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Another new PC thread

P

Phewl

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
83
So, it's time to build a new computer. I've done some homework and come up with these components, but I figured I'd run it by the pros before I put any money down.

Before we get to the parts, I'd like to mention a few things. First and foremost this computer will be used for gaming. Second, I don't have a problem with overclocking but it's not something I want to feel I have to do out of the box, I'd rather have to face that in 6 months to a year.

And, of course, I am on a budget so I can't go all out. Anyhow, here's what I've got:

AMD ATHLON 64 3700+ PROCESSOR S939 SAN DIEGO 2.2GHZ 1MB L2 CACHE 90NM
ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939 NFORCE4 ULTRA DDR PCI-E16 PCI-E4 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID GBLAN SOUND
BFG GEFORCE 6800 ULTRA OC PCI-E 256MB 256BIT DDR3 DUAL DVI S-VIDEO OUT VIDEO CARD
MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS 10 200GB SATA150 16MB 7200RPM OEM HARD DRIVE
LG GSA-4163B DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16 CDRW 40X24X40 DUAL LAYER+R 4X INT IDE BLACK OEM W/ SW
FORTRON FSP/SPI AX500-A 500W ATX12V 2.0 24PIN BLUE STORM POWER SUPPLY W/ 120MM FAN RETAIL

The RAM is something I am really unsure of. It's been suggested to me to go with no more than 1 gb of DDR1, but if I want 2gb then I ought to get DDR2, for down the road upgrades.

Everything else I can salvage from this computer.

Anyhow, what do you all think?
 
Get a 3000+ or 3200+ Venice and a 7800GTX rather than a 3700+ SD and 6800U.

You can get this Crucial 1GB stick for $106:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146545

Get two. There's nothing wrong with 2 GB of DDR. Most people are getting it nowadays. There's no reason to get DDR2 (you can't even use it in AMD systems right now) until the new socket comes out next year (M2). so, get 2 GB.

Other than that, everything looks great!
 
Do you think I can expect a decent life expectancy from a 3200+? And what of the CPU bottlenecking the video card, is that a myth?
 
The 3200+ will bottleneck the 7800 GTX for sure. If you overclock however, you will be able to play any game at near max settings.
 
Bump for more questions. Only this time I'm trying to be a little more open minded about overclocking.

So I got a fair deal on a 7800 gtx now I'm looking at CPU/MoBo/RAM combo.

How well does the 3700+ overclock? It would seem to me that a 3700+ would have be of use to me longer, providing it overclocks well enough. If, on the other hand it was a lousy oc'er, then I'd be more inclined to go with the 3200+ that everyone here seems to have fallen in love with, since it's a difference of $200 Canadian.

Also, I hear the Lanparty board is a nice overclocker. Now truthfully I'm not as technically minded as some of you therefore I don't think I'd take this oc'ing as far as many of you would, so I have to wonder if this is indeed the board for me as opposed to the A8N-E I had chosen earlier.

Lastly, I'm really stuck on RAM. I've decided to go with 2gb, but there are so many kinds I really don't know what to go with. Here's another set that I found:

MUSHKIN BLUE HP PC3200 1GB DDR 2X512MB 184PIN CL2-3-3 DIMM MEMORY KIT /W WIN BOND UTT CHIPS

Would I be able to get a decent oc out of this?

Any help you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated, as usual. Thanks!
 
If you dont want to spend $500+ on a 7800GTX there is a deal on the X850XT PE for $350 in the Hot Deals section.

I would go ahead and get the 3700+ San Diego over the 3200+ Venice since prices have dropped more.

If you want 2GB of RAM then you need to look at 2x1024MB sticks. Crucial and Mushkin both have good value 1GB sticks for cheap.
 
I've read that for gaming it's better (but only slightly) to go with 4x512.

Does the value RAM hold it's own as far as overclocking is concerned?
 
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