System build - need some help

D

Darkstar99

n00b
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
10
i need some help picking some parts for a build. i don't exactly know what all the numbers and features mean but basically i have an old comp (dell) thats not cutting it anymore with gaming so I'm just going to salvage what i can which is gonna be the hard drive and the video card which is a nvidia 7950gt and maybe the power supply its a 400w but i don't know if that will be enough. the only thing ill be using it for is gaming and internet but i don't want to spend a lot this is just a temp build till i save up more money for a all out gaming rig. i want to go with a core 2 duo something in the 2.5ghz area an 2 gig of ram . i can spend up to about $700-$800 any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
just keep saving imo

its a waste to buy a temp rig and then buy a whole new one soon after...
 
Since your old system is a Dell, I assume you need an OS that is included in your budget?
 
Without an OS, monitor, hard drive, and video card you can put together a decent system.

This is a quick selection for a system:

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($114.99)
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply - Retail ($119.99)
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory ($44.99)
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($179.99)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail ($234.99)
-----------------
Total before shipping charges: $694.95


You said you may keep your power supply but I threw in that power supply because I am partial to the PC Power & Cooling brand.
Others may pipe in with their thoughts too.
 
Adjust as needed...

$170 - VisionTek 900203 Radeon HD 3850 256MB w/ HDCP
$127 - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775
$43 - A-DATA 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 ADQVE1A16K ($10MIR)
$90 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Express LGA775
$50 - XClio GoodPower 500W ATX 500W
$65 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 16MB Cache
$34 - Samsung 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N
$40 - Cooler Master RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Centurion Steel Mid Tower ATX
=======
$619 + tax and shipping - $10MIR

The HD3850 would outperform that 7950GT. Sell your old parts on the FS/FT Forum or eBay.
HD3850 Review: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9
 
what would get me in the mid range area? really id like to play crysis with the settings on medium at the least with out slow down during the intense parts.
 
Darkstar99 said:
what would get me in the mid range area? really id like to play crysis with the settings on medium at the least with out slow down during the intense parts.
Click to expand...

Change the HD3850 to an 8800GT.

enginurd said:
Adjust as needed...

$170 - VisionTek 900203 Radeon HD 3850 256MB w/ HDCP
$127 - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775
$43 - A-DATA 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 ADQVE1A16K ($10MIR)
$90 - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Express LGA775
$50 - XClio GoodPower 500W ATX 500W
$65 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 16MB Cache
$34 - Samsung 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N
$40 - Cooler Master RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Centurion Steel Mid Tower ATX
=======
$619 + tax and shipping - $10MIR

The HD3850 would outperform that 7950GT. Sell your old parts on the FS/FT Forum or eBay.
HD3850 Review: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=9
Click to expand...
 
Darkstar99 said:
whats the contributing factor to getting higher fps when turning up the graphical settings
Click to expand...

Resolution: GPU power
Detail: VRAM+GPU power

newer GPU with less vram > older GPU with more vram (eg. 8800GTS 512MB (G92) > 8800GTS 640MB (G80))

8800Ultra > 8800GTS 512MB > 8800GTX > 8800GT 512MB > 8800GTS 640MB > 8800GTS 320MB
 
ok so then what would it take to play crysis at high settings with out any slowdown? just a better gpu?
 
What monitor do you have? What is the monitor's maximum/native resolution?

Nine times out of ten, since today's games are mostly GPU-intensive, a better GPU is usually all that you would need. The HD3850 or the 256MB 8800GT can power most monitors up to 19 inches fine (at medium/high resolution). The 512MB 8800GT is recommended for 20-22 inch monitors, and for anything larger (or, if you really want maximum frame rates at high settings), the 512MB (G92) 8800GTS is ideal. (The 8800GTX and the G80 -- 320MB and 640MB -- 8800GTS cards are not recommended because the newer cards perform just as well, if not better in some cases, yet cost less in comparison.) If you have a monitor larger than 27 inches, or play games at a resolution greater than 1900x1200, then you may want to consider SLI or CrossFire.

As a caveat, Crysis is designed to tax this generation's graphics cards... depending on the GPU and/or monitor, you may not be able to play it with all of the settings on high.
 
after so research an browsing i have come up with this. its not exactly within my original budget but oh well

Computer Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

Motherboard - ASUS P5N-T Deluxe Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1333MHz ATX

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core

Video Card - GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported

Power Supply - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W

Memory - OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1150 (PC2 9200)

Monitor - Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support

but I'm not sure if i should get the 8800gts then later get another or get like a gtx so later i can get 2 more an do 3 way sli. any feed back?
 
SLI is a waste of money unless you have a 27+ inch monitor (or game at high settings on a 1900x1200 or larger resolution) -- one 8800GTS should be fine. (Then again, there are some games, like Crysis, that are designed to tax the hell out of any card.)

If you insist on getting a dual-core processor, then you may want to also look at the just-released E8400.

Also, for overclocking/stability, you don't really need memory faster than DDR2 800. Pick yourself up some A-DATA or G.SKILL memory for under $100. And for stability's sake, purchase a 2x2GB kit instead of four 1GB sticks (as some motherboards have stability issues, especially while overclocking, when all four RAM slots are filled).

You may want to consider getting a better CPU cooler for the processor, like:

Cooler Master GeminII RR-CCH-ANU2-GP HSF - $30 & 120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12 Case Fan - $3.50 x 2
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

And you don't really need a 750 watt power supply for your rig... here are some that could get the job done just as well:

Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $95
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $109
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $143
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $147

One final suggestion is to shop around and don't rely on just NewEgg to get good deals. A mail-in rebate may be nice, but if you could get free shipping or an instant price slash, that's even better. (Plus, NewEgg overcharges for certain items, like non-OCZ power supplies.) ClubIT and ZipZoomFly are two of the recommended stores to look at, for starters (see the sticky on the first page for more recommendations).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top