XNA capable build? help a noob

[NeverlessWonder]

I'm a first time builder, and I've done a lot of research this past week, but I'm still not sure how good my build will be. I am looking for an $800 budget build, capable of running XNA, (a game development software with requirements identical to Visual Studio 2005) and also something I can upgrade later to run Vista and Direct X10. Ok, here's my build:

Asus A8N32 SLI deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
eVGA e-GeForce 7900 GT CO superclocked
Corsair XMS 3500LL Pro Ready (recommended w/ MB, but I can't find it anywhere else...???)
Seagate 320 GB 16 MB cache drive

Soundcard doesn't really matter so I'll just get the cheapest I find, and my friend has a case for me to build on. Only thing I still need is a PSU.
So any comments/suggestions? All this might be a little over budget now, but I plan on doing this 2-3 months from now.

 

[alcattle]

There nothing wrong with the Processor, but the motherboard has a 939 socket and the RAM is DDR.

Same line but up to date parts:
Asus M2N-E
AMD 64 x2 3800+
Corsair XMS2 2GB kit

 

[g-paw]

There nothing wrong with the Processor, but the motherboard has a 939 socket and the RAM is DDR.

Same line but up to date parts:
Asus M2N-E
AMD 64 x2 3800+
Corsair XMS2 2GB kit

Agree with getting the AM 2 rather than 939. You can use the onboard audio so there is no reason for getting a sound card. As for the PSU, I like Antec. If you can afford it I'd get a 500W but no less than 450W

 

[NeverlessWonder]

Weird. The site I saw the motherboard on recommended using that memory.

http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=744&l1=3&l2=15&l3=226

But still, thanks alot! I'll go look at those parts now.

 

[Sagekilla]

They "recommended" it, but it's not necessarily the best choice. I remember when I first came across that mobo when I was building my machine, the memory cost an exorbitant amount of money. You'd be better off getting a decent pair of DDR-400 memory rather then that 3500LL Pro memory. It would most likely offer identical performance doing XNA development work.

But as the others said, I wouldn't go for a S939 motherboard + processor, you're better off getting an AM2 or going with Intel since the upgrade path for 939 is dead at this point.

 

[alcattle]

Part of the problem with web sites is they are so hard to tell when they were news and when they are history. Those parts are old, even though they were meant for each other and in their time were the hottest setup around. You can do better now with cheaper parts, and you won't buy obsolete parts.

 

[predaking]

Notes

* Windows XP requires Service Pack 2
* XNA Game Studio Express is supported for all user languages that are available on these operating systems.
* Administrative privilege is not required to run XNA Game Studio Express. However, administrative privilege, or administrative elevation on Windows Vista, is required in order to install XNA Game Studio Express.
* The 64-bit versions of these operating systems are not supported.
* The Setup program for XNA Game Studio Express will complete on Windows 2003 Server. However, Windows 2003 Server is not a supported operating system.

Hardware Requirements

XNA Game Studio Express requires a graphics card that support DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 2.0. Other hardware requirements for XNA Game Studio Express are identical to those for Visual Studio 2005. For more information, see the Visual Studio documentation.

VS2005 PE requires
600mhz proc
(windows, they list 8 different versions)
192+ ram
2gig hdd space
dvd or cdrom
1024x768 with 256 colors
keyboard and a MICROSOFT mouse



*edit* yes it is a legit personal copy

 

[Newf]

I'm a first time builder, and I've done a lot of research this past week, but I'm still not sure how good my build will be. I am looking for an $800 budget build, capable of running XNA, (a game development software with requirements identical to Visual Studio 2005) and also something I can upgrade later to run Vista and Direct X10. Ok, here's my build:

Asus A8N32 SLI deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
eVGA e-GeForce 7900 GT CO superclocked
Corsair XMS 3500LL Pro Ready (recommended w/ MB, but I can't find it anywhere else...???)
Seagate 320 GB 16 MB cache drive

Soundcard doesn't really matter so I'll just get the cheapest I find, and my friend has a case for me to build on. Only thing I still need is a PSU.
So any comments/suggestions? All this might be a little over budget now, but I plan on doing this 2-3 months from now.

Given your budget, consider these:

Conroe E6300 1.86GHz 2MB Boxed $183+0 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 LGA775 965 Conroe $123+6 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012

Corsair XMS2 2x512 DDR2-800 5-5-5-15 1.9v $107+0 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145566

EVGA 256-P2N624-AR 7900GS 256 $155-15+6 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130056

Seagate 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB $90+0 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

Pick one, all will work just fine:

FSP AX450-PN 450watt 12v:2x18a PSU 20+4pin $51+8 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954

Antec TruePowerTrio TP3-550 PSU Active $100+8 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817371002

Seasonic S12-500 PSU Active 12v:17+16a 20+4pin $125+8 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151024

 

[Newf]

If you have no plans to overclock, then this will double your memory:

Kingston value DDR2 2G 533 1.8v CL4 KVR533D2N4K2/2G $131+5 3/18/07
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820144157

 

[NeverlessWonder]

I'll check it out. Thanks. Any reason you think Intel would be better? I've heard that for the price range AMD is a little better. Handles graphics better or something like that, so I thought since I need this pc mostly for XNA, it'd be good to get a proc that handles games well. But I dunno, it seems like it'd be good either way, with Intel being better at handling different things at once. Might be important in a program where I'll be writing code and editing animation. Hmmmm.. :?

 

[Newf]

Nope.
The minute you have enough cash for a Conroe, that's the way to go.
If you don't, then AMD will be a better choice than Pentium D or its netburst ilk. Only if I knew I would upgrade later to a Conroe would I even consider something like a Pentium D820 just to get by.
That leaves AMD for the really budget conscious. In a way it's too bad that socket 939 has gone away, since socket AM2 procs require DDR2 memory.
Socket 939 provided a handy upgrade path for those who had lots of DDR400 ram leftover from an older system.
If you really like AMD, check out the new 65nm 3600+ at $85. They usually have a mobo combo of some sort with this proc (today is an ECS board) at Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103036

 

[dmacfour]

I have a similar to that. It will run anything thats currently out fine. Just don't buy overclocked video cards. they seem to have quality issues.

 

[Newf]

I agree, but everything in moderation tends to be OK...

Stock clock for a 7900GS is 450 GPU, 1320 memory.
Looking at the list of cards at Newegg, 5 are at stock. The others:
475 1400
480 1400
500 1380 (EVGA)
500 1400 (2)
525 1320
525 1440
525 1550
550 1400
560 1400
590 1440
600 1600

The EVGA overclock looks pretty mild. I wouldn't worry about it.
The reviews say the fan is kinda loud though. Many may not care about that but I would...