The Ideal CPU and Motherboard

Attention Computer Geeks!

Okay. I need some advice.

If you could get the best cpu and motherboard on the market what would that be?

What is the best cpu Motherboard you can get for £400 (just these two items nothing else no case psu graphics cards etc).

I want to get an idea of how much it cost to upgrade my computer without getting rid of all the other bits that dont need upgrading.

I currently have :

AMD ATHLON 64 dual core 4600
4g of ram
geforce 9800 gt x2 But these dont work very well because i think they are bottlenecking in the cpu.
My system is underperforming big time. I want to be able to play all the latest games without graphics issues. What is the minimum I would have to spend to get a cpu and motherboard which would keep me going for another couple of years.

My mate said to me it is cheaper these days to buy the whole package than to get individual items. I am not convinced.

I have seen a computer which should future proof me for a while but I think it costs a wee bit too much (£10000) check it out... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr5oCHMS8jc&feature=player_embedded# LOL. this is obviously out of my league .

If any one has any words of wisdom i would appreciate it.

Cheers guys

You could get A LOT for £400! It is definitely NOT cheaper to buy the full package. I'm not sure that you're bottlenecking at the CPU tbh. The athlon 4600 should be plenty enough to play battlefield.

However, if you want to upgrade the mobo and CPU anyway then I would suggest:

Motherboard - 6 Ram slots, 2 PCI-e (standard these days) graphics card slots

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159360

Processor

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151477

Just had a quick look, can have a better look tomorrow if you want, a bit tired atm

Cheers relic.

"not sure that you're bottlenecking at the CPU tbh. The athlon 4600 should be plenty enough to play battlefield. "

You are right but the other reason is I have had the cpu and motherboard for over three years which in computer terms is very very old and i I dream about what a cpu and motherboard change would do to my comps performance. I have read on some forums that the 9800 is too big a card for my cpu. It is very hard to know for sure because there is so much conflicting advice out there.

Those suggestions you put up look good though. I will check them out. What computer system do you have? Do have any issues. I remember you talking in another forum about a solid state drive(?). Does yours work well?

Cheers mate

what relic has put down is what i would recommend as well its also what im looking to go.

but as far as i know the i7 wont work with ddr2 ram so you would need to upgrade that to ddr3 as well which will push the price up a bit.

i cant remember to well about the 9800gt but if i remember right ive got the 8800gtx 786(or something near)mb and your card was only a small increase on that so i cant imagine you should be having problems as BC2 is the first game i cant run at max.

i think your cpu should be able to handle the cards no problem. as you said its a bit old now but its still a good cpu

whats you PSU and how many watts does it have? as an sli set up needs a hefty amount and if its not getting enough it will cause you nothing but problems.

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but as far as i know the i7 wont work with ddr2 ram

Good shout, that completely flew over my head! As Crack said you will have DDR2 RAM which is no longer compatible with the Core i7s, DDR3 is basically a faster version.

Because of this you have 2 options, save money by going for an older quad core or going all Core i7.

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What computer system do you have?

Currently I have a Q6700 Quad core, this is the older quad core, not the core i7. It is a very good processor and it'll be a long time until something comes out that this beast won't handle! I also have 4GB RAM (DDR2 of course) and an 8800GT, the slightly slower version of Cracks GFX card.

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Do have any issues?

Originally when I built my PC I was getting quite a few bluescreens but I figured out that that was due to my BIOS not setting the correct voltage for my RAM (I have dominator RAM which needs a higher voltage) but other than that I havent had any issues.

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I remember you talking in another forum about a solid state drive(?). Does yours work well?

I haven't bought my solid state drive yet, they are still very expensive so I am waiting for a price drop which I'm sure will come fairly soon. The best use for a solid state drive atm is to have a relatively small (~120GB) drive and use it to install all the programs, keeping a standard HDD to store all your music and files etc. This will lower costs and means that you can open programs very quickly. It definitely works well, however I haven't done it myself yet.

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whats you PSU and how many watts does it have? as an sli set up needs a hefty amount and if its not getting enough it will cause you nothing but problems.

The main symptom of PSU issues is the computer turning off, it literally just turns off, no shutdown etc however it can also cause bluescreens etc.

On that note, what are the issues you have been having, perhaps we could diagnose them first to find out what the real issue is and then suggest what to buy.

I do however recommend upgrading your computer, it's very satisfying sticking in a new powerful component and watching your comp storm through everything you throw at it :p I custom built mine from scratch after owning a fairly mediocre PC and I was so happy when I turned it on. Still love it now however I need to upgrade a few bits (mainly GFX) now to keep it on top of the game!

My Psu is 900 watts or so. upgraded it last year

Yeh had realised about the ram, currently have ddr2. I would have to get new cpu, motherboard and ram then.

"what are the issues you have been having, perhaps we could diagnose them first to find out what the real issue is and then suggest what to buy."

Very choppy and laggy when I would expect it to be smooth. Not really affected by the graphics setting for the game just as bad in 800x600 and minimum settings as it is in high quality settings. Definetely worse when there are more on the server ( my internet is 14meg). But overall it just doesnt flow smoothly. FRAPS says it my fps can be as low as 30 but it is stilll choppy when my fps is at 70(!). Go figure.
All drivers are up to date.

900W is enough to power a system of almost any spec so it sounds like its not a PSU issue.

I have also been having these laggy issues, My comp has always run battlefield like a charm on max graphics however recently every server I go on I get lag, even when I have a ping of 20.

Has your computer had these issues since you bought the game or is it a recent thing? What OS do you use?

I think it has been getting worse. Have had the game three years or so. When I first got it I had a pair of crappy geforce 4 series graphics cards which could run it on minimum settings. It wasnt pretty but I didnt have the issues with fps that i have now. I still have good old XP 32.

"I have also been having these laggy issues, My comp has always run battlefield like a charm on max graphics however recently every server I go on I get lag, even when I have a ping of 20. "

Thats interesting. Same for me up to a point. can usually run a game on medium settings comfortably eg company of heroes works fine but when it gets really busy it slows down a bit.

What cpu/motherboard do you have?
Was it easy to build your own comp?
BIOS scares me I have no idea. I have replaced graphics cards added hard drives and ram other plug and play stuff but never got in to the guts of building a whole computer from scratch.

My computer runs every game I have, even brand new releases like Mass Effect 2 on maximum graphics, however it only has an issue with battlefield. Have you tried playing single player mode to see if you get the lag then? If single player runs fine then it must be an internet issue.

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What cpu/motherboard do you have?

I have an Asus P5N-E motherboard and Intel Q6700 Processor.

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Was it easy to build your own comp?

Yes and no, I think the hardest thing about building your own computer is the research. I spent about 2 months researching each component, making sure that they are all 100% compatible etc. I probably went overboard and didn't need to spend quite that long but I did need to wait for the cash :p

If you like I can look up a good spec comp for you, building your own is far cheaper than premade and it is also way more satisfying using a computer that you built! The first time you turn it on is the most terrifying and gratifying experience you can have with computers :p

Most of comp building is following instructions, your motherboard will come with a diagram telling you where to put everything and its pretty much a case of plugging it all in the right place (obv a bit more complicated but not much).

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BIOS scares me I have no idea

You will very rarely need to enter your BIOS, these days MOBOs detect everything and set the values for you, I was just unlucky :p

Building a computer is very rewarding, if you feel confident with the plug and play bits that you've already done then I don't see why you shouldn't take the step further in building your own, I was like you when I built mine, only ever plugging in one component every now and then but I decided there was only one way to learn

I can give you some tips if you do decide to go down that route however you may as well check out single player before you go too radical and build a whole new computer

cheers bud.

I think the most scary issue is driver conflict. I have had major issues with this before.

I do like the idea of building one though.

Will have to work out the costings of it all.

Then calculate how much i need to charge for my body on the streets, find myself a pimp and some wealthy customers!

Thanks again

No probs, let me know what you decide and I can help you work out a spec and build it. I haven't had an issue with driver conflict for a long time, Windows is very good at automatically getting all the drivers you need that it's not such a big problem now.

Obviously I've never met you but you definitely sound like a nice guy so I'm sure you could fetch at least £5 per hour, based on a £700 PC that means you would only have to work for 140 hours or 5.83 straight days. A small price to pay for an awesome computer if you ask me :p (on that note how does it work, do you pay per hour or is it pay for a service and last as long as you can?!)(not that I expect you to know )

oh it would definetly be per service. An hour seems like such a long time.


"Last as long as you can"

that's funny. Just imagine " no that's it you've had your lot. I can't take any more. I will give you a partial refund. Now get out ... of me."

Maybe I will just get a job down mcdonalds. Better hourly rate and I only have to toss burgers rather than.....

£700 for a new computer. Will it kick arse?

Haha well at least you have your rules set out. :p

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£700 for a new computer. Will it kick arse?

The best idea would be for you to suggest the price you are willing to spend and me to build to the budget.

I've just done a quick price up, for the Core i7 processor and Mobo I mentioned earlier, along with 6GB Corsair 1600Mhz DDR3 RAM it would come to £533. Price can be tweaked, I assume you want to keep your graphics cards, if not I can add that into the equation. Your 900W PSU is plenty for anything we throw at it so that probably doesn't need an upgrade, same with hard drive however you may decide you want a bigger/faster hard drive.

Monitors, keyboard, mouse etc are all up to you, you can buy new or just keep your current ones if you are happy. The most important thing however is the case :p you have to choose a new shiny case that looks exactly how you want your computer to look :p

Basically what I'm saying is for £533 you could have:

Core i7 2.66Ghz Processor
6GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
GeForce 9800GT X2 Graphics

And keep the current monitor, keyboard, mouse, HDD etc that you currently have. If you want a new GFX card the Radeon 5850 is a must, one of the most powerful cards around for £200.

It is all completely up to you

ok guys im just in from a night out and about to head to bed but just what to drop what line in you know any recent lag you were getting was punkbusters fault, any recent lag you were getting on bf2142 would have be done to that. they have it fixed but now so if your still getting it then it wouldn't be that.

Cheers Crack. Useful to know. It has been particularly bad of late. But it has not been good for a long time. I want it to be perfect if possible.

R3lic. Going to have a think about what exactly I want but if it is possible to build a good comp for £700 that will keep me up to date for the next three years then that will be good. I think I will upgrade to windows 7 at the same time.

It would be easy to upgrade your current spec to a really good PC for ~£700, building a new one from scratch including monitors etc will cost a bit more (cheapest monitor is ~£100). If you are happy with your current monitor etc then there is no need to upgrade that and you'll save a fair amount.

Cheers for the info Crack, will have a game on Sunday or something and see if my issue is sorted.

no monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, soundcard, PSU, hard drive, dvd drive, cd drive needed.

I will get a new cpu, motherboard and the ddr 3 ram, will also get a new case and will want shitloads of usb points. Never have had enough of those.

in that case you'll be able to get a very nice PC i'll check prices tomorrow but should be able to get the motherboard, processor, ram and radeon 5850 graphics card for around 700.

you can buy internal expansion cards for USB slots,each give you 4 USB slots

finally for cases have a look through http://www.ebuyer.com/search?store=2&cat=23 they have a good selection there. One thing to note is that the case is one if the most important parts of the conputer, lots of people buy the cheapest case and regret it. As with all things the more you pay the more you get, the more expensive ones have far better sound proofing and cooling mechanisms as well as more fan slots, screwless fitting etc. When you find a couple you like the look of let me know and i'll check them out, you'll need a full ATX case to fit the motherboard. It may also be good to get a couple of extra fans, im not sure how many you currently have but they are very useful

:O relic your a beast at tech stuff :O

im currently running a athlon Duo +5200 with 4gb ddr2 ram, a Gf240 Gt 1gb card, in a black n blue lighted case *blue neon fans with bubbles at the front* and im running fear 2 on maximum and 1600x1200 with 62 average fps.

Just wanted to say that.... >.>

Cheers r3lic. Good advice about the case too.

And PFC...."Just wanted to say that.... >.>"

LOL

funny

Love it man love it.

I want bubbles on the front of my computer too!

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relic your a beast at tech stuff

Hehe thanks, it is a passion of mine. My comp is starting to age now so I'm looking forward to graduating and earning some money so I can upgrade it :p

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blue neon fans with bubbles at the front

Nice, I'll take a photo of mine when I'm home and upload it so you can see. Everything on mine is gloss black with blue lights, even the monitors, mouse and keyboard match. Its a bit obsessive but it really makes a difference :p Being a student we often have people come round to view the house (to see if they want to move in next year and they always comment on my computer :p

Hey R3lic I just did an xfire video of my crappy frame rate. You should be able to see it on my xfire profile page not sure how to link it to here. check it out. Thats what I am putting up with at the moment. Usually slightly better than this but not by much. I hope you can see on video how bad it is. Sorry but I couldnt edit it so it is a bit too long.

http://www.xfire.com/video/210f3b/

that should get you to the video

Just watched the vid How do you play so well when you have lag like that?!?! Fair play! Don't worry, we'll get you a nice powerful computer and you wont have to deal with this problem

In the mean time here are some pics of my computer. Sorry about the crappy photos :p

Dual monitors As you can see, shiny black with blue LEDS



My new mouse



Keyboard - once again blue lights but you cant see them that well in this pic



The beast in all its glowy glory, 5 blue led fans keeping it cool and its near silent!



My fan controller mounted in the front of the case



The insides, I've got custom fans on my CPU and graphics card so they stay ridiculously cool for better performance



As you can see, I got quite obsessed and managed to get matching everything except for speakers. They're next on the list though, found a nice pair for my setup :p Its a pretty impressive sight when its all on and glowing, unfortunately camera flash kinda ruins the effect :p

kev i get it like that sometimes, your playings good though . but i know wot you mean it can be a pain. wow relic some set up.ill need to put up my specs and you can let me know if its ok ... ta