Good Components for Gaming PC?

Winchester70 · Dec 8, 2004, 02:36 AM

I want to build a new PC that will carry me for two years. (fall 2006)

1) I don't want to go too far over $700
2) I want to play the latest games on high settings

Here is what I have so far:

CPU: AMD Athlon 3400+ 1MB L2 Cache 64 Bit (Retail)
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

Seems like a good choice for the price.

MotherBoard: Soltek SL-K8AN2E-GR Nvidia nforce3 250 gb chipset (754 socket) http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

This looks like a pretty good mobo for the price. What are the pros and cons of the nforce3 boards when compared to the K8T800s? Is one better overall?

HardDrive: Samsung 160 GB 7200RPM http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

Memory: (Kingston or Mushkin) 184 Pin 512 MB DDR PC-3200 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

Do you recommend Kingston or Mushkin? I plan to upgrade to 1 GB later on.

Video Card: Nvidia 6800 128MB DDR 256-Bit http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...150-068&depa=1

Any suggestions for manufacturer for this card?

Case: Raidmax Mustang ATX Tower Case 420W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE

Any better options for around the same price for case?

DVD/CD Drive: Samsung 16x DVD

I have a burner on the other PC so I just need something good enough to load games.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

pr0digal jenius · Dec 8, 2004, 02:50 AM

looks good, except I might spend the extra $$ and go socket 939 with a gig of RAM

aside from that, llooks to be a solid PC

Winchester70 · Dec 8, 2004, 02:56 AM

As for Memory, I plan to upgrade to a Gig eventually. What reason would I have to upgrade to 939? In case I want to upgrade my CPU? I doubt I will upgrade much on this PC anyway.

btw I didn't forget sound card and speakers, I'll be taking those from my old PC

Judas · Dec 8, 2004, 03:09 AM

the 939 is the top choice to have... having superior memory bandwidth and overall more power.. the 9nm 64 bit 3000+ is also considered an excellent cpu to get.. and VERY overclockable....

And you'll need a good gb of ram... and expect to require 2gb within a year or 2.....

imo.... i think you'll get alot more bang.. and even bring down the price paid if you go 939 3000+

pr0digal jenius · Dec 8, 2004, 03:14 AM

yea...get a gig of RAM and that CPU judas pointed out and you won't be dissappointed

Winchester70 · Dec 8, 2004, 03:32 AM

Which one of these Mobos would you reccomend for 939? Not to expensive....
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...roperty&DEPA=1

Is this the CPU you reccommended, Judas? I have to be honest, I have never overclocked anything before - is it hard to learn how? What exactly does it involve? :

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-499&depa=1

Since this is OEM, which fans and heatsink would you reccomend?

pr0digal jenius · Dec 8, 2004, 03:49 AM

coolign wise I'd look at the thermalrites

and as for overclocking...it really isn't all that hard so long as you can read and do very minor math

CrapolaJola · Dec 8, 2004, 04:26 AM

Yeah definately go socket 939. Don't buy your s939 winchester cpus from newegg though, they overcharge, go for monarch computers or zipzoomfly. For mobo MSI K8N Neo2. As for cooling get a Thermalright XP-90 or possibly a CoolerMasyer Hyper6 with a new fan. For ram honestly I'd for OCZ at this point in this time, at this point though anything with the new samsung tccd chips is good. I don't know how much moeny you have, but if you can buy an OCZ DDR Booster and their new PC3200 VX (voltage xtreme) ram, at normal voltages it doesn't do that well, but with a booster for added voltage your basically guarenteed 250fsb with 2-2-2-10 timings, even higher for most people.

Vampyromaniac · Dec 8, 2004, 04:34 AM

I suggest spending a little less on the CPU, and spend a little more on graphics; get the 6800GT.

pr0digal jenius · Dec 8, 2004, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrapolaJola

Yeah definately go socket 939. Don't buy your s939 winchester cpus from newegg though, they overcharge, go for monarch computers or zipzoomfly. For mobo MSI K8N Neo2. As for cooling get a Thermalright XP-90 or possibly a CoolerMasyer Hyper6 with a new fan. For ram honestly I'd for OCZ at this point in this time, at this point though anything with the new samsung tccd chips is good. I don't know how much moeny you have, but if you can buy an OCZ DDR Booster and their new PC3200 VX (voltage xtreme) ram, at normal voltages it doesn't do that well, but with a booster for added voltage your basically guarenteed 250fsb with 2-2-2-10 timings, even higher for most people.

he's on a $700 budget..so that RAM si out fo the question

CDsDontBurn · Dec 8, 2004, 05:49 AM

yea man, definately get a 3000 939 chip. Especially if you're looking for something that will hold you over for the next couple of years. Also look at the 6800 or x800 series graphics cards. if you can't afford a 6800GT or x800xt, get the vanilla versions of either cards. Save you some money, and you'll be able to play with high settings still.

Winchester70 · Dec 9, 2004, 01:18 AM

Anyone have links to any good guides on overclocking? I would just google it, but I want to make sure I get my info from people who have their stuff down staight....

kemet64 · Dec 9, 2004, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrapolaJola

Yeah definately go socket 939. Don't buy your s939 winchester cpus from newegg though, they overcharge, go for monarch computers or zipzoomfly. For mobo MSI K8N Neo2. As for cooling get a Thermalright XP-90 or possibly a CoolerMasyer Hyper6 with a new fan. For ram honestly I'd for OCZ at this point in this time, at this point though anything with the new samsung tccd chips is good. I don't know how much moeny you have, but if you can buy an OCZ DDR Booster and their new PC3200 VX (voltage xtreme) ram, at normal voltages it doesn't do that well, but with a booster for added voltage your basically guarenteed 250fsb with 2-2-2-10 timings, even higher for most people.

I think that either of the 3 would be good for pricing. They all seem to have pretty much the same prices, with differences of around 10 dollars. One nice thing is Zipzoomfly has "Free 2nd Day". Then again, while newegg does not say it, their shipping is just about as fast. So I would say they all are nice for purchases.

Winchester70 · Dec 9, 2004, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kemet64

I think that either of the 3 would be good for pricing. They all seem to have pretty much the same prices, with differences of around 10 dollars. One nice thing is Zipzoomfly has "Free 2nd Day". Then again, while newegg does not say it, their shipping is just about as fast. So I would say they all are nice for purchases.

Yeah - newegg and monarch had that CPU at the same price....

pr0digal jenius · Dec 9, 2004, 05:02 AM

order it all from newegg......that way it all comes in oen box and shippign is cheaper

Winchester70 · Dec 9, 2004, 05:29 AM

I was reading up on that 90nm 3000+ - it said that the chip only reaches the performance of the other 64s by OCing. I'm either going to have to learn how or get a different CPU - are there any other reasonable options?

and for learning how to OC - are there any good guides/tutorials you recommend?

Winchester70 · Dec 11, 2004, 07:49 AM

Case: Raidmax Mustang ATX Mid-Tower 420W 50.99
MotherBoard: MSI "K8T NEO2-FIR" VIA K8T800 Pro 114.00
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8GHz, 512KB L2 Cache 939-Pin 155.00
Hard Drive: Samsung 160GB 7200RPM 90.00
Memory: Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 157.00
Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB DDR, 256-Bit 270.00
DVD: Samsung 16x DVD 22.99

Here's the new setup....

EDIT: removed text formatting to make it readable

---PJ

pr0digal jenius · Dec 12, 2004, 07:52 PM

looks very nice bud

might also pick up a cheap burner if you don't already have one....you can get a 52X LiteOn CDRW drive for around $50

CDsDontBurn · Dec 13, 2004, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

looks very nice bud

might also pick up a cheap burner if you don't already have one....you can get a 52X LiteOn CDRW drive for around $50

For $50 you can get a LiteOn CD-RW/DVD combo drive. For about $35 you can get yourself a LiteOn CD-RW.

Judas · Dec 13, 2004, 07:14 AM

imo... you don't want to jump into OCING to quickly at all...

personally, i thinka 3000+ 939 90nm cpu will hold just about anyone over for a good 2 years.... seeing as they are a very excellent cpu... heat is not an issue.... and if some time down the road.. you get confident.. you've got one hell of a CPU to take you time OCING.... but be warned.. OCING anything voids warranty

CDsDontBurn · Dec 13, 2004, 08:01 AM

true that OCing anything voids the warranty on those parts, but what they don't know won't hurt them right? Besides, unless the part has been been physically damaged due to excess heat, how will the manufacturer know that you were doing any kind of OCing at all?.....they can't!

pr0digal jenius · Dec 13, 2004, 04:13 PM

lol...still...don't try OCing unless you know what your doing and can easily replace what yer tinkering with

Winchester70 · Dec 13, 2004, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

imo... you don't want to jump into OCING to quickly at all...

personally, i thinka 3000+ 939 90nm cpu will hold just about anyone over for a good 2 years.... seeing as they are a very excellent cpu... heat is not an issue.... and if some time down the road.. you get confident.. you've got one hell of a CPU to take you time OCING.... but be warned.. OCING anything voids warranty

Sounds like a plan. I will keep it at stock speed until I become dissapointed with performance.

This year we had the big 3 (Half-life 2, Doom 3, Farcry) released and they pushed systems to their limits. How long do you think it will be before another game raises the bar even higher?

I've decided to wait until after Jan 1, so I can get some discounts on the components.

Thanks for all your help!

Dec 8, 2004, 02:36 AM	#1
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Good Components for Gaming PC? I want to build a new PC that will carry me for two years. (fall 2006) 1) I don't want to go too far over $700 2) I want to play the latest games on high settings Here is what I have so far: CPU: AMD Athlon 3400+ 1MB L2 Cache 64 Bit (Retail) http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE Seems like a good choice for the price. MotherBoard: Soltek SL-K8AN2E-GR Nvidia nforce3 250 gb chipset (754 socket) http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE This looks like a pretty good mobo for the price. What are the pros and cons of the nforce3 boards when compared to the K8T800s? Is one better overall? HardDrive: Samsung 160 GB 7200RPM http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE Memory: (Kingston or Mushkin) 184 Pin 512 MB DDR PC-3200 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE Do you recommend Kingston or Mushkin? I plan to upgrade to 1 GB later on. Video Card: Nvidia 6800 128MB DDR 256-Bit http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...150-068&depa=1 Any suggestions for manufacturer for this card? Case: Raidmax Mustang ATX Tower Case 420W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...factory=BROWSE Any better options for around the same price for case? DVD/CD Drive: Samsung 16x DVD I have a burner on the other PC so I just need something good enough to load games. Thanks for all your suggestions!

Dec 8, 2004, 04:26 AM	#8
CrapolaJola The Great DaK Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 317 Rep Power: 0	Yeah definately go socket 939. Don't buy your s939 winchester cpus from newegg though, they overcharge, go for monarch computers or zipzoomfly. For mobo MSI K8N Neo2. As for cooling get a Thermalright XP-90 or possibly a CoolerMasyer Hyper6 with a new fan. For ram honestly I'd for OCZ at this point in this time, at this point though anything with the new samsung tccd chips is good. I don't know how much moeny you have, but if you can buy an OCZ DDR Booster and their new PC3200 VX (voltage xtreme) ram, at normal voltages it doesn't do that well, but with a booster for added voltage your basically guarenteed 250fsb with 2-2-2-10 timings, even higher for most people. __________________ P2 X4 @ 3.6ghz, 4gb ddr3, SSD, 5870 @ 950/1250 + a 3ghz i5 lappy

Dec 8, 2004, 04:34 AM	#9
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	I suggest spending a little less on the CPU, and spend a little more on graphics; get the 6800GT. __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Dec 8, 2004, 05:49 AM	#11
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	yea man, definately get a 3000 939 chip. Especially if you're looking for something that will hold you over for the next couple of years. Also look at the 6800 or x800 series graphics cards. if you can't afford a 6800GT or x800xt, get the vanilla versions of either cards. Save you some money, and you'll be able to play with high settings still. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Dec 13, 2004, 08:01 AM	#21
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	true that OCing anything voids the warranty on those parts, but what they don't know won't hurt them right? Besides, unless the part has been been physically damaged due to excess heat, how will the manufacturer know that you were doing any kind of OCing at all?.....they can't! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Dec 8, 2004, 02:50 AM	#2
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	looks good, except I might spend the extra $$ and go socket 939 with a gig of RAM aside from that, llooks to be a solid PC

Dec 8, 2004, 02:56 AM	Thread Starter #3
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	As for Memory, I plan to upgrade to a Gig eventually. What reason would I have to upgrade to 939? In case I want to upgrade my CPU? I doubt I will upgrade much on this PC anyway. btw I didn't forget sound card and speakers, I'll be taking those from my old PC

Dec 8, 2004, 03:14 AM	#5
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	yea...get a gig of RAM and that CPU judas pointed out and you won't be dissappointed

Dec 8, 2004, 03:32 AM	Thread Starter #6
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Which one of these Mobos would you reccomend for 939? Not to expensive.... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...roperty&DEPA=1 Is this the CPU you reccommended, Judas? I have to be honest, I have never overclocked anything before - is it hard to learn how? What exactly does it involve? : http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-499&depa=1 Since this is OEM, which fans and heatsink would you reccomend?

Dec 8, 2004, 03:49 AM	#7
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	coolign wise I'd look at the thermalrites and as for overclocking...it really isn't all that hard so long as you can read and do very minor math

Dec 9, 2004, 01:18 AM	Thread Starter #12
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Anyone have links to any good guides on overclocking? I would just google it, but I want to make sure I get my info from people who have their stuff down staight....

Dec 9, 2004, 05:02 AM	#15
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	order it all from newegg......that way it all comes in oen box and shippign is cheaper

Dec 9, 2004, 05:29 AM	Thread Starter #16
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	I was reading up on that 90nm 3000+ - it said that the chip only reaches the performance of the other 64s by OCing. I'm either going to have to learn how or get a different CPU - are there any other reasonable options? and for learning how to OC - are there any good guides/tutorials you recommend?

Dec 11, 2004, 07:49 AM	Thread Starter #17
Winchester70 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Case: Raidmax Mustang ATX Mid-Tower 420W 50.99 MotherBoard: MSI "K8T NEO2-FIR" VIA K8T800 Pro 114.00 CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8GHz, 512KB L2 Cache 939-Pin 155.00 Hard Drive: Samsung 160GB 7200RPM 90.00 Memory: Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 157.00 Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800 128MB DDR, 256-Bit 270.00 DVD: Samsung 16x DVD 22.99 Here's the new setup.... EDIT: removed text formatting to make it readable ---PJ

Dec 12, 2004, 07:52 PM	#18
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	looks very nice bud might also pick up a cheap burner if you don't already have one....you can get a 52X LiteOn CDRW drive for around $50

Dec 13, 2004, 04:13 PM	#22
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	lol...still...don't try OCing unless you know what your doing and can easily replace what yer tinkering with