hows this build?

O

omz

Gawd
Joined
Jun 28, 2005
Messages
805
hey all, my friend is running on a reallllllllly crappy comp (only 256mb of ram) and hes looking for a cheap upgrade - well, pretty much a new comp :D
i decided to try and build him one but i am yet to order, here are teh specs so far

AMD Opteron 144 (OEM) $129.89
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 $69.93
Sapphire ATI X850 XT $163.00
Coolermaster Centurion $59.95

all of this paired with some value ram (looking to spend about 60+ tax to pick up from fry's probably) and his hard drive (it's probably the newest thing in there) and a spare 350watt antec will be going in there
all of this put together comes to about $520....however, there's one thing that i wasn't sure about doing; a friend of his has a 9600xt that he would sell to him for about $40 (total comes to about $390 w/ this option) but i'm not sure if it would be very productive. he currently plays cs 1.6 and starcraft but wants to play higher end games tho his computer is holding him back
he has about $300 in hard cash right now but can get a loan from his parents if needed
what do you guys think he shud do and of the build?
thanks all
 
edit:
just saw taht opty 146 deal...is it $213 w/ teh $70 coupon? or is it $213 and then $70 off? if its teh latter, change taht 144 to a 146 ;)
 
go for it, looks like a nice budget machine, you're fixing your friend up right. get the x850xt, definitely.
 
Tutelary said:
go for it, looks like a nice budget machine, you're fixing your friend up right. get the x850xt, definitely.
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hmm, but i also saw the 7600gt, how does it compare to the x850xt?
or do u guys suggest something else?
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought by the sound of things we were talking AGP, and that Mobo is AGP, and last time I checked the NVIDIA 7600GT was a PCI-E X16 card not AGP. Also, the original card, Sapphire ATI X850 XT is a PCI-E X16 card and it won't fit on a AGP board.
 
falcon6268 said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but I thought by the sound of things we were talking AGP, and that Mobo is AGP, and last time I checked the NVIDIA 7600GT was a PCI-E X16 card not AGP. Also, the original card, Sapphire ATI X850 XT is a PCI-E X16 card and it won't fit on a AGP board.
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The motherboard that the OP wants to buy has both AGP and PCI-Express. Does that clarify?
 
chemist_slime said:
The motherboard that the OP wants to buy has both AGP and PCI-Express. Does that clarify?
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Ooo, ok thanks, that clarifies. Funny because when I viewed that mobo on Newegg its said it only has 1 AGP 4X/8X slot........
 
omz said:
edit:
just saw taht opty 146 deal...is it $213 w/ teh $70 coupon? or is it $213 and then $70 off? if its teh latter, change taht 144 to a 146 ;)
Click to expand...


Its $213-$70

I just picked up one for my wife's new machine.

Another thing to consider is a TON of people are dumping their 7800GTs very cheap. I have seen them on this forum go as low as $215. I think it would be worth it for the upgrade.

I also think you will run into problems on that board. If he is upgrading now its probally best to get him a NF4 board that runs PCIe.

I just built my wifes new system and here is what I built. This machine is a VERY good gaming machine, and I am quite pleased with it.

Im not overly thrilled with the Motherboard, however it only cost $90 after rebates for a SLI capable board. Not the best overclocker but now I have worked out some of the bugs it works great.

Heres what I got her.

Abit K8N-SLI $90.05 (AR)
Opteron 146 OEM $143
Antec Neo HE 550w $103.16 (Shipped)
Already had the Memory, and a 7800GT. I have a 7900GT coming in from my stepup from my 7800GS.

The processor is working flawlessly at 2.8Ghz. At that speed with a 7800GT it is doing great in games.

If he can get the loan I would still recommend picking up a 7800GT used, I think it would be 10x better than getting some of the other cards you mentioned.
 
do they still offer teh evga mobo/video card combos? if so, i may consider boosting up to a gt and maybe selling/gibing him my old kingston value xP
 
GO with what you had, but instead of the 850xt, get the 7600gt or the 7800gt. The Asrock motherboard actually has some decent Ocing abilities. I have one personally and with a bio flash it can OC a 144 to 2.8 easy. Not to mention it's also AM2 future proof.
 
chemist_slime said:
GO with what you had, but instead of the 850xt, get the 7600gt or the 7800gt. The Asrock motherboard actually has some decent Ocing abilities. I have one personally and with a bio flash it can OC a 144 to 2.8 easy. Not to mention it's also AM2 future proof.
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i think i may be able to find a 7800gt for around 200 and i'll tell him it would be a great upgrade, but with this increase, would it mean upping the power supply also? if it does, do you guys know of any psu's that are relatively cheap and can power this thing?
thanks
 
omz said:
i think i may be able to find a 7800gt for around 200 and i'll tell him it would be a great upgrade, but with this increase, would it mean upping the power supply also? if it does, do you guys know of any psu's that are relatively cheap and can power this thing?
thanks
Click to expand...

The Fortron ones at newegg seem pretty good. They're cheap and reliable as well.
 
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