Sorting out some old stuff I came across my old Voodoo2 SLI GFX cards and thought I'd like to get back into a bit of PC gaming & need to replace my media centre, trouble is that so much has changed that I don’t know where to start and what seemed like a simple task (spec a new PC) is quickly becoming one hell of a steep learning curve!!
I’d like a PC spec'd to have the following features:-
Media player (multiple output to LCD TV (HDMI) and 19" LCD monitor)
TV tuner/recorder
Gaming PC
Quiet
1Gbps LAN
Have some overclock ability
Upgradable in future with additional GFX card sli/crossfire
General questions:-
Will running the system in SATA RAID5 offer a noticeable performance increase? Do the onboard SATA raid controllers burden the CPU and system RAM? How does onboard SATA RAID performance compare with PCI based SCSI RAID?
DDR2 or DDR3?
What’s the point of having a window on the side of the PC with lights? Do modern PC's look that good inside?
What size (watt) PSU will i require to have 2 GFX cards (eventually)? What’s the point of this modular thingy?
Are modern games compatible with vista 64? Is 64 bit Vista worth the hassle?
I'm thinking along the lines of:- (Don’t be afraid to scrap any of my suggestions if I’m sucking the wrong one)
Basic case (no windows or lights) in black
PSU???
Motherboard ?????
Phenom x4 9850
ATI Radeon HD 4850
Harddisk(s)???
RAM ??? 4GB
Dual layer DVD RW
TV Tuner ???
Wireless keyboard & mouse that can operate from sofa but still be used for games???
no monitor required
Budget :- <£1500 but I’d like to have the biggest bang for my buck
If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated !!!!
Thanks in advance,
Richard
I’d like a PC spec'd to have the following features:-
Media player (multiple output to LCD TV (HDMI) and 19" LCD monitor)
TV tuner/recorder
Gaming PC
Quiet
1Gbps LAN
Have some overclock ability
Upgradable in future with additional GFX card sli/crossfire
General questions:-
Will running the system in SATA RAID5 offer a noticeable performance increase? Do the onboard SATA raid controllers burden the CPU and system RAM? How does onboard SATA RAID performance compare with PCI based SCSI RAID?
DDR2 or DDR3?
What’s the point of having a window on the side of the PC with lights? Do modern PC's look that good inside?
What size (watt) PSU will i require to have 2 GFX cards (eventually)? What’s the point of this modular thingy?
Are modern games compatible with vista 64? Is 64 bit Vista worth the hassle?
I'm thinking along the lines of:- (Don’t be afraid to scrap any of my suggestions if I’m sucking the wrong one)

Basic case (no windows or lights) in black
PSU???
Motherboard ?????
Phenom x4 9850
ATI Radeon HD 4850
Harddisk(s)???
RAM ??? 4GB
Dual layer DVD RW
TV Tuner ???
Wireless keyboard & mouse that can operate from sofa but still be used for games???
no monitor required
Budget :- <£1500 but I’d like to have the biggest bang for my buck
If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated !!!!

Thanks in advance,
Richard