug it in when you get it. Building can be fun if that's what you want to do and it's easy until something goes wrong such as memory compatibility issues or ID'ing all the front panel case leads. Getting tech support or an RMA from some of these Chinese parts companies is an exercise in futility although some are okay. Don't bother. That's my five cents.

[Skull Lazer]

XPSs are good machines though for the cash like he said.

[simmy952]

Originally Posted by z1p101

If you by a new laptop from anyone the most you may need for those applications is a dvd/wr at best. That will tell you how modern the system is. Try newegg, tigerdirect, or dell and find the best price. Most people buy something that is overkill for what they really need.

What software is necessary for the wiring diagrams if I may ask?

Feel free to pm me for my opinion if you would like.

It is made by Alldata. It is for the automotive industry. They have wiring diagrams and repair info for vehicles. Great discussion. I will post when I finally decide to buy.