new gaming pc

Z

Zakter

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
87
Hello,

I am currently in the market to revamp my old pc and have about 2,000 to spend. below are my current gaming system setup. The games I enjoy playing currently are World of Warcraft, Supreme Commander Forged Alliance. (on current setup it lags really bad when a nice size army starts to move) I have tried both Unreal tournament 3 and Crysis and both games run poorly. My friend who is building my pc for me suggests that I keep my current monitor,sound card, keyboard and mouse. I want this gaming system to last me till 2009 if possible. I am a total novice when it comes to picking hardware parts and need a suggestion list. If you guys could lend a hand that would be great! Sorry if this post sound redundant like all the rest.





AMD 4400 64 x2 // OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) // 7800GT BFG // asrock 939m2 // NEC DVD RW // Generic local case // HITACHI Deskstar 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s // SB X-FI gamer // Winxp Pro // Dell 2005FPW //
 
off topic question. 1. Since i live in a dorm right now, would be better to go liquid cooled to cut down on the heat produced from my pc?

2. I have 2gigs of ram right now, is that enough? for gaming. ( I run windows XP pro)
 
1. not really worth the money unless you are really conscious of sound, even so, normal fans are not that loud.. Also I dont think the computer is going to increase room temperature much at all.

2. yes, however you will need to upgrade to DDR2 or higher, and at the price ram is right now, you might as well go 4gb
 
$270 - Q6600 G0 CPU (ClubIT.com)
$50 ($40 AR, $10 MIR) - ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 HSF (NewEgg.com)
$155 - Corsair 750 TX PSU
$800 - 2x Radeon HD 3870GX2 graphics cards @ ~$400 each, look around for deals.
$230 ($200 AR, $30 MIR) - Abit IX38 Quad GT motherboard (NewEgg.com)
$90 ($70 AR, $20 MIR) - 4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2-800 CAS5 RAM (NewEgg.com)
$115 - Seagate 500GB SATA 7200.11 HDD (look around)
$30 - Samsung 20x SATA DVDRW (look around)
$75 - Antec P182 case (Amazon.com)

$1661 before shipping, not counting the rebates, ~$1640 when all is said and done.

Note that current drivers don't support 2 3870X2s in CrossfireX, but this feature will be added in the next month or two. Pick up a single 3870X2 for now and the second when the new drivers are released supporting CrossfireX for these cards. Should be a little cheaper that way, too.
 
1) stick with 120mm fans if you're worried about noise. heat? its college... live with it. the radiator from the WC setup will also produce heat... so liquid cooling doesnt help room temp. much. You won't need WC for your CPU either.

2) 2GB is fine for XP. If you plan to upgrade to Vista, go with 4GB. You should check to see what kind of discount your school gets on MS Windows.

silent-circuit said:
Despite the above appeals to reason I am so struck by the pure badassnissity of the build list I just made for some random guy that I must share here. Consider this the devil on your shoulder to my earlier angel. ;)

$270 - Q6600 G0 CPU (ClubIT.com)
$50 ($40 AR, $10 MIR) - ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 HSF (NewEgg.com)
$155 - Corsair 750 TX PSU
$800 - 2x Radeon HD 3870GX2 graphics cards @ ~$400 each, look around for deals.
$230 ($200 AR, $30 MIR) - Abit IX38 Quad GT motherboard (NewEgg.com)
$90 ($70 AR, $20 MIR) - 4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2-800 CAS5 RAM (NewEgg.com)
$115 - Seagate 500GB SATA 7200.11 HDD (look around)
$30 - Samsung 20x SATA DVDRW (look around)
$75 - Antec P182 case (Amazon.com)

$1661 before shipping, not counting the rebates, ~$1640 when all is said and done.
Click to expand...

EDIT: ugh, i was searching google for "badassnissity," so it took me a while to post, lol.
 
silent-circuit said:
$270 - Q6600 G0 CPU (ClubIT.com)
$50 ($40 AR, $10 MIR) - ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 HSF (NewEgg.com)
$155 - Corsair 750 TX PSU
$800 - 2x Radeon HD 3870GX2 graphics cards @ ~$400 each, look around for deals.
$230 ($200 AR, $30 MIR) - Abit IX38 Quad GT motherboard (NewEgg.com)
$90 ($70 AR, $20 MIR) - 4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2-800 CAS5 RAM (NewEgg.com)
$115 - Seagate 500GB SATA 7200.11 HDD (look around)
$30 - Samsung 20x SATA DVDRW (look around)
$75 - Antec P182 case (Amazon.com)

$1661 before shipping, not counting the rebates, ~$1640 when all is said and done.

Note that current drivers don't support 2 3870X2s in CrossfireX, but this feature will be added in the next month or two. Pick up a single 3870X2 for now and the second when the new drivers are released supporting CrossfireX for these cards. Should be a little cheaper that way, too.
Click to expand...

Are ATI cards the hot new cards now? everyone i talk with say to get nvida.

I asume with all this I will be able to overclock?

Thanks these sound like great suggestions so far.
 
Yes, you'll be able to OC with all that.

The 3870GX2 is new as of ~2 weeks ago. The other ATI offerings can't keep up with Nvidia stuff, but if you have enough money the GX2s are as fast as 8800 Ultras, potentially faster, and they cost about $200 less /each/. So yeah, on the high end ATI's hot right now.
 
wow! you are jonny on the spot with the replies! What are your thoughts on Vista vs XP for gaming?
 
Zakter said:
wow! you are jonny on the spot with the replies! What are your thoughts on Vista vs XP for gaming?
Click to expand...

You've planning on end hardware. Vista 64 bit is really the only way to go. DX10 is finally coming of age, and if you spend $400-800 on GPUs my thoughts are, you damn well better be getting the best effects possible. It also allows you to address all 4GB of your RAM, vs. ~2GB with both the 3870GX2s under XP 32bit.
 
I am wondering if I should even upgrade my PC right now. Is there a new CPU or video card that I should wait on?

I am also wondering how out of date my current processor is.

I know that if update my video card I will need to purchase a new PSU.





Thanks
 
Just get a new video card and you'll be fine, No reason to drop 2 grand when you don't need to.
 
Nothing /huge/, no. The new Nvidia cards should be out in the next couple of months, but from the preliminary benchmarks they aren't /that/ much faster than the current high end.

If your machine is doing everything you want it to now, wait. If it isn't and you want it bad enough to pay up, upgrade. I don't ever advocate playing the waiting game, but I don't advocate buying stuff you don't really want either.
 
IMO, your 4400+ should be able to last you another year or more, all depending on you, though, lol.

Wait as long as you can, buy when you can't wait any longer. The shorter the upgrade interval, the less you'll notice the difference.

Penryn/Wolfdale/Yorkfield is coming out at the end of Q1'08. Its a 45nm version of the current 65nm CPUs (its basically a die shrink with slight improvements). They generally increase performance by 10-15% over current offerings and are still LGA775.

Nehalem is Intel's new architecture, scheduled for release in Q4'08. Mainstream parts should come in the following quarter (Q1'09). Nehalem will include an integrated memory controller (ICM; a current feature of the AMD K8 CPUs) and a new tech called Quick Path Interconnect (QPI; similar to AMD's HyperTransport). You will need a new motherboard (socket B; LGA1366) and most likely DDR3 for this platform.
 
Now, or maybe in a month or two when Wolfdale/Yorkfield (the 45nm shrink of Core 2 Duo) is released in quantity is a wonderful time to buy. Buying in the middle of a cycle is much better than buying at the start of one for the pocketbook, as I learned from hard experience my last go around.

I got the cheapest, slowest Athlon 64 X2 3800+ not long after they first came out, and a nVidia 7800 GT when the 7-series wasn't all that old. I paid $350 for each, and a mere 6 months later, the Athlon 64 X2 prices dropped like a rock upon the introduction of Intel's Core 2 Duo, and the 7900 GT was as good as the 7800 GTX was in the upper-$200 range (as opposed to the $500-$600 prices of the 7800 GTX when it first came out). So I was stuck with far-inferior parts at the same price-point as the new ones because I jumped in too early in the cycle.

I did much better this time around by waiting until Conroe seriously went down in price; $280 for a 3 GHz Core 2 Duo vs over $1000 a few months earlier. And after what seemed like an eternity, G80 was die-shrunk and my $300 G92 8800 GTS 512MB more often than not overpowers a $600 (now dropping to around $450) 8800 GTX in the games I play at 1680x1050. My next CPU upgrade will probably be at the tail-end of Nehalem or the beginning of Sandy Bridge (Nehalem's die-shrink). The lesson is: buy mid-cycle if you can plan for it in advance.
 
Thats a bit exaggerated...

farfromhome said:
...I got the cheapest, slowest Athlon 64 X2 3800+ not long after they first came out, and a nVidia 7800 GT when the 7-series wasn't all that old. I paid $350 for each, and a mere 6 months later, the Athlon 64 X2 prices dropped like a rock upon the introduction of Intel's Core 2 Duo, and the 7900 GT was as good as the 7800 GTX was in the upper-$200 range (as opposed to the $500-$600 prices of the 7800 GTX when it first came out). So I was stuck with far-inferior parts at the same price-point as the new ones because I jumped in too early in the cycle.
Click to expand...

The X2 3800+ was released in August 2005, and the first Conroe was released in August 2006. The Conroe previews came out in Dec. 2005... so if you bought anything between then and the release date of Conroe, you should have known what you were getting yourself into. ;)

The 7800GT came out around the same time as the 3800+ x2 CPU, and the 7900GT came out 8 months afterwards. Now THAT, was discouraging, since it wasn't even a whole year. :(

farfromhome said:
...The lesson is: buy mid-cycle if you can plan for it in advance.
Click to expand...

I agree. And always check up on whats going on in the hardware world -- its much easier these days than it used to be, lol.
 
You'd really be throwing money away if you get a second 3870x2. There won't be drivers that support using two of these cards (4 gpus) for another month or two. And that could even get delayed.

The 3870x2 wins on some stuff but then loses to a much cheaper single gpu solution from NVIDIA on other stuff.. it's decent performance for the money, but at the cost of flakiness.
 
Sr7 said:
You'd really be throwing money away if you get a second 3870x2. There won't be drivers that support using two of these cards (4 gpus) for another month or two. And that could even get delayed.

The 3870x2 wins on some stuff but then loses to a much cheaper single gpu solution from NVIDIA on other stuff.. it's decent performance for the money, but at the cost of flakiness.
Click to expand...

Eh. Not that much cheaper, certainly not that much faster, not that "flakey". I suggested he get one now and the second when the quad CrossfireX drivers are available, becausethe second card should be cheaper then anyway.
 
enginurd said:
Thats a bit exaggerated...

The X2 3800+ was released in August 2005, and the first Conroe was released in August 2006. The Conroe previews came out in Dec. 2005... so if you bought anything between then and the release date of Conroe, you should have known what you were getting yourself into. ;)
Click to expand...

OK, so I wasn't remembering all the dates precisely. ;) I ordered the parts for my first build in September/October 2005 (was trying to wait until Black Friday, didn't have the patience as I was sick of my laptop with integrated graphics :D ). So no, at that time, Conroe was still a faraway rumor that many people were still doubting would be that much better than K8, and there was no sign of G71 in the horizon. Though G71 would have been predictable had I know the normal cycle of the graphics card companies at the time, but I didn't know nearly as much about the hardware world back then. Ah well, live and learn. :)

So I did manage to get 10 months of Athlon 64 X2 goodness before Conroe came out after all; I guess with all the hype before its release, it felt like a lot less. :D
 
TopGun said:
Just get a new video card and you'll be fine, No reason to drop 2 grand when you don't need to.
Click to expand...

Hi I wanted to thank you all for the input this far. I am going to just upgrade my Videocard and PSU. Looking for suggestions.
 
GPUs:
Geforce 8800GT 512MB - ~$250
Geforce 8800 GTS 512MB (G92) - ~$300
Radeon HD 3870X2 - ~$400

PSUs:
Corsair 550VX - ~$70 AR
Corsair 520HX - ~$100 AR
Corsair 620HX - ~$140 AR

There you go.
 
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