29.04.2008, 05:35
Lemme throw in my dos centavos.
CPU: Quad core is fine, but not necessary at this time as dual core is more than enough for most home users. If you plan to overclock, plan on buying a really good CPU cooler. Heck, you might want to invest in a better cooler just to keep the CPU cool at stock speeds as heat is what kills electronic components.
SLI? Usually not worth the cost, driver headache, energy consumption, and heat unless you run really high resolutions (beyond 1600 x XXXX). I recommend the fastest single card solution that you can find/afford and a factory overclocked 8800GT is an excellent choice.
RAM: There still seems to be very little gain in purchasing anything beyond DDR2-800. The higher clocking RAM is more expensive and may be less stable. The slight gain in performance does not justify the extra expense and I wonder if some these motherboard failures I'm reading about are the result of running higher speed RAM (which requires more voltage which equals more heat).
CPU: Quad core is fine, but not necessary at this time as dual core is more than enough for most home users. If you plan to overclock, plan on buying a really good CPU cooler. Heck, you might want to invest in a better cooler just to keep the CPU cool at stock speeds as heat is what kills electronic components.
SLI? Usually not worth the cost, driver headache, energy consumption, and heat unless you run really high resolutions (beyond 1600 x XXXX). I recommend the fastest single card solution that you can find/afford and a factory overclocked 8800GT is an excellent choice.
RAM: There still seems to be very little gain in purchasing anything beyond DDR2-800. The higher clocking RAM is more expensive and may be less stable. The slight gain in performance does not justify the extra expense and I wonder if some these motherboard failures I'm reading about are the result of running higher speed RAM (which requires more voltage which equals more heat).