Attention all pc builders

frenzied · 07-24-06, 05:46 AM

I upgraded the guts of my computer (i.e. kept the drives, monitor, keyboard, mouse) a couple of weeks ago in Aus, and here's roughly what I got with rough prices:

MB: Asus A8N-SLI deluxe $200 - This MB rocks, I know several people with one, and it is highly recommended. It uses the nForce 4 chipset.

CPU: AMD athlon64 2700+ $350ish - It seems that dual core's are not really worth the price at the moment unless you do a lot of multitasking

Graphics: XFX GeForce 7900Gt 256Mb 520Mhz (not sure about the speed, but don't get the super-overclocked ones as they die very easily) $450 - Seems to be going very well, not top of the line, but you can get 2 of these for the price of one 7900GTX. It is possible to get a 512mb 7900GT for around the same price from inferior brands, but they are very rare.

RAM: go for 2 gigs if at all possible, I've only got 1gig, but really want a second.

Antec case, not sure which model but it was $170ish, and is very big and roomy and has funky blue LED's (mind you, LED colour shouldn't be the deciding factor).

One place you should check out is http://www.tomshardware.com/ a very useful site with reviews and comparisons of lots of stuff.

Hope this helps.

Teho · 07-24-06, 06:24 AM

7900GTX is good, 7950 better and 2x7900GTX the best

catar M · 07-24-06, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teho

7900GTX is good, 7950 better and 2x7900GTX the best

you really don't need 2x 7900 for today's game's .My next upgrade is going to be when Direct X10 is out and all new vid cards. As Gizzmoe said save your many and buy all the parts at once.When I did my I got good discount when I bought all the parts in one shop

rpckvv · 07-24-06, 11:58 AM

and my suggestion is instead of getting the best of the best as far as components are concerned, aim to buy, at the very most, the second best. quite a price difference between the newest and the second newest parts of your system, but not much performance difference. could easily shave $500-1000 off the price of your computer with no noticeable performance drop. if you do it right, you shouldn't have to upgrade anything in your computer for at least 3 years.

hell, i built my computer four years ago and all i've changed is more ram (512 --> 1024. actually tried 1.5g, but the third and fourth dimm slots were crapola) and maybe a step or two up with the processor. same mobo, gfx card, hdd, etc. and i've never had problems playing games, except battlefield 2, which was nvidia's wet dream game b/c you had to upgrade your video card in order to play it.

Hueywolf123 · 07-24-06, 09:34 PM

Thanks for your suggestions, if anyone on this forum from Aus can give me an idea of price, I'll speak with Admiral (Mrs) Hueywolf and work on a budget. Buying all at the same time does make more sense.
As my house is on a hill-side in bushland, we get a lot of humidity and a lot of dust. These two factors don't do pc's any favours at all. Has anyone, or does anyone know of anything that can limit this damage other than hermatically sealing off the room?

Wulfmann · 07-25-06, 12:46 PM

There are a few points most important here.
Everything is already obsolete; everything.
No matter what expensive toy you buy it is not DX-10 nor is it HD.
So, since no matter what; we will be replacing everything with the next OS, so, there is no point in spending any more than does a good job for what one plays now.

One can buy a non SLI MoBo for under $75.00. A new AMD 3500 is $109.00 shipped from Newegg and a 7600 or X800 256MB VC will insure you run everything at max settings or very close with 1280X1024 resolution.
SLI is not worth it, as the Geek squads repeatedly state
Yes dual core will give you more if you have one PC tower as you can split the functions but if one has an existing 32 bit just leave all the day to day stuff there and build the 64bit just for your games/sims.
It will save you money and no one will give you a turd for your 32bit stuff anyway. A simple switch will allow you to use the same monitor/keyboard/mouse.
The 3500/X850XT/A8N/2GBDDR400 without all the small crap that is running on my 32 bit runs my set up maxed for CoD2 and every game in between at 1280X1024.

Don’t let me stop you from spending money by all means. But, for a lot less you can run the next year maxed, save a few bucks and be ready when we all trash our DX-9/XP stuff for all new systems, no matter how big, bad and bragging right super it is, it is already obsolete.
Wulfmann

fredbass · 07-25-06, 01:20 PM

Just make sure your new motherboard will be able to handle Windows Vista, which many new ones are capable of already.

Other important items which may have been mentioned already:
1. Dual Core Processor (fast as you can afford)
2. Dual video card capable (as much memory as you can afford)
3. Get 2g of Memory (DDR2 and fast) and expandable for the future
4. Plenty of Power
5. A Good case that is easily accessible and will keep your hardware cool.
6. DVD-R/W
7. Plenty of USB connections
8. A good LCD Monitor (19" or bigger)
9. Plenty of Harddrive space

07-25-06, 12:46 PM	#6
Wulfmann Ace of the Deep Join Date: May 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 1,010 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	There are a few points most important here. Everything is already obsolete; everything. No matter what expensive toy you buy it is not DX-10 nor is it HD. So, since no matter what; we will be replacing everything with the next OS, so, there is no point in spending any more than does a good job for what one plays now. One can buy a non SLI MoBo for under $75.00. A new AMD 3500 is $109.00 shipped from Newegg and a 7600 or X800 256MB VC will insure you run everything at max settings or very close with 1280X1024 resolution. SLI is not worth it, as the Geek squads repeatedly state Yes dual core will give you more if you have one PC tower as you can split the functions but if one has an existing 32 bit just leave all the day to day stuff there and build the 64bit just for your games/sims. It will save you money and no one will give you a turd for your 32bit stuff anyway. A simple switch will allow you to use the same monitor/keyboard/mouse. The 3500/X850XT/A8N/2GBDDR400 without all the small crap that is running on my 32 bit runs my set up maxed for CoD2 and every game in between at 1280X1024. Don’t let me stop you from spending money by all means. But, for a lot less you can run the next year maxed, save a few bucks and be ready when we all trash our DX-9/XP stuff for all new systems, no matter how big, bad and bragging right super it is, it is already obsolete. Wulfmann __________________ "The right to keep and bear arms should not be infringed upon, if only to prevent tyranny in government" Thomas Jefferson,; Constitutional debates

07-24-06, 05:46 AM	#1
frenzied Watch Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 30 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	I upgraded the guts of my computer (i.e. kept the drives, monitor, keyboard, mouse) a couple of weeks ago in Aus, and here's roughly what I got with rough prices: MB: Asus A8N-SLI deluxe $200 - This MB rocks, I know several people with one, and it is highly recommended. It uses the nForce 4 chipset. CPU: AMD athlon64 2700+ $350ish - It seems that dual core's are not really worth the price at the moment unless you do a lot of multitasking Graphics: XFX GeForce 7900Gt 256Mb 520Mhz (not sure about the speed, but don't get the super-overclocked ones as they die very easily) $450 - Seems to be going very well, not top of the line, but you can get 2 of these for the price of one 7900GTX. It is possible to get a 512mb 7900GT for around the same price from inferior brands, but they are very rare. RAM: go for 2 gigs if at all possible, I've only got 1gig, but really want a second. Antec case, not sure which model but it was $170ish, and is very big and roomy and has funky blue LED's (mind you, LED colour shouldn't be the deciding factor). One place you should check out is http://www.tomshardware.com/ a very useful site with reviews and comparisons of lots of stuff. Hope this helps.

07-24-06, 06:24 AM	#2
Teho Helmsman Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 102 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	7900GTX is good, 7950 better and 2x7900GTX the best

07-24-06, 11:58 AM	#4
rpckvv Nub Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3 Downloads: 40 Uploads: 0	and my suggestion is instead of getting the best of the best as far as components are concerned, aim to buy, at the very most, the second best. quite a price difference between the newest and the second newest parts of your system, but not much performance difference. could easily shave $500-1000 off the price of your computer with no noticeable performance drop. if you do it right, you shouldn't have to upgrade anything in your computer for at least 3 years. hell, i built my computer four years ago and all i've changed is more ram (512 --> 1024. actually tried 1.5g, but the third and fourth dimm slots were crapola) and maybe a step or two up with the processor. same mobo, gfx card, hdd, etc. and i've never had problems playing games, except battlefield 2, which was nvidia's wet dream game b/c you had to upgrade your video card in order to play it.

07-24-06, 09:34 PM	#5
Hueywolf123 Bosun Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: gosford, Australia Posts: 68 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Thanks for your suggestions, if anyone on this forum from Aus can give me an idea of price, I'll speak with Admiral (Mrs) Hueywolf and work on a budget. Buying all at the same time does make more sense. As my house is on a hill-side in bushland, we get a lot of humidity and a lot of dust. These two factors don't do pc's any favours at all. Has anyone, or does anyone know of anything that can limit this damage other than hermatically sealing off the room?

07-25-06, 01:20 PM	#7
fredbass Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Port Richey, Fl, USA Posts: 1,066 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Just make sure your new motherboard will be able to handle Windows Vista, which many new ones are capable of already. Other important items which may have been mentioned already: 1. Dual Core Processor (fast as you can afford) 2. Dual video card capable (as much memory as you can afford) 3. Get 2g of Memory (DDR2 and fast) and expandable for the future 4. Plenty of Power 5. A Good case that is easily accessible and will keep your hardware cool. 6. DVD-R/W 7. Plenty of USB connections 8. A good LCD Monitor (19" or bigger) 9. Plenty of Harddrive space