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as the subject says, im going to have $1000 to spend on a gaming computer. im have a few questions. first off, if you have the time. tell me what you'd do with the $1k. im also wondering about which type of processor would be better. newegg has p4 2.0 GHz CPUs for like $130 and the AMD athlon XPs are like $50 and so is the motherboard and the P4 motherboard is like $80-$120.
Here is what i have set for right now...-P4 2.0GHz processor @ $100
-some kinda motherboard with integrated LAN and audio also with an 8x AGP and 800FSB @ $120
-Keyboard/Mouse @ $40
-40Gig HD @ $60
-a video card (not sure which one) with 8x AGP on DDR ram @ ~$200
-512MB duel channel DDR ram that is the highest for the motherboard (not sure of the cost, but i have $150 set aside for that)
-some kinda flat screen (not LCD) @ $150
-i've seen a few cases for $40 on the net, so i have $40 set away for them
-fans and heatsinks (not sure of the cost) $50
-finally with a cd/dvd drive and a cd-rw each for $28what do ya think? im thinking ill change the cpu and motherboard for AMD and add an extra $100 to something else.
Hello. I have an ASUS P4S800 (8x AGP, Integrated Lan, Integrated Audio, DDR400 RAM Support, 800FSB, Hyper-Threading Tech, etc..) and I got it for only $70, so I would suggest that for the motherboard since you can save about $50 for a better processor (2.4ghz, 2.6ghz). If you want an AMD, get the nForce2 motherboard.
Fans and heatsinks should be included with the motherboard/processor so you don't need to buy those(unless you really want to).
For video cards, if you're willing to spend around $200 I would recommend the FX 5700 Ultra if you don't care about Anti-Aliasing & Anisotropic Filtering. The 9600XT, its compeitor, is also a great video card which seems to run games at higher fps than the FX when it comes to Dx9 games with Anti-Aliasing, Anisotropic Filtering on. Therefore, both of these video cards are good, so picking any one of these two is still a good choice.
good luck
EsP_
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well if you want to go down the amd route get an abit nf7-s rev.2, PC3200 1gb or PC3500 1Gb (512mb is good too)but make sure it is in two sticks so you can run dual channel, amd 2500+, sp-97 heatsink with a vantec tornado and a vantec nexus fan controller, artic silver 3 or 5 (if you have other thermal compound use that), powercolor radeon 9800pro or a sapphire 9600xt, or if you can afford it a powercolor 9800xt.
if you are going down the intel road get an abit ic7 max-3 or abit ai7, intel p4 2.4C (800mhz fsb) can be overclocked very well, PC3500 1gb, sp-97 with a vantec tornado and a vantec nexus fan controller cuz the tornado can be really loud but cools well, and the aforemention graphics cards. hope this helped. gigz
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hey EsP_, where would i go to get that same amd motherboard that you have for $70?
and for gigz... how exactly does duel channeling work with RAM? im either gonna get 512 or 768, i really dont think i need a gig, but if i have extra, i might get it.
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oh, and also. i didnt say that i'd be switching over to using the AMD for sure. just gimme some advice on which would be better to use. or where i could buy cheaper stuff instead of from newegg
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Asus P4S800 Motherboard at NewEgg
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-462&depa=1
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i dont get some of the prices on newegg... they have P4 2.4s with 400MHz FSB w/o hyper-threading and they're more expensive than other P4 2.4s with 800FSB and with hyper-threading. anyway. im now thinking on getting a
P4 2.6c (i dont know what the C means, but its on there) 800FSB w/ hyper-threading and 512k cache for $170 and that asus p4s800 for $70 (yeah, i found it)
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The prices are different because processors are either packaged in RETAIL or OEM. The RETAIL packages have the FAN/HEATSINK included with the motherboard and the OEM does not. If you want to buy a FAN/HEATSINK seperatly you should go with the OEM.
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If you're into gaming, don't get a P4...go with an AMD 2500+ Barton & a motherboard based on the nForce2....don't get a dual channel setup, it's unnecessary & useless on the Socket A platform. Get at least 512mb PC3200 RAM, 1.0gb max...anymore than that is just a waste. If you get a retail CPU that comes with a HSF & thermal pad preinstalled...USE IT! Don't remove the pad & apply paste...use the pad or you'll void the warranty! Get a decent case with a minimum 350 watt PSU. Don't go wild on case fans & don't get a case with side fans...you should be able to get by with only two case fans (front/intake, & rear/exhaust).
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i still havent seen any cases with a front fan port thingy. also, what would you do? buy the retail cpu or the OEM? why is doing duel channel useless? and what brand of RAM should i get? Corsair? kingston?
thanks again
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I would go with the OEM since its included with a fan/heatsink, and the RAM I would go with the Corsair XMS PC3200 or HyperX Kingston PC3200...both of these are pretty good if you want are into overclocking...
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A dual channel memory setup is only useful with a P4/800FSB or Athlon64. On a Socket A system, you're limited to the bandwidth of the CPU, which maxxes out at about 3200mhz/s (XP3200+)...that's the same bandwidth of PC3200 RAM. If you run PC3200 in dual channel mode, you'd have the potential of 6400mhz/s (3200 x 2), but you'd still be limited to 3200mhz/s...therefore, dual channel on a Socket A system is useless because you can't take advantage of it. Stick with single channel if you got with an Athlon XP.
If you check the CPU/Overclocking forum, you'll find numerous posts about the 2500+ Barton running as a 3200+ simply by raising the FSB from 166mhz/333DDR to 200mhz/400DDR. The 2500+ is the "best buy" in CPUs right now...you should be able to pick one up for about $85 online (CPU only)...the 3200+ goes for about $200.
Most cases have a "front fan port thingy"...lol. You can't see it unless you look inside the case...
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I have an Nforce 2 Ultra 400 Chipset with an Athlon XP 2600 333FSB and 1gb PC3200 Dual Channel memory enabled
If I use 1 stick and run a benchmark I loose %20 performce, I use Dual Memory my Scores are dramatically improved, trust me Dual Channel works perefectly on a Socket A
My Specs Are
Leadtek Winfast nforce 2 Ultra 400 Motherboard
Windows XP Professional Edition ( Completely Updated )
Jeantech 400wat PSU ( Power Supply Unit )
Athlon XP 2600+ Thoroughbred B @ 2.1GHZ 39C idle, 46c full load, Average 43C
Cool Master Aero 7+ ( Full Speed @ 3500rpm )
1,024MB ( 1.0GB ) DDR PC3200 ( Dual Channel Enabled )
SoundBlaster Audigy Player
2x Floppy Drives
Optorite DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, CD-R And CD-RW
1x LG CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive
Leadtek Geforce FX 5900 Non Ultra 128mb @ Core Clock 480mhz and Memory at 880 MHz, Temperature is 47c idle 65c at Full Load
1x 80mm On top of case Blowing air out
1x 80mm on back of case blowing air in
1x 80mm in front bottom of PC ( inside ) blowing air in
1x Cathode Light
Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache
Samsung 160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache
NTL 1mb Broadband Connection
3DMark 2001 SE = 14,244 Points
3DMark 2003 = 5,639 Points
Final Fantasy Benchmark at high resolution = 4838
Final Fantasy Benchmark at Low Resolution =5372
Aqua Mark 3 = 42,663That Aquamark 3 score for example, If I use Single Channel memory of 1gb my score maxes out at 37000, If I run the same test but with Dual Channel enabled my score goes up to a huge 42,663
Dual Channel Works On Socked A !!!
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well i guess that means i know exactly what i wanna get... besides my case. im gonna go look for one right now....................................
ok, i've looked for quite a while and i dont know what case would work with this motherbaord (nf7-s rev.2). i want to be able to use the onboard audio in the front and i cant find a case that have that option for less than $60. someone help.
and great thanks to all who help me with my questions.
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You don't have to take my word for it about dual channel...just read the 1st couple of paragraphs here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20030908/index.html
If you wanna read about single channel setups, read here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20031107/index.html
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Ooops...I meant 3200mb/s, not mhz/s
I don't doubt that Zero Cool's benchtests are better in dual channel mode, but benchtests aren't the "real world". And the fact remains that the Socket A platform is limited to the CPU's bandwidth, the max is 3200mb/s with an XP3200+ (currently the fastest Socket A CPU available)...higher if you O/C...but it will NEVER reach it's full potential of 6400mb/s! Dual channel brings at best, 15% performance increase to the table, but the programs that actually make use of that much bandwidth are minimal & generally aren't encountered by the average PC user, even hard core gamers.
Here's another link for you that discusses dual channel RAM:
http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=480&pid=1769
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Take it from a degreed engineer with a computer business on the side, Jam knows what he/she is talking about when it comes to dual channel memory. It has been widely documented that it provides no performance increases in the Athlon XP. Remember, there is a difference between running in true dual channel mode and having chips in multiple RAM slots.
Some thoughts for FBI Agent:
CPUS
- In my business I normally direct my customers toward the Athlon XP with the Barton core. This chip simply provides more bang for the buck when compared to the Pentium 4. Just make sure you get a processor with at least a Barton core. These start at the XP 2500+ and go up. The Barton core is a definite performance jump from the earlier Thoroughbred processors and will run at a faster FSB speed. Also, the RETAIL version (not the OEM version) of processors usually come with a fan which is sufficient for keeping the processor cool.MEMORY
- Your choice of 512Mb is sufficient and should run any program well. For games I would recommend PC3200 with a CL of 2.0. Just make sure you stick with a brand name such as OCZ, Corsair, or Kingston and you will be OK.HARD DRIVE
- I would make sure that your hard drive has an 8MB cache (not 2MB) and is a 7200RPM model. The hard drive has become one of the most critical bottlenecks in systems today, so buy a good one. A RAID 0 system may also be a good choice due to the nearly 100% increase in hard drive speed. This feature requires at least two hard drives to operate. Many manufactureres include a RAID controller on their higher end motherboards, so a controller card is not required. Usually I point my customers in the direction of Maxtor drives simply because they transfer data slightly faster at 133Mb/s versus the standard 100Mb/s.
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i dont understand that thing about HD's. how do they actually create a bottleneck for playing games?
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YEA but most of the nforce mb's. come with dual memory controller's so why not use it anyway even if it does'nt offer more bandwith.I find it better to have 2 quality sticks of ddr than 1 in case 1 ever goes caput then you always have 1 stick running. until you can buy another.(i.e. 2 x 256 vs. 1 x 512)the 512 stick goes bad your pc is down.
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