Building a Gaming PC... Part 2

Sorcerxo

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
98
Plain and simple: I need major help.

I'm not a computer "wiz" ... I thought I was, but, oh man, was I wrong.

I'm building a gaming PC.
My budget is $450-$500.
I know nothing.

I believe I have a video card set after much research. Rad. 9600 Pro 256MB.

Now, many questions: (note, all of this was done on: Pricewatch.com )

1. Are the Motherboard Combo's with Memory a good deal? Would they save money? Are they dependable? Yes, they are only equipped with 256MB RAM but if I would save money, I'd buy an additional 512MB stick. I was looking at the Asus A7V400 MX Set with XP 2600 2.13GHz (look at it on Pricewatch) ... is this good?

2. Buying RAM seemed simple. I'd buy a stick of 512MB ... but then I see all these numbers and letters I can't comprehend, like PC4000 stuff, what is that!? Anyway, can someone point out a 512MB stick for me... I'm confused, lol...

3. Hard drives. I don't need a big one, do I? Like 60 Gigs? 80? What would I need? Can someone point out a good HD? (Man, I need alot of help, lol)

4. CD-ROM. Does this part matter? I mean, does it really matter what type I buy, just an 'ol cheapo...?

I can't think of anymore parts ATM.

I couldn't say enough how helpful and how I am grateful enough to the people who could take the time and answer my questions (or just give me ideas). I couldn't express how... nice... that would be. Thank you.
 
Sorcerxo said:
Plain and simple: I need major help.

I'm not a computer "wiz" ... I thought I was, but, oh man, was I wrong.

I'm building a gaming PC.
My budget is $450-$500.
I know nothing.

I believe I have a video card set after much research. Rad. 9600 Pro 256MB.

Now, many questions: (note, all of this was done on: Pricewatch.com )

1. Are the Motherboard Combo's with Memory a good deal? Would they save money? Are they dependable? Yes, they are only equipped with 256MB RAM but if I would save money, I'd buy an additional 512MB stick. I was looking at the Asus A7V400 MX Set with XP 2600 2.13GHz (look at it on Pricewatch) ... is this good?

2. Buying RAM seemed simple. I'd buy a stick of 512MB ... but then I see all these numbers and letters I can't comprehend, like PC4000 stuff, what is that!? Anyway, can someone point out a 512MB stick for me... I'm confused, lol...

3. Hard drives. I don't need a big one, do I? Like 60 Gigs? 80? What would I need? Can someone point out a good HD? (Man, I need alot of help, lol)

4. CD-ROM. Does this part matter? I mean, does it really matter what type I buy, just an 'ol cheapo...?

I can't think of anymore parts ATM.

I couldn't say enough how helpful and how I am grateful enough to the people who could take the time and answer my questions (or just give me ideas). I couldn't express how... nice... that would be. Thank you.

Whats your time line on getting your system and are ya in the US, I ask your location cause sometimes Circuit city and best buy have hard drivers that are about 50% (usually mail in rebates, I just picked up a 250 gig one for 100 bucks :)). And time line was in the next couple months the new low end cards should be out that will be quite a bit faster then the 9600 for about the same price.
 
shut up noobie

lol

yeaha
get a 120 g harddrive, ns7s with a 2500 and a 512 stick of 3200 and a 9800pro
 
1- go to fry's near u or drive 50 miles or something just go their they always have sales on everything just make sure u willing to do rebates on memory i saved over 50+ bux on just mobo and cpu :cool: :cool:
 
do you need a case/cd/dvd drives? that makes all the difference....

9800 pro = 190$
nforce 2 mobo = 60$
AXP mobile proc = 80$
80 GB HD SATA = 60$
512Mb PC3200 memory = 80$

thats 470$.... with no case or cd/dvd rom drives. And thats granted that youll be overclocking the processor to gain more headroom.

GL
 
Thank you all for your posts. I have done alot of research and came up with this list:

Syntax SV400 Socket A DDR Athlon XP 2600+ w/ 256 MB RAM (mobo, CPU, RAM combo) - $164
Kingston PC3200 512MB RAM - $80
Western Digital 80GB w/ 8MB Cache - $62
Radeon 9600 Pro 256MB - $128
Optorite CD-RW Drive - $25
LinkWorld 400W Power Supply and Case - $25

Now, my question to you guys, see any major flaws? This comes to about $484.
 
Come on, thats a crap MB/CPU and poor choice of ram.

$50 Nforce2 MB NewEgg MB

$80 Unlocked CPU NewEgg CPU

$8 heatsink NewEgg HSF

I have 2 sticks of this, they do dual-channel 200Mhz-FSB 11,3,3,2.5 @ 2.8V
$82 Memory NewEgg DDR

HINT... I bought two sticks of that ram for... $18... Office Depot Sunday paper special... just keep your eyes open.

Second option, BestBuy sale this week, PC2700 Kingston valueram 512M $54.99 after $35 rebate...its usually Hynix xxxxBT-D43 chips which will pull up to 250Mhz FSB with loose timings.

$63 HDisk NewEgg HDisk

$193 9800pro NewEgg 9800pro

$50 Your case selection, and your CD

That puts you at $526 with one HELL of alot more firepower. A 9800pro, and a mobile athalon running at 200Mhz x12 makes for one mighty sweet game rig.

Add $115 more for upgrade to proper case/powersupply if you can swing it... SuperLanboy Case, Fortron 350W (120mm fan) PSU.... $641 great looks, ample power, awesome cooling, and very lightweight.
 
no use in getting him a mobile proc, hes too noob to overclock, just get a 2500+
 
Dude.... he gets the mobile, and doesnt overclock.... at least his options are open for the future and it COSTS the SAME or less..... are you a Fkin retard?

Who in thier right mind would buy anything but the UNLOCKED mobile Athalons if you were going with an Athalon solution?

Hi, my name is dipstick, I'd like to buy a crippled overpriced item rather than a power bargain item... cause .....Im a DIPSTICK.

Hopefully the kid has more respect for his own money than YOU do.

Ameoba... any idea what chips are on those sticks? 5,2,2,2 at 166Mhz is nice for the price. That Kingston valueram I got was actually PC2100... $9/stick on a Sunday instore special. Stuff kicks butt... 210Mhz DC 11,3,3,2.5 @ 2.8V on my NF7-S

.... the NF7-S along with the DFI Infinity with the MOBILE ATHALONS because Im NOT a Fkin retard.
 
uwackme said:
Dude.... he gets the mobile, and doesnt overclock.... at least his options are open for the future and it COSTS the SAME or less..... are you a Fkin retard?

Who in thier right mind would buy anything but the UNLOCKED mobile Athalons if you were going with an Athalon solution?

Hi, my name is dipstick, I'd like to buy a crippled overpriced item rather than a power bargain item... cause .....Im a DIPSTICK.

Hopefully the kid has more respect for his own money than YOU do.

Ameoba... any idea what chips are on those sticks? 5,2,2,2 at 166Mhz is nice for the price. That Kingston valueram I got was actually PC2100... $9/stick on a Sunday instore special. Stuff kicks butt... 210Mhz DC 11,3,3,2.5 @ 2.8V on my NF7-S

.... the NF7-S along with the DFI Infinity with the MOBILE ATHALONS because Im NOT a Fkin retard.

It's spelled "Athlon".
 
Who in thier right mind would buy anything but the UNLOCKED mobile Athalons if you were going with an Athalon solution?
the NF7-S along with the DFI Infinity with the MOBILE ATHALONS because Im NOT a Fkin retard.

Dude you can't even spell Athlon correctly, maybe you should settle down some. :rolleyes:

Sorcerxo, if you aren't overclocking or thinking of overclocking and price is your only concern then save a couple bucks and get a regular Athlon, not the mobile, the desktop cpus are a little faster stock than the mobiles because the desktops run a 166 fsb and the mobiles run 133 stock and will save you a few bucks. NF2 mobos are the best for socket A so you can't go wrong there, although you can't find them at super low prices. You definitely wanna try to pick up a 9800 variety of vid card if you can, but they might break your budget. If you are dead set on the 9600 get the 128meg version to save some cash, the extra ram on the slower boards like the 9600 doesn't make a big performance difference like on higher end cards. Thats my 2 cents.

edit: aww Squishead beat me too it!
 
uwackme said:
$50 Nforce2 MB NewEgg MB

$80 Unlocked CPU NewEgg CPU

$8 heatsink NewEgg HSF

$82 Memory NewEgg DDR

$63 HDisk NewEgg HDisk

$193 9800pro NewEgg 9800pro -- ** VIP **
All that good stuff plus...

$48 case with 350W PSU & window - Newegg

$59.99 LiteON 8x DVD+/-RW/CDRW burner - NewEgg

Thats $584 and you have a KICK ASS system with everything you need.
Get the mobile CPU b/c you're a noob and it will make overclocking easy. Just change the multiplier up a notch or 2 so you're speed is 2200Mhz.
 
Imitation said:
Dude you can't even spell Athlon correctly, maybe you should settle down some. :rolleyes:

Sorcerxo, if you aren't overclocking or thinking of overclocking and price is your only concern then save a couple bucks and get a regular Athlon, not the mobile, the desktop cpus are a little faster stock than the mobiles because the desktops run a 166 fsb and the mobiles run 133 stock and will save you a few bucks. NF2 mobos are the best for socket A so you can't go wrong there, although you can't find them at super low prices. You definitely wanna try to pick up a 9800 variety of vid card if you can, but they might break your budget. If you are dead set on the 9600 get the 128meg version to save some cash, the extra ram on the slower boards like the 9600 doesn't make a big performance difference like on higher end cards. Thats my 2 cents.

edit: aww Squishead beat me too it!

I feel so better now that everyone has called me a noob, ^_^
...But it's the truth.

No, I wasn't plannin' on overclocking and, guess what, I'm such a noob that I didn't know I was buying a mobile CPU... hmm... what's the same exact CPU that's not mobile, lol?

So, try for a NF2... maybe I could get a package with that... and, yes, 9800 would break my plan.

Thank you for all your posts and opinoins!

P.S. What's so good about dual-channel RAM?
 
HRslammR said:
get a 9800pro. way better and comparitively priced to the 9600
No, don't buy the 9800pro. The card produces a ton of heat and it has a lowsy fan and if you're using a "economy-class" cooling system in your PC (ie. one fan) the heat from the 9800pro can damage the VPU or even the Motherboard.

The 9600pro has a better fan and produces way less heat (it's a great card for a lower end PC). If you can afford it buy the 9600XT as it has a way faster Engine clock but, like what Imitation said, don't waste your time with the 256mb versions because there isn't really a preformance difference (4 pipelines are still 4 pipelines: click here for review)
 
GVX said:
No, don't buy the 9800pro. The card produces a ton of heat and it has a lowsy fan and if you're using a "economy-class" cooling system in your PC (ie. one fan) the heat from the 9800pro can damage the VPU or even the Motherboard.

The 9600pro has a better fan and produces way less heat (it's a great card for a lower end PC). If you can afford it buy the 9600XT as it has a way faster Engine clock but, like what Imitation said, don't waste your time with the 256mb versions because there isn't really a preformance difference (4 pipelines are still 4 pipelines: click here for review)

lol. The 9600 does produce less heat but why would it have a better fan? Besides which the choice of fan and heatsink depends on the manufacturers.

But I would agree with the others, don't bother with a 256mb 9600, it is a waste of money. Get a 128mb version and I would suggest getting a decent brand name motherboard (Abit, Asus, DFI, etc). I have worked with some motherboards from the smaller manufacturers and it is not worth your time if you have trouble. Buy quality now and you will be happier later.
 
Everyone else is puttin their $.02 in, so I'll jump in myself...


Case: APEX Super Case with 350W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-154-018&depa=1 = $39.99 shipped

MB:MSI K7N2 Delta-L http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-419&depa = 1$58.99 shipped

CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton" Retail http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-417&depa=1 = $90 shipped

Mem: PDP SYSTEMS Memory Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 512MB http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-220-002&depa=1 = $85.99 shipped

Hard Drive: Western Digital Special Edition 80GB http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=22-144-122&DEPA=1 = $64.25 shipped

Vid Card: SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=14-102-268&DEPA=0 = $183.99 shipped

or PowerColor Radeon 9600XT http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-131-242&depa=1 = $135 shipped



Total = $523.21 for the 9800 Pro (Best Choice) or $474.22 for a slower vid card


This assumes you have: CD-Rom/RW, Floppy (if you use 'em), Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, and OS from an older system.


This is a working system which will serve you well and do well in most games, but everyone is going to have a "Preference" on board and such... As for the unlocked vs. locked CPU, I wouldn't sweat it. If this is your first time putting a gaming system together, learn the basics before you worry about overclocking. This is available right now at those prices though they'll fluctuate day to day.

GL with your purchase.
 
GVX said:
No, don't buy the 9800pro. The card produces a ton of heat and it has a lowsy fan and if you're using a "economy-class" cooling system in your PC (ie. one fan) the heat from the 9800pro can damage the VPU or even the Motherboard.
click here for review)

hahahahaha

u have any proof to back up that statement?

i have installed, used, overclocked 9800Pro's on many PC's with ZERO case fans or any additional cooling of any kind. they NEVER overheated, etc, etc, atleast at stock speeds.

and the 9600XT has a better fan? :confused: where the hell did u get this info may i know please?

and FYI the 9800 pro will kick the crap outta that 9600Pro/XT whatever, by almost 30-40%. there's no point of getting the 9600XT for him if he's a gamer.

and to the original poster, if u just CANNOT in any way afford the 9800Pro, then get this one over the 9600Pro/XT or whatever, because this one has a very high softmod percentage to a 9800Pro. things might seem tricky at first, but its really an easy thing to do and will turn that 9800se into a 9800Pro.

9800SE at newegg

and if u have some spare cash, and u feel like ocing that 9800, get this cooler:
vga silencer

hope this helps
 
I have a 9600 and a few 9800pros... the 9600 is far less capable than the 9600. The 9600 has been regulated to the server which seldom used for games, but can work in a pinch if I have guests over. I would avoid a 9600 if at all possible, it is a good card, but the 9800 is much better.

If you skimp on say memory you can just add some later. If you skimp on a harddrive, you can add an additional one later, but if you skimp on video card, you will have to replace it if you wish to upgrade. Seems pretty clear to me... don't skimp on your video card!
 
Astronutty said:
I would avoid a 9600 if at all possible, it is a good card, but the 9800 is much better.

If you skimp on say memory you can just add some later. If you skimp on a harddrive, you can add an additional one later, but if you skimp on video card, you will have to replace it if you wish to upgrade. Seems pretty clear to me... don't skimp on your video card!

/\ Listen to that /\ /\
 
64bit_is_here said:
hahahahaha

u have any proof to back up that statement?

Okay.

Quotation derived from VIPERLAIR.com
The Radeon 9800 Pro is based on a .15 micron manufacturing process. This is important information to be aware of because the .15 process is going to yield a hotter GPU, which will require better cooling. ATI, who has never won any benchmarks via brute force, went with a low profile cooling system for the 9800 Pro. While the cooling system is definitely adequate, it is by no means great. Aftermarket heat pipe solutions from companies such as Zalman have been known to yield far better cooling results then the stock cooling unit. The main problem with the stock cooler is that the fan motor sits directly over the GPU, causing a dead spot where hot air can build up.
This proves that the ATI Radeon 9800pro does not have a great cooling system. (I've read countless other reviews that pretty much told me the same thing while I was looking into purchasing a video card).

Furthermore, I have a friend who purchased a Radeon 9800pro and had heat problems with it. In the end he had to install a superior cooling systems on his tower (two more fans; one to suck air in and another to blow it out). This costed quite a bit as well as making his computer several times more noisey.

I'm not saying that the 9800pro is a bad card. In fact, I really, really wanted one. Unfortunately, due to my limited budget, there was no way for me purchase the card as well as upgrade my cooling system at the same time (therefore I bought a 9600XT; it's not great, but I've gotten used to it).
 
Let me tell you a little about me.

I take others ideas, work them into my plan and once I'm set, there is no tunring me around.

Not the case with building a PC.

- - - - - - - - - -

I just went to the Post Office and (yes, finally!) a VHS and a book came.
Book: Building a PC for Dummies Vol. 4
VHS: TechTV's How to Build a PC

And damn, do I feel good, I learned so much stuff... anyways...

In this thread (and the first Building a Gaming PC... Part 1) I've had many different combos.

I have been doing so much research 'cause I'm gonna have to stick with this PC for atleast a year and a half without changing the MB. Anyways. I've thrown out parts, thrown in parts, blah, blah, blah. This is what I've came up with so far... again... er, whatever, just look:

(This is my "Cart" and... haha hackers, I haven't an account, booya, I win, but if I slip up, don't order anything, save me some money I'm only a teen...)

Don't hack me.

Now, this is all WITHOUT a processer, but this shocks me: it's only $340...
Am I missing a major part (besides the CPU) or... what...
When I had these parts before (alot are the same) and I added parts, it's now cheaper.

Then, (GUESS WHAT!) I have another question, sigh.
What would be a nice, not a hog, but nice CPU for a reasonable price. And while you're doin' that, please feel free to critque my parts... (like I've heard complaints about the RAM)

By the way, for all those have helped me and those who wanted too but didn't 'cause they though I was too much of a noob, I thank you. You all have helped me through this benchmark in my life. I know this sounds... Soap Opera-ish, but I mean it. Thank you.
 
64bit_is_here said:
hahahahaha

u have any proof to back up that statement?

i have installed, used, overclocked 9800Pro's on many PC's with ZERO case fans or any additional cooling of any kind. they NEVER overheated, etc, etc, atleast at stock speeds.

Umm, I find it hard to believe that you've overclocked 9800 Pros safely with zero case fans. Actually, I can't even tell what you're saying since you basically just said: "I've overclocked 9800 Pros and they've never overheated, at least when they're not overclocked." So what do you really mean?
 
Arti said:
Umm, I find it hard to believe that you've overclocked 9800 Pros safely with zero case fans. Actually, I can't even tell what you're saying since you basically just said: "I've overclocked 9800 Pros and they've never overheated, at least when they're not overclocked." So what do you really mean?
stock 9800s will NOT overheat without case fans, however, it isnt advisable to overclock without case fans though it IS possible to a limited extent. also, bout that quote from viperlair, all it is saying basically, is that there are better aftermarket coolers, the stock HSF is OK for overclocking, but dont expect too much..thers my .02
 
just a tip to Sorcerxo- newegg and most other online stores store the cart and account information serverside on a per-client basis. this means you cannot link to your shopping cart. look at the address of your cart-all it is is a link to a script that will retrieve and send to you _your_ cart information. so yes, you will have to type in each part ;). if you have a host you could save your cart page and then host the html somewhere, but thats not really worth it. another thing is last time i checked, newegg did a similar thing with item searches, so i dont think you can link to those either.

something everyone is overlooking is a power supply. although you will not see any real performance gains (a reason why this is usually not thought about) if you are planning on using this rig for a few years a cheapo power supply that comes with a $50 case will definatly _not_ cut it. these are prone to very bad voltage regulations on all rails, which will risk your hardware. for 30-40$us look for one by a reliable company like antec, enermax, fortron, thermaltake, zalman and vantec come to mind. truthfully looking for a good brand while shopping for powersupplies will serve you much better than the claimed specs of the item; do not just look for a high wattage rating. the amps on the 3.3, 5 and 12 volt rails are much more important.
 
I don't disagree Cloaked, but the problem is that he's trying to make it fit into a <$500 price range. You can't afford to buy a Sparkle and a case with no power supply in that price range, not without sacrificing something else. For a retail 2500+, that power supply should be fine. I made sure I picked one that had a 5-star rating and more than 50 reviews for the reasons you mention.
 
i am just trying to explain to everyone that a power supply should not be the last priority. it should also be be relative to the rest of his budget; spending $30 on a decent power supply would be a good investment imo (at least if i was buying this same system)
 
Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants :p, here you go:

Linkworld ATX Tower Case (Beige/Silver) with 400W power supply - $25.00
Optorite IDE/ATAPI 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive - $24.00
Speeze "WhisperRock II" CPU Cooler, for AMD/ Intel Socket A/ 370 - $8.00
Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE w/ 8MB Cache Hard Drive - $63.00
Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - $80.00
BIOSTAR "M7NCD" nForce2 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU - $50.00
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP - $94.00

- - - - - - - - - -

Now, this is all WITHOUT a processer, but this shocks me: it's only $340...
Am I missing a major part (besides the CPU) or... what...
When I had these parts before (alot are the same) and I added parts, it's now cheaper.

Then, (GUESS WHAT!) I have another question, sigh.
What would be a nice, not a hog, but nice CPU for a reasonable price. And while you're doin' that, please feel free to critque my parts... (like I've heard complaints about the RAM)

By the way, for all those have helped me and those who wanted too but didn't 'cause they though I was too much of a noob, I thank you. You all have helped me through this benchmark in my life. I know this sounds... Soap Opera-ish, but I mean it. Thank you.
 
sounds good. i would spend the extra $30 or however much it is for a 9600 pro if you can, as the performance is significantly better. with that cpu cooler you can get an oem athlon xp 2500+ (~80) and switch to pc2700 if it is any cheaper
 
I'm not bashing your choices, just giving opinions...

Case: If it's from Newegg, that $22 case will cost you $15.99 to ship. And it has a massive 3 star rating from 1 person. That's playing Russian roulette with 5 bullets in a six-shooter. That 400W PS (300W if it's the one from Newegg) should be alright... But I like hearing from other people before I take that chance. I never buy discount parts unless there's like 50 reviews saying it's decent.

CDR/W: Should be fine, I like Lite-On but this one has good reviews

Cooler: Looks fine, but note the $5 shipping on your $8 HSF and by not going retail, you'll need to buy some thermal transfer compound

Hard drive: Good choice

Memory: No real problems, just that with 1 512Mb stick, you don't get to use dual channel memory and thus reduce your speed a bit.

Motherboard: I would never, EVER purchase a biostar. Too many horror stories. In my post I suggest the MSI board. 1. It's NF2 Ultra, 2. It's a good manufacturer, 3. It costs $8.99 more after shipping.

Video Card: You titled this as a gaming computer. I guess you could play Duke Nukem on a 9600... But that's about it. Might as well wad that $90 up and wipe your butt with it. At least get a 9600Pro or XT.

Oh yeah, and be sure and stick with the 2500+ Barton. Best choice for a cheap system.

YMMV
 
everything is fine.. except I would get the 9800 Pro...
for the 20th time as people have pointed out...
the #1 most important thing in a "Gaming PC" is the videocard. (dont SKIMP!)

Performance starts leveling out about 2Ghz for AMD and 3Ghz for Intel.
And at 512MB of ram.

Granted a 3.6Ghz with 1Gb is better, but the performance curve flattens out at a certain point with most components. However, the videocard is where there is the greatest difference with different pricepoints.
 
The 9600Pro is a tolerable card, but honestly... The difference between it and the 9800Pro is night and day. If you are ABSOLUTELY limited in the amount you will/can spend the 9600Pro will take care of you. But like everyone else here, I highly suggest spending the extra moolah and get the 9800Pro.
 
Well, it's too bad I can't take the extra step to a 9800 Pro... my budget was $500 for complete PC and monitor... so... I'm gonna have to stick with the 9600 Pro, which is not a BAD card... I got a good deal on a monitor for $100, made by Phillips and it's a Flatscreen.
 
Sorcerxo said:
P.S. What's so good about dual-channel RAM?

It's not quite as important on an Athlon as it is on a P4, but if you can go dual channel you'll have more memory bandwidth which gives you better performance (since everything you do needs to pull stuff from memory, being able to do it faster makes life more pleasant). It generally only costs a few extra dollars so it's an easy performance boost.
 
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