An idea for a gaming AMD build

[Anth83]

Hello
I am looking to build a pc very soon. I am considering a few possiblities of parts ect. Would this build be ok for gaming??
Things im not sure about are the case, PSU and the video card.
Please i want to hear your thoughts.

- AMD ATHLON64 X2 3800+ SOCKET 939 Dual Core

- ASUS A8N-E S939/4DDR/PCIEx/GIGALAN/RAID 0,1/ATX

- Corsair VS1GB400C3 1024MB Value Select PC-3200 DDR RAM

- Antec SLK1650B Solution Series ATX MiniTower - BLACK, 350W PSU
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...cb42656dd2c5d8

- BENQ DW1650 16X DOUBLE DUAL FORMAT DVDRW IN BLACK

- XpertVision GF 7600GT SONIC 256MB
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...cb42656dd2c5d8

- WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR SE/160GB/7200RPM/SATAII/3.5in


Your feedback for this would be great

[jeofrey10100900]

i would start shopping for a better power supply around 450-500watt to power your video card. most cards use minimum 350watts which could affect stability of your systems.

[freakitchen]

Those are some good points, but jeofrey has a point about the power supply. I'd be looking at a 450w unit at least to power a PCI-E dual core system. Consider the Antec Sonata II case, which is the model up from the one you chose. It comes with a quality 450w unit.

FK

[blue60007]

Make sure you get a dual channel kit of that RAM (2 512MB sticks).

[Anth83]

Will that rig be good for games?? I cant really spend any more money thats my budget.
Why did you suggest getting 2 X 512 sticks of ram?? Does it matter?

[freakitchen]

That system will handle games fine, but it depends on what sort of graphical quality you're expecting. A 7600GT is a good card, but you will likely see reduced frame rates with the most demanding games on the top graphical settings.

If top graphics in top games is your primary concern, you might consider dropping to a single core processor, like the AMD 3700+, and upgrading the video card to a 7900GT, since you mention that you're at the top of your budget.

Getting 2x512 sticks of RAM allows dual channel operation over 2 memory slots, which will give you a performance increased compared with a single 1GB stick.

FK

[Anth83]

So the 7900GT will make it run the latest games with a good frame rate and high res?? Will the power supply that comes with the Antec Sonata II case be able to handle that video card and the duel core processer ok? I might spend a little more if its worth it.
Can you please give me link to that card. There are that many different brands of it i don't know which one is good and which is bad.

Also is this the right memory to get?? its a bit expensive though would like something cheaper
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...d5ae25659ba06d

[Alaron]

Originally Posted by Anth83 So the 7900GT will make it run the latest games with a good frame rate and high res?? Will the power supply that comes with the Antec Sonata II case be able to handle that video card and the duel core processer ok? Also is this the right memory to get?? its a bit expensive though would like something cheaper http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...d5ae25659ba06d

The 7900GT is an excellent gaming card. The PSU in the Sonata can handle the system. That is the correct memory, but you can save some money with Value Select Ram: http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...d5ae25659ba06d

Skycomp doesn't carry eVGA brand cards, so go with Gainward: http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...d5ae25659ba06d

[Anth83]

Thanks for your help.

That gainward is a bit expensive. This brand of the card is $50 cheaper, its in my PC user magazine and they reckon its pretty good. http://www.skycomp.com.au/product_in...d5ae25659ba06d

Is it reliable?