Sanji's Guide to Gaming PCs on a Budget - Page 2 - General-Homebuilt

Last message on previous page:
Sanji,

Thank you for the awesome guide! You've already spent enough of your time putting it together; however, I was hoping to pick your (and anyone else's) brains on my current setup and see what you thought was worth salvaging, if anything:

ANTEC P-160 ATX case
AMD Athlon 2500 XP 2500+
ASUS A7N8X deluxe motherboard
nVidia GeForce 6200 graphics card
2 x WD800JB 80GB hard drives
1 GB Kingston ram (As I recall)

I built this system in 2003, but haven't much kept up with developments since then. I fully admit to being a noob, though I have built a few systems over the years. Your guide is a godsend, but it leaves me with some specific questions I would love your input on:

1. What build options do I have if I want to save the case with its ATX orientation? After a little reasearch, I was able to determine it is the P-160 case. I realize the case is a small part overall, but wondering if I went with an ATX orientation, whether I should keep the case.
2. I noticed when looking at new graphics cards, that they fit in a slot I don't have on my motherboard. If I recall it is the PSI-e slot or something similar. So, I am assuming new motherboard here.
3. I already have the 2 x 80 GB WD drives.... And I would probably be looking for a RAID array with the new machine. Would it make sense to get 3 more WD 80 GB drives (if they are even made any more) and give myself a 5 disk RAID array since I already have 2? I know storage is dirt cheap, just trying to conserve where it is reasonable to do so.
4. The point of this machine is 90% gaming and 10% work from home. I have a Viewsonic VX2235vm monitor and thinking about adding a second one. I don't play quake or any of the 1 person shooter types. I am more of a RPG type, Total War, Diablo, Civ, etc.
5. I haven't explored much with overclocking, but would enjoy the opportunity to try it out.
6. My sound card is fo shizzle, so that, along with the severely limited graphics card, is enough for me to want to build an entirely new system.

I would love your thoughts on this and will probably also reply to your post to get others' thoughts. I am happy to spend between 1K and 1.5K $. Thanks again for your guide!

Vlad

Reply to Vladimer

Register or log in to remove.

1 to 1.5k?

Would you consider yourself a power user or megatasker? If you're really into multi-tasking, I would suggest a wait until Apr 22nd. Intel is having a MASSIVE price drop on quad-cores then.

The case will be salvagable, but the hard drives I'm not quite sure. Once again, I'm not a RAID expert. That being said, I'm suggesting a new build from the ground up.

If you arn't a massive multi-tasker then this build should be fine.

Case: Any ATX Case
~$15-100

CPU: E4300
~$169

Mobo:GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
$107.99

RAM: 2GB of DDR2-667 RAM
~$120-150

GPU: 8800GTS
$259.99-$300

Hard drive of your choice
~$40-100

DVD: Generic 18x or 20x DVD burner
~$30

PSU: Antec True Power Trio TP3-550w
~$100

CPU Cooling: Scythe Ninja
~$40

OS: Vista/XP
~$119

Total: ~$1086

This gives you some room to get a 2nd monitor and such. The Quad-Core path would take abour $100 more after Apr 22nd.

As for your RAID questions, I would take it to the storage forums. I'm not a RAID expert.

As for overclocking, this is a great place to start! There are many guides and such to help you on your way.

Also, your motherboard is too old to support PCI Express 16x, it appears. Given the difficulties of replacing a motherboard in a build, I'm suggesting a whole new ground up build.

Your thoughts?

Reply to SanjiWatsuki

Sanji,

Thanks for the immediate response!

Would you consider yourself a power user or megatasker?

Not sure I know the difference.

PSU: Antec True Power Trio TP3-550w
~$100

I "splurged" on my power supply in 2003 and got a Antec True 480 ATXRTL. Do you think I can recycle this into the new machine? What does the "Trio" stand for in the one you recommended?

OS: Vista/XP
~$119

I already have my XP disc and I believe can transfer it to the new machine, assuming I take the other out of service.

I notice that at least in this build (I'd have to go back to your original posts to check those, but) you don't mention a sound card. Is there a reason for that other than the onboard Mobo sound? Onboard sound was generally a thing to be wary of in 2003 :roll: ... Has that changed? If you had to recommend one, what would you go with? My Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX external USB "card" just crapped out, which is, among other things, what got me checking this forum out again after 4 years.

Just to clarify, there's no need to save money for the 2nd monitor I mentioned. Just one of those extra things I may or may not pick up at some point. I'd just like to make sure I am maximizing my ability to upgrade rather than replace as the expected new technologies come out in the processor, cpu, gpu etc. areas.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and taking the time to respond to my post(s)!

Vlad

Reply to Vladimer

Quote :

Sanji,

Thanks for the immediate response!

Would you consider yourself a power user or megatasker?

Not sure I know the difference.

PSU: Antec True Power Trio TP3-550w
~$100

I "splurged" on my power supply in 2003 and got a Antec True 480 ATXRTL. Do you think I can recycle this into the new machine? What does the "Trio" stand for in the one you recommended?

Trio stands for three 12v lines. While it isn't exactly the best configuration, the 550w will definitely give enough wattage for the GTS. As for the Antec True 480, I'd ask in the PSU section. There is a guy there who knows practically EVERYTHING about power supplies

OS: Vista/XP
~$119

I already have my XP disc and I believe can transfer it to the new machine, assuming I take the other out of service.

Yup.

I notice that at least in this build (I'd have to go back to your original posts to check those, but) you don't mention a sound card. Is there a reason for that other than the onboard Mobo sound? Onboard sound was generally a thing to be wary of in 2003 :roll: ... Has that changed? If you had to recommend one, what would you go with? My Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX external USB "card" just crapped out, which is, among other things, what got me checking this forum out again after 4 years.

Onboard is actually pretty good now. It may be better than the cheaper sound cards.

Just to clarify, there's no need to save money for the 2nd monitor I mentioned. Just one of those extra things I may or may not pick up at some point. I'd just like to make sure I am maximizing my ability to upgrade rather than replace as the expected new technologies come out in the processor, cpu, gpu etc. areas.

Ah. If you're overclocking, then the E6600 could be better. The 4MB cache definitely helps out. With Rev 3.3, the 1333 fsb Core 2 processors will work on the board. It won't have SLI though. If you want that, consider looking at an ASUS board.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and taking the time to respond to my post(s)!

Vlad

Reply to SanjiWatsuki

No way this info should be lost.

STICKY!!

/bump

Reply to alcattle

Thanks I think. Just when i thought i kind of knew what I wanted along came your guide, lol. Think I'll wait till May and try again to see how far the $ will go.

Reply to slowman

Quote :

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115003
$313
One of the best C2D overclockers with a whole 4GB of cache.

8O

Reply to drummerdude

Quote :

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115003
$313
One of the best C2D overclockers with a whole 4GB of cache.

8O

HAHAHHA...that must be one HUGE die! :lol:

Reply to petevsdrm

How many transistors do you need for one byte of L2 cache?

Back on topic, why is the P160/ANTEC SOLO not in the case list? They are the same, P160=White + Bundled 430W PSU, ANTEC SOLO=Black w/ no PSU.

Reply to dietzjack

Quote :

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115003
$313
One of the best C2D overclockers with a whole 4GB of cache.

8O

HAHAHHA...that must be one HUGE die! :lol:

Hahaha. It is the biggest and best processor ever! I'll fix it

Reply to SanjiWatsuki

You may want to change the $500 Intel build to a Pentium D 915; $20 more, you get a cooler included, and better overclocking (65nm), not to mention much better performance at stock speeds.

Reply to angry_ducky

Bumping this.

Reply to Soldevi

This is a great resource but perhaps the mods won't make it a sticky cause they are worried that you might not keep it up to date! This is really a hell of a lot of information, I love it

Reply to HDDFreak

good work

Reply to slashzapper

About the Intel and AMD price drops, for those interested (I am answering my own question):

On April 22, Intel is slated to announce a 40 percent price cut on its current quad-core processors

Intel plans price cuts on its Core 2 Duo E6300, E6400, E6420, E6000 and E6700 processors, and the reductions will range from 20 percent on the low end to 40 percent on the high end.

Reply to tobias_funke

You missed a few C2D with price cuts. E4300, E6320, and E6600 (at least) also have price cuts.

Reply to wilcoxon

Yes, perhaps any "Guide" that is price-sensitive won't be made a sticky. Wiz's Guide to a cheap 3.6ghz C2D system didn't get sticky status either.

Seems they are VERY particular about sticky-status......for things that will only GREATLY benefit visitors, and that won't become obsolete....EVER. Milch's PSU sticky is a case in point.....helpful to everyone, very necessary, very informative, and won't matter if it's ever updated since it's not price-sensitive.

The last criterion I suspect is that this Guide is subjective. There are "judgment calls" on components....PSUs for example....there are definitely other options, and Sanji has stated such. To compare again, the PSU Guide is simply factual information, there is absolutely no subjectivity to it.....it stands up to "cross examination" if you will.

While I agree that this (or similar) thread is extremely helpful, for those reasons I doubt it'll get Stickied. Not for lack of effort though.

Just my opinion on why this very useful info might not get Stickied.

We can just bump this every couple of weeks if necessary. I got it bookmarked and refer people to it regularly.

Reply to skyguy

Reminder

Reply to lifewire

Fantastic Thread! The information @ hand is excellent and has certainly answered questions I've been web-hopping in order to discover answers. I understand and agree with why the thread may not become sticky'd, none the less it is @ best currently very useful. I look forward to these price cuts.

I'm personally in a boat heading for new computer land and hoping to be as effective both price input & hardware output as possible.

Sanji, thank you for taking the time to put this information on these pages. It is much appreciated.

Reply to Kukunga

Sanji, thank you for the great guide! It has helped me in planning for an all new budget OC system that I will do in early May.

Any thoughts on a new guide that reflect intels price cuts and the new nvida video cards?

keep up the great work.

Reply to barfarf1

update?

Reply to lifewire

Feel free! :wink:

Reply to Mondoman

Great job with this. Absolutely amazing!! I hate to trample on your heroic effort to help people, but I believe there is a mistake in the $500 AMD system recommendations.

I followed the $500 build for the AMD system with the Biostar T-Force 550 AM2 motherboard and the AMD Athlon X2 3600+ Brisbane CPU. You suggested to use the Big Typhoon CPU cooler, but the H-Bracket that comes with this cooler does not fit this motherboard (The holes DO NOT line up)! I know this for a fact, because I ordered those parts and was not happy when I had to install the OEM Heatsink/Fan. Luckily, I bought the Retail version of the CPU, which included a heatsink and fan or I would be waiting another week! GRRR!

Big Typhoon DOES NOT have the proper H-Bracket to mount on the Biostar T-Force 550 AM2 motherboard (The holes do not line up, not even close):

Big Typhoon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106061

Biostar T-Force 550 AM2 motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138026

***Edit***
I called Thermaltake and they are sending me a Socket AM2 H-Bracket needed to mount the Big Typhoon on the Biostar T-Force 550 motherboard. The cooler should work, but it is a pain to have to wait even longer. Maybe, you could put a note in your guide, warning about the missing Bracket.

Reply to Hamarabi

bump

Reply to alcattle

THanks for the great information Sanji. Any thoughts of an update to your opening post?

Reply to barfarf1

Just a quick note, in reference to the possibility of using ASUS L1N64-SLI WS Dual Socket L (Socket 1207FX) NVIDIA nForce 680a SLI MCP SSI CEB AMD Motherboard and the AMD Opteron 2347 Barcelona 1.9GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB shared L3 Cache Socket F Quad Core Processor. The theory is that this should work however according to AMD this mobo's bios currently does not support quad core. However keep your eye out for the AMD Phenom coming 2007/2008 and this should be a great combo with the support in bios of quad core from this motherboard. Hope this help's would have been great to set up an octa-core system. Thing is I cant find if Asus has an update for their bios already for this. The mobo will take the Athlon 64 FX-70 no problem. So where is the difference. If you look here you see the Barcelona listed so this should work. With a little research I also found out that the new Phenom’s are based on Barcelona cores with just the no pin die. I was just caught by this post and got hooked on the idea of what you could do. For those of you who say why OC a 1.9 GHz to 2.8 or 3.0. I use liquid cooling, and when you look at the AMD architecture and run windows vista you see that this setup truly makes sense and in a MEGA tasking way, works well. I for one don’t want just a gaming system as I also do lots of video production and audio authoring.

Good Work Sanj, keep it up and keep looking for more information.
Maybe someone can dig up more info on this topic, i for one would like to know more.

Reply to dfg

here is I think a list of the processors supported by this mobo ASUS-L1N64-SLI WS. yeah i know still stuck on the current Barcelonas, just hoping they might work. http://support.asus.com/cpusupport [...] 4-SLI%20WS

Reply to dfg

Hi Sanji great jod man finally there's a amd vs intel. keep up the good work.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to zealotz

zealotz wrote :

Hi Sanji great jod man finally there's a amd vs intel. keep up the good work.

This thread was 2 years old

------------------------------

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/RSSRM/ay14s5-1.jpg

Reply to rewindlabs

Sanji's Guide to Gaming PCs on a Budget - Page 2

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Sanji's Guide to Gaming PCs on a Budget

Please mind

Twitter

Sanji's Guide to Gaming PCs on a Budget - Page 2

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Sanji's Guide to Gaming PCs on a Budget

Please mind