Can anyone clear up these computer specs/stats for me?

[tissimo]

But, you can build a rediculous system for under $500 that will destroy it.

+1, just built a buddy a decent system for like $450.
We did:
E5200 processor (probably get 3.2-3.6ghz out of)
p43 mobo
4gb ram
9600gt (wasn't into games a whole bunch, has the ps3.. but wanted to play a little bit)
500watt psu
dvd-rw drive
250gb sata hd

We reused and old case.

 

[Isphius]

yes the parts have come down in price it seems from when i started building my own. Especially when compared to how much i make, haha. Doing yardwork and favors here and there adds up very slowly. I do have another question though...sound cards. Are the PCIe ones worth it ovs PCI? and is anything good other than sound blaster? I always have some problem or another with soundblaster cards. Usually with the drivers. But it seems there any negative comments on every other brand too. so should i stick with what i know, or is there anything better?

 

[drunk_medic]

There are many criticisms on SoundBlaster cards, though between the time of Windows 3.1 and now I have owned a SB16, SB AWE32, SBLive!, Audigy and Audigy2 cards and have never, ever had a problem.
At the moment I am using onboard sound [Realtek 7.1] and it is nice enough, so don't count it out if you have something built-in; it might be decent.

 

[Rennat]

most new motherboards have built in sound... mine has 6 ports. but i use a floor speak receiver, and 4 massive floor speakers that rattle my house when i get into fire fights.

and 1440x900 isnt that big... (and personally i hate widescreens for my games)

go try and run a higher resolution. say like my 1600 x 1200.

but to the opener... dont get all caught up in the cross fire vs SLI... because you have to have everything else to match. if you have SLI but only have 512mb of ram... wtf? or say a 500watt psu... no can do. you need a high quality cpu, ram, psu, and motherboard all to take effective use of the cross fire/sli.

building a computer is just like building an engine... certain parts do certain things, and you should just get whats going to be good for you.

 

[Isphius]

well my philosophy on any project involving performance and buying parts is to just get the best parts im willing to pay for/can afford and let the numbers fall where they may. I never do anything "by the numbers". I for one also do not believe in form following function, if something looks good or is just plain old cool, i want it! I also would like to keep whatever computer i get open to upgradeability, so even if i dont want to buy 2 vid cards right away, i want to get the dual pcie PSU, motherboard, ddr3 capable, and one that can handle the better CPUs even if i dont get one. Thanks for everyone who contributed so far again! And still one question remains....sounds cards, pcie vs pci, any reason for it? It would just make sense to bump up the sound card to one of the lesser pcie slots since the video cards are going to be bumped up.

 

[Kai]

Just use onboard sound unless you're a real sound junkie. Onboard sound these days is usually 7.1 output with SPDIF and Optical out.