Please Help buying a new PC

Someone please help me.
I've decided to Buy a new PC Piece by piece. I need a good system specifically geared towards gaming, and software developement and I need the best bang for my buck. I intend to spend about $1500.00
The PC I'm currently using was hand built in 2001, and I had up-to-date information back then. But now, I've been pricing chips and Motherboards, etc,,, and I am seeing Lots of Techno-Speak that I have NO KNOWLEDGE OF.
I've just recently finished a CIS class in college but it's lack of specific (AND UP TO DATE) information left something to be desired. It would seem that I've been out of the PC market arena for to long because people are using terminology that I've never heard before.
I realy need some help.
(just to let you know) I'm going with AMD and there is'nt to much that can change my mind on that. Also (and this is important) I dont see myself upgrading for at least another 2 years.

I know about the upgradeability difference, BUT How big is the performance difference between 754 and 939 sockets?
Please tell me measurements in percentages of each other, IE do the 939 chips average a 20% increase over the 754 chips of the same GHZ's or is it more like a 5% increase?
I'm looking to get the biggest bang for my buck, so I dont intend to spend an extra $300 for only a 3% increase.

Can a 754 pin mobo use the same ammount of memory as a 939?
I ask because I intend to stock my PC with about 3GB of memory and set aside 2GB as a virtual disk (if that is still possible)

If I decide to go with a 754 pin, will I find a mobo with a PCI-E slot that is able to use it as effectively as a mobo with a 939 socket.

While I'm asking that,,, Why are some people saying that the AGP8x-GT Graphics Cards are faster than the PCI-E Graphics cards of the same type. If this is true, How can it be?

Why cant I find a 939 (NON FX) Processor with 1MB of L2 cache, I've been searching Pricewatch.com and all the 939 chips I've found only have 512KB (accept for the FX ones)?

What is the Multiplier?
Is it configurable?
Does it apply to the Motherboard or the CPU?

What exactly Does HHT stand for? I asumed it was "Hyper Transport" (which, in my understanding, is the new term for the FSB).

What does SSE3 and SSOI mean in terms of Processors?

In Toms Hardware guide, there are words next to each processor, that I dont quite understand,,, Words like
Prescott
Gallatin
Clawhammer
Northwood
Prestonia
Newcastle
etc..
What do these mean, and which is best?

Why do people at this forum:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=1574289
keep saying that it would be a shame "to run Winchesters at stock speeds", does that have to do with overclocking?

What is the difference between DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 memory.

I want an Ultra ATA hard drive with the Ultra DMA features, is there anything else I should look for when shoping for a hard drive.

I dont think I want a prefab because they never have my special interests in mind.

Is there anywhere I can go to find answers to these questions?

 

Wow. Lots of questions there, bud. First of all, if you want all the answers, do a google search for some of them. If you want to get back up to date, google and read. google and read. google and read. And once you've googled and read, google and read. As you have more specific questions, ask those on the forum. That said, I can get you started:

First off, I don't think anyone can give you performance gains in percentages, but go 939 or you'll be sorry. The upgradability of 939 exceeds 754 by leaps and bounds. 939 is being used for AMD's dual core processors so when it's time for you to go dual core down the road, you'll want 939. 754 is generally outdated already.

The names you see next to the name of the chip is the core. Various processors have different cores that operate in slightly different ways or have different capabilities. For the price range you're looking at, I would get either an Athlon 64 3200+ or 3500+. Look for the "Venice" core. It has proven to run exceptionally cool and is very overclockable.

The reason the FX chips are the only ones with 1mb of L2 cache is basically because it's expensive to put that large a cache on a chip.

Yes, you can still have a virtual disk.

With this system, you don't want to get ATA. You want SATA II (serial ATA II). A good option would be a Samsung Spinpoint. If you can find one with NCQ (native command queuing) get that as well. All this means better performance.

Don't get a board with AGP at this point. I don't know exactly what they're referring to AGP being faster than PCI-X, but in a year they won't be making new AGP cards anymore--especially not in the high end market. You'd be shooting yourself in the foot just as much as socket 754.

Multiplier is often configurable in the BIOS. The multiplier is a number which you multiply the FSB speed to get your processor speed. Google for further info if you feel the need.

Here are some links to components that would do ya good:

A64 3200+ Venice core $190
A64 3500+ Venice core $267
Mobo: DFI LanParty UT nf4 $120
Mobo: MSI k8N Neo4 Platinum $123
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint 200GB SATA II w/ NCQ $112

and so on and so forth. Um don't forget a good power supply. at least 450 or 500W. uh... look into SLI. Very simply put, it's dual video card support for mobos. Uh... Corsair and OCZ ram is popular these days. look for cas 2... somebody else want to add their input?

 

if you want to know the different between computer spare parts you should contact to producer as AMD or intel for futher information.

as I know that you do not order the old model and mobo should be support for your upgrade later.

 

Multiplier is the number the processor multiplies against the FSB to get your Clock speed.

No Hypertransport is not the new word for FSB. Hypertransport is the integrated system inside Athlon 64 cpu's that communicates directly to the system without being limited by a FSB like Intel and older AMD systems are. Intel systems still use a FSB, but with Hypertransport the communication is only limited by the speed of the cpu.

I also agree fully with Moyupe, getting 754 would be a waste, and SATAII is the much better option.

Also, I'd heavily suggest getting a DVD+RW of some sort for backups, as todays files are huge by comparison to days past.

SSE3 is an instruction for 3D graphics used by Intel processors if I'm not mistaken.

DDR 1 2 and 3 are different levels of performance, the higher the number the better performance, but also watch the latency, timings, and clock speeds.

You'll really have to pick out your motherboard before you decide on anything else. The motherboard you pick will definitely narrow down whatever else you can get.

In all seriousness, I wouldn't pick out components right now for sure on a system your going to build in a year or so, as I imagine hardware and most certainly software will be changing by leaps and bounds.

And personally, my vote goes to Geil for the best and most reliable RAM.

 

Hi Crimson...

Here's the best luck I have had with custom machines... I've built about 6 of them for a variety of reasons, and I own about 4 Dells right now with 3 year parts and service....

As an owner in a video company, we have many many other specialized computers including Avids, Linux boxes, SGI, and others....

From my personal experience....
If you really want question by question answers call or go here:

www.jncs.com

I've used them to buy parts, answer many questions, or in some cases, I just spec'd out what I wanted and let them build it. At some point, your time is worth money - and the amount of time it can take to research and build is sometimes not worth it. That's why some of my comps are Dells.. the important thing is 3 years replacement... if they can't answer a question over the phone within a certain period of time.. they just send new stuff. It works really well for low hassle maintenance.

JNCS wil have great prices.. and be pretty helpful, though they don't have long replacement contracts... no custom shop does.

If you really want the most bang - let someone else build it and research the parts yourself...