What do you guys tihnk of this setup?

Britdude · Feb 5, 2004

Hi guys, ive been saving up for a new pc and finally have the funds to buy the parts which i picked out, just want to see if there any suggestions or improvements there are, if any. this is the setup:

PRICES IN POUNDS

CPU = AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 2.0 GHz
Socket 754, 512 KB cache, BOXED = 162

Motherboard = Asus K8V DELUXE Mainboard Socket 754
K8T800, ATA/SATA, GbLAN, ATX, Raid = 99

Memory(RAM) = TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 1024MB Dual Pack
Kit w/two matched PC3200 DDR DIMMs = 117

Graphics card = Creative 3D Blaster 5 GeForce FX 5900 128MB - Retail (GX-004-CT) = 170
ATX Case = Antec Plus 1080AMG Metallic Gray File Server Case - 430W TruePower PSU (CA-001-AT) = 108
Hard Drives = Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 120GB S-ATA
S-ATA/150 8MB cache 7200RPM = 71
Cables = Serial ATA cable 50 cm S-ATA/150 (for 1 harddisk) = 7
Serial ATA power cable/adapter 16 cm from 4-pin to 15-pin = 2
Sound Card = Creative Soundblaster Live 5.1 Digital
Soundcard PCI Retail = 28
Moniter = Samsung 19" CRT Syncmaster 957MB TCO99
Screen, DynaFlat (UK) = 200
Speakers = Trust 1600P 2.1 Soundforce
Speaker subwoofer and 2 monitors (UK) = 24
CD-RW = 52x24x52x CD-R/W Drive Internal Black = 24

Total cost 1012 pounds.(but can go to 1200 if nessesary)

It's main use will be to play computer games (BF1942, COD etc)

Wolfy · Feb 5, 2004

would u not spend a bit more on an ati 9800pro gcard?

im not being ati bias there, just i have the 9800XT and i think its sooper fast and is a fantastic card and the 9800pro is almost the same (just a few frames slower and much cheaper) and is much better than the nvidia 5900 therefore adding a bit more graphics longevity to yur machine... (also forget drivers issues u may have heard about ati... i was worried myself changing from nvidia but i havent had a single prob so far with ati drivers and my games collection is extensive)

also the sound card... id go with a plain audigy2... i never gave two thoughts to sound in my system till i upgraded my mobo (A7N8X) which had onboard sound.... after having lived with a soundblaster 64vpci card for ages (which while i had it was fine) the change to newer onboard sound was fantastic... but compatibility with games forced me to look for a seperate card and the audigy2 is cheap as chips.. got it and even the quality of that over onboard sound was amazing and i state again im no audiophile but even i think a good sound card is essential and preach it to me mates.

anyway thats my input about yur system everything else is fine imo and even the two bits i mentioned arent vital... yur new machine will fly.

"Its only when you look at ants closely with a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames"

bandikoot · Feb 5, 2004

Well I know nothing about pounds or how much stuff costs over there, so you'll have to decide if I'm pushing you over your spending limit or not.

At any rate, good choice on the processor, and while there will probably be some gnashing of teeth by someone over the via chipset, I've never had a problem with them (and the on-die memory controller is a great equalizer so don't let them fool you). Ah. As a gaming computer I would check to see if any better video cards fall within your budget since that is going to be the most important part. Finally, I'm not sure a SB Live is worth the money anymore with the way onboard has improved. That's a start at least.

JP5 · Feb 5, 2004

Pounds of what?

coylter · Feb 5, 2004

A64 is a great cpu.

Athlon 2700xp+ (oc: 3200xp+ with 200fsb) , Radeon 9800pro (oc: 410/370) , 512mb pc3200 (3-3-3-2), Asus A7N8X-X

coylter · Feb 5, 2004

A64 is a great cpu.

Athlon 2700xp+ (oc: 3200xp+ with 200fsb) , Radeon 9800pro (oc: 410/370) , 512mb pc3200 (3-3-3-2), Asus A7N8X-X

Wolfy · Feb 5, 2004

yeah but onboard in my experience is sh.it for games.... half the games i played with onboard sound started buzzing or other glitches and pops whereas if he gets the nice cheap audigy2 he is guarenteed sound greatness and compatability (and for 75euro or i guess roughly 50sterling he cant go wrong)

"Its only when you look at ants closely with a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames"

Britdude · Feb 5, 2004

Thanks for the comments everyone, ill take your advice and buy a better sound card, i mean i never think of the sound card heh but i guess its worth it.
Im a nvidia fanboy

so i have never owned a Radeon card, but i tihnk ill go full out and get a 9800XT (with half life 2 voucher) like the other guy said it will have more longevity.
can't wait to put it together!

speeduk · Feb 5, 2004

Dont buy the 9800XT!!! Its overpriced and about to be replaced with a muchhhh faster card. If you have the money then fine, but honestly I would get a cheaper card and upgrade in 2 months time when the 2x faster next gen cards are here.

Athlon 64 3200 @ 2110mhz
2x256mb Twinmos 3200 @ 211mhz 2-3-3-6
MSI K8T
9700pro @ 384/360
Antec 1000AMG

TheGreatGrapeApe · Feb 5, 2004

I agree, an R9800PRO would be a better use of money for significantly less.

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! - RED GREEN GA to SK :evil:

speeduk · Feb 5, 2004

Hey grape. You seen my new 3dmark score? 9700pro overclocks even more in my msi mobo. Can bench @ 390/370 which is insane.

Athlon 64 3200 @ 2130mhz
2x256mb Twinmos 3200 @ 213mhz 2-3-3-6
MSI K8T
9700pro @ 384/360
Antec 1000AMG

TheGreatGrapeApe · Feb 5, 2004

YEah I saw, and I'm definitely interested in checking to see what the Socket939 will do with the R9600Pro before I move on.

Your system is pretty sweet, have you signed up for the free 360 day trial of Win64?

I asked last time, but I guess you 'missed' that.

Very jealous, just waiting for the solution right for me.

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! - RED GREEN GA to SK :evil:

speeduk · Feb 5, 2004

Na ive only just upgraded to win xp lol. I'm very impressed with the stability and performance. Lots better than my barton setup and 36-41c cpu temps which is nice.

Athlon 64 3200 @ 2130mhz
2x256mb Twinmos 3200 @ 213mhz 2-3-3-6
MSI K8T
9700pro @ 384/360
Antec 1000AMG

speeduk · Feb 5, 2004

And now ive decided to stop ocing and have a permanent 3dmark score so its in my sig.

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7523662" target="_new"> MY A64 System </A>

TheGreatGrapeApe · Feb 5, 2004

Yeah, I just hope the offer of WIn64 stay around when the Socket 939s come out.

I really want to make the most of it, and see how some of my editing programs function under 64bit versus my dual XP setup.

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! - RED GREEN GA to SK :evil:

speeduk · Feb 5, 2004

I spoke too soon^. I remembered i have turbo mode ON in bios. Turned it off now doing 216mhz fsb (2160mhz cpu) @ low timings still on my cheap 3200 twinmos memory. Prime stable so far for 10 mins which is a good sign.

Almost @ 3400 speeds but with higher fsb and HT speeds its gonna be a super performer if I can get her stable @ 220mhz fsb at these timings.

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7523662" target="_new"> MY A64 System </A>

Britdude · Feb 5, 2004

Well i have the money to buy the 9800xt but im getting really confused here! lol first someone says to buy the 9800xt then grape says get the 9800pro,..... well ANYTHING is better than my piece of junk what i have now, and thats the reason why im not waiting till pci express cards, because i can't play games well on my current system (pci gfx card), so considering this will be my last upgrade for aobut 3 years, ill go with the 9800XT and buy a pci express card 2-3 years later.

Britdude · Feb 5, 2004

and speeduk, you seriously care to much aobut your pc man lol =)

TheGreatGrapeApe · Feb 5, 2004

The thing is that the R9800XT is not significantly better than the R9800Pro (expect about 1-2 fps differencein most game situations [save those that they both run at 200+fps]). Remember that many of the R9800Pros overclock very well too, which helps close the gap (even with overclocked XTs). If you want to spend all your money on the XT, then do so, it's not a bad choice or anything, just not the wisest choice with one's money in our opinion. Could you possibly see your way to buying a replacement in a year or so? If so the price difference between a pro and xt usually equates to 1/4-1/3 of way towards your next purchase.

And the saving could be applied elsewhere. Both cards should help you survive into 2005 and even the begining of 2006 with the right settings, but it really comes down to how best to spend your money. It's not our money so only you can really say if +1 fps in HL2 will make much difference to you. The XT does have some nice features like temp monitoring, but are they worth it to you. Likely these cards will handle and fail at the same games, and just about equally.

Just something to consider.

EDIT: Just something else, would the difference in price be worth moving to a DVD durner for you, or upgrading something other than audio as well? Also remember that the socket 754 is only single channel so twinned memory isn't so important. Can you get a cheaper single stick or cheaper 'non-matched' memory with better timing/speed? Just some more stuff to think about.

- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp (or internet account) ! - RED GREEN GA to SK :evil:

Edited by TheGreatGrapeApe on 02/05/04 03:47 PM.

pauldh · Feb 5, 2004

Don't know your prices, but here in the USA, cheapest 9800XT is $415 today and the 9800 Pro is $222. These are both for Saphire OEM, retail Built By ATI would be higher. $431 for the XT and $269 for the Pro. So if you are getting a 9800XT here, totally makes sense to get the retail BB ATI and HL2 coupon for just $16 more.

Basically you never get great value on the top card, but you do get the best performance. Both in CPU's and Video cards I buy 1-2 steps down from top, depending what is the best value at the time. At least I can smile knowing what others paid 6 months ago to get theirs.

So you get maybe 10% more performance stepping up to the XT, and spend 87% more on it. That is why Grape, others, and myself would recommend a 9800 Pro over a 9800XT

ABIT IS7, P4 2.6C, 512MB Corsair TwinX PC3200LL, Radeon 9500 Pro, Santa Cruz, Antec 1000AMG, TruePower 430watt

Britdude · Feb 5, 2004

ok you both made me reconsider, ill get the Radeon9800pro.(hercules) plus i still get a half life 2 voucher, and its 120 pounds cheaper than the xt version.

speeduk · Feb 6, 2004

and speeduk, you seriously care to much aobut your pc man lol =)

Yeah everytime i get a new rig I go into overclocking/testing mode and rant for weeks on the forums.

<A HREF="http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=7523662" target="_new"> MY A64 System </A>

What do you guys tihnk of this setup?

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