building a rig need some advice.

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Malikman

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sep 1, 2004
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I am building a computer for a friend and I am trying to decide for AMD or Pentium 4

He Says he has a shitload of money (2000) lol

i plan as of now (i start low and upgrade up)

Asus mobo
Antec 500W (neo he maybe)
Nvidia 7900GT (maybe gtx if i don't sli the sucker)
some type of case (i g2 ask what he wants)
2 Corsair ram
Dvd-burner
probably 250GB WD

dell 19" LCD

If i sli i'll do 2 7900GT's for him but if i do non-sli i'll do gtx.. at least as of now.

well anyways i need to choose if i get pentium or amd
tyhsi rig would NOT be oc'd and this rig would NOT be watercooled so i need something fast (x2 or p d (dual core)) but still a cool system because he would be gaming (oblivion for example)

I need parts for power but also reliabiliy
 
I am assuming that this computer is being used for gaming? Anything else?

Regardless of the task an X2 would be the best choice. They beat Intel in just about everything, including a/v encoding.
 
i am thinking Intel Pentium 4 or D becuase i hear they have less problems and are more reliable for users who no sh** lol. Yea it's college/gaming and he just gave me a price i told hm he wouldn't need that much but he said use it so... i just listen lol.
 
AMD is the better choice. Also, I am assuming he is not overclocking. With a budget like that I would recommend something along these lines:

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra
AMD Athlon X2 3800+
2GB(2x1GB) Corsair Value Select
eVGA GeForce 7900GT
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 250GB
NEC ND-3550A
Antec SLK3800B
Dell 2405FPW

If he is overclocking get an Opteron 165. Also, I am assuming he'll be fine with onboard sound. The monitor can be bought for as low as $800. Just keep your eye peeled for deals. You could drop down to a 2005FPW which can be around $300.
 
Yeah, I would also get him a 24" widescreen. he would love it.
Definitely stick with the X2 or Opteron 165. The performance is soooo nice. I noticed a huge jump going from an Athlon64 3700+

BUT!!!! If you are going to build him this computer, and not going to be able to help him get his games working, you may just want to get a single core CPU!
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=983781
Many games have problems with dual-core right now, but it's sure to catch on with future games. The fixes are easy, but he can't be intimidated learning how to troubleshoot.

But if he needs speakers, you may want to just get the 20" widescreen and the z5500s and a nice pair of headphones (for the late-night gaming)

I'd also add another hard drive because he'll probably use it. and it makes for good backup.

I think we all want power, but reliability is the prerequisite. :D
 
how easy are 24" screens easy to move from college - home and what kind of price are they?
 
do amd 64 fx good processor or would it be better to get a amd 64 instead ?? i heard (maybe from a few posts up i don't remembeR) x2's sometimes have problem with games and if they do i don't want to get him that just to save him troubleshooting problems.
 
i would go with a opty and OC it a little.

i picked up a elcheapo off ebay the other day a 144 939 opt--anyway its running stable on air @ 3.0 it didn't cost much --well worth the $142 for a FX-57+ ! :eek:

if i was building i would get one 144 or 146 opty-- 2gig of tccd ram,(since hes got $$$ 4 gig)

one 7900gtx , onec550w antec tp2 or equal psu , antec/chieftec/ultra case , two sata2 16mbcache drives size depends on whats needed.

motherboard--thats a tough question i would go either with the asus or maybe the DFI .

strangely my asus overclockes better than my DFI . but the DFI has a better on-board sound system. there should be plenty of good nf4's mb out there .

you might try a ati mb with a 1900xt crossfire ? lots of ways to go with it -- any of which could make a powerful gamebox/pc--lol :eek:
 
well yea the fx is kinda crazy price maybe i'll go a64 single core sin ei hear dual cores sometimes have problems with games... i'mt rying to pick parts that he will not have problems with and he barly understandds OC he's not going to be OCing maybe i'll hand him a a64 4400 or so.
 
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