2010-09-16, 02:57 AM
KajitiSouls Wrote:Blah, only got about an hour of reading time tonight x_X Stupid mom's computer (ancient) is riddled with Chinese junk (we're azn btw) and I had to troubleshoot why the household printer wouldn't print.
One thing's for sure... unless I absolutely have to, I'm not taking the risk of a water cooling system. Anyone still looking at that for cooling options can forget about it until my next rig. K? K.
Some more questions below. Keep in mind this computer isn't going to be the final deal of my life, far from it.
--CPU, cores, and MOBOs are all separate components, right?
--USB sockets... where do those come from? I would assume they're integrated into some of the hardware components on my shopping list already, but then again I'm the dumb one xD I think I'll be needing at least three of them, but there are so many possible uses for them, who knows. I would like to avoid spending money just for these things if possible, since I imagine that some of the cost can be subsidized.
--I might have jumped the gun a little bit when I said I didn't need quad core. I understand that some amount of processing power is still needed when playing games, such as emulating physics. Still, I probably won't need a quad core, right?
Bed time for me again, bbl tomorrow...
CPUs are usually seperate from the motherboard. The term core refers to the amount of Logical processors a CPU maker places on a single CPU. The term dual-core and such all refer to the number of logical processors on the single CPU you buy and install. Dual = 2, Triple = 3, Quad = 4, and so on. Basically the more you have the better in some cases.
Motherboards usually come with about 4 to 6 USB ports which will be on the back of the PC itself, although some may be on the front in which a riser unit will be linked to a expansion port on the motherboard itself usually consisting of a Pin style hook up.
You might not need a quad-core but again if the price is right, try to get what you can. By realistic terms you probably could get by with a Dual-Core processor, however a Phenom X4 quad-core will be a bit better and give you more resources to draw from especially if you tend to have multiple programs running at one time. Resources are key especially when you have a modern OS like Windows 7 Ultimate and you are running an Anti-Virus, games, and maybe a web browser all at the same time and don't want any slow-downs.
Prices for good parts are dropping as newer bleeding edge hardware comes on the market. While the Athlon IIs and Phenom IIs are all the rage for industrial strength PCs and hardcore system builders, things like the Athlon X2s and Phenom X3s and X4 are going down in price because they aren't as new, but they are still viable for people wanting a good system for less money. You'll see a lot of good motherboards supporting specifications for example: AM2, AM2+, and AM3 style CPUs all on one board. The reason? Well upgradeability is one, but it's to allow people to have a choice of what kind of CPU they can afford to put in their machine for the right price if it is in their budget. Parts even 3 years old are still used by many builders because it's not only economical for their customer, but the hardware is viable and supports the performance levels they need.