Hi. Unfortunately, I seem to have posted a rather redundant thread (for full details:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=26631096#post26631096) but ultimately got pointed to this one, so perhaps it wasn't a total waste of bandwidth!
I guess I'll start with the OPs survey, and include a summary/wrap-up culled from my other thread?
Basic Desktop Questions
Your Current Specs: Uhh... specs of my current, obsolete rig? What's the point? It's a junker! It's a crappy 6 year old Dell pre-fab sporting one of the last consumer level Pentium IV chips, which I upgraded over the years with additional storage, double the RAM, and a better ATI graphics card.
Budget: USA. $3500 - $4500 depending on 'sooner' or 'later.' More if we're talking about MUCH later.
Main Use: Heavy Gaming, possible emulation (PS2/Wii), general usage (Word/Excel/PowerPoint, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: I would like a dual monitor set up and do NOT intend on utilizing my current 6+ year old non-widescreen Dell LCD. So preferably, two solid and identical displays. The higher the resolution, the better, but unless it isn't advisable, I want two complimentary (or even identical) displays.
List SPECIFIC games: Despite the fact that my current computer has been unable to effectively run the last 3 years worth of games (at least), I HAVE been purchasing them and throwing them on a shelf. So everything from Dragon Age II to Skyrim, Starcraft II to Diablo III. Tons of RPGs and shooters going back from a few weeks ago, to a few years ago.
Are reusing any parts?: I'll perhaps be recycling some internal storage and will definitely continue using the substantial external storage I have now, but for all intents and purposes, consider my case as that of a clean slate. I don't have any serious plans to integrate existing, years-old equipment into the new rig.
When will you build?: By the time Diablo III and/or Skyrim hit, at the latest. But honestly, any time between now and then. The longer we wait, the more money I'll be able to bring to the table. I haven't looked at tech in about 6 years, so I'm horribly out of touch. Hence, this call for aid!
Will you be overclocking?: Don't know. I've never done it, and the concept makes me nervous. If I could get away with a machine powerful enough to allow for a 'no' response for now, and perhaps revisit the question a year or three down the road, then all the better.
A bit of background. I've never built my own PC, but have a better-than-average-Joe tech mentality. I've swapped in and out countless RAM chips, optical drives, HDDs, graphics cards, and audio cards (wheee, Soundblasters... remember those!?) But I've never researched things like mobos, CPUs, cooling systems, power sources, or the towers that hold 'em all together. I've typically been more of a software kind of guy. I've soft-modded a good number of my consoles. I've jailbroken my phone numerous times. Shit, I've even installed custom firmware on a number of wireless routers... just 'cuz.
I'm looking for a decked out gaming rig (as much as I can afford, in any event), with as much expandability and future-proofing as possible. As mentioned above, I want a dual-monitor set up with two brand new and complimentary displays. All components will be new, save for external HDDs (I've got around 3TBs of external storage). I'd like a good SSD as my primary OS drive, with a traditional internal HDD of at least 2TB for general use. Gaming mouse. Gaming keyboard. New OS. My old OEM version of Windows XP Home won't cut it, even if I could somehow get it to work on a machine other than my six-year-old Dell pre-fab.
I don't think building it from the core components will prove beyond my abilities, but the preliminary research is daunting. Especially for someone that's effectively 6 years out of touch.
I'm not entirely sure about the state of things re: AMD vs Intel; ATI vs NVidia, but I think I'd rather go with an Intel CPU and an NVidia GPU this time around. Do I go all out with a top-of-the-line GPU, or get two lesser GPUs and crossfire them? Or stick with that top-of-theline card and crossfire it on the cheap a few years down the road? I'd need a strong power source, and probably excellent cooling.
It's my understanding that dedicated sound cards are basically a thing of the past, yes? I DO want 5.1 surround support. If it supports my current 5.1 equipment (hardly top of the line, but still), that'd be a bonus.
Any help that you guys could provide me would be most, most appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Only problem is they are like rocking horse shit it seems, a new one is incredibly expensive (£150, could be had for £100 not even 6 months ago) and I would probably be better off getting an AM3 mobo and a 1055 or even a 955?
