Please, everyone, give me some advice on components for a great PC!

[Regina]

If all goes well, within the next couple of months I'll be able to build a new computer and I'd really like to hear from everyone here what works really well with TS2, as in I would like to actually be able to build a house complete with a family on large lots, and be able to turn on all the cool graphics, AND be able to actually invite 8 sims to a party if that's what I want to do without having to use the maxnumofvisitingsims code every time I turn on my game.

Thanks so much for your input!

[themaltesebippy]

Intell Processor M4
as much RAM as you can afford! (Avoid RD RAM)
Graphics card with at least 128mb but preferably more

Taking the step to have a computer built is a good one.  When I first started playing Sims 2 my video card was a 32MB ATI Radon :p

[Vesca]

When I bought TS2, I was running the minimum requirements for RAM, which I believe is 256 MB.  I had to upgrade to 512 MB of RAM in order to play the game.  Now with NL, I think I even need another RAM upgrade.  So as themaltesebippy says, get as much RAM as you can afford - and definitely a high quality 3d graphics card.

[witch]

Check out AMD chips, benchmark better than Intel in most cases, run cooler, are cheaper.

AMD ROCKS!

[MokeyHokey]

Check newegg.com for components--I got a really great deal on 2 GBs of Corsair XMS RAM, and got my vid card from them too.  They have excellent deals and fast shipping.

[pamysue]

If you plan to bypass many of the onboard items on your motherboard (sound, video, etc), make sure to take a look at how many PCI slots you have available.  Most new MBs will come with PCI express slots for the new vid cards and no AGP.  So make sure you aren't planning to take a AGP card with you and end up with no where to put it.

[Motoki]

I will also vouch for newegg as a great place to buy components. They ship fast, have reasonable prices and never give hassles about returns. They also have user reviews on their site for various components and you can sort by highest rated so that definitely helps when trying to make a decision.

As for being able to invite 8 sims, has anyone been able to do that without cheating since NL? I used to get 8 but had to use to cheat now to get it with NL (it set me to 4) and I've heard similar stories from others, even people who have really new high powered cards.

[Regina]

Thanks so much everyone! 

Maybe I should've been a bit more specific, though.

We've been building our own computers for years and I, too, have bought from New Egg in the past and plan to again for this little project.  Actually, this won't be such a small project as we'll probably be putting together anywhere from 4 to 6 nearly identical systems.  Back in January my dad passed away and we're just about ready to close his estate.  Basically this means everyone in the family is planning on getting a new computer (one of my sisters is still running a 500 mhz if you can imagine--but then again, she ran a 286 until about 5 years ago!)

Anyway, back to the specifics!  I currently am running a Win98SE system that's about as upgraded as I'm going to bother to take it.  I have 512 megs of DDR ram, a 128-meg graphics card, which I upgraded last spring from a 64-meg card (my TS2 liked the 64-meg card better than the 128-meg, go figure), and the chances are really good I won't be taking anything out of this computer, but just moving it on down through the household computer line, maybe end up replacing the 200-mhz that's in my son's room with one of our lower end machines then use mine to replace one of the lower-end ones.

TS2 behaves fairly well with my onboard sound but it does hiccup ever once in a while so depending on how things run on the new one I may or may not bypass that.  I do, however, have plans on getting a screaming graphics card and am wondering if anyone has recommendations on brand.  I'm not one of those, 'Oh, you've got to have ATI' or 'Oh, you've got to have NVidia' kind of people.  To my mind it's a lot like Ford and Chevys.  I've driven both in my life and had good and bad of both makes (and now have a Chrysler and it's been one of the best cars on the road).  I've ran both brands of video cards over the years and never had any complaints (well, until I'd go buy a new game and my current card wouldn't run it).

Oh, and as for memory.  Where have you all been buying yours?  I've heard Crucial has some good deals on memory and the company is local to me.  How do their prices compare to someplace like Office Depot?  Office Depot sometimes runs killer specials on memory sticks.

As for mobo and processor, I have to say I've been sold for several years on the Asus mobo w/Athlon processors.  A few years ago we built a new computer with an Asus/Duron combo which was good, then I upgraded the processor as far as it could go on that board with an Athlon.  Then when TS2 came out I bought a new board and processor and passed my old one along to my kids to replace their 800-mhz.  At any rate, we've been using that same mobo now for almost 4 years with no problems, and the one I have in my machine now for almost 1.5 years.

So, speaking of the processors, does anyone have speed recommendations?  Basically, this is probably a once in a lifetime chance for me to build a computer and I'm really wanting to build one that will last me for a couple of years, maybe even longer, without getting the urge to upgrade every time I turn around.

[MokeyHokey]

I got my RAM from newegg.  I got two bundled 1 GB sticks for around $250, including shipping. For the same thing at Crucial, they want $320.  This is what I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145491. 
As for video cards, I've never regretted my nVidia cards.  (I know, I know, Fords and Chevys ) Around Christmas last year we bought the 6800 Ultra, also from newegg and I love it. Until NL, I did have to perform a workaround to see bumpmaps, but I hear that's fixed now.
Sound- the oldest thing in my case is my Audigy.  It's still ok, so haven't bothered upgrading it, but eventually I'll probably get a new Creative card.

[Motoki]

Crucial's stuff is good but as Mokey Hokey pointed out, they aren't always the rock bottom cheapest. In some cases, I have even seen their own Crucial brand memory cheaper on other sites than on Crucial's own site.  Crucial's memory is good quality stuff, as is Corsair's. I know there are some horror stories on the net about generic brand memory, but I've actually had no problems when I've bought some. The only thing I will say is I did have a Crucial stick that I was able to push to run at faster speeds than it was labeled and it did so with no problems, whereas when I tried that with a generic stick of RAM it would not boot. It pretty much ran at what it said it would and that was it.

As for processors, I'd probably reccomend some form of AMD Athlon 64. I've used AMD processors for the last several computers I built not so much out of brand loyalty, but because I felt they were a better value and I've had good experiences with them. Anyway, the 64FXs are still insanely expensive, and the Semprons or regular Athlons don't make much sense as they are underpowered compared to the 64 and you can get the 64s pretty darn cheap now.

I'd probably also reccomend at least 1 gig of RAM if you can swing it in your budget. You can generally get a single 1GB stick for around $100 or less now if you really shop around. Or depending upon what speed your old 512 stick runs at and whether it will be able to keep up with your new MB and processor, you could also use that and add another 512 stick. If you're really on a tight budget, you could get by with just the 512 also.

Motherboards I seem to have had the most trouble with and have gotten faulty ones from several different brands. They're all pretty much mass produced in factories in Asia and it seems like the QA there is, ahem, less than perfect and a lot of lemons slip through. Just make sure you get it from somewhere that won't hassle you or charge you an arm and a leg to return it, but I'm sure you know that.

As for soundcards, I really don't even bother with them anymore. Most modern motherboards have decent enough sound and the last couple of computer builds I've done I've just used the onboard sound with my 5.1 speaker setup and it's worked just fine for me.

[Regina]

Great info!  Thanks so much!

Although I've never used Crucial's memory I've heard it's great quality.  I had no idea when I first heard of it that it was Micron's own.  I've never had a Micron computer when they were building those, but people I know did and they just keep going and going and going for years.  I do have a Micron keyboard that I bought used off of eBay about 5 years ago and it still works beautifully!  That and my speakers will probably be all I keep out of my old machine.  (I think I finally figured out this morning how to do a sensible shuffle of computers on this house.)

Anyhow, when I have a clearer brain in my head I'll copy and paste the info here so I have it at my fingertips.  I love being able to read the reviews of products on NewEgg but I also like hearing from people I know are doing the same type of thing with their computers that I'm attempting.