Faster, Bigger, Better

Alright, when it comes to computers I'm usually well versed, but when it comes to buying things that increase my computer speed or memory my brain turns off. I know where to buy shit like that, but how do I get them into my computer? Here are some of my biggest concerns, even though I assume these questions have probably popped up somewhere down the line in the existence of this section...

If I get a new video card, do I need to get a sound card as well?
If so... what's a decent video card, and sound card?
Do I have to put something into the harddrive to increase the GHz/Gigs or do I have to revamp it completely?
How much would 50 Gigs be? (I have 20 on this computer.)

Not that I expect to take care of all this at once, but it'd be nice to know all this for good. Thanks.

So 13 views and not one person posts? Fuck ya'll bitchez.

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If I get a new video card, do I need to get a sound card as well?

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No.

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Do I have to put something into the harddrive to increase the GHz/Gigs or do I have to revamp it completely?

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X GHz is the CPU's clock speed, to increase it you have to buy a new CPU (and a new motherboard if the current one isn't compatible). To increase the storage space (gigabytes), you buy a new HDD and either use it to replace the old one or you can keep both.

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How much would 50 Gigs be? (I have 20 on this computer.)

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That depends on what you use the computer for.

There, perfect. Thanks for your help.

Also, a sound card isn't even needed. There is one built in with your motherboard, and thus most market computers don't come with a sound card except the one built into the mobo, which gives a decent sound. You won't need a sound card unless your a complete audiophile.

For space 50 gigs really isn't alot, but that again depends on what the computer would be used for. Could be a better help to know.

Well I need it to hold pictures and videos and programs for homework and stuff like that. And then if there's enough room for a bit of gaming, that'd be nice too.

50 gigs should be fine then, then again, thats also depending on how many games and videos you're talking about. Movies will run at about 500-700 megs. So 2 of those and you're already pushing a gig. Most games are getting close to about 3 gigs. So it all depends on how much of what you're going to have.

If 50 gigs isn't enough, you can always add another harddrive later if you have the money to spare.

Yeah. Luckily for me the owner of the basement suite I'm moving into with my dad works with computers and will know what to do if we ask.

I don't mean full Hollywood blockbuster movies. Moreso for home movies on a digital camera and what not. I doubt those would go up to 500 megs unless they were 60 minutes +. But, I could be wrong.

Speed is probably my biggest concern. Then space.

Thanks, Exo, and I'm sorry for pulling down your pants.

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Do I have to put something into the harddrive to increase the GHz/Gigs or do I have to revamp it completely?

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Learn how to overclock (increase the speed) your computer processor and graphics card safely. You'll need compatible hardware, but you'll get more performance for your money.

If your current computer only has a 20GB hard drive and you plan to do some gaming on it - sounds like you may need an entire new system. Now may be the perfect time to figure out how to do the above. ;)

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Originally Posted by CoLd BlooDed

Yeah. Luckily for me the owner of the basement suite I'm moving into with my dad works with computers and will know what to do if we ask.

I don't mean full Hollywood blockbuster movies. Moreso for home movies on a digital camera and what not. I doubt those would go up to 500 megs unless they were 60 minutes +. But, I could be wrong.

Speed is probably my biggest concern. Then space.

Thanks, Exo, and I'm sorry for pulling down your pants.

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In that case you should be fine. Digital Camera like videos and videos less than an hour rarely exceed 100 megs or so.

If you're after speed, than yeah as mentioned you'll need a good CPU and a compatible mobo. I recommend the Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor(CPU) and the Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 to fit it for the mobo. Bang for a buck. If you do some online reading you can also learn to overclock which'll make these even better and more efficient.

You should really be fine, and shouldn't really have to spend all that much. Its becoming increasingly cheap to build a good computer. And anything you build will probably be better than anything you find on the market for the same amount spent.

And don't worry about my pants. You can keep them. :roll:

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Originally Posted by ExoByte

Movies will run at about 500-700 megs.

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That's a fairly low grade movie. Movies are becoming HD so they may take up a lot more room than that. Lots of times they are around 1.4GB, I would recommend somewhere near 320GB for a small hard drive.

Thats just a waste of space. You can get a decent quality movie on to you're computer at about 700 megs. I have 300 saved on here at about 700 something, and its not OMFG WOW! quality, but its decent.

Second, 320 gigs for him is overboard, and a waste of money and space. Should you of read, all he'll be really using it for is Pictures, Documents and Word Processor like programs for homework. That it self will barely take up a few gigs. Digital Camera "movies" and a game or two, 50 gigs will be more than enough if thats all hes after. If its not, simply adding another 50 (or as much as he estimates he'll need) would be much better and cheaper. No reason spending money on a harddrive with space that you're not going to use.

I'd suggest a single 120 GB hard drive. That's what I have and I do everything from coding and homework to gaming on here. I only really have one or two games installed at a time but, in general, I find that a 120 GB hard drive is just enough space for the cost.

I have a 120 GB and I'd say that I could definably use more. Plus, for the future, 120 GB will be puny. It'll be like having a 10 GB now. If you want a computer that'll last, you gotta go bigger.

That's the thing, though, I don't really spend too much time on the computer apart from the internet and homework. I'd be perfectly happy with two or three games, just to give me something to do on my own time. I wouldn't be watching full length movies, I have a DVD player and TV for that.

120 GBs sounds suitable, how much did it cost you guys (Merlock + Arby). Thanks for your guys' responses.

I also have a 120 GB HDD. It's far from being enough space for me, but I don't like to keep the disk full anyway so I burn everything into DVDs.

Right now it should cost around €50 (70 canadian dollars), but you can pay just a bit more and get one with 250 GB or something.

$70? Wow, that's extremely cheap.

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Originally Posted by CoLd BlooDed

$70? Wow, that's extremely cheap.

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Not when you consider exactly how many hardware parts a PC consists of, heh.
If you were to gather up your PC yourself, you'd see just how much it all adds up to. The CPU and video card being the most expensive but the rest such as the motherboard, RAM and hard drive add to the sum too.

Heres some prices for hard drives.

Btw, don't get an IDE hard drive in the unlikely case you're offered it.

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Originally Posted by arby

Heres some prices for hard drives.

Btw, don't get an IDE hard drive in the unlikely case you're offered it.

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It's not the drive that's the concern, it's the motherboard. You won't be "offered" an IDE drive over SATA, you'll be asked whether your motherboard supports SATA at all or not. At least by half-competent sales staff.

Motherboards, huh? Is that like processors or is that completely different altogether?

Oh, and I really do appreciate your help guys. I just suffer from an in-depth technological handicap.

The motherboard is the large board that contains all the primary connections between the different elements of the PC. It's the board that the CPU resides on and all other devices are connected to.

Thus, the hard drives are also connected to the motherboard. SATA and IDE drives have different interfaces from each other, hence the motherboard needs to have a SATA interface to be able to use a SATA hard drive.

Okay, I just checked. The computer I'm on currently has an IDE. I'm not sure what the one I'm thinking of changing is, though.

I'm guessing SATA is superior in some way?

Aye, SATA is better but don't forget that the file system you choose also affects the speed and performance quite reasonably.

Overall, I'd suggest taking someone experienced in PC hardware with you when buying new parts or a new PC (even if buying it whole). It's easy to end up with a power unit that doesn't have enough voltage to support everything or a video card that overheats without enough cooling and so on. That only causes unneeded frustration so it's best to get everything right the first time.

How much are you wanting to upgrade? To support SATA and a better graphics slot for your graphics card you may need an entirely new motherboard and thats pretty much a new computer entirely.

heres a video that tells you how to figure out what motherboard you have. Post the model number here and we can tell you if you can support SATA and what graphics card type you'll need to buy to fit the slot. (note that cards won't be as good with an older slot)

I'll do it once I'm at the computer I'm thinking of upgrading. That'll be about five days.