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Atreus

Gawd
Joined
Aug 20, 2001
Messages
641
Well, not really a complete new build, I'll be salvaging parts from my current machine (namely the sound card, hard drives, case, power supply (485W PCI-E ready), FDD, and network card), but I'll need to replace the core components.

Here's what I was thinking of:

AMD X2 3800+ CPU
Asus A8N-E motherboard
2GB RAM
ATI X1800XL or 7800GT Video Card


I'm in a dilemma about a couple of things though.

Is the A8N-E a solid motherboard for someone not looking for an SLI solution?

And also, which video card to go for? I am thinking of the x1800xl as the price difference isn't that much more, but certain things like the Catalyst Control Center (which i've had problems with in the past) and the 1 year warranty have me slightly concerned. I've never had an ATI card die on me, so I'm not really worried, but it's nice to have that peace of mind that comes with the 7800 GTs from vendors like evga or BFG or xfx. Currently, I have a Radeon 9500 Pro, and while it's still a capable card, it's really starting to show it's age with newer games.

And also, is there any RAM in particular to look for? All I am certain of is that I would like to go with 2 x 1024MB sticks, and leave a few slots free in case I want to add more RAM later.

Thanks for the much needed insight.

Cliffs:
-New build
-Wondering about selection of motherboard, video cards and RAM
-Thank you for offering valuable insight.
 
Check out G.Skill for the RAM. Everything else looks good. Oh, and I'd definitely grab the 7800.
 
The asus board will do you fine. I like the G.Skill ram as well, also look into OCZ
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm definetely going to look into G.Skill ram. As for video cards, is the image quality between the two similar?
 
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