My $1000 gaming rig (need a little help)

[Reslin]

Here is my most sincere attempt... With the idea of adding another identical video card down the road for SLI. The memory will be running in DDR400 and the HD's in RAID 0.




LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/ LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Wrtie Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827106019
$49.99

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811129155
$99.99

(2) Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148107
$116.00

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131517
$153.99

ASUS Geforce 6800GT EN6800GT/2DT/256MB Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814121192
$219.99

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231047
$145.99

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103539
$212.00


Total: $997.95


My old system:
AMD Athlon 2700+
ABIT AN7 mobo
40 GB Seagate ATA 100 HD
ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB Video Card
1.5GB PC333 DDR RAM
Case w/Antec 400w PSU
Sony 48x CD-RW/DVD Drive

My new possible system:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe mobo
(2) Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATA 3.0 HDs in RAID 0
ASUS Geforce 6800GT 256MB Video Card
2GB G. Skill 2.5 CLAS PC400 DDR RAM
Shiny ANTEC case w/ 450w PSU
LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/ LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write

Same Keyboard, monitor, mouse, printer, etc. as before, and same SB Audigy card.

 

[Reslin]

Thanks for the advice, I don't think I can afford the jump up in price to a 7900gt though.

 

[doomturkey]

That mobo is bad. I hear lots of bad things about it.
Also, go for the 6800GS instead, the GS costs less and performs about the same as the 6800GT.
I would recommend getting a 3200+ or 3500+, and upgrade the video card to something like a 7900GT.

Did you see what prozac had to say? What he basically said was downgrade your CPU and upgrade your video card. If you have to save just like a few more dollars to get a 7900GT then do it because that would be worthwhile. A 3200+ would do you just fine.

BTW, do you really need to get the lightscribe DVD drive? Because you might as well drop that and put your CD-RW/DVD Drive into the new computer. If all you do is game that should be just fine.

 

[Reslin]

First, I need to be a little more clear on it's use. It is for gaming, but also for AutoCAD, research, and webpage creation. It needs some punch when I really get into CADing, and should be able to handle current gen games with ease. Sorry for not being more clear earlier.

The problem is I would have to be able to save $150 off the price of the CPU to get below the EXTREME hardcap of $1000. The best I could do is an athlon64 3000+ at $135, saving me $77. I also would be upgrading to 2 identical video cards later on, costing me $150 more for that.

I plan on selling my old rig, so the CD-RW/DVD drive is going to have to with it. The lightscribe issue is just a bonus, as I would want the DVD-RAM feature as well.

 

[Cortez]

Good taste but i would use a DFI mob that ones bad news sounds like an awsome rig!

 

[WJC]

I would suggest forgetting about your future plans for SLI and get a good single card now, like a 7900GT. It will be a much better rig than your suggested dual 6800 SLI setup.

SLI is not for mid range cards and people on a thight buget.

 

[p8ntslinger676]

Is that board really that bad cus my friend just bought one for a rig he is building, i got a ABIT AN8-SLi and it overclocks great but has some tendencies to have problems at times.

 

[Reslin]

So newegg is all sold out of 7900GTs. Is this due to popularity or their recent release? Any suggestions on which manufacturer/model to look for?

 

[mdd1963]

Agree with other posters...

Knock the processor down to a 3500+ if necessary, skip the RAID "0" at the massive user cost of 2-3 seconds longer loading gamelevels, and find a 200-250GB/7200 rpm/16 meg cache drive on sale at CompUSA for $59, and put the extra money towards a 7900GT...

You might discover that even a year from now you still don't feel you need another 7900GT for SLI....

 

[clue69less]

That mobo is bad. I hear lots of bad things about it.

I'd like to know how representative the reports you hear are. I bought the A8N32SLI based on a wide variety of reviews from many hardware sites. It's only a couple of months old but so far so good. Or does my board have a better rep than the A8NSLI Deluxe? On the bad side, do Asus boards arrive DOA or do they die in use or what? I've read bad reviews on pretty much all mobos out there but on average, Asus gets very good reviews.

 

[Reslin]

So it looks like most 7900GTs don't ship until later in the week. Thanks for the advice. Reworking the system now. Is an Antec 450w PSU enough to push a dual core and a 7900GT?

 

[handym3000]

get rid of that asus board too many problems i have heard of. look at the dfi boards. they are about the same cost.

look at ati for a graphics card. the x800 series do very well.

get a dvd rw drive skip the light scribe the discs cost more in the longrun

drop the g skill ram and switch to ocz or corsair.

keep the 3700 that chip will last longer in the long run for you it has 1mb of l2 cache. you will notice the difference without it