I am planning to invest in a new, bespoke, PC in order to play Doom 3, Half Life 2 as well as a whole host of strategy games that won't work on my 5 year old PC just now.
Any tech-heads got an idea about an ideal spec? Money no object - I can always downgrade but want to know what is considered "top of the range" just now.
What about a graphics card? The last I knew it was all Vodoo, but they seem to have gone. Having done a bit of research I think its a toss up between a Radeon 9800 and a Geforce 5900. What's the best?
And what about AMD processors? Are they the same as or better than Intel?
And should I wait until 64 bit processors come out in the autumn? Or will it be a couple of years until they are stable enough - and cheap enough - to warrant buying?
My advice is to wait until at least one of the games has actually come out. That way you'll be able to see what other peoples' experiences are regarding hardware. Also, the prices for the current high-end video cards could be a lot cheaper in 3 months, expecially if the companies bring out new cards. But if you can't wait...
Speaking as someone who builds a new system every 18 months or so, it can be a bit daunting trying to find the best balance of contemporary componants. You really have to immerse yourself in reviews and opinions for a few weeks in the build up to spending a chunk of cash. You should decide on what chip you want, find the best motherboard/RAM for it, then settle on a graphics card. If it's been 5 years since you got a Hard-drive, I'd recommend getting a new one. Soundcards are cheap and, unless you're into sound editing, much the same.
Without going for the absolute high-end on everything, you should be aiming for
at least this spec:
2.4 Ghz
512 mb RAM (ensure you can cheaply take this to 1GB in the future by adding another module or 2)
Geforce4 or 5FX with 128mb RAM
I've no personal experience of the Radeons but I have read good things about them, and it seems they are a credible alternative to the Geforces.
AMD's chips are currently looking to be very competitive pricewise against Intel's. It's definately worth investigating.
On the subject of Geforces - avoid the cheaper ones with MX in the name as they don't support all the DirectX features that the more expensive ones do which means you'll be restricted on the visual richness (may not get some fancy shader effects). A low-end version of the FXs probably exists too -- rule of thumb: if it looks too cheap to be true, it probably is.
A good place to start looking around, even if you decide to shop somewhere else, is
OverclockersUK. Have a look around the forums there too. For buying componants I'd also recommend
dabs.comLink: Overclockers UK