The $800 gaming rig! How does it look?

[impboy]

I've only got about $700 to spend but I can't seem to get this combination under $800 so here goes. All prices are from Newegg.com with shipping included.

I only play one game - Dark Age of Camelot and I'm not really worried about going SLI or Crossfire.

CPU - AMD 3800+ x2 Manchester - $162
Mobo - ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 - $83
Memory - Corsair 2 x 512 DDR 400 (PC 3200) - $123
GPU - Geforce 7900 GT 256mb - $239
HD - WD Caviar 160GB, 16mb cache - $70
Case - Rosewill R 5601-BK with 2 120mm fans - $67
Power supply - Thermaltake Pure Power 2.0 500watt - $0 - I already have this in my old dinosaur.

Total cost: $744 - with tax around $800

So how does it look?
What would you change?
Can I find these items cheaper bsides Ebay? I'm not adverse to using Ebay but I'd like to know my options before I spend the money.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[laxman04]

Looks good, but you could go AM2 for about the same price. Then you could upgrade in the future without having to change your motherboard.

Motherboard-MSI K9N NEO-F 76.99
Processor-AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 153.99
Memory-Crucial Ballistix 1GB (2 512Mb) DDR2 667 cas latency 3 109.99

 

[chocobocorey]

wha... a 3800 X2 for $162 when you u can get an e6300 for $183?? gotta switch that out. RAM prices have skyrocketed.. that sucks that 1gb is $123 now. used to be $80 or less. well actually you cant really afford to make any changes with that budget. 939 sure is gonna feel old soon though

 

[mjam]

Do you already have an O/S? If not, better add another $90 for that.

What about optical drive(s) and cables?

If it were me, I'd go with an X1900XT. They run cheaper than the 7900GT, and they're a bit better at the benchmarks. I would also consider a cheaper case; perhaps with the savings from the video card also you could swing a 2 gig of RAM (2 X 1GB).

As for where to shop, you can often save a dollar or two here or there (especially if you do the rebate thing), but for overall pricing and service, it's hard to beat NewEgg,

Just my couple of cents worth...

 

[impboy]

I already have the O/S and optical drives so no added expense there. I agree with changing to AM2 socket. It will certainly be an easier upgrade later on. Thanks for the mobo suggestions. I'll look into the X1900XT.

Regarding the e6300 vs. the 3800+ x2...
I tried and tried to fit that in but I couldn't find a good way to do it and keep the cost down. If anyone knows how to do it, I'd much rather be running Conroe. The benchmarks are WAY better!

 

[mjam]

I don't know if the same applies to AM2, but 3800 X2 overclocks well in 939--it'll help make up some of the difference. Overwise, properly setup AM2's are a bit faster anyway.

 

[kais]

in my opinion i wouldnt do that, first of all, id go with an intel at THIS time for performance and price, an e 6300 would be great.id go for an x1900xt also as someone stated earlier, but i think youd should save up and change all of your build. heres what i would do for that budget, this is almost similar to what i have.
Asus P5B-V
C2D E6300
G Skill 2GBHZ
the rest you can figure out yourself, such as hd, case, and psu.
the reason i have no video card listed is because the x3000 sould be able to hold you over until r600 or g80 or anything good comes out for vista. so for thetime being if you really are desperate about gaming then go ahead and get a 7600gt to hold you over.

 

[chocobocorey]

heres some stuff that would be good for the intel build
Crucial Technology Ballistix 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT6464AA663 - Retail 109.99

BIOSTAR 945P-A7A (8.0) Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: 945P-A7A(8.0) 79.99

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail 99.99 plus free shipping

and the cpu @ $183. thats 472.97, then add the hdd

 

[aequalsb]

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail 99.99 plus free shipping

Outpost.com has that case for 79.00 right now.

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4470276

Check it out. It is a pretty quiet case. Got one myself on Sunday morning.

 

[chocobocorey]

okay, with that sonata off of outpost that saves $20. and a 160 GB hdd is only gonna run 54.99 - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD1600JS

that brings your total to $517.50 including shipping (theres no taxes charged on the egg either). so that gives you almost $200 to mess with the graphics card. x1800GTO, x1900GT, or 7900GS will be in that range. and that does it-- the intel rig thats good for $700.

 

[4745454b]

Don't get the 7900GT for $240, the x1900xt 256MB version is more powerful, and is the same price. If you go AM2, make sure your ram is DDR-800 CL4, or else it will be slower then a S939 system. $800 is tough to get C2D on, but I'd try to do it.

 

[swifty_morgan]

Get a faster processor.

 

[Milbo183]

Yeah,that looks real nice. I found this 2 GB RAM-kit on newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227118

It adds up to about 800$ in total...

 

[quantumsheep]

Here is a core 2 setup that may work for you. $700 core 2. After shipping it comes out to like $702 or something.

Now that there is a fantastic deal, you could even up the graphics card to a x1900xt for not much more or get another Gig of RAM.

 

[impboy]

Thanks to all who have posted suggestions.

I'm seeing suggestions of changing the GeForce 7900 GT to a lower card like the 7600 GT or the ATI X1900XT. Everything I'm seeing on the benchmarks shows that the 7900GT is just a better card. Am I reading this wrong? Are those other cards being suggested because they cost less and will still the job until DX10 comes out?

Dark Age of Camelot (the only game I play) is a single threaded game. I do run 2 accounts off the same computer. Will the dual core of a Conroe really help me that much more than say the AMD 3800+ x2?

Thanks again for helping out the gimpy old man!

 

[quantumsheep]

Thanks to all who have posted suggestions.

I'm seeing suggestions of changing the GeForce 7900 GT to a lower card like the 7600 GT or the ATI X1900XT. Everything I'm seeing on the benchmarks shows that the 7900GT is just a better card. Am I reading this wrong? Are those other cards being suggested because they cost less and will still the job until DX10 comes out?

Dark Age of Camelot (the only game I play) is a single threaded game. I do run 2 accounts off the same computer. Will the dual core of a Conroe really help me that much more than say the AMD 3800+ x2?

Thanks again for helping out the gimpy old man!

The Conroe E6300 is a LOT better than the x2 3800+, and if you read Wusy's quite frankly brilliant overclocking guide for it you can get a lot more performance out of it!

 

[4745454b]

Everything I'm seeing on the benchmarks shows that the 7900GT is just a better card. Am I reading this wrong?

What benchmark do you have that shows a 7900GT outperforming a x1900xt?

 

[zeekle]

the thing is with that 3800X2 is that I believe it will start to bottleneck your video card the next upgrade you do.

C2D is great but most of the motherboards are a lot more than the AMD ones (right now) I havent done enough research on the value intel boards right now to make a recommendation there.

If you can squeeze some more bucks go with bit beefier CPU.

 

[impboy]

Ok I must be getting old because I looked back over all the benchmarks for the 2 vid cards and the X1900XT beat the 7900 GT all the time.

My bad! :tongue:

 

[quantumsheep]

Ok I must be getting old because I looked back over all the benchmarks for the 2 vid cards and the X1900XT beat the 7900 GT all the time.

My bad! :tongue:

Hehe, we all make mistakes sometimes!

So far it looks like the best parts for your system are a x1900xt and a Conroe E6300, with whatever mobo/ram you want.

 

[purdueguy]

Why are you buying out dated technology? If you are going to go AMD, then at least go AM2 as your system won't be as upgradable. If you already had DDR400 Ram, then I could understand. But since you are buying it then there is no reason not to go AM2 as the cost will be the same.

Personally, I'd be going C2D. CPU: E6300 - $183 Motherboard: ECS NForce 570 - $78 after MIR

Memory: CAS Latency 3. Enough said. Crucial Ballistix - $115 after MIR

Video Card: Same price as 7900GT but oh so much better. Benchmarks Sapphire X1900XT - $245

Add your case and power supply for a total of $758.

Only 14 bucks more than the system you put together but at the same time, much more "future proof" as you could always get an E6700 in the future when it eventually becomes a low-end chip and will be relatively cheap to buy.

 

[bliq]

What about saving money with the good ole X1800XT?

 

[4745454b]

Hasn't been on newegg, except the more expensive 512MB versions. Lowest price I've ever seen them for is $200. I'd gladly pay the extra $40 to get the power of the x1900xt.

 

[bliq]

There was a 256MB X1800XT for $191 on newegg about the time I posted earlier.

 

[Dr_asik]

Yup, right now you can find a couple open box X1800XTs on Newegg for less than 200$, which are still better than 7900GTs. This would allow you to stay at about 700$. Alternatively, switch to an Athlon 64 instead of X2s (X2 are sometimes barely faster - big deal), and keep the X1900XT. This would be my favored solution. Aim for a 3500+ or 3700+.

Getting a Conroe would be really cool but now we're looking at 800$ somewhere.

It all depends how much you're willing to invest. If it's 700$, then it's 700$!