$900 Gaming Build- Please Help, again...

[KoMoDo]

yes, u do need to drop some other things because ure getting intel which is much more expensive...

[Yuanji]

LGA775s are cheap because they need to push people to buy them since most LGA775 MoBos only support PCIEX cards. You would be better off buying a socket 478 MoBo and a 478 P4 and stick with AGP cards. look at it this way. either you spend money right now to end up upgrading it later, or you spend less money on the vid card for higher performance now but ur gnna have to upgrade it later.

[Moose on the Loose]

Originally Posted by KoMoDo yes, u do need to drop some other things because ure getting intel which is much more expensive...

You have to accept that people will not always follow your advice, it's their choice eventually. I build with AMD mostly too, but if someone has a preference for Intel there is no need to argue with that.

You can go Intel with your budget, but as for now AGP cards are better performers. There are no "real" PCI-E cards out yet, not that I know of anyway. As many people have pointed out : its not possible to build a pc that you will be able to upgrade like that. You can go with the LGA socket if your budget allows you to, but when you decide to upgrade your CPU, you will have to upgrade your RAM too, to match the FSB, and so on. I think you know all you need to know about the parts, just choose some that are within budget.

Edit: with "Real" I mean : there are better performing AGP cards out there
another edit: Enlight ATX MID-TOWER CASE with 360Watt POWER SUPPLY for $51. This doesnt look fancy but at least it comes with a useable PSU.
This one is good too
ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply but it costs a bit more : $70

[KoMoDo]

i can definetely accept him going with an intel build, its just that the cpus of intel are kinda more expensive, and u saw my build made it possible for him going AMD-64bit style, instead of his build which made him go overboard, and i think he said he was missing a few parts on that build.
also, about all his upgradebility issues and such, theres no point in doing that, because, like, i got 2 Socket A mobos (the one in my sig, and the crappy one im using right now) and this one is 4 years old, and the one in my sig is 1 year old, if i would want to upgrade them in a few years, i would have to change everything, thats the same thing if he would get socket 939 right now, because everything will still change in a few years, and even if it wont, all of his components would already be old and crappy, so he'll be better off just replacing everything :-P i say, go with the current, and build a new comp/upgrade everything in 2-4 years, thats what im gonna do, in about 2-4 years i will build a top-of-the-line PC, and give the one in my sig to my bro or sell it on ebay for euro ppl (or americans if they wanna pay alot for shipping :-P) and so on.. thats just what u have to do, nothing to do about it, technology evolves faster than u can imagine.

good luck in whatever u choose though amir, i would help u build your PC via msn and others will too via the forums,

KoMoDo

[Moose on the Loose]

Originally Posted by KoMoDo same thing if he would get socket 939 right now, because everything will still change in a few years

Socket 939 is only becoming the new standard so it will be used in the coming years as well. If he buys a mobo with space for upgradeability he might be able to use it in the future, same thing with LGA socket boards.

Anyway, I tend to agree with Yuanji : I think it's better to go with a standard Mobo and use AGP for now. PCI-E is still being introduced, and it will take a while before it has replaced AGP. It's probably better to buy a cheaper AGP card and Mobo, because now you have to pay a lot for something that performs the same way a 9600 pro would.

[KoMoDo]

Originally Posted by Moose on the Loose Socket 939 is only becoming the new standard so it will be used in the coming years as well. If he buys a mobo with space for upgradeability he might be able to use it in the future, same thing with LGA socket boards. Anyway, I tend to agree with Yuanji : I think it's better to go with a standard Mobo and use AGP for now. PCI-E is still being introduced, and it will take a while before it has replaced AGP. It's probably better to buy a cheaper AGP card and Mobo, because now you have to pay a lot for something that performs the same way a 9600 pro would.

thats exactly my point, get cheap stuff now and upgrade when u get the money, cheap, but good stuff that u can game now.
also moose, i added u to msn, accept me, add me, w/e :-P yuval73@hotmail.com

[Moose on the Loose]

I rejected, I have too many people in my MSN list I barely talk to anyway. Sorry

[KoMoDo]

well if u barely talk to, delete em and add me :-P we'll talk alot, about PC's and stuff :-P
Mesaeus also uses MSN, so add both of us and we'll have convos, etc... :-P

[Amirsan]

Off Topic: I never reject people, unless they are spammers... its always good to have a good support system if you need help. So if I need help with a certain thing there will be someone online to talk to.

Ok, anyone know any good and cheap AGP mobos? Lemme make it clear, I want a cpu and mobo that will last me a couple years until I have to upgrade it again. I am sure a 3.0 will last me 4 years or so, until I need to upgrade the RAM, and the Mobo and Cpu.

Other then that, along the way I will upgrade ram, video card and thats it, not including monitors, and all the other goodies. Its ram and a video card which is most important for gaming no?

Anyways, I am pretty much finished then, I just need a good mobo, squeeze out some good prices and im good to go, maybe I will have extra money to spend to get a 3.0 instead of a 2.8.

Am I right?

[Amirsan]

Found a new mobo, lemme know if its good...

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...135-157&depa=1

Has one agp slot, a ddr2 slot, max 2 gigs, x2 ddr 400 slot.

Does it come with Ethernet connector?

EDIT: Might I add that its only $98 and its LGA775.

[Amirsan]

Ok, IF the mobo I chose is good, now we are missing is a good case and psu, sinse I was told my current one is no good...

@Mooseontheloose, the Enlight case is around $60+ with shipping... waay too much.

Seems like almost all of them are like that... anyways I will look locally. Can you guys tell me what qualities I should be looking for in a case AND a monitor?

The main important qualities I should make sure I am getting while I look. I will get a new updated list of components and a final price if I get good comments for my choices...

[GForce64]

ECS is NOT GOOD. There down there with PC Chips.

[timbit]

ecs --> bad...

in a case: look for whatever you want in looks. removable motherboard tray makes it easier to upgrade, as does toolless assembly. space for extra harddrives and opticals etc...

in a moniter: several things....
dot pitch --> the smaller, the better. this is the space between the pixels on the screen. .20 is best, .22 is good... .25 is not so good, above that is bad.

resolution --> the higher, the better. this is how many pixels are displayed on the screen. most moniters support 800x600, 1034x768, 1280x1024. 1600x1200 and higher is nice. the higher the resolution that you play a game, the less you need to use antialiasing.

refresh rate --> the higher, the better. they usually only tell you what it is at the highest resolution. it has to be higher than 60hz. the lower it is, the more flickering you will notice. i personally don't like using anything lower than 72+ hz...

size --> obviously, the larger, the better. 17inches is good. 19 inches is better. on your budget, stick with 17.

i think that's everything.... keep us posted on how you are doing. when you get a final build let us know, and then let us know how the building goes. good luck!

[Yuanji]

i'm pretty sure that ASUS or ABIT makes a LGA775 MoBo that supports AGP but dude 60+ with S&H included is a good deal for a case if it comes with a quality PSU. you're gnna find that the money that the other companies can shave off is from getting a crappy PSU and you having to buy another one.

[Moose on the Loose]

Yeah, you only pay shipping costs once, and 50 dollars for a nice case AND a quality PSU is a good deal if you ask me

Regards

MOSEMOSMSOESEESE

[KoMoDo]

i see ure going intel...
anyways, i say get the case and psu i recommended because that'll be cheaper for u, not gonna be 60$, even with shipping included, or get a case locally and that enlight 420W psu.

good luck,

KoMoDo

[Amirsan]

ok, thanks alot guys, gonna start looking. We have a best buy, comp usa and a couple other stores... I will look for those good father and mother type of boutiques. They seem like they may have good prices.

[Amirsan]

What about this mobo? If no good, can you PLEASE help me find a good one...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...127-183&depa=1

under the budget, if none, when what should I decrease on my build?

[Yuanji]

i think its pretty good but still dunno why you wanna get the LGA775 interface cuz if you're just getting it so you can upgrade later you probably still will have to buy a MoBo with a better chipset

[Amirsan]

Ok, tell me this.

Which mobo can I use that will last me years? Mobo AND Cpu. I am not going to spend $300 to upgrade my mobo in 1 year, I need a mobo and cpu that will last me, so that all I should have to worry about upgrading is the RAM and Video card, nothing else.

I dont want to be stuck in a year or two needing a whole major upgrade.

So can you guys tell me? Which cpu and Mobo? Thats my biggest need besides a different case/psu which is easy.

[Yuanji]

if you get a decent processor right now, i would say it will last a couple of years. Windows 64 bit wont come out for awhile. a 3.2 or 3.4 prescott core processor will last you awhile. getting a MoBo for upgrades isnt always the smartest thing to do because the companies are always producing better chipsets and if you use an athlon 64 bit that you buy right now it probably won't run the 64 bit apps that come out later because they will require more power. Its impossible to stay current forever in technology so you get a decent thing and go with it. the LGA775 socket will most definately require you to upgrade your ram or video card in a year or 2 and that would probably cost more then a MoBo and CPU upgrade. go with socket 478 on proven good chipsets and just forget bout trying to always get into the new trend.

If you can afford to spend a little over 300 mabye 350 i'd reccomend this cpu and this MoBo
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-492&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...116-172&depa=1
if you can't downsize the CPU to 3.0 Ghz

[ric449]

Even if you go LGA 775 your upgrades are limited. Soon the 1066MHz FSB will be here, they will reqire a new chipset.

[Amirsan]

Hmm, 350 is alot, now this is WAAAY over the budget, especially sinse I need a new case and PSU. Though I can go for 3.0, no? Isn't that cheaper?

[ric449]

Here's a 2.8GHz processor:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...102-164&depa=1

And the mobo should be fine.

[timbit]

i dunno... apparently, amd demoed one of their dual core opterons recently. all they needed to do was give a bios update to the board. i think this is what is supposed to happen when they come out with dualies for 939 next year... that's pretty upgradable, to be able to go from a single core a64 to a dual core with just a bios update. then again, amirsan, i think you said that 939 was too expensive for you, right? i guess it's just a thought.

[KoMoDo]

Amir, as i already said, u can definetely stick with the same mobo and CPU for more than 3 years, im using this comp for 4 years and i havent upgraded a single thing, since my brother doesnt play many games, but u can definetely get the latest gfx card and best RAM on here (that the mobo will support) theres no point in spending all those extra bucks for the future, when everything will change by then, trust me... just stick with the current technology that is cheap but good.

so as you can see, this changed the intel vs AMD situation, because u wanted intel only because they were "more upgradeable" right now, as u said...but since theres no point in doin that, u can even go with an AMD 64 bit on a 754 mobo, or just go with Socket A...

KoMoDo

[Amirsan]

Guys, I am going Intel and thats it. AMD is good, but its not for ME.

I will go for 2.8 or 3.0, I think 2.8 and 478 goes well inside the budget, then I change the psu and case, and look around for some cheap prices and im set.

Thanks Guys!

[timbit]

good luck, keep us posted.

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by Amirsan Guys, I am going Intel and thats it. AMD is good, but its not for ME. I will go for 2.8 or 3.0, I think 2.8 and 478 goes well inside the budget, then I change the psu and case, and look around for some cheap prices and im set. Thanks Guys!

You seem to want a good upgrade path from what I have read in this thread. Sorry to start debating even more, but you just won't get that with AGP. It's being phased out and it's quite possible that beyond this graphics card generation, we won't see any higher-end AGP cards, according to what I've read on Tom's Hardware.

With that said, if you want a good video card that is PCI-E and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, you will have to wait a little while. It might make sense to get an X300SE for now and then upgrade in six months. It seems to me that you aren't anticipating CPU/mobo upgrades (correct me if I'm wrong), so don't be concerned about Intel's jump to FSB1066.

So here are my recommendations:

• A 915P motherboard with regular DDR (DDR and DDR2 will coexist for some time, as happened with SDRAM and DDR).
• An LGA775 CPU.
• A low-end PCI-E graphics card that you will upgrade in six months.
• Any case.
• A really beefy PSU -- as evidenced by the GeForce 6800 Ultra's 480-watt minimum PSU requirement, you will continue to need stronger and stronger PSUs.
• A SATA hard drive.
• Any optical drive.

Other parts don't really matter; you can get any monitor, any keyboard/mouse, any speakers, etc. But in my opinion, if you want a future-proof PC, PCI-E graphics are a 100% must.

[speeddude2000]

im back amirsan. you have to get a pcie card. stick with taht mobo because you wanted to upgrade right? there are cheap pcie cards, like the x600.