GPU advice on new build

B

brewcrew814

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
134
Hi all,
I'm building a budget system for my brother that mostly used to browse the web but plays games occasionly. BF2, WoW, Joint Op's and maybe some newer games in the future. He will most likely be using a 20inch WS.
Here's the parts I'm using

Radeon X1650 Pro http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814161037 Would like to switch out.

G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231098
Lite-On DVD writer SATA
WD 160Gig HDD http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136075
C2D E4500 2.2G processor
Gigabyte P35 MB http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4830813
COOLER MASTER RC-330 Case
Cooler Master RP-550-PCAR PSU <Pretty Much free after rebates>
http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=svcompucycle&query=RP-550-PCAR

I'm looking at switching the X1650 Pro for a HD3850 or possibly the 8800GT 256 meg flavor. I'm trying to stay at around the 200 dollar price range. I'm just pitching in the extra buck so he doesn't have a crappy video card or would the X1650 pro do for the games mentioned at the top of the post?
Radeon HD3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129101

I know it's not the best PSU but he won't be overclocking and isn't a hardcore gamer. I would like to know if I'm dropping the extra bucks for this particular card will it be a big upgrade for him? Im more familiar with the GeForce Series cards, using a 8800GTS myself and will be putting the new G92 series into my nephews' build :p

Thanks all in advance!!!
 
Even though it's free AR, I still wouldn't trust that PSU with a gaming system. Though it is somewhat decent I guess as long as you only don't expect 550W of good power. Keep the usage load under 400W and you should be fine, I guess. Still wouldn't trust it though.

However this is the cheapest and good quality PSU that I can recommend:
XClio Goodpower 500W PSU - $50

The HD 3850 and 8800GT 256MB are good choices for that size monitor. Check out this review and see for yourself if the 8800GT 256MB is worth the extra money over the HD 3850:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=6

Also, if you act now, you can get double the storage for only $10 more:
Maxtor 300Gb SATA Hard Drive (Rebadged Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA Hard Drive) - $60
 
Cool, thanks for the reply. The stuff listed is pretty much all he will be running. If we upgraded in the future I would definately upgrade the PSU. Most likey to what I have now,Corsair 620 watt. Will have to pick up the HDD for him also. He doesn't really store stuff on the comp except for games that are played.
 
Yah, the 8800GT 256MB isn't worth it, IMO.

Get the Maxtor while you can... its a great deal.

CM tends to overstate the capabilities of their PSUs. That particular one you listed is $20AR... not such a great deal since it actually was FAR at one point in the last couple weeks. Since you have to front the money, I'd go for a better unit anyhow (like the Goodpower 500W) and swallow the $35.
 
I had another quick question. I just realized that the HD3850 GPU is a PCIe ver2.0 card and the motherboard I ordered has a PCI express X16 slot. Would this card fit and just be backwards compatible?

Thanks again!!
 
Just to put your mind at ease a bit more... PCI-E2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E1.1. The main differences between the two specs is power and bandwidth. Though, current cards, including the one you're getting, don't saturate the PCI-E1.1 bandwidth, so your 2.0 card won't be affected by the lower bandwidth of the 1.1 slot.
 
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