Time for an upgrade...

[Guest 531_Ghost]

What do you think?

 

Recommendations? Suggestions?

 

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 5000+ADO5000DOBOX - Box CPU - Socket AM2 $68.00

 

Gigabyte GA-78GM-S2H 780G AM2+ Phenom Motherboard $94.99

 

XFX 8800GT Video Card (512MB, PCI-E 2.0) $159.99

 

Antec NeoHE 500W Power Supply $89.99

 

2GB PC3200 DDR Dual Channel Kit (2x1GB) $64.99

 

Samsung 24" LCD (1920 x 1200, 1000:1, 5ms) $359.00

[+Nightshade/PR 7,849]

For what it's worth, my video card recommendation:

 

XFX GeForce 9800 GT Video Card - FREE Call of Duty 4 PC Game, 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, (2) Dual Link DVI, HDTV, VGA Support $109.99 from Compusa online.

 

It's the one I use, and I LOVE it.

[JediMaster 451]

Nothing wrong with that, although I think you're going too cheap on the CPU side. I'd recommend a C2D @ 3Ghz or so instead. Mobo and all other costs would be about the same, just the CPU would be about $150 I think. It would last longer.

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Something like this?

 

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5499739?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[+Stary 2,427]

More ram. 3 GB at least. I have 4GB, 3,25 seen by my XP (Thank you M$!). Good investment for future upgrades.

 

I have same card, no problems so far, running recent titles like Warhead/Far Cry 2/Dead Space at maximum (DX9 mode), good choice

[+Brain32 265]

Make sure Athlon 5000+ is BlackEdition, those babies have unlocked multiplier, every single one so far went to 3GHz without much hassle :)

 

BTW: good to see you back Stary :)

[kct 5]

True about the Black Edition, although my friend have yet to tweak his to burn-in the settings (they went too quickly to 3.2GHz, and rest of the hardware are not being able to catch up, so he went back down to 2.6GHz).

Edited November 23, 2008 by kct

[DaSpungie 1]

THE 8800GT GETS IT'S COOLING AIR AND EXPELS IT'S HOT AIR INTO THE TOWER I DID AN SLI FOR A CUSTOMES AND YOU COULD FRY AN EGG ON THE SIDE OF THAT PUPPY

HAD TO CUT HOLE IN THE SIDE AND PUT AN EXHAUST FAN ON IT AND AN INTAKE FAN ON FRONT

 

 

OTHER THAN THAT IT'S A GREAT VID CARD COD4 ARMA AND GWAR2 ALL MAXED UP RUNS GREAT

[+pcpilot 181]

PC3200 RAM? Thats a bit dated. Might I suggest PC6400 DDR2. It runs fine on my AMD 64X2 5400+ 2.8ghz machine on a Biostar mobo. The Geforce 9800 is a good mid-range card that will suprise you with its performance. You'll be able to afford a second card down the road for SLI. I have a Geforce 8600GT with 512mb DDR3 and it is awesome.

You know, the Quad core intel machines are pretty nice these days and are easy on the wallet. But I sure like my dual core AMD machine. Nice when an entry level machine is powerful enough to run high end games AND still be reasonably priced.

Edited November 24, 2008 by pcpilot

[JediMaster 451]

True, any dual-slot video card will run cooler and keep your PC cooler as they exhaust their heat outside the case instead of inside.

[+Gunrunner 314]

For this generation of CPU, unless interested in the best perf/price ratio for web browsing, office duties, or you are interested in 4/8-ways systems, avoid AMD.

 

Now, taking a look at newegg with gaming on a tight budget on mind, what can we do for you...

 

Motherboard :

 

Intel DP35DP - $110 (generation n-1,5, still pretty fast, stable, no nonsense BIOS, lacks in OC features)

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R - $110 (generation n-1, fast, stable, durable, more BIOS options)

Intel DG33TL - $80 (generation n-1,5, stable, still fast enough, no nonsense BIOS, lacks in OC features, lacks in upgradability as it is a µATX board, still good enough for a 2 slot GPU and a PCI card, I use this on my legacy system).

 

I'd avoid MSI like the plague (some boards work like a charm for years, other die on you in a matter of weeks), avoid Asus actual offering (basic MBs are lacking in stability and features and higher offerings are packed with useless gimmicks jacking up the price and increasing stability issues).

 

CPU :

 

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $165 (best price/perf ratio for gaming at the moment)

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 - $120 (if you really are on a budget)

 

GPU :

 

XFX 9800GT @670/1950 512MB - $160 ($20 mail in rebate) (IMHO best price/perf ratio for single GPU, unless you find a ASUS EN9800GT ULTIMATE @725/2000)

 

You may find better deals in one-slot design but they're usually noisier and tend to generate more heat in your system.

 

RAM :

 

G.Skill 2x 2GB DDR PC6400PK - $60 (not the best overclockers, but fast enough, stable, and not requiring stupid voltages, leaves you room to add 4 more GB should you migrate to 64bit and need them (mostly useless for gaming at the moment though))

 

With your Power Supply and Monitor, that gives us between $850 and $925 (after rebate), compared to your $838...

 

Close enough budget, more stable configuration, better CPU, better GPU, more RAM (and if/when you'll move on to Vista/7 64bit, you'll be able to use the whole 4GB).

 

The downside of this Intel proposal is that Intel is introducing a new system platform, meaning that in 2 years time, you probably won't be able to upgrade the CPU by anything else (except second hand or stocks).

 

Bear in mind that gaming on a budget is hard and the tighter your budget is, the faster your computer will reach its limits.

For legacy gaming, or if you intend not to use any game out in 2 years really seriously, a tight budget is fine, otherwise it is worth putting a little more into your system (especially with a 24" display).

 

Last advice...

 

If you really are on a budget, favor the core of the system and settle on a smaller display, a 22" isn't that much smaller than a 24", but uses a 1680*1050 resolution, meaning you'll get better framerates or will be able to push AA and options.

It will be easier and less costly in 2 years time to upgrade your monitor than your system.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Gunrunner

[JediMaster 451]

Yes, the new Intel CPUs are DDR3-only and a new socket at a minimum, so that means new mobo and RAM when you upgrade it again.

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Okay, here's what I think I've decided on:

 

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 $169.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5499739?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

Asus P5QC Socket 775 Motherboard $139.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5727102?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

4GB DDR2 PC8500 DUAL MEMORY / HYPER X / KINGSTON $54.99 (after 45.00 rebate)

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5700982?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

ATI HD 4850 512MB PCI-Express Video Card $199.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5647371?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

SONY 20x Internal Dual layer DVD-/+RW Drive $39.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5655341?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower $59.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5520150?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-850 850W ATX Power Supply $199.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5278537?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

WD 320GB Serial ATA/300 16MB Buffer Hard Drive - WD3200KSRTL $64.00

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5521110?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

Samsung 2253BW 22" LCD Monitor (1680 x 1050, 3000:1, 2ms) $249.99

http://shop1.frys.com/product/5525630?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[+streakeagle 867]

It isn't that much more to get a 4870 instead of a 4850, so why did you take the lesser card?

If I were building a PC right now, I would bet getting a 4870 with 1GB RAM.

But I won't be building any PCs until I move to Kissimmee... need to keep cash in the bank for down payment/closing.

After I move and see how my finances are doing, I will start looking at new PC options.

By then, AMD might have a competitive cpu which will help drive prices down even lower than they are.

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Yeah, this may be in the line up instead: http://shop1.frys.com/product/5691651?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[Fubar512 1,350]

Yeah, this may be in the line up instead: http://shop1.frys.com/product/5691651?site...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

 

Give me a call if you need any tips on the matter, Ken.

 

BTW, I drove by your "favorite" intersection this past weekend, and even stayed for a night at the Hampton Inn with the Intruder in the parking lot....lol

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Heh, the one where the car I was driving was totaled by the un-insured 19 year old girl driving a Volvo, running a red light at 50+ MPH? Oh that one. The one where my passenger was hurt and is still on workmans comp? (we were on orders/traveling) Yeah, that one.

 

Will do Fubar, thanks.

[JediMaster 451]

It depends on how much you want to "future proof" your system. A 512MB 4850 is plenty sufficient for today, although a 4870 is of course faster. The full 1GB of RAM has been shown to improve the 4870's performance in several games, however, I don't know what you will use it for other than flight sims where I'm certain it will have little bearing (at least the ones out today, SoW:BoB is an unknown). I believe in Far Cry 2 it was shown to be noticeably faster (ie not just in a benchmark).

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Okay here's my latest list:

 

VGA 512-P3-N971-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130397

COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-650-ACAA-A1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817171023

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128359

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136260

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835186134

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811129042

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115037

SAMSUNG 2233bw High Glossy Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824001306

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827151173

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227289

[JediMaster 451]

LOL, ok, but a 9800GT is slower than a 4850! You should look at the 9800GTX+ models at least if you're going green instead of red.

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Okay, so, swap out the 9800 GT with

 

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102801

 

am I gettin' there? Yet?

[JediMaster 451]

That's a great lineup. Some may prefer AMD to Intel or nvidia to ATI, but they're really all equivalent.