XFX GeForce 8200 vs ASUS m2n sli

[bashem]

I'm building a 500 $ or so gaming rig. There are 2 interesting kits each offering an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition, but one with a XFX Gforce 8200 Mb and the other with a ASUS m2n sli Mobo:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3939759&sku=P450-9120
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3584477&sku=A455-2812

About the ASUS one, I don't really intend on using Sli in future upgrades, but if i do will this board deliver? Also, 800 Mhz DDR2 only, no PCIe 2.0 support
And about the XFX one, it's microATX, should i be worried ? But it's 1066 Mhz and PCIe 2.0 compatible.


The Kits are here, fyi and thoughts about this deal. I thought about adding either a 8800 GT or an ATI 4850 (no good deals atm) and an extra 2 GB of RAM

Asus
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4171727&sku=A455-2812 L

XFX
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4171716

I get better deals on Newegg US but i'm in Canada, so those kits offer the best savings ... Also, i do want to be able to upgrade my comp for some time (i.e new GPU, CPU, extra and better RAM,).

Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks for your time

 

[chedrz]

Well...are you absolutely set on going with a barebones build? You could probably get those individual components (or some better) from a different retailer (or maybe even Tiger Direct) for cheaper.

As far as upgradability goes, PCIe 2.0 isn't going to have a huge effect, so that really won't matter. I'm not going to say there's no difference, but it's not a large one. Either one of those boards should be fine, you'll just have less expansion slots with the micro-ATX board.

Don't forget that you'll still need a CPU heatsink no matter which build you choose to go with. You'll also need a CD/DVD drive, hard drive, (and video card on the M2N-SLI build), and an operating system.

 

[MaoTheChimp]

IMO, I wouldn't get that motherboard, as the ability for it to upgrade is very limited.

I'm guessing that this rig is going to be running previous games at max settings and current/future games at medium/high settings. With this, I have a few opinions to offer.

1) If you want to be future friendly, you could invest in a 680i/750i motherboard. If you want, you could go all the way and buy a 790i board, but that would break your budget. A micro ATX board would be marginally cheaper, but I haven't had any experience on their reliability.

2) Don't listen to the "PCI express 2.0" stuff. PCIE 2.0 cards will work in a 1.0 slot, the same goes for the reverse. As chedrz said, the performance increase will be only marginally better.

3) I would STRONGLY suggest buying an Intel cpu. I'm almost certain that a Athlon x2 5400+ will not meet your requirements for gaming. My choice would be a Q6600, E8400, or E6850. (Note the E8400 has problems with the 680i board when the bios isn't updated)

4) Both the 8800gt and 4850 are good choices (Though I'm leaning towards the 8800gt because of personal preference ). If you want a good deal, Ebay is swarming with offers. Buy at your own risk though.

5) 2gb or ram is a good starter, you can always add more in future.

6) Again IMO it would be a good idea to spend a few more dollars and get a good looking case. You're going to be stuck with it for 2-3 years.

P.S. Don't skimp on the psu. 500 watts will be enough, but a good name brand (Antec, Rosewill etc.) could save you from some future problems.

P.P.S. Make sure you check for compatibility problems!!! You wouldn't want to get the parts only to find they have compatibility issues.

I'm not going to bother editing this, feel free to point out any errors. Sorry for the bluntness.

Good luck!

MaoTheChimp

 

[bashem]

Thanks, will check. And yeah barebones builts are not as interesting as i first thought. Can always check my ''Rate my cheap ass gaming rig'' thread to see where I'm at.

Thanks for info !

 

[MaoTheChimp]

No problem. Good luck when building your rig!

 

[civilianwilly]

8200 now has support for Phenom II cpu with bios release 1.4v
its an eighty dollar pwn no brainer

 

[batuchka]

Phenom 2 tricores can be unlocked to quads:
http://forums.vr-zone.com/news-around-the-web/396089-phenom-ii-x3-unlockable-x4-wtf-5.html

Suggested config:
$507.93
$18.76 shipping
$30 MIR
$496.69