Budget system

[yumi_cheeseman]

I want to upgrade to a new system but I am on a tight budget.

what I need is a new Mobo, new CPU and new GPU.

I want the cheapest system which uses PCI-e slot, and DDR2, as well as either AM2 or the newest intel socket (although I heard that AM2 has better budget CPU's)

also I have to have an nvidia GPU since my local store does not sell radeon.

I want to be able to run Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, and Neverwinter nights 2.

 

[shabodah]

How tight is tight? What DDR2 will you be using. Playing those two games are the only real requirements?

 

[sandmanwn]

can we get some specs on the current system?
and we need some budget constraints here.

 

[unsmart]

What is the budget?
DO you plan on OCing?
Would you like the option of crossfirer?
You can get a AM2 3800+ for under $100 or $150 if you want The x2 but most games gain little from dualcore. The cheapest Core2 is around $200 plus the motherboards[ 975 or 965 chipset] are $150 for anything that has a good review. A good[ NF4 or ATI3200] AM2 mobo is only $100 for a good OCer it's a little more. For graphics the x1950pro is a nice card for $200 with a built in CF bridge. The only down side is it's very limited Ocing. A 1gb set of DDR2800 is $120 for a trusted name like OCZ for there highend lines your talking $150. 2gb is nice but for over $200 not needed. I would say$500-$600 will make a nice system.
Are you sure your power supply can handle a new system? Ati calls for 30amps on the 12v rail and most new mobos use 24pin main connector with some needing a -5v rail.

 

[yumi_cheeseman]

Currently, I have a 1.8 Ghz P4, and GeForce 4 MX440 GPU

I'm gonna use it for those 2 games, and also for internet access word documents etc.

No overclocking

No option of crossfire

as I said I need an Nvidia card, perhaps the 7300GT?

I'm looking to get the components for under 400 bucks, and basically as cheap as possible while still able to run these games.

 

[sandmanwn]

you said that your sticking to the local stores for your graphics card. Is this also a constraint for the rest of the build?

 

[shabodah]

Still looking for DDR2 RAM specs.....

 

[unsmart]

Sorry, I got switched on the cards :? .
Can you order on line? The prices are better and you get a lot more to chose from. Newegg has the 7600gs and x1650pro for $100 but if outside the U.S your out of luck. I price every thing off newegg they have the best price most of the time. You can also get some good deals on Ebay if you don't mind taking the risk.
From your specs now It looks like you will need a new PSU. You should check the PSU sticky http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/PSU-101-ftopict198276.html

 

[sandmanwn]

using newegg i am coming up with this for a single core option
Athlon AM2 + Nvidia 570 Ultra discount
EVGA 7600 GT
Geil (512MBx2) for 1 GB Ram

406 with single core Athlon 64 3500+
after $20 mail-in rebate on EVGA card this goes to 386

443 with dual core Athlon X2 3800+
after $20 mail-in rebate on EVGA card this goes to 423

 

[RyanMicah]

You can get the FX-55 for a mere $129 on NewEgg, socket 939. Also, why stick with your "local store" when prices online are likely to be better?

Don't shoot yourself in the foot by buying a system you can't upgrade. It won't be long before there's some other game you'll want to play. Go by the deal, rather than by the system specs. For slightly more than what you could buy a 3500+ CPU for, you could get an E6300.

If you're looking for the cheapest DDR2 ram, I'd go with at least DDR2 533. DDR2-400 just isn't worth it.

For what you seem to be after, you could probably get DDR1 with a Pentium D for a lot cheaper.

 

[smokedyou911]

a 7300 is no good im almost better of sticking with my geforce 3 then having to buy a new mobo,ram, cpu and power source just to use a 7300.

 

[dlmacline]

Sempron or Celeron - AM2 or Socket 775

A Cheap Motherboard with PCI-E graphics

2 Gigs of RAM DDR-667 or 800 (Try looking for generic brands, Corsair and Kingston are kinda expensive)

NVidia 7300 GT GDDR3 or 7600 GT GDDR3 or x850xt

A Case with 500w PSU

80 gig SATA HD

 

[RyanMicah]

a 7300 is no good im almost better of sticking with my geforce 3 then having to buy a new mobo,ram, cpu and power source just to use a 7300.

Who the hell even mentioned a 7300? I didn't. Are you on crack?

 

[tool_462]

as I said I need an Nvidia card, perhaps the 7300GT?

 

[RyanMicah]

Tool, he responded to me...and I didn't mentioned his 7300...what he wrote made no sense. So your quoting what he said didn't make any either...besides, sticking with NVidia is ludicrious. He should go for a deal, not a brand.

 

[dlmacline]

Is there something wrong with 7300?...Personally, I think the GS version and the GT version that uses DDR2 or DDR for that matter sucks but there is a 7300 GT using 128/128 GDDR3 is a pretty good item for a GPU under $90..

we have set it up together with a sempron 3200+ and 1 gig DDR-667 memory..We were able to set a lot of 3D games such as Battlefront 2, NFS Underground and Most Wanted, SIMS 2 etc. to maximum detail and effects and games like FEAR, Call of Duty 2 and others to high while games like NFS Carbon to mid and play them all with a pretty smooth feel.. we can't max out or use some cool effects on some games though because it stutters..like the motion blur effect on NFS Carbon..

 

[yumi_cheeseman]

I'm from Australia, so shipping is out fot he question, My local store has good prices, but they jsut don't sell ATI, a lot of stores in Aus don't sell much ATI except the top of the line ones.

 

[RyanMicah]

I'm from Australia, so shipping is out fot he question, My local store has good prices, but they jsut don't sell ATI, a lot of stores in Aus don't sell much ATI except the top of the line ones.

Ahh, I wish there was a way to distinguish where people were from on here better. We should all start putting our locations in our sigs.

As far as the 7300, according to tom's hardware charts it's not that great, although if you're a generation or two behind in your country's availability, you can find it cheap, or it serves your purpose - then who can tell you it's a poor choice?