Gaming / Multipurpose Rig < $2000?

F

Firefox444

n00b
Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
17
Here's the scenario - I'm looking to build a new desktop computer for gaming and general use (i.e. storing my music, some light digital photography work, web surfing, etc.). My current computer is a Dell Inspiron 8200 with a Pentium 4 mobile @ 1.9GhZ. It's about 4 years old, so almost anything is going to be a step up. The new system doesn't have to be bleeding edge, but I'd like it to be reasonably powerful. In terms of a budget, I'd really like to keep it below $2000 CDN ($1800 USD). I had been considering building it around an AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor, even though I've never had an AMD-based system. I've heard that they may or may not have a bit of an edge over Intel in terms of gaming, but perhaps someone can corroborate that. The other big question would be the video card - I was thinking of something along the lines of a GeForce 7900. Would anyone make a strong argument for an ATI instead?

It's been so long since I've bought a new desktop that I'm kind of out of the loop when it comes to hardware. I've also never built one myself, so any advice in terms of hardware to build it around would be greatly appreciated. I also remember reading that the choices for X2 motherboards was pretty slim a couple months ago. Has it improved since then?

Thanks!
 
As far as performance goes Intel has it all over AMD right now, the Intel Core 2 Duo is the fastest desktop processor on the market, a Core 2 Duo E6600 will outperform an AMD FX62 processor for less than half the cost.

As for motherboards, the Asus P5B would be my personal choice, lots of features, good OCer, and good price for the vanilla version (the Deluxe is pretty high, but does pack on a lot of extra features).

As for RAM, Patriot is probably the best deal out there. Very high quality memory at a fairly low price.

Graphics-wise the 7900gt is a high performance card that doesn't break the bank, but the ATI x1900xt is no slouch either.
 
Thanks for the advice, ribs & Nullo, that gives me a lot to consider. Would you suggest getting a processor that comes with a fan? I've heard that it's a pretty good idea, as you don't have to worry about buying a separate fan and making sure it seats properly when you install the processor.

As far as motherboards go, that P5B looks pretty good. My only concern would be the fact that it doesn't have Firewire. While Firewire isn't make-or-break to me, it would be nice to have. It looks like the P5N32 has Firewire, and it would only be an extra $25, but I'm guessing that one doesn't support Core 2. The P5N32 SE (which looks like it does support Core 2) is $130 extra, and I don't know if Firewire is worth that. My brother mentioned that a lot of stand-alone sound cards feature Firewire connectors too, so I guess that would be an option, but it seems like having a stand-alone sound card is a little unneccesary unless you are a hardcore audiophile or have some kind of stereo system hooked into your computer. I guess I could just put a $25 PCI firewire/USB2.0 card in there so that I would have a couple ports. Any thoughts?

Looking at video cards, I've heard that BFG is top of the line. I was looking at their 7900GT 256mb card a few months ago, but it looks like they don't sell it any more. I can only find the overclocked 512mb version, which is cool, but costs an extra $100. In fact, it's only about $60 cheaper than the processor itself. If I were to take it along with the Asus P5N32 SE motherboard and an E6600, my total would be around $1500 (CDN) including taxes, and I would still need a power supply, hard drive(s), DVD-ROM drive, memory, case, and some new speakers (fortunately, I've already got a decent monitor, mouse, and keyboard, so I don't need those). That may work, but it would probably still be a little tight to keep those under $500...

Also, I think that that Asus P5N32 SE only supports DDR2 ram.
 
Hey Firefox,
1. Heatsink fan: Whenever I buy a processor, I always buy the boxed version that comes with the fan. I usually upgrade the heatsink/fan (hsf), but I like to have lots of extra hsf's lying around because I have lots of systems and I'm always working on friends/clients computers.
2. Firewire: I don't care about firewire because I don't have any devices that use it. You can always get a firewire card later. They work pretty good. The only downside is it would take up a pci slot. Seems to me like firewire is becoming more and more phased out
3. Don't waste money on a sound card. The new motherboards have great sound onboard.
4. Video Card: XFX, EVGA and many others make good sound cards. I am a firm believer in not spending more than about $200 for a sound card because most people upgrade so often. In 6 months to a year you can get another card for $150-200 that is faster than the $500 card today. I would avoid the factory overclocked cards myself. Why pay an extra $100 for an overclocked card when you can do it yourself. Probably stability issues also. I have not read a lot of good reports about factory overclocked cards. Personally I am getting an MSI 7600gt passive cooled card for my new rig (mostly because I like quiet).

Ribs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top