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09-04-2006, 08:17 AM
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#1 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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A gaming computer this good? This cheap? Or am I wrong?
I am probably the most famous mind-changer of all time. I have posted quite a few different 1st time build lists... and haven't made up my mind. Well, last night, I stayed up and came up with what I finally believe to be my future computer. Please feel free to make comments/ criticism.
Mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157081 Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155 HD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144417 GPU: BIOSTAR V7602GS51 Geforce 7600GS 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814141032 CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 2.2GHz Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103547 RAM: Crucial Technology Ballistix 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model BL2KIT6464Z402 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148007 Subtotal: $588.96 Shipping: $27.95 total: $616.91 I have an os already. I have a monitor already, and keyboard and mouse. I am fine with the onboard sound. I know the motherboard is old, but it will run a single card setup quite nicely, and the power supply with the Antec case is of good enough quality for a single card setup (right?). I was told I couldn't get the parts for under $800, and It seems like I went far, far under. The Motherboard is not factored into the price yet, I just added it all to a cart, and since the mobo is currently out of stock, I just did not do the math yet. I also have a 120mm fan that I can put into the case if needed, and a cdrw drive that I will put into the rig until I get a dvd burner. What do you guys think? Have a built a good gaming computer? I have already looked at all negatives of the motherboard, because being so cheap... I just had to look into it. There are plenty of new bios revisions that fix cold boot problems people were having. There are all the drivers for the motherboard conveniently on their site, and they are the ones recommended by the reviews I have read on several sites. The goal for this computer was to be able to play elder scrolls oblivion and bf2 and fear at atleast high settings, and many people have said they play oblivion with that gpu. One newegg review says that the lowest framerates that he encounters is in the heavily forested areas, and it is at lowest, 40 fps. That is more than playable for me, especially on this low of a budget. I have also looked into the Uli chipset, and benchmarks and tests show that it outperforms the nforce 4 chipset in many areas, which was my minimum chipset. I believe I have made a good system. I am not 100% sure that the ram will play well with the motherboard, but from my understanding it should. please, your criticism is needed and appreciated, thanks |
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09-04-2006, 08:31 AM
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#2 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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You should keep this all in one thread. I suspect this will be locked by the moderators, as the rules state to only start new threads for new issues.
The vid card isn't very good. It has 512Mb of GDDR2 memory, which is slower than a card with 256Mb of GDDR3 memory. It will be an "ok" gamer, but you will be playing newer titles with far less than max settings, just so you're aware of that. There are better cards in a similar price range available.
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09-04-2006, 08:39 AM
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#3 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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no, this thread should not be locked. I have asked about many different seperate things than this build itself. I once asked about a bridge card that went to this mobo, but, that is entirely different from the final build together... especially since I am not even ordering that part.
Thank you for pointing out the fault in the video card. If you would be so kind as to suggest another card, I would be thoroughly appreciative. mods, do not lock this. It is completely different than other posts. all parts but one are parts I have never even considered before anyways. |
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09-04-2006, 08:52 AM
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#4 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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what about this gpu?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150154 my only gripe with it is that it costs little more than i'd like... and that it only has 8 pixel pipelines. I'd like to shoot for 12 or 16 |
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09-04-2006, 08:56 AM
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#5 |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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Skip that board...no reason to get a board with both PCI-E and AGP when you are buying a PCI-E card. Besides, it's not a top quality board and it has sub-par chipset in terms of performance. For a couple more bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569 I would skip on the Crucial Ballistix...I've been hearing of some problems with it lately. I'd look at some Corsair Value Select (a few bucks cheaper...won't need premium RAM). Here's a video card (must be a new one, haven't seen a 7600 GTS before, but it looks pretty good): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130054
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09-04-2006, 09:04 AM
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#6 |
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Shiro Usagi
Premium Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Posts: 34,002
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I agree with blue60007, that motherboard is not a good choice for a gaming rig. I wouldn't even use it in a simple computer for everyday stuff.
And I'd skip the Crucial Ballistix RAM too...I've also been hearing about problems with that RAM. I'd go with Corsair Value Select too. And the eVGA video card that blue60007 mentioned would be a better choice too. Much better brand than BioStar and XFX.  Cricket
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09-04-2006, 09:05 AM
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#7 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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that gpu would be able to play Elder Scrolls Morrowind at 60fps? Looks like just the price range im hoping to buy...
all the corsair ram i was looking at was a little bit more expensive. The ballistix is what I would consider to be a better choice... maybe I will wait for others to say the same thing you suggest about the ram... i think it is better than corsair for ddr 400. That motherboard looks great also. I like that it is at least nforce 4, but from my understanding from the entire review i read on andantech.com, the Uli chipset performs just as well, and in many cases better than the nforce 4... so, would it still be ok to get the other board? After all, the asus doesn't have 2x pci-e slots... the agp just wouldn't get used... no biggie... ill be online at a later time today to review suggestions, plz feel free to add comments. I want to come back to them. |
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09-04-2006, 09:45 AM
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#8 |
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Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 536
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09-04-2006, 10:09 AM
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#9 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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Crucial Ballistix had a batch of memory recently that had a habit of dying suddenly. If you're looking to save money, get the Corsair Value Select. It is all you need unless you plan to do a lot of overclocking.
That video card would be better. Not sure how many pipelines it has, but the clocks and memory are better. Here's some more, both ATI and NVIDIA: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102657 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814122245 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814142067 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814145133 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130035 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161165 I have the AGP version of the last card above (X800XL) in my kid's PC. It plays Oblivion VERY well, at mostly medium high settings at 1024X768. The only disadvantage it has against the other cards is no HDR or SM3.0. Personally, I'd save a little more and get one of the higher end (higher $$) cards listed above. They will play the latest releases a lot longer, as they are more capable cards. The place you NEVER scrimp in a gaming PC is on the video card. Last edited by jfk; 09-04-2006 at 10:13 AM. |
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09-04-2006, 10:19 AM
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#10 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Western NY
Posts: 245
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If you're looking for a 7600GT, heres an excellent deal-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143049 |
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09-04-2006, 11:20 AM
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#11 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 500
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If you have $6 more to spend, you might want to get a 250GB WD Hard Drive w/ 16MB buffer instead of your current 8MB. You should also keep in mind that the DDR ram is getting replaced by DDR2, and the processor socket is getting outdated. You should try to get a video card w/ DDR3 if you are into intense gaming. There is an ATI All In Wonder Radeon X1900 for about $215 on Newegg that would preform nicely, if you can fit it into your budget. Hope your build goes well!
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09-04-2006, 08:55 PM
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#12 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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I really appreciate all of the help. I know I shouldn't hold the money on the video card, but... please keep in mind that I am actually quite poor lol, and this is really treating myself.
I know about ddr3 now, but thanks anyways andper, and yea, i didn't realize that the 16mb cache model was only a few dollars more... definitely worth it. I know DDR is getting replaced by DDR2, but it will perform just as fast as I need it to honestly... the system will still be "blazingly fast"... i've never even seen a computer with more than 256 ram in person... This will be a huge upgrade from my Dell Dimension 4500S. I am wanting a video card capable of playing Oblivion at atleast 60fps... that is the main concern... becuase if it is that good, it will most definitely play anything else I want to... and I am not usually into that many games for PC. thanks for pointing out the value select ram too guys. I may have to wait longer b/c of the mobo/gpu, but it will be worth it for the extra dollar or 200 lol. |
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09-04-2006, 09:02 PM
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#13 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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Crucial "value" ddr is fine. But Crucial's Balistix DDR is the one with problems. It has a tendency to suddenly die after a few months. For no reason. However ballistix ddr2 has fixed this problem.
And this will be a fine system. 939 is a very stable platform for bang/buck. I would also suggest you save a few bucks on the processor and get a X2 3800 and spend it on the motherboard. I suggest the Asus A8N5X as a replacement.
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09-04-2006, 09:04 PM
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#14 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Western NY
Posts: 245
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I highly recommend you go with the 7600GT over the GS. The GT is a much more powerful version of the card and right now it is cheaper than the one you picked out. Check some benchmarks to see how the cards match up.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html |
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09-04-2006, 09:05 PM
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#15 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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I have pretty much set my mind on the 7600GT now thanks guys.
also, Mr. Ferrari says to get the 3800+... how much of a performance decrease would I be seeing if i did that? I looked into that processor at one time, and decided I needed more... just because it was still under 2 franklins. Last edited by DarkPacMan77; 09-04-2006 at 09:08 PM. |
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09-04-2006, 09:09 PM
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#16 | |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Western NY
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Quote:
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09-04-2006, 09:10 PM
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#17 |
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Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
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I don't think you would notice much of a difference. The idea was to use the money saved for a higher quality motherboard. I would definetly go with a 3800+ and an Asus A8N5X motherboard for a great combination.
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09-04-2006, 09:11 PM
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#18 | |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Western NY
Posts: 245
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Quote:
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09-04-2006, 09:12 PM
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#19 | |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
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Quote:
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09-04-2006, 09:31 PM
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#20 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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say i put ... oh, around 350 dollars into the gpu... what kind of single-card setups would you guys most recommend?
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09-04-2006, 09:38 PM
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#21 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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09-04-2006, 09:38 PM
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#22 |
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Kickin' it
Staff
Premium Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 7,723
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No need to spend that much even. I'd get an eVGA 7900GT for under $300.
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09-04-2006, 10:27 PM
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#23 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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Ok boys and girls... here is the updated build list.
case + psu: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155 HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701 Motherboard: ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569 RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440 Prcoessor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 2.0GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103562 Graphics processing unit: eVGA 256-P2-N562-AX Geforce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103562 the build is $774.95 and $821.44 with tax shame on you who said it couldn't be done for "under" $800 ... damn tax+shipping lol So what do you guys think now? Last edited by DarkPacMan77; 09-04-2006 at 10:29 PM. |
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09-04-2006, 11:02 PM
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#24 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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Looks great.
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09-05-2006, 07:45 AM
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#25 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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Don't forget an optical drive. I'd suggest a Lite On DVD RW. Other than that, I see you have an OS, so it should be good to go.
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09-05-2006, 03:10 PM
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#26 | |
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Wx geek
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 6,638
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Quote:
OS and optical drive bumps you up another $120. 
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09-06-2006, 02:24 AM
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#27 | |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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Quote:
I was going to go with a cheaper mobo... that would have worked just fine, just would have been less quality and is a little older... but i would have saved money there. And regarding the graphics card... I was going to get a $144 card, and ended up choosing a $266 dollar card, so if i needed the OS and dvd drive right away and needed to order the OS... then bam, the extra 120 would have been already accounted for . That is why I asked about a $350 gpu b/c I was wondering just how much I am actually saving, that I had to "work with", even though I won't have the money for a bit.but yea, i don't need the dvd drive now, have no need for it, i just want one. I'll upgrade to it from my cd-rw drive a few months after initial purchase. just a few last questions I guess... and maybe you guys can't answer, i'm not sure easy 1. will the power supply be of high enough quality to power the system? I know it is antec and over what I need to begin with, but is it "totally" reliable? moderate 2. Will the cd that comes with the gpu have the latest drivers? How often do the manufacturers update the driver disc that comes with the gpu? Also, would installing the drivers off of the card be just fine until I picked up better drivers, if any? hard 3. Say I have to wait as long as Christmas to order the parts... are they all going to still be "in existence" and still produced, or are any of them going to be discontinued altogether? I know the 939 socket is going down but is it worth the worry if i have to buy parts late? If so, what AM2 board/ processor/ ram would be good buys for a gaming system? |
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09-06-2006, 06:57 AM
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#28 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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1. Its reliable enough that you wont have all your components die if your psu ever does go out. And antec has great customer service..should outway some of their issues. And your build isnt too demanding.
2. Usually not. Itll probally have drivers from a few months back. Just go to the manufacturers website if you ever want to update drivers. Before installing new drivers make sure you properly clean out the old ones by using Drivercleanerpro after wiping them manually from add and remove programs. 3. Ram will probally be higher cost. If your gonna go 939 go now or if you do want to wait until christmas thats fine..Just might turn out that a core 2 duo build might come out a better choice for you. Last edited by Mr.Ferrari; 09-06-2006 at 03:31 PM. |
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09-06-2006, 08:24 AM
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#29 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 398
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I know that a core 2 duo build would be lower cost, but i doubt the possibility that it will be at an agreable price to me. I will just have to see how things play out.
I just am praying that nothing happens to the 939 socket too soon, b/c all i've heard is that it is soon to be obsolete, just don't know a timeframe. |
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09-06-2006, 08:59 AM
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#30 |
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V12
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Houston, T.E.X.A.S
Posts: 3,488
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I doubt skt.939 should be getting totally wiped out anytime soon. AM2 being as dispopular as it is will/is still making 939 look l ike a better choices.
Just saying that the Ram will definately be at a much higher cost when you buy. DDR is getting outdated. |
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