The Ultimate Desktop PC for Gaming, etc?

[Trader-X]

Hiyaa folks!

Would like to fish for some "opinions" here.

As far as the case, power supply is concerned, I think Antes and its supplied power supply is probably ok.

Really, I know not too much about p-cees.

Two questions right off the bat that I'd like to address is:

Memory and graphics card.

I'm a fan of RAMBUS. Now I'm sure I could be wrong, but I think RAMBUS is the way to go.

I'm NOT sure if there's mobos out there that can be had with an Athalon processor and RAMBUS combo, along with a top of the line graphics card.

Otherwise, Pentium/RAMBUS is fine ... Intel MoBo? How about ASUS or MSI?

Yes, this future computer is for gaming, and its gots to be top shelf.

Please and by all means ... have at it.


Thanking everyone in advance!


TX ~

[Kov-Ice]

Welcome to PCMech. I'm pretty sure rambus is no longer supported in the majority of new mobos. You'll need DDR memory, PC3200 is a good speed. Intel is sold, but get an ASUS mobo if interested in overclocking. Depending on money considerations, a Radeon 9600 or 9800 (PRO or XT variety) is the way to go for a graphics card. Good luck.

[HAL9000]

RAMBUS is a dead horse and the latest DDR out benches it anyway. AMD had licensing for RAMBUS, but never put it to use. Pick what you want, AMD or Intel, get the best bang for tbe buck from your decision, then dump your money into a Radeon 9800 Pro or XT.

[RJ]

As said, RAMBUS is dead and a low performer. Barely a board supports it.
If you get a P4C (with 800 MHz FSB) you need to couple it with DDR400/PC3200 RAM to use it at its full potential.

With an interface of 64 bit, DDR 400 (has a clock rate of 200 MHz) has a bandwidth of 3,2 GB/s.
Now with dual channel you even double that to 6,4 GB/s. And all newer boards support dual channel DDR.

RAMBUS has an interface of only 16 bit, and is clocked at 400 MHz. Anyway an RDRAM400 (PC800) has a bandwidth of only 1,6 GB/s, in dual channel mode 3,2 GB/s. I'm not sure which RAMBUS would be for a P4 with 800 MHz FSB, but even the RDRAM600 (PC1200) has a bandwidth of 2,4 GB/s, and in dual channel mode 4,8 GB/s.

And 4,8 GB/s is less than the dual channel DDR with its 6,4 GB/s. Also I believe RAMBUS is more expensive.

Bandwith data can be seen here: http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/200..._306ht-09.html

I have the Asus P4P800 (non-deluxe), a P4 2.6C and 1 GB Infineon DDR400/PC3200 (4x 256 MB) in dual channel mode. Very good party, I'd recommend you the P4P800/P4C800 boards, too. Look at the boards, at the specs, and get the board you like.
Abit and Epox make good boards, too, you might want to take a look at their boards as well. Just make sure the board supports 800 MHz FSB, and if you want a P4, stay away from VIA chipsets. I'd get a board with Intel chipset.

RJ

[Trader-X]

Thanks fellas ...

Seems I got a bit to learn.

This is better than searching around aimless on the net.

It also seems I'm a bit out of touch with the times.

Please feel free to post additional info., if you'd like.

Thanks again RJ, Hal 9000 and Kov-Ice.

If I see anything of interest pertaining to my inquery, I'll post it to see what you gents think.


TX ~

[nocturnx]

A P4 2.8c (or higher, but 2.8 is the best for price right now) w/hyper threading and 800mhz bus

A Intel, MSI, or ASUS motherboard with the 875P chipset and all the features you want ( # of pci slots, sata, memory slots). If you go with intel get the "bananza".

For memory card 9600 Pro/XT or 9800 Pro/XT.

For Ram, 2 sticks of 512mb crucial, geil, mushkin, or corsair DDR400 PC3200 ram in dual channel, running at 200mhz which puts your cpu bus and memory "in sync" for best performance.

[Jimmy White]

If you have the Money go for an A64 or FX-51 or P4 3.2 EE there the best processors around.
ATI 9800xt or Nvidia 5950ultra are the best Video cards around
WD Raptors are nice fast hard drives
Corsair XMS series is realy good fast ram

[Trader-X]

Thanks JW

I think I'll start researching the mobos first.

How's the weather there?

Give the Queen my regards!




TX ~

[Corax]

Good plan. Although this is my first build, everything I've read advises to start your design from the motherboard. Seems to make sense, as pretty much everything has to be compatible with it.

[Trader-X]

Hello and good day guys!

Thanks for your reply, Corax.

Ok, seems like all are in agreement here.

Since we pretty much have the memory agreed upon, (DDR 400 dual), I'm currently looking at 3 mobos that support that particular memory.

Intel

Asus

MSI

nocturnx suggested an Asus w/ 875P chipset, I'll be looking at that with interest.

Is there any stability issues with any of the 3 mentioned mobos?


TX ~

And thanks for the link RJ ...

[Jimmy White]

The intel will be the most stable but will not and cannot overclock. The asus is another very stable board and will also let you Overclock very easily.
The 875p chipset is awesome

[Trader-X]

Jimbo!

It's ok if I call you Jimbo?

In regards to overclocking, in concordance with a powerful processor/memory, does overclocking bring substantial results?

Substantial enough to bring noticeable results?


TX ~

btw, I realize that in constructing "today's powerful pc" may become obsolete in the near future.

For instance, I was inside a noted pc supply outlet recently and noticed a Radeon 512mg video card.

512mg?


sheeeesh, that's almost TV status!

[Jimmy White]

I dont think there is a 512mb video card, because 256 hasnt been utilised yet.
Overclocking doesnt cause much of a performance boost if its just a 100-200mhz overclock. 500mhz+ and youll notice performance boosts.
what other parts do you need?
P42.8C
asus P4C800
Radeon 9800pro
Corsair 512 XMS DDR400 PC 3200 X2
is what i would recomend for a gaming machine

[Trader-X]

I stand corrected, seems I bring a new meaning to "open mouth/insert foot" ... lol

Thanks Jimmy

[Corax]

I've gone for the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP, but I've not built it yet. The reviews for it are fantastic, it has muchos bells'n'whistles (eg: DualBios) and I think it seems to be quite good value due to Gigabytes previous boards being not up to much (therefore not the best reputation maybe?). It's based on the 875P (or PE, can't remember) chipset.

Corax.

[Trader-X]

Thanks Corax ...

This is a project I'm looking forward too.

I'll look into your idea ... I'm in no rush, as there's a lot of information to read up about.

There's a lot of support for the 875P chipset. So far, looks like I'll incorporate a mobo with that chipset.

However, I'll read on and come to a decision by the end of March.

After which I'll post it along with some other components.


Thanks again!


TX ~

[Hi Ho]

Asus makes the best motherboards around. The most widely used and probably the best motherboards for Intel are the Asus P4C800's. As for the video card. 9800 Pro or XT is the way to go. Stay away from the Nvidia FX series. They are poor performers.