I have 8 G of RAM and a 6 core processor, etc, etc and when I have a bunch of apps open including Photoshop things do slow down noticibly.
If you can manage it I would go with the biggest-baddest processor, RAM & Graphics card, Disk, board, etc that I can get my hands on.
If it's overkill today it won't be tomorrow.
If your serious about getting a new computer.
Completely ignore the part of the post I quoted about the biggest baddest parts you can afford.. buy based on needs.
However, ANY computer will slow down if you push it enough which I do have to agree with the user on and that is the main reason I quoted it. If you take care of your computer and are reasonable with it 4 gigs of ram and a quad core is more than enough for your average user...
To be honest a lot of programs aren't even optimized for quad cores yet! They *JUST* got optimized for dual cores and that doesn't automatically make them great for quad cores or 6 core processors.
Don't build a computer based on what is "biggest and baddest" at the moment. Build a computer based on your needs.
There is a "cost to performance" ratio most people need to consider.
When I built my rig an I7 by intel was 300$ and the AMD 955 BE was 150$
The 955 BE yields 10 FPS LESS than the intel in 90% of the games out there...
150$ is a lot of money for what is in my case less than a 10% increase in fps :/
Also it requires tri channel memory which was at the time like 50$ more expensive and a mobo which was 100$ more expensive.
The i7 finishes encoding and video editing WAYYYYY faster than the 955 would ever hope to.
Both are quad core processors that are fantastic but, one is way more expensive (and depending on task way more powerful) but, the I7 doesn't really suit the needs of a gamer on a budget.
Now when buying graphics cards... one 6870 was 240$ and two was 480$ and putting one in would yield lets say 50 fps... putting two in would yield 96 fps.. that is pretty close to double performance for double price.. which is amazing in the gaming world.
I am the first person to believe you should NOT skimp out if you are building a rig. Build it right, build it well and build it to suit your needs.
However, don't just go the more expensive route just to do it..
For what it is worth I favored AMD at the time due to price/performance..
Even if the 955 is slower in a few random task... it is still a quad core processor with decent speed and more power than your average user is going to need for a long time.
I have nothing against intel and may opt for them in the future. Prices have changed since I built my comp.
However, if your intent on building a new rig.. do your research and find out what is the best bang for buck and what you want to do with your rig.
If your playing at 1080p you may have different needs than someone playing at a higher resolution.
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