BUILDING A SWEET GAMING PC

[FishingforAMD]

Hello. First of all, don't be shy or affraid to post in this thread. Anyways,
I currently have a computer running an AMD Athlon XP 3000+ with a eVGA e-geforce 6200. I really need a new rig. The computer
needs to last a good amount of time, from about now until the year 2010.
Anyways, I am clueless, should i go with intel or amd? What hardware
do you recommend? I want to be able to play all games on max settings.
I wanna be able to play games such as Bf2, Doom3, and Call of Duty 2.
I unfortunally only have a budget of $1000 for the box. Yes, $1000 not what it says under this line.
(My real budget is about $1400, but that is for the monitor and other stuff)
So I would really appreciate the help. Thanks for taking the time to possibly help me out.

 

[PJ101]

Here ya go... this will tackle anything (almost)

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $122.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

AMD Opteron 165 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail $325.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail $179.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145491

Graphics.. so many choices... I'd say a 7900GT like this (I'm a Nvidia fanboy)
BFG Tech Geforce 7900GT BFGR79256GTOCE Video Card - Retail $329.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143048
These cards are flying off the market...

Here is a 74gb hard drive.. if you need more get another cheaper drive...
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM 160.00
($130.00 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160

Thats 1115.99 and 30 dollars less with the rebate, you could always get cheaper ram to reach your price goal. Another idea would be a 7200 rpm drive but raptors are the best. The processor and the motherboard are a must.. along with the graphics card i'd say.

 

[Akifuddin]

I agree with the guy above, especially if you go to LAN parties but I personally don't tell people to use Opterons for gaming unless you plan on doing at least a little overclocking (2.2GHz+) and he missed out some parts so I'll do them for you.

Asus DVD-ROM (2M Cache, 16X DVD Read speed, 48X CD Read speed)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135049

SONY Floppy drive (Only 10 bucks and averages 5 stars out of 265 voters)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103116

Antec Solution Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129152

Antec TruePowerII 550W Power supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931

Lemme get you a monitor too since you plan on buying one.

ViewSonic 19" 8ms LCD Monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116363

Lite-On Black Wired Keyboard (This keyboard can handle more than 4 keystrokes at a time unlike some keyboards so this is the key to ultimate gaming, at a cheap price too!)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823107119

Logitech G5 Laser mouse (Excellent for gaming)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104191

Logitech Extreme PC Gaming Headset

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106931

All this + what PJ101 recommended + a little bit of overclocking will be really good but I think the memory he recommended is good but I found some memory that is just about the same but more people bought it and it got 5 stars average out of 97 people so I think it might be a better idea.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145486

This should be about $1500+. I didn't calculate though. The monitor is amazing and all other parts are very good. The 7900GT is a very good choice. You also made a very good choice by not waiting for AM2. Good luck and remember to download latest drivers. And yes I think you should get that 74GB 10,000 RPM Raptor because 10,000RPM helps you amazingly with games. (Map loading times, Game loading times and map editing) I think you should get Windows XP Professional (32-bit) and upgrade to Vista later when it has less bugs and actually comes out. Very good system in every aspect. It has no weaknesses except 74GB of space. But you can easily upgrade that (when you have money) by getting a second 74GB or a 150GB 10,000RPM Raptor. But anyways it doesn't matter because you're a gamer and not a torrenter. It's not like you're going to download like 20 games or something. Get a fast internet connection too and if you can, sell your old PC to someone for more money to spend on parts (X1900XT 512MB or 150GB 10,000 RPM Raptor or a higher dual-core processor or FX-60 :lol: )

 

[someguyy]

i have better idea. get a somewhat inexpensive single core (amd 3500 or 3700) some good ram and OC that a bit. when that starts to get old (by then 939 dual core will be chea) you can get a kickass X2 for very little.

but if you have to do something i would just get an x2 or opty and build now.

 

[FishingforAMD]

There is a small problem.

I don't have a copy of windows so that is an extra 100.


AMD Opteron 165

Since I know the Opteron 165 is a great overclocker, I may consider
overclocking, but will this work on stock settings? I'd perfer not
to overclock.

 

[FishingforAMD]

Also, could we try to bring some of the hardware down so the budget total with a monitor is around $1300. I don't need a keyboard, mouse, or gaming headsets right now. I already got a keyboard and mouse.

 

[mdd1963]

"Since I know the Opteron 165 is a great overclocker, I may consider
overclocking, but will this work on stock settings? I'd perfer not
to overclock.
"

An X2-4200+ dual core (basically two 3500+ processors, 2.2G, 512k cache) is now only $357, much more affordable than 5-6 months ago...

I'd opt for it over an X2-3800+ or 165, as even if the 4200+ will not OC at all, a single 3500+ games quite nicely...(the 2nd core will be useful if multitasking, or in games patched for SMP use...)

 

[mdd1963]

"He can save some money by getting a good 7200RPM hardd rive.
"

Say, for instance, a 250 gb/7200rpm/16 m cache for $59 at CompUSA?


(These sale prices are typical there every otehr month or so!)

 

[mdd1963]

One alternative that would allow you to wait about 5-6 months on such a major upgrade, would be to ditch the 6200, and find a 6600GT ($140-ish!)or X850XT...

(Yes, an XP3000+ is a bit slower than even an a64/2800+, much less a 3500+ or X2/4200+, but the strategy of waiting 5 months would then allow you to evaluate the new AM2 and Conroe cpus and compatible chipsets..; a 6600GT would be a nice boost in performance over a 6200!)

 

[Akifuddin]

Here, lemme get you a cheaper system but remember to upgrade to a dual-core processor later!

CPU: AMD Athlon64 3200+ ($154.00)
Motherboard: ASUS A8N-E ($92.99)
Video card: Sapphire X850XT ($179.00)
Power supply: Thermaltake 430W power supply ($39.99)
Case: Antec Sonata case (Around $50.00)

And everything else I told you in my previous post. Everything I told you in this post totals to about $515 so you have $800 to spend on other stuff.

 

[Chil]

I assume the following:

1.) You want to play current games well
2.) You want to spend $900 for the box, as you dont have windows
3.) You will expect shipping as an extra charge (I did not build it in)
4.) You don't really expect this thing to last until 2010
5.) You prefer to not overclock anything

Anyway, here are my suggestions. Everyone else has been giving bits and pieces, this is the full box.

Mobo: ASUS A8N5X - $81
CPU: AMD A64 3200+ - $154
Memory: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) - $66
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 160GB - $75(Weekend sale, probably around $85 normally)
Video Card: XFX GeForce 7900 GT - $315
Optic Drive: NEC DVD Burner - $39
Power Supply: Antec TRUEPOWERII 550W - $90
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 - $50

Total - $880

Recommended upgrades because honestly your budget is too low for your "monster rig" needs:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ - $295
Memory: OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) - $155 (after $40 mail-in rebate)

Switching these in gives you a way better performer for a new total of: $1110

However I must note that the X2 CPU is not necessary if all you want to do is play games. Heck, you could take out the DVD burner and just put in a DVD-ROM drive and save a few bucks there too.

 

[DDay629]

Is a 550 W PSU really needed for this? Also, will this really be able to play games such as FEAR, CoD2, and BF2 at highest settings?


DDay

 

[DDay629]

Is a 550 W PSU really needed for this? Also, will this really be able to play games such as FEAR, CoD2, and BF2 at highest settings?


DDay

 

[Chil]

The PSU is not necessary, but the difference in price compared to lower (450-500W) PSU's is about $5-10. Better to keep it safe, as new video cards demand big power supplies.

With a 3200+, that build probably couldn't run FEAR at max settings, only high. With OC'ing, however, many things are possible. Aftermarket HSF's can also become a factor.