Build me a high-end PC

Fila

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Heya guys. For the past two years i have stopped following the hardware market so right now i am a bit confused. I ran into money lately and i want to build a brand new spanking high end gaming computer :D (notice all those "nasty" words, hehe).

I was thinking of going with the P4 Extreme Edition but i now saw that the Athlon 64 FX 57 or Athlon 64 X2 4800 does better in games so i think i will go with that one :)

So from what i know i was thinking of going with:

1. Athlon 64 FX 57 or Athlon 64 X2 4800
2. Geforce 7900 GTX (Asus EN7900GTX/2DHT)
3. Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4


Now my problem is the motherboard. I want a good reliable motherboard that also has 2 IDE slots because i have 2x200 GB HDD with alot of crap on them that i don't want to lose.
Also it would be very nice if the mobo has incorporated LAN on it.
I also want a new case for my PC because the one i have is just too small and i can barely move components in it. I don't want one of them big towers neither but somewhat a happy medium ;)

As for memory i don't know with what to go :(. I currently have 1Gb of DDR 400mhz. Should i go with a higher frequency or should i stick with 400mhz?


Note: I appreciate it if you guys give me examples of stuff to buy from companies that sell in Europe. I for one like Asus and have plenty of nice experience with Asus but i searched their site and couldn't find a motherboard that fits my "needs".


Questions:
-Should i go with an all PCIe motherboard or should i also have some PCI slots?
-Should my soundcard be on PCIe or PCI ?
-Right now i have a 550watt power source, do i need a more powerful one?
 

unreal_nl

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Feb 6, 2006
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Questions:
-Should i go with an all PCIe motherboard or should i also have some PCI slots?

Both... most boards only have 2 or less some have 4. Pci is still used for most other add-on cards :)
-Should my soundcard be on PCIe or PCI ?
PCI
-Right now i have a 550watt power source, do i need a more powerful one?

Depends if you want sli... And if your power supply isnt SLI comp. Than you should buy a new one...
 

Hale73

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Feb 14, 2006
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well, if your an overclocker, low latency memory timings is the one for you or how about corsairs running in DDR500 (when RAM frequency raises, latency timings grows up too which is very irritating specially on DDR2 modules DDR has a CL2 while a DDR has a CL4 and CL3 is the lowest)

BTW, what is the brand and timings of ur DDR400 RAM?
 

MrsD

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Theres no way anybody can recommend a high end system without knowing your budget dude. A high end pc could be anywhere from $1500 to $10,000 depending on what your planning on doing with it.
 

clue69less

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DDR2 has arrived ...

new OCZ PC2-8000 "XTC" 2 GB kit:
http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2732

Yea, I read that last night. Another little step up a very large staircase, but any step up is welcome. OCZ thrown first and I'm sure others will soon follow.
 

Fila

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The money is around 2000-2500 Euros.... so that's somewhat more in dollars.

No, i won't do SLI as of yet.

Ain't an overclocker.

HDD will be upgraded in due time. I first want to upgrade everything else besides dvd-rom and hdd.
 

Fila

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maybe this can do

A DFI DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 Venus SLI :D :D :D
it might be expensive but according to ur topic, "a high end PC"
here's a review http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=3380

Does that sell in Europe?
 

Fila

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BTW, what is the brand and timings of ur DDR400 RAM?

Can't remember anymore. They are so old i forgot :(
Haven't made an hardware upgrade for the past 3 years except dvd-rom and hdd.
 

Hale73

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Fila

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Ok so what about this system?


CPU: Athlon 64 FX 57
Mobo:A DFI DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 Venus SLI
Graphics: Asus EN7900GTX/2DHT
Sound: Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty
Memory: 2 GB of... DDR 400?
Case: Thermaltake ArmorJr (silver)
CPU Cooler: Do i need a separate cooler or does the cpu come with one?


I don't really want to go for overclocking.
 

uber_g

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maybe this can do

A DFI DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 Venus SLI :D :D :D
it might be expensive but according to ur topic, "a high end PC"
here's a review http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=3380


that is one Sexy board

to bad its yellow =0
 

Fila

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Is this card, Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty, good for gaming? I always used Audigy because they were cheaper but by what the creative site says i should go with this?



Cooler: Is this one good enough for the CPU, Thermaltake Blue Orb II? (for the time beeing i don't want to overclock anything).
 

Hale73

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Question:
Is this card, Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty, good for gaming? I always used Audigy because they were cheaper but by what the creative site says i should go with this?

My opinion:
Overkill, a Soundblaster Audigiy 2 ZS can do but if u want the X-Fi line-up, get the Xtreme Music instead and u'll save more than 100 bucks
 

Fila

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Question:
Is this card, Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty, good for gaming? I always used Audigy because they were cheaper but by what the creative site says i should go with this?

My opinion:
Overkill, a Soundblaster Audigiy 2 ZS can do but if u want the X-Fi line-up, get the Xtreme Music instead and u'll save more than 100 bucks

I have Audigy 2 but there is something wrong with my sound in the games and drivers don't fix it.

Was thinking of going for either Audigy 4 or the X-Fi.
 

BaronMatrix

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The money is around 2000-2500 Euros.... so that's somewhat more in dollars.

No, i won't do SLI as of yet.

Ain't an overclocker.

HDD will be upgraded in due time. I first want to upgrade everything else besides dvd-rom and hdd.



CPU - Opteron 175 or X2 4800
MB - MSI K8N or DFI LanParty
RAM 2GB DDR
GeForce 7900 GTX
Antec P180

Thsi is less than $2000, but check out newegg.com
 

mjdranzer

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if i were you i would definitly go with an AMD processor. The athlon FX and X2 series are great for gaming but if you want extreme performance go with the Opteron. the opteron is the best processor around.a single-core opteron with a dual processor motherboard will be gr8t for a gaming system. make sure you get SLI or crossfire so you can add another graphics card in the future. Get a Geforce 7900GT/X card for best performance with the opteron
 

Fila

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Really, Opteron is better in gaming?

Well... guess i have to "redo" my list.



Btw, are there any tests of Opteron 175 against FX 57? I cannot find any benchmarks so that i can check it for myself ;)
 

Fila

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Does anyone have any head-to-head benchmarks between Opteron and Fx 57? Would really appreciate it.


I went ahead and ordered the motherboard (DFI Lanparty Venus one), the graphics card (Asus 7900gtx), the cooler (thermaltake blue orb II) and 2GB of DDR400 Corsair XMS Pro (or how it's called).


Haven't decided yet on the case, soundcard and CPU.

Although for the soundcard i might go with the Fatal1ty, i understood it's overkill but since i can afford it right now i don't see why i shouldn't go with it.
 

Dr_asik

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By all means, stay away from the Athlon FX. It is way too expensive for its performance. Yes, it is a bit more powerful than the X2, but not enough for its price. If you really HAVE to spend that money, invest it in better speakers.
Even the X2 doesn't really make the difference for the money. Right now, the regular Athlon 64 is really the best price/performance wise... but if you want to spend hundreds on +1-5fps in games, its your choice.

It is probable that if you really want to spend a ludicrous amount of money on "having the best processor that exists", the Opteron is a better choice than the FX.

You should also consider switching to a Radeon X1900XT (not XTX) instead of the 7900GTX. The almost non-existent boost in performance you might sometimes get with the 7900GTX will never justify its absurd price. Also, the X1900XT supports simultaneous HDR and AA, while the 7900GTX doesn't.
 

yourmothersanastronaut

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I'm not an nVidia fanboy by any means (they're just my preferred GPU at the moment), but I fail to see the point of having both HDR and AA enabled at the same time. AA really only has an effect on visuals at low resolutions, and if you have a decent card I highly doubt that you would run apps at a low resolution. Plus, the 7900GT is much cheaper than the equivalent 7900 GTX and the equivalent Radeon(s), and it overclocks much better.

Besides, who has time to enjoy both HDR and AA at the same time while on the run from an assault rifle or rocket launcher?

PS: The HDR/AA problem could be fixed by a driver or BIOS update, theoretically.

For the high-end price to performance ratio race, the 7900 GT is damn near impossible to beat.