Post Xmas Pick-Me-Up Rig - Help Needed

[Synergy6]

Coming to the conclusion that playing the lastest games (BF2, FEAR etc) at any more than medium settings at 1024x768 and getting awful frame rates isn't good enough. I mean, I bought a 19" TFT a few months back, so I would at least like to be doing 1280x1024 @ high.

So, what do I have now? A Dell 8300. P4 2.8GHz FSB800, 1024MB PC3200 (2x256+1x512), Intel i875 motherboard, Radeon 9800SE, 120GB 2mb hard drive, speakers/mouse/keyboard/optical drives/19" TFT etc etc.

Upgrading is a possibility, but Dell don't exactly make it easy (propreitary motherboards, PSUs, cases etc). So, I'm going to take everything useful out of what I have now, ie the hard drive, optical drives, and 512MB RAM stick, and use whats left to build my parents a decent PC. (Even they are noticing that 500MHz isn't so zippy after 6 years).

My budget, partly financed by the aforementioned parents, isn't exact, but I would like to keep it around/under £600. There is headroom if absolutely necessary, but only in extreme cases. So, onto my choices. (I do pay VAT)

Case - Both around £44, seem to have decent space for fans in front and back etc.http://www.scan.co.uk/products/productinfo.asp?WebProductID=311955
or
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/productinfo.asp?WebProductID=311959

Memory - 512MB Corsair Value Select PC3200 - £30
I will take the 2x512 for my own dual channel and give the 2x256 for the second PC.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=237277

Motherboards -- Not so sure here, other than Socket 939. Not fussed about SLI, as I'll never use it. (Just believe me on that one). Decent OC potential is high on my list. £68 seems to be an average price, which gives (as an example)
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=298780
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfoZoom.asp?WebProductID=249105
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=265397

Hard Drive - Read a THG roundup which said the below was pretty damn decent, so I'll go with it. £78 for 250GB and 8mb, seems average for the sector.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=226863

CPU - Opteron 939 1xx Range - 144 seems to be the sweet spot. £130, should OC pretty well.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=77577

PSU - 480W ATX 2.2 for £47. Not particularly attached to this model, but as important as a PSU obviously is, I'm not looking to spend too much more on it. (Err, my motherboard would be ATX2.2 probably, right?)
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=148297

Graphics Card - Here is where I find it hardest to decide. I want a pretty decent card, preferably with SM3. However, this ranges from £120 - £220+, so I'm not sure what works best on a bang/buck scale. I would want it to last me ~ 2 years, at which point the DX10 range will be within my price range. I have given a selection below, from £120 - £220.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=154668
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=295853
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=247598

There's my selection. I want the PC mainly for gaming on the latest titles, but I also do quite a bit of video encoding. The speed of the latter isn't particularly important as I usually run it overnight anyway. Stability (24x7x365) is quite important.
As for overclocking, I will definitely be doing the CPU. I know my RAM isn't much on quality, but I was never intending to OC it anyway.

As far as I can see, this rig should be me for quite a while. It will be my first homebuild: I've done just about every constituent part of building a PC, just not all at once. The motherboard should let me overclock to FX-57 type speeds, which should definitely last for 2 years. Then, the socket 939 will be upgradable with a 5000+ or whatever appears at the other end of the 939 line. If PCI-E lasts anywhere near the length of AGP, I should be covered for graphics too.
The one thing which is nagging me is whether to get it in Jan or wait for the M2 boards. I mean, are they likely to be worth it? Is DDR2 really a system-revolutionising part when compared to DDR400? Personally, I just don't know.

So, there you go. Thanks for the time it took to read through all of my waffle, and I thank you in advance for any help/suggestions/criticisms : that's what I'm here for.

 

[fishmahn]

My first thought is: P4/2.8? Not too bad... Give it a 6800GT or similar (about $250 here in US - probably £150ish over there) and it'll be good for cheap. Make sure your RAM is running dual channel, buy another 512 stick if not.

Now for the big upgrade:

Case: Fine w/me (I like cheap cases LOL). Good choice to not get PSU with case.

RAM: Sounds ok for stock use. OCZ is good too if you find it cheaper.

Mobos: I like the ABit one of these for OCing.

HDD: Sure, whatever. I like Seagate's 5 yr warranty, but most all drives are decent, and 99% of them perform the same in normal use.

CPU: Opterons OC well. Many people like the 2.0ghz part (forget the number) because of the 10x multiplier making good OCs easier.

PSU: I Like. I usually suggest Fortron, Enermax, Antec, but this one looks good quality and I like the fact that they report both continuous and peak wattage.

Graphics: Most important part of a gamer PC (after PSU). I'd get the 7800GT unless the budget just doesn't allow it. Then the 6800gs next. (Heh, I'm not too far off on my price guess above, I impress myself :roll: )

If you were to spring for the cheap upgrade above, I'd definitely wait and see how M2 shakes out. Otherwise the upgrade you have specced is great for today. I never like to try and guess how good next year's product will be because by the time it comes out, there's another awesome upgrade right around the corner again, and I'll be waiting for that... If that was the case, I'd still be using my 486SX from 10+yrs ago and waiting for M2.

Mike.

 

[Synergy6]

First of all, thanks for the reply (Getting a teeny bit worried my post would slip off the first page without one).

I have considered simply a graphics card upgrade, but it does have some problems. Considering not only the exchange rate, but also the fact that PC products in general are more expensive over here, a 6800GT AGP card is £220-£320. I suppose most retailers think that either people will upgrade to PCI-E to get the better deals, or will be prepared to pay more for less performance. Oh, and add onto that the fact I'm in N Ireland, which adds £20-£30 onto any single order. (Very few decent PC shops here, or online sellers with warehouses here either.)

So, yes I could just upgrade the graphics, and maybe the hard drive and memory as well. But the point that occurs to me is, that would come to around £300-400 depending on which 6800GT I took. That's 2/3s of the price of the full upgrade, and leaves me with : a graphics card that is unlikely to be taken to my next system, parents still with 500MHz, nearly zilch upgradability vis a vis CPU etc, and lower power, especially considering the Opteron overclock. (My MB won't OC at all.)

I think the conclusion I'm reaching is that the best thing to do is : nothing As the title says I was never going to buy it pre-Xmas anyway, and perhaps in January the situation will be clearer. (Unlikely, but might as well hope.)

So, thanks again for any future advice (All other opinions/advice/ comments are still more than welcome, I like to be prepared)

 

[fishmahn]

a 6800GT AGP card is £220-£320

OUCH! 8O I knew things were more expensive, but that is ridiculous compared to the PCIe offerings... (but you knew that lol)

I agree - get a new system and part out the old to the parents.

Mike.