Like this budget gaming rig?

T

tytlyf

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 17, 2005
Messages
131
I'm pretty sure I am a master of awesome systems for cheap. My first build is in my sig. I try to get the best equipment for budget cost. And my final results usually are quicker than systems over $1000.
So Tell me what you guys think about this system I'm looking to upgrade to soon, if I can sell my current one.....post any feedback, I would appreciate honest opinions.

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice
OCZ Gold Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR 400 (PC 3200) 2-2-2-5
XFX Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 485/1100
Seagate Barracuda 80GB 7200 RPM 8mb
ePOWER Tagan ATX 480W Power Supply

$800.........I have monitor, key/mouse, dvd, etc..etc..

I would be running upgraded air cooling on cpu and vid card. My goal is to get 2.8 on air stable. I think it's possible. I bet this system would perform amazing.
Anyways, I'm done acting over excited, this post is probably stupid, but thinking of this system is making me crazy.. :)
 
That computer is nearly like mine. I just ordered mine yesterday. Cant wait for that 6800GS to come.
 
Only thing that is sketchy is the PSU, I tend to NEVER cheap out on a PSU...

Also, I'm asuming the reason you got the 3200+ verses the 3000+ is cause you want to OC and have that 10x multi?

Other than that, good stuff.
 
Like Stormlifter said, the PSU is really skimpy. I used to go the path of cheap PSUs as well until 3 blow up on me and my clients.

Ofcourse, since you're the "master" you figured you're using an 80 gig with not-so-powerful hardwares you should be able to pull it off with that PSU especially since it says 480w. Ofcourse you might even think to yourself you'll do mimimal to no OC at all so that PSU would suffice. Well if that's the case, you don't need the DFI and OCZ to do the job, you can easily get another cheaper (in price) mobo and one of those Value Rams to save yourself some more $$$.

But overall, it's a decent gaming rig for under $1000 :)
 
Tagan's kick ass, check the PSU sticky.

Anyway, I saw this over at XS. Looks good to me.
 
Looks good to me. Tagen PSU's are a lot better than people here are saying. 28 amps on the 12v rail is pretty dang good.
 
why not grab an opty 144 or 146? they tend to OC alot better and since theyre technically 'server' processors, they shud run better because of more stress during testing...right? :D
 
u know what, as long as u dont plan on overcloking too much, swap out that 3200+ and lanparty mobo, for a 3000+ and cheap mobo , and use that $$ saved to get a 7800gt. 7800 gt's are where the values at right now. for gaming, u def want that better video card vs. like 200mhz (wont even notic the diff in most everyday stuff).
 
x_dreamer said:
u know what, as long as u dont plan on overcloking too much, swap out that 3200+ and lanparty mobo, for a 3000+ and cheap mobo , and use that $$ saved to get a 7800gt. 7800 gt's are where the values at right now. for gaming, u def want that better video card vs. like 200mhz (wont even notic the diff in most everyday stuff).
Click to expand...

I partly agree, with you and a lot of other people. Getting on Opteron processor would be much more worth your money. But I'd stay with the 6800GS. It's as good as (in some cases better than) both the 6800GT and X800XL. It'll play any game fine.
 
thx for the replies guys. I actually just want a system that will OC to the limit on air, and be able to run CS:S. I dont play any other games. My current system runs the game fine, I just want something more powerful.
I was considering the opteron 146 $220, but I would also have to change my memory selection to a single stick. All in all, changing my cpu/memory would cost me another $100 to upgrade.
As far as the PSU goes, the TAGAN series is a very strong performer, and many people highly recommend them. Seems like alot of people here aren't familiar with the brand. i might go with the fortron 500 blue storm.
 
I say keep your current sig system and do the following

Get a new MoBo, 1 more gig of ram

You don't really need it, but maybe better GPU?

That's what I say.
 
Stormlifter said:
I say keep your current sig system and do the following

Get a new MoBo, 1 more gig of ram

You don't really need it, but maybe better GPU?

That's what I say.
Click to expand...

And spend 500 extra dollars... I say go dual-core, you will kick yourself later if you don't.
 
Did some more research, and have finally come up with my final selection on parts. Hope you all like......

DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D 939
AMD Opteron 148 @ 2.2 1mb L2 (possible 3.0ghz)
Geil "ONE" PC3200 2x512 1.5-2-2-5 (possible 300mhz)
evga 6800GS 256mb 425/1000
WD Raptor 36.7GB SATA150
Fortron B-storm 500w

Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 for CPU, and start with stock HS on video card.

So there you have it, my final equipment selection...
1:1 is the goal. Awesome system for under $1000...lets get more opinions !!
 
tytlyf said:
Did some more research, and have finally come up with my final selection on parts. Hope you all like......

DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D 939
AMD Opteron 148 @ 2.2 1mb L2 (possible 3.0ghz)
Geil "ONE" PC3200 2x512 1.5-2-2-5 (possible 300mhz)
evga 6800GS 256mb 425/1000
WD Raptor 36.7GB SATA150
Fortron B-storm 500w

Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 for CPU, and start with stock HS on video card.

So there you have it, my final equipment selection...
1:1 is the goal. Awesome system for under $1000...lets get more opinions !!
Click to expand...
That is certainly VERY good. I know it's a gaming rig and all, but you'd want to store files on it too. 36GB isn't much at all. Upgrade that drive to a 74GB Raptor, or supplement that 36GB with a larger 7200RPM drive, such as the Seagate Barracuda in your frst post.
 
I dont use much space, on my 40GB HD now I dont even use half of it. I look at it this way...the raptor 36 is fine for now, and If I ever need more space, I just buy another 36 and run raid0 for even more performance.
This system is gonna scream, with the complete OC and 6800GS my goal is to break 7K in 3D05 and 90-100K in AQ3. All on air. I'm waiting for this friday to purchase because I HOPE that there will be rediculously low prices on some items....oh, and that opty 148 is OEM, and I hope I get lucky and get a CABNE. I don't think many people are buying them, which would give me a better chance of better steppings.. :eek:
 
is it me or do i think you can get lot more for the money

evga motherboard + 7800GT combo - 350
1gig PC3200 - 100-150
Antec Sonata Case with 450watt psu - 100
opteron 165 if you can find is like 350
80 gig harddrive - 50-70 bucks
DVD burner - 40 bucks

right around 1g, and im sure you can downgrade a few things here and their. would be much better for gaming.
 
tytlyf said:
Did some more research, and have finally come up with my final selection on parts. Hope you all like......

DFI LP NF4 Ultra-D 939
AMD Opteron 148 @ 2.2 1mb L2 (possible 3.0ghz)
Geil "ONE" PC3200 2x512 1.5-2-2-5 (possible 300mhz)
evga 6800GS 256mb 425/1000
WD Raptor 36.7GB SATA150
Fortron B-storm 500w

Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 for CPU, and start with stock HS on video card.

So there you have it, my final equipment selection...
1:1 is the goal. Awesome system for under $1000...lets get more opinions !!
Click to expand...

you can get alot better performance for alot less money. First of all get cheaper ram, that will save you about $80. Second, instead of the raptor get a 16MB cache 200GB hard drive which actually performs better than the 36GB raptor, another $20 saved. With the $100 saved go to a 7800gt, in the end you will get MUCH more performance. Also, I would go with a thermaltake big typhoon over the zalman, cheaper and at least as good if not better performance (almost all reviews show better)
 
first off, I dont use much space, I've had my current computer almost a year and still am under 20GB. The raptor would still perform better than the slower RPM HD, let's not joke. As I'm sure I have mentioned, I only play CSS, no other games.
So in the future if i should change my opinion, i can mod this board to SLi and buy another card.

Either way, the components listed perform much better than what was recommended, especially the evga mobo combo. And I will guarantee you that the zalman cooler performs better than the big typhoon.

I hope to have it middle next week, so I will get back to you with benchmarks and screenies, this will be fun !! :p
 
36GB Raptors aren't nearly as good as their 74GB counterparts. Taken from hard drive sticky:

WD360GD, 10K SATA 36GB: The 73GB Raptor's little brother is significantly slower (often merely equal to much cheaper per GB 7200RPM drives) and has only half the capacity, at a much higher cost per GB. To be avoided.
Click to expand...

I'd grab the 250GB WD2500KS for the same price, or if you really don't think you'll need the space, get a standard 80GB drive and upgrade other components.

tytlyf said:
And I will guarantee you that the zalman cooler performs better than the big typhoon.
Click to expand...

Then why the hell does XS pimp it like mad?
 
tytlyf said:
first off, I dont use much space, I've had my current computer almost a year and still am under 20GB. The raptor would still perform better than the slower RPM HD, let's not joke. As I'm sure I have mentioned, I only play CSS, no other games.
So in the future if i should change my opinion, i can mod this board to SLi and buy another card.

Either way, the components listed perform much better than what was recommended, especially the evga mobo combo. And I will guarantee you that the zalman cooler performs better than the big typhoon.

I hope to have it middle next week, so I will get back to you with benchmarks and screenies, this will be fun !! :p
Click to expand...

just curios on your logic, how exactly will a slower video card, slower processor perform better then a dual core processor with 2x the amount of cache, same clock, and the top of the line vid card compared to a budget line?

think again bud. i wouldn't even bother with buying the parts listed that you priced.

gigabyte is the shittiest company ever, i have had so many computres fail from their boards. even if you dont use the space, your still saving about 100 bucks, and the drive will be nearly as fast. i rather grab 16mb cache over 10k rpm.

happy thanksgiving
 
I don't think you need Cas 1.5 RAM. That's massive overkill. I'd get a decent set of TCCD that clocks high and just stick with that. RAM speed is overrated. Buy cheaper RAM, save yourself $100 and use that money on a better video card.
 
tytlyf said:
first off, I dont use much space, I've had my current computer almost a year and still am under 20GB. The raptor would still perform better than the slower RPM HD, let's not joke. As I'm sure I have mentioned, I only play CSS, no other games.
So in the future if i should change my opinion, i can mod this board to SLi and buy another card.

Either way, the components listed perform much better than what was recommended, especially the evga mobo combo. And I will guarantee you that the zalman cooler performs better than the big typhoon.

I hope to have it middle next week, so I will get back to you with benchmarks and screenies, this will be fun !! :p
Click to expand...

omg, you're being dense. the 36GB raptors are slow. 16MB cache 7200rpm drives out perform them. And I will gaurantee you the big typhoon performs better. it's as close to water performance as you can get. You will get a hell of alot more performance by getting a cheaper hd, cheaper ram, and a cheaper (but better performing) cooler and upgrading the video card to a 7800gt. If you deny this well you shouldn't ask for advice.
 
sabrewolf732 said:
omg, you're being dense. the 36GB raptors are slow. 16MB cache 7200rpm drives out perform them. And I will gaurantee you the big typhoon performs better. it's as close to water performance as you can get. You will get a hell of alot more performance by getting a cheaper hd, cheaper ram, and a cheaper (but better performing) cooler and upgrading the video card to a 7800gt. If you deny this well you shouldn't ask for advice.
Click to expand...

thats what im saying.

i would grab that evga combo, 7800, bigger drive, dual core
 
I dont want the big typhoon, people say it's almost too big and can interfere with components.

I really am thinking twice about the memory...tell me what you guys think about these options...

Geil "one" 2x512 pc3200 1.5-2-2-5 $189.99

OCZ EL Platinum Rev.2 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 $167.99

G.Skill 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 BH-5 $139.99

G.Skill Extreme Series 2x512 pc3200 TCCD 2-2-2-5 $151.99

I'm just not sure if the Geil "one" series is worth $190, if I can get the same performance from one of these other sets for less. I still want good timings over 250mhz.

Edit: I just checked prices, and I'm gonna go with the 76GB raptor. It's only $20 more than the 36GB. Hopefully it will perform the same but quieter.
 
tytlyf said:
I dont want the big typhoon, people say it's almost too big and can interfere with components.

I really am thinking twice about the memory...tell me what you guys think about these options...

Geil "one" 2x512 pc3200 1.5-2-2-5 $189.99

OCZ EL Platinum Rev.2 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 $167.99

G.Skill 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 BH-5 $139.99

G.Skill Extreme Series 2x512 pc3200 TCCD 2-2-2-5 $151.99

I'm just not sure if the Geil "one" series is worth $190, if I can get the same performance from one of these other sets for less. I still want good timings over 250mhz.

Edit: I just checked prices, and I'm gonna go with the 76GB raptor. It's only $20 more than the 36GB. Hopefully it will perform the same but quieter.
Click to expand...

so let me get this straight.

you asked for opinions, we give them and you dont listen? what was the point to your posts.

honestly to me it seems like ur wasting alot of money on stuff that really has no benefits. that raptor for example, check out the disk storage forum, few threads on negative opinions. in real like your not gonna see much of a difference. it makes more sense to grab a drive 1/2 the price with 3+x the storage(maxtor 16mb cache 200gig), for about 100 compared to the ratper for 180.

and again teh budget video card? with the combo i listed, which if you read the mobo forum, people recommend it, you would get almost the highest line card.

take our advice, ditch the raptor, grab the combo with teh 7800, grab dual core, go down to some cheaper ram and be done.
 
well, to be honest, I dont think the opinions listed make much sense. I dont need a 200GB HD. Majority of reviews and comments I have seen for the raptor are excellent. I dont need a 7800GT, that's more power than I need, especially the cost. I just need opinions at this point for the memory. All in all, I think dual core+mobo+vid card+HD+memory that you guys are recommending will cost about the same if not more. And the only performance I will gain is the video card.

What do you think about the memory I just listed?
 
tytlyf said:
well, to be honest, I dont think the opinions listed make much sense. I dont need a 200GB HD. Majority of reviews and comments I have seen for the raptor are excellent. I dont need a 7800GT, that's more power than I need, especially the cost. I just need opinions at this point for the memory. All in all, I think dual core+mobo+vid card+HD+memory that you guys are recommending will cost about the same if not more. And the only performance I will gain is the video card.

What do you think about the memory I just listed?
Click to expand...

see now your response is i dont get. you mention this is a gaming machine, so you can take all the power you can get. i play CS:S too with a 6800 Vanilla overclocked slightly and honestly i would crave for a 7800, i cant max out all the settings and i have a 2800, so my bottleneck is really cpu/vid.

I know you dont need the space, but look at it price per gig. raptor is about 180 bucks i believe for 80gigs, thats 2 bucks a gig about. Look at a the 200 gig with 16mb cache, its 100 bucks, thats 50cents a gig. Even if you dont need the space just go with because u save just so much money.

The dual core will not cost more if you go with a combo, that combo is less then 400, your motherbaord and video card cost the same. But more importantly your a bit more future proof for new games, instead of upgrading next summer you can wait till the xmas.

CPU is yes a bit more expenisve, but you saved that money when you save 100 bucks on harddrive. You can just run 2x40gig sata in raid 0 and have the same real time performance as that raptor.

But that Geil ram for 140 you mentioned looked good. G.Skill 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 BH-5 $139.99
 
tytlyf said:
I just checked prices, and I'm gonna go with the 76GB raptor. It's only $20 more than the 36GB. Hopefully it will perform the same but quieter.
Click to expand...

The 36GB Raptor sucks nuts. If you want a Raptor, 74GB is the ONLY way to go.
 
marley1 said:
see now your response is i dont get. you mention this is a gaming machine, so you can take all the power you can get. i play CS:S too with a 6800 Vanilla overclocked slightly and honestly i would crave for a 7800, i cant max out all the settings and i have a 2800, so my bottleneck is really cpu/vid.

I know you dont need the space, but look at it price per gig. raptor is about 180 bucks i believe for 80gigs, thats 2 bucks a gig about. Look at a the 200 gig with 16mb cache, its 100 bucks, thats 50cents a gig. Even if you dont need the space just go with because u save just so much money.

The dual core will not cost more if you go with a combo, that combo is less then 400, your motherbaord and video card cost the same. But more importantly your a bit more future proof for new games, instead of upgrading next summer you can wait till the xmas.

CPU is yes a bit more expenisve, but you saved that money when you save 100 bucks on harddrive. You can just run 2x40gig sata in raid 0 and have the same real time performance as that raptor.

But that Geil ram for 140 you mentioned looked good. G.Skill 2x512 pc3200 2-2-2-5 BH-5 $139.99
Click to expand...


I agree, I don't get this guy's logic. you can raid up 2 80GB drives for like $100. Honestly imo you would be better off with the 16MB maxtor as it isn't that much slower than the raptor. The best bang for the buck would be the evga combo for $350, dual core opteron for $290, and $90 for 2x 512MB pc3200. It would rape (gang rape) the raptor, geil one and 6800gs.
 
sabrewolf732 said:
I agree, I don't get this guy's logic. you can raid up 2 80GB drives for like $100. Honestly imo you would be better off with the 16MB maxtor as it isn't that much slower than the raptor. The best bang for the buck would be the evga combo for $350, dual core opteron for $290, and $90 for 2x 512MB pc3200. It would rape (gang rape) the raptor, geil one and 6800gs.
Click to expand...

exactly my point, but what opteron is 290? the 165??

i have such an urge to upgrade too as i haven't been so happy with my game perfromace, i really could beneffit from going dual core as im usually doing many thinmgs at once(bitcoment, winamp, rar, inet, email, movie, etc, or sometimes gaming winamp, internet etc).
 
marley1 said:
exactly my point, but what opteron is 290? the 165??

i have such an urge to upgrade too as i haven't been so happy with my game perfromace, i really could beneffit from going dual core as im usually doing many thinmgs at once(bitcoment, winamp, rar, inet, email, movie, etc, or sometimes gaming winamp, internet etc).
Click to expand...
yeah the 165 I think (the dual core 1.8 one :p )
 
Ok, this isn't a gaming rig, since the only game I play is CSS. I will call it my OC rig. And why would i buy a mobo that comes in a "combo" deal?..that will shatter any hopes of a decent system right there, especially overclocking. I guess my views on this whole ordeal are seperate than yours.
I'm not looking for a "basic" typical setup...I'm looking for a unique monster.
 
tytlyf said:
Ok, this isn't a gaming rig, since the only game I play is CSS. I will call it my OC rig. And why would i buy a mobo that comes in a "combo" deal?..that will shatter any hopes of a decent system right there, especially overclocking. I guess my views on this whole ordeal are seperate than yours.
I'm not looking for a "basic" typical setup...I'm looking for a unique monster.
Click to expand...

lol... the boards included with the combo hit 300 htt+ and trust me you'll have more of a monster with a 7800gt than a 6800gs which can be considered mediocre.
 
I think that some of you guys are missing the point here. He's NOT looking for the best performance possible with 800$, he's looking for a rig to overclock the shit out of and grab some decent performance in the process.

I'd think it'd be best to recommend him parts for what he wants, rather than trying to get him the best rig possible as per what we usually do.
 
So then get a 3200+ for the multiplier, better PSU, badass heatsink, new RAM, and a DFI NF4 non-SLi board? Just keep the 6600gt (get a new heatsink to overclock it) and OC it? Sounds good to me if you just want to punish your hardware, which I like :D
 
If you want to play with OCing...the Opteron 144/146 is the only way to go :cool: .

As for your RAM questions. I had very good luck with the G.Skill version of the TCCD. I'd take those over the Geil "One" anyday.
 
I want a system I can OC the shit out of, and as far as gaming, i only play CSS>. So tomorrow, I will be buying these things

DFI NF4 LP Ultra-D
Geil "one" or G.Skillhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146890
eVga 6800gs
Opteron 148
Fortron 500w
74gb Raptor
Zalman 9500 on cpu. Stock cooling for vid.

I'm deciding between Geil or the GSkill...I' will probably go geil, unless I want to save 30 bucks when i buy. Geil is just the better stick, not by much though.
 
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