Results 1 to 23 of 23
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874

    My New Gaming Rig ( Opinions Wanted )

    First of all let me say I am trying to stay around 800-1200 Budget

    Sunbeam Cougar Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W

    Foxconn 6100K8MA-RS Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX

    AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX

    XFX PV-T71G-UCE7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

    2x Kingston HyperX 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model KHX3200A/512

    Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

    LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer

    Scythe SCKB04-SV Black Keyboard USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard

    AVIDAV (Made by Jetway) M1731D-S Silver 17" 12ms LCD Monitor

    Pioneer 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Read Black ATAPI Model DVR-111D

    Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

    Scythe HDC80-SL 80mm Sleeve HDD Cooling Fan/Heatsink

    2x Rosewill RFA80L-B 80mm Sleeve Blue LED Light Case Cooling Fan - Retail

    Any Opinions on this it is all coming from newegg.

    Grand Total so far $1,169.87
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Under Your Skin
    Posts
    5,904
    I could say a lot ... but the two main things I saw was...

    maybe you need more memory. I do not play games, but once I had 2 gb, my computer runs ssssoooo smooth.

    You might want to take a look at that power supply and case... hard to believe you will get something that will last/be stable for $27. I could be wrong though... just making a suggestion.
    Windows 10 to Linux and Mac OSX: I'm PARSECs better than you. Eat my dust!!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,495
    If you're looking to upgrade in the near future, make sure your mobo is compatible with the Core Duo 2 (conroe). Unless you are strictly an AMD person.

    The ram feels a little weak, if you plan on gaming oblivion and the like, 2gb's will be a must to use the 7900GT to its max performance.
    GeeksGather - Undergoing redevelopment. Stand by.

  4. #4
    You need faster Ram. Atleast 533MHz. The CPU is nice, so is the video card. And of course... the price!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    5,178
    If you wait a few more weeks the price of your processor could drop $100. AMD has announced (to their distributors) price cuts on all processors up to 50%. I believe the X2 series will be about 35-40% cheaper. There is a chart posted on some websites showing the "before" and "after" prices set to take effect next week.

    RAM should be fine since the motherboard takes DDR1 style memory. DO NOT buy anything faster than PC3200 like you already spec'd out.

    Edit: It looks like the motherboard comes with onboard video. You don't need this! Either pick a cheaper motherboard that doesn't come with onboard video or upgrade the board to a "brand name" like ASUS or Gigabyte. newegg.com is down for me or I'd give you a direct link.

    Edit #2: Pretty hefty price cut coming. http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/1...ll_pricing.png .... Source: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2800
    Last edited by Mike V; 07-18-2006 at 03:13 AM.
    If you have to operate your company behind the scenes or under a fake name, maybe it's time to leave the industry and start something fresh.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874
    I think I will hold out then, I was debating on a move from single video to SLI but couldnt work it into the budget
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  7. #7
    More memory, and hdd system - i think you can add two or four sata drives, and you get speed and space.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    407
    I agree with more memory and there is no need to go beyond the DDR400 in most cases. There is a couple of reasons why you could want to but that is a different topic.

    The CAS latency is really important when it comes to memory but the lower the number the higher the price.

    Your video card will be fine and as long as your board supports SLI you can upgrade to SLI later on.

    I had a 7800GTX and I just sold it and bought a 7900GTX 512MB.


    Oh and one big note read the specs on what your video card needs to maintain stable frame rates as far as power.

    For example the 7800GTX needs 28amps of power on the 12volt rail. So I am guessing since the 7900GT is pretty much the same card this is what you need. Most power supplies will not have this many amps on the 12 volt rails. So like I said if you want stable frame rates you will want a power supply to match it.

    Nivida's website under SLI zone has good recommendations of who supports these requirements.

    The 7900GTX needs 34amps on the 12 volt rail so my power supply will maintain 38 amps on the 12 volt rail for each of the two 12 volt rails.

    Depending on which games you play this power will be needed especially if you play at high resolutions.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    407
    I just looked at your specs again.

    I would really look at the power supply in that case becuase it will most likely not meet the needs of the video card to maintain stable frame rates.

    I would also recommend an Asus motherboard. A8N SLI board.

    You may also want to check www.zipzoomfly.com

    as they have better prices than Newegg does sometimes. I usually order parts from both companies.

    This is my 2 cents.

  10. #10
    Foxconn motherboard? I wouldnt go with that. Asus, ABit or MSI are the best
    XeHoster.com
    Dedicated to bring your quality and affordable web hosting


  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    698
    WAIT FOR THE AMD PRICE CUTS BEFORE ORDERING

    Retail price for the 3800+ will drop to $169. So that gives you a lot more money to spend around. It's been mentioned, Foxconn motherboard, although it may be good, it's just not the right motherboard for gaming.

    The X2 3800+ is a great choice, I have it oc'd at 2.4, and it matches all the benchmarks of the 4800+. Conroe is coming out, but an oc'd 3800+ @ 4800+ and price cut to $169 is hard to beat. But it starts running hot, so I suggest you invest in a new CPU cooler, the stock ones are so-so.

    7900GT is fine for gaming, I have an oc'd 7800GT and it plays almost all games at max.

    As for memory, you're probably gonna need 2GB, 1GB is just the standard these days. I have the OCZ Platinum 2GB kit x 2 (4 x 1GB= 4GB) at 2-3-2-5, very fast and easily overclockable.

    Your harddrive is a great choice, I have then striped in RAID-0, the only thing is the capacity, even a single harddrive is fast, but I would add another big harddrive. I have 74 x 2 in RAID 0, and 4 x 250 GB in RAID 5.

    I have never heard of the monitory, so I can't comment. HOWEVER, I recommend minimum 19", and widescreen if possible, as it helps A LOT in gaming, you see more

    Newegg is sick, I wish they were in Canada.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874
    Thanks for your guys advice I am going to go back and redo my rig

    I had always planned on 2-4GB Ram thats why I have 4 dimms just had to upgrade later trying to save some cost
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by MogileMedia
    First of all let me say I am trying to stay around 800-1200 Budget

    Sunbeam Cougar Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W

    Foxconn 6100K8MA-RS Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX

    AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX

    XFX PV-T71G-UCE7 Geforce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

    2x Kingston HyperX 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model KHX3200A/512

    Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

    LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer

    Scythe SCKB04-SV Black Keyboard USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard

    AVIDAV (Made by Jetway) M1731D-S Silver 17" 12ms LCD Monitor

    Pioneer 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Read Black ATAPI Model DVR-111D

    Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

    Scythe HDC80-SL 80mm Sleeve HDD Cooling Fan/Heatsink

    2x Rosewill RFA80L-B 80mm Sleeve Blue LED Light Case Cooling Fan - Retail

    Any Opinions on this it is all coming from newegg.

    Grand Total so far $1,169.87
    If your going to play hard core games on this PC, you might want to reconsider your motherboard. I made the mistake of buying a bargain motherboard and it burned out on me within a few months.

    I bought this one http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813123246

    and I can't be any happier. Look at the reviews on it, (5 stars)

    Also, forget that hard drive (the raptor) It's only a 1.5 Transfer. Yea, a higher RPM, but you'll be much happier with this one -
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701

    The best thing I can tell you, is usually the best stuff on newegg has a 5 star rating (by customers)

    I would go with a 1 stick of ram (since you have a budget) and upgrade in the next few months. It's better to buy higher end parts (better hard drive, mobo) and only have 1 gig since you can always add another gig of ram.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Goleta, CA
    Posts
    5,566
    Definitely reconsider the motherboard.
    Patron: I'd like my free lunch please.
    Cafe Manager: Free lunch? Did you read the fine print stating it was an April Fool's joke.
    Patron: I read the same way I listen, I ignore the parts I don't agree with. I'm suing you for false advertising.
    Cafe Owner: Is our lawyer still working pro bono?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874
    1 ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - OEM
    1 MTG CR-IN212XU-1 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader - Retail
    2 SONY 16X DVD�R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DWQ120AB2 - OEM
    1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
    1 Thermaltake Venus 7+ 70mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
    2 Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
    4 Kingston HyperX 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered
    1 SCEPTRE X9WG-NagaV Black 19" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
    1 LOGISYS Computer PS550AC ATX12V 550Watts Power Supply - Retail
    1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Proce
    2 PNY VCG7600GXPB Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card -
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,495
    Mogile, hold off for 5 more days! When the conroe comes out the expected price drop for that 3800 will be from $250-280 to 175'ish and a lot of other parts are expected to drop just with the debut of the conroe. Wait 2-3 days after the core duo 2 (conroe) comes out and you'll see the prices drop

    The system you posted above looks fairly nice, but if you're grabbing a 7600 GT, with the money you save from price drops, go 7900. You won't regret it, as games like UT 2K7 will need all the power they can get!
    GeeksGather - Undergoing redevelopment. Stand by.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by MogileMedia
    1 ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - OEM
    1 MTG CR-IN212XU-1 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader - Retail
    2 SONY 16X DVD�R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DWQ120AB2 - OEM
    1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
    1 Thermaltake Venus 7+ 70mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
    2 Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
    4 Kingston HyperX 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered
    1 SCEPTRE X9WG-NagaV Black 19" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
    1 LOGISYS Computer PS550AC ATX12V 550Watts Power Supply - Retail
    1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Proce
    2 PNY VCG7600GXPB Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card -

    much better then your original decision. Just as a note, you get a heatsink and fan with your processor.. (you should also get thermal compound) with a new processor.

    I originaly did what you are looking to do, buy a extra fan and heat sink for 20 bucks.. but the amd heatsinks and fans are really good quality, and using any other fan or heatsink (not amd's) voids the warranty. Like there going to find out, but still.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,495
    I'll just tack on to what boar said: AMD's have come a long way and are much more efficient heat-wise than their intel counterparts, especially Opterons. For heatsink, if you must get one there is only one name in the heatsink biz: Zalman. Powerful, well-priced and will destroy the rest out there. It can handle the overclocking of a 2.6ghz dual core intel to 3.8 which is beautiful.

    From what I see, all you need is 3 120MM fans and you are just fine heat-wise.
    GeeksGather - Undergoing redevelopment. Stand by.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874
    I have 4 80mm fans and 1 120mm fan so far I am looking to possibly add another, I am making the case myself.

    In fact its in the garage with the first coat of lime green on it!!
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    698
    Price cuts are now in effect!! (well at least at ncix.com)

    I like your set-up, 4B Ram is definitely the way to go, HOWEVER, it may be wise to move to socket AM2, and get DD2 ram instead, even though it may not be a performance increase, it is definitely a feature/expansion increase.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,495
    Wow frankiee thanks for noticing!!! Yes!

    AMD 3800 dual core, AM2 2000FSb with 2 x 512kb caches: $180!! Down from its original $350... christ
    GeeksGather - Undergoing redevelopment. Stand by.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    root
    Posts
    874

    re

    The only real question I have is what would be better the 7600 Gt's in SLI or a single 7900?

    I plan to stick with socket 939

    Honestly I cannot say I have ever owned a top of the line video card the best I ever had was an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro.
    Nick | BudgetVM
    1G | 10G | 40G | 100G Baremetal Servers
    Featuring Best in Class - In House DDOS Protection - No Voxility

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,495
    Mogile, there's also a S939 on ncix for the same price, just a different brand.

    SLI really doesn't do much for you, I suggest grabbing the 7900 and then, later on if need be, grab another one at a reduced price and SLI it. But from all the tests i've seen, SLI really doesn't do much for how much you have to pay (2 the cards, SLI compat mobo, etc)
    GeeksGather - Undergoing redevelopment. Stand by.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •