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[Deleted member 1159]

Short history: the last computer I built is a couple years old, and currently in the posession of my sister, and since I find myself unexpectedly back home right now due to illness, I figured I'd go ahead and build myself my own rig instead of sharing with my parents. You can only do so much on an AMD 1800+

The problem is I've been kind of out of the loop on what sort of hardware is out these days, what's good for the money, that sort of thing. I haven't set a budget, but since I'm starting completely from scratch with this one, I'll probably be spending ~$2,000 . I figure around 1,500 on the rig itself, and another 500+ on a nice monitor and speakers. I might end up spending some more, because I really don't feel like making compromises on this bad boy, I want a nice rig. So, GAF, help a brother out!

I was just browsing around tomshardware, but it's changed a lot since I've last looked. Sounds like ATi just came out with a new set of cards. Any verdicts? Anyone know of other good sites where I can look at reviews, benchmarks? I was checking out Alienware to see what they're putting in their computers these days, but with how the standards are changing all the time I'm somewhat lost...I'm not at all worried about putting it all together, I've done it a few times before, but I'm very ignorant right now as to what kind of components are out and need some help researching. Come on GAF, I know you want to help!

 

[element]

what do you want the machine to do?

gaming focused?
gaming and internet?
school, internet, and some gaming?

 

[Deleted member 1159]

It's going to be a gaming rig, but of course it will have all those other functions too. I'm also going to use it to put my family's old videos on DVD, but that's just a matter of getting video input. What I need to research is how to get the best performance (3D gaming) for my buck.

 

[Phoenix]

How much porn do you plan to store/watch? That's useful for helping with video cards, hard drive speeds, and other 'accessories'

 

[element]

ok here is what I got for ya.

NewEgg:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra
2 x CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB DDR 400 (PC 3200)
Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A
Albatron 7800GT Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel Case
COOLMAX CR-550B ATX 550W "140mm Fan" Power Supply
Total: $1,326.44

Dell:
UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor
Total: $394

Amazon:
Klipsch ProMedia GMX D-5.1 Digital Speaker System
Total: $99

Total:
$1819.44 (without S/H)

 

[automagnus]

go for raid 0 and a 256 MB video card

 

[element]

video ram upgrade would be nice, but RAID 0 isn't really nessesary.

 

[BigGreenMat]

ok here is what I got for ya.

NewEgg:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra
2 x CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB DDR 400 (PC 3200)
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive
NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3540A
MSI Geforce 7800GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel Case
COOLMAX CR-550B ATX 550W "140mm Fan" Power Supply
Total: $1,342.44

Dell:
UltraSharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor
Total: $394

Amazon:
Klipsch ProMedia GMX D-5.1 Digital Speaker System
Total: $99.98

Total:
$1835.44 (without S/H)

If you mainly want to game there is no reason to get an X2 processor. They are overpriced and don't give any advantages. You can get a faster 64 3500+ for less money. Also I would seriously consider geting a SATA drive as opposed to an IDE HDD. 256 MB video card isn't a bad idea either.

 

[Deg]

In the future they will give advantages over single processors for games. Right now it helps in windows and in multitasking. So i say go for it. Besides the grpahics card makes a bigger difference.

 

[ChennehCis]

Also I would seriously consider geting a SATA drive as opposed to an IDE HDD. 256 MB video card isn't a bad idea either.

I totally agree with this.

Go for a 10K RPM HD (Raptor). They're expensive but get a small one (20-40 GB or even the 74 GB), and put all the core programs on there (Office, XP) So when your computer starts up, it will be damn fast. Then get another SATA HD in the 200-300 GB range for your games/music/stuff.

 

[BigGreenMat]

In the future they will give advantages over single processors for games. Right now it helps in windows and in multitasking. So i say go for it. Besides the grpahics card makes a bigger difference.

What future? That future is a long ways off he can see real world differences on a single processor RIGHT NOW. For the same price he could get a Venice 3800+ that is quite a bit faster. Or a processor that will be as fast or faster for over $100 less. I am all for future proofing, but if multi-cores really show any promise in the future he will need to upgrade again by that point. Right now single cores make more sense unless there is a program that is MUCH faster with a dual core that he has to use (and there are none off the top of my head).

 

[BigGreenMat]

I totally agree with this.

Go for a 10K RPM HD (Raptor). They're expensive but get a small one (20-40 GB or even the 74 GB), and put all the core programs on there (Office, XP) So when your computer starts up, it will be damn fast. Then get another SATA HD in the 200-300 GB range for your games/music/stuff.

Or besides a Raptor get a SATAII drive. nForce 4 Ultras support SATAII (also known as SATA300) and you can have up to 8 drives on the nForce4 ultra controller so I would go for SATA

 

[DonasaurusRex]

there really isnt much of a penalty the performance gain he would see in dual core vs single is negligible for the single core processors you guys are talking about. The advantage of dual core now is you will be able to multi task very smoothly so if ya like running multiple programs might as well get the dual core, and it will begin to see advantages from the next gen pc games. Also do not get an IDE drive the price diff is negligible if not the same just get SATA less clutter, and the raptor drives are sweet. The vid card needs to be atleast 256mb if you are serious about it being a gaming rig more memory really helps at the high rez if you want to crank AA and stuff. No rush in getting a dual core right now though with the 939 you will be fine for quite some time and can upgrade to a dual core later, but this bs about them being slower isnt really accurate they just dont show gains because the programs are single threaded. Alot of programs are multi threaded tho like 3dsmax and things it all depends on what you use , those are more server/workstation apps though not gaming.

 

[Takuan]

Klipsch ProMedia GMX D-5.1 Digital Speaker System

Are these good? I haven't read anything about Klipsch since they first introduced their THX speakers.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

Klipsch is good, but you could probably shave that off unless you ABSOLUTELY have to have this great audio experience, plug your sound card into a stereo receiver. Or better yet get headphones..most people dont wanna hear your pc game music anyway .

 

[element]

Are these good? I haven't read anything about Klipsch since they first introduced their THX speakers.

I only added those because they were onsale (down from $300). They had a headphone jack, and Klipsch make the best computer speakers in the biz right now.

And I updated my sheet.

SATA2 drives cap at 250GB.

 

[Takuan]

I only added those because they were onsale (down from $300). They had a headphone jack, and Klipsch make the best computer speakers in the biz right now.

And I updated my sheet.

SATA2 drives cap at 250GB.

Hrm, according to Gear they *don't* have a headphone jack and the bass lacks punch. Th reviewer says the Z-680's by Logitech are a better deal. Who knows whether or not he has a clue, though.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/387/387081p1.html

Edit: Damn, the Z-680's are $260 at Amazon. Nevermind.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I'm planning on building a new pc soon too. I don't upgrade very often, so I plan to go all out. I'm still on a 1800+/Geforce3 Ti500 machine I built in like 2001 or something Just waiting on the ATI X1800 XT.

 

[element]

Just waiting on the ATI X1800.

they are out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102610

 

[Takuan]

I'm planning on building a new pc soon. I don't upgrade very often, so I plan to go all out. I'm still on a 1800+/Geforce3 Ti500 machine I built in like 2001 or something Just waiting on the ATI X1800.

Yeah, I'm still on an 1800+ GF4 Ti4200. It still runs perfectly fine, it just can't play the latest games. I think I'll wait for the dual cores to go down a bit before jumping on the upgrade wagon, since there isn't anything I must play at the moment. Good to scope out these threads every once in a while to stay in touch, though.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

they are out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102610

I meant the XT. Edited my post

 

[Deleted member 1159]

Man, thanks for putting that all together. I was seeing what kind of components alienware and dell put in just to get an idea of what the current technology is called, and it was easily over 1,000 more. I might switch up the CPU like Greenmat suggested and get a graphics card with better memory, but I really appreciate the start.

What's the best site for checking benchmarks and the like? Anyone know how the new ATi cards are doing?

 

[DonasaurusRex]

What future? That future is a long ways off he can see real world differences on a single processor RIGHT NOW. For the same price he could get a Venice 3800+ that is quite a bit faster. Or a processor that will be as fast or faster for over $100 less. I am all for future proofing, but if multi-cores really show any promise in the future he will need to upgrade again by that point. Right now single cores make more sense unless there is a program that is MUCH faster with a dual core that he has to use (and there are none off the top of my head).

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20051011083359.html

 

[marsomega]

If you mainly want to game there is no reason to get an X2 processor. They are overpriced and don't give any advantages. You can get a faster 64 3500+ for less money. Also I would seriously consider geting a SATA drive as opposed to an IDE HDD. 256 MB video card isn't a bad idea either.

Lies.

The single cores that will match occasionally an X2 3800 are the AMD64 4000 Clawhammer and FX-57. Even then you have scenarios where the X2 whips them good.

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/images/image051.gif
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/images/image035.gif
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/images/image054.gif
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/images/image039.gif

Suggesting an AMD 64 4000 maybe but you're not just suggesting something that performs less, you're just saying there is no reason or advantage which is just not true no matter how you say it. Even then the X2 3800 is cheaper then the AMD 64 4000.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

I'm gonna build one of these shortly, w/ a slot loading DVD drive.