New gaming rig. Let me know bout these specs.

[fatslob222]

Hey guys,

Its been five years since i got a new rig. ( Yeah its a disgrace, I'm still using a socket 478 ). Basically i rounded up a couple of parts from the centrecom website ( a computer store near where i live. All the parts i post are available in more detail there: centrecom.com.au ).

Basically I'm wanting to get your opinions on the parts i might be getting. If you guys have a better recommendation, don't hesitate to post it.

Anyhow here they are. Tell me what you think.


Ram (I'm tempted to go for 4GB ram actually)
Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400 Ram
Price: $64.90
Manufacturer: Corsair
Vendor Code: TWIN2X2048-6400

CPU (Hehe. 3.0GHZ Dual Core. Gotta love it.)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 (AM2) 6000+
Price: $126.00
Manufacturer: AMD
Vendor Code: ADX6000CZBOX

Motherboard (Integrated GFX are a plus, if i don't get my card at the same time, and the cooling on the chip set looks shiny....)
Gigabyte GA-M750SLI-DS4 AMD Mainboard
Price: $155.10
Manufacturer: Gigabyte
Vendor Code: GA-M750SLI-DS4

HDD ( Don't ask. I got a 500GB external so i would be happy with a 12GB HDD rofl.)
Seagate Barracuda 160Gb 7200RPM 8Mb SATA 2
Price: $55.00
Manufacturer: Seagate
Vendor Code: ST3160815AS

GFX Card ( 8600's are meant to be good right? I wanna play crisis, but i dont care if its on low graphics so long as it doesnt lag.)
Gigabyte NX86T512H GF8600GT, 512MB
Price: $82.00
Manufacturer: Gigabyte
Vendor Code: NX86T512H

Case ( I'm probably gonna keep the case from my current build so this can be ignored.)
Intech HBC-863 Beige Tower Case (550W)
Price: $45.00
Manufacturer: Intech
Centre Com Code: CSMD863

Optical Drive ( Pfft. I'de keep my IDE drives anyway if i get the PCI expansion card :D)
Pioneer DVR-215 SATA DVD Re-Writer
Price: $39.90
Manufacturer: Pioneer
Vendor Code: DVR-215D

PCI IDE Expansion Card ( Cheap ass generic brand better work! :S)
PCI ATA 133 IDE Card
Price: $29.70
Centre Com Code: CAATA133

USING ONBOARD GFX: $515.60
USING GEFORCE GFX:$597.60

Isn't bad for the money right guys??? It's like the cheapest store in my town. Mmmmmmm..... cheap!

Oh and the reason the table says using on board GFX and GeForce is because i might not be getting all the parts at once. (Gotta see how much $$ i get for my birthday :P)

Well tell me what you think.

Fatslob222

[MentaL]

[Xenosaga21]

PCI IDE Expansion Card ( Cheap ass generic brand better work! :S)
PCI ATA 133 IDE Card

what are you using this for? 0o you are gona use sata . . . motherboard should have a ton of Sata ports.? why you using old IDE?

To hold onto old dvd drives? you can get new fast ones for like 23$ less than the cost of the ide card ^^ and you have 1 ide port proly on the mobo for the drive...

PCI IDE Expansion Card ( Cheap ass generic brand better work! :S)
PCI ATA 133 IDE Card

what are you using this for? 0o you are gona use sata . . . motherboard should have a ton of Sata ports.? why you using old IDE?

To hold onto old dvd drives? you can get new fast ones for like 23$ less than the cost of the ide card ^^ and you have 1 ide port proly on the mobo for the drive...


for around 650$ USD i would get this ...

---DvD Burner (24$)
LITE-ON 20X DVD

[fatslob222]

Thanks for the advice man.

I'll start with saying about the IDE expansion card. I was gonna buy that and keep the hard drives and optical drives from my current rig, seeing as though i have a 500GB external drive, i wasn't really after top of the range performance from my drives. But seeing as though you can pick up parts like those fairly cheap, maybe i should spend the extra and get new SATA drives?

I'll take your advice on the parts, but i am restricted to the parts available at centrecom.

Starting with the GFX card, centrecom doesn't stock EVGA, but i found a card from XFX with similar specs. I looked at the 8800's with 512MB, but there's nothing under $220, and thats a little past my budget on JUST the GFX card. I mainly want it to be able to play COD4, and TF2. And a 8600 is more than capable. This card should run crysis with decent frames yeah? its only $97.90 here in Australia. Its Here. Tell me what you think. But if you reckon its shit, anything here under/around $150 i am happy with.

RAM. Wow, that ram is cheap. Goddamn US $$. Haha, anyway, the ram there i picked out is a decent one for the money, its got a higher bus speed than the other value rams on centrecom, but, i used to be up with this crap 5 years ago, so i dont know whats decent now. Heres a list of the available RAM, tell me what you think.

The HDD and DVD Drive I'm not too concerned about, and the ones i picked out are good value. I currently run the same HDD in my external drive on a 500GB, so i could always just take the drive from the case. The DVD drive my dad currently uses in his build, except the IDE model, and it does the job for the money ( fairly well infact ).

Motherboard and CPU, i really dont know. I automatically went to AMD because of the prices. If Intel is better, I'm happy with that, but i do sorta have a price range ( Lol, im 13, this is coming from my birthday money XD ). The AMD is $125 and this Intel is like $226. Its here. Just from that it ups how much i was going to pay. And you're right about the motherboard, i dont intend to use it for SLI, but i still wanted to get a mobo that will last well ( Hence the cooling on the chipset ). I got no idea what the standards are for intel now, so i dont know the kind of motherboards to look out for. I'm limited to Asus, Gigabyte, and XFX. Once again, all the available ones are here.

Well, with that said, you still think Intel tops AMD? I'm dont mind waiting out till christmas if you really think Intel still puts shit on AMD, but by that time wouldnt all the current specs have changed. I'm not intended to actually buy any parts until september (the 7th, Hehe, my birthday) by the way, and i currently only have about $175. Ill probably get $300 for my birthday, and maybe $250 for christmas, so yeah i guess i sorta have a $600 budget.... I'm getting in early to see what kinda stuff i need to be saving for.

I really appreciate your advice. Hope you can get back to me with some more details. And if it isnt too much to ask, look at this. If i maybe ordered one of those with a different CPU and motherboard, and stuck in a GFX card, how do you think it would hold up? Because i always have the option of digging up one of the centrecom rigs and swapping parts around a bit.

Also, two things. I sure as hell hate Vista. No doubt about it, i have a copy of Vista Business lying around somewhere in my cupboard. When i do get this new rig, is it worth running vista? Like, or should i use XP Pro X64? I'm a diehard XP supporter, but in the world of gaming with DX10, should i dual boot when i get the rig?

Jee, i must sound like i ask for alot. Sorry bout that. Atleast your helping a noob get up there with the latest specs. :D

Fatslob222

[Rishwin]

XFX cards are great, 8600GT will run most games on decent settings, no clue about crysis though but i know it'd have to be on the lowest settings to run on that.

Running SATA drives is very important, they run alot faster than IDE drives so when building a budget Pc, you want SATA to get that extra performance.

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/...ducts_id=32188 this is a very good motherboard, has the new p45 chipset which is supposed to be more suited for intel CPU's than the nforce chipsets. Yes intel is better at the moment, dont know how long it will take AMD to bring out their guns but i can bet intel will have an even better one ot rival by then. i would go for an e8200, its pretty solid and is within the price range http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/...ducts_id=28988.

prebuilt ones form computer stores rip you off. they are made with cheap ram and mobo's, and horrible power supplies. Waste of money.

for a budget PC, i would stick with XP. crysis is just going ot run even laggier on vista along with all your other games

[fatslob222]

Hmm, you're right about the CPU. I just looked at the cache and bus speeds on the AMD compared. I could always O/C the CPU to 3.0GHZ worse comes to worse. Does gigabyte make a similar motherboard with integrated GFX? Because if i don't get my graphics card at the same time as the rest, ( Like, i mean i might wait till Christmas to get the card so i can afford a better one) then i am done for. Ouch.

[Rishwin]

Not worth paying extra or going for an inferior mobo just for integrated graphics which you will replace with a real GFx card soon after. You will barely be able to play anything on it anyway, so just either buy the GFX card at the same time, or jsut wait till you have all the parts to play it (or spend about $30 to get a really cheap PCI-E gfx card)

[fatslob222]

Hmmm, yeah that's a good point. Originally when i started looking i was leaning towards one of the cheapo $80 mobos, till i looked at the quality in them. They have like no cooling, they use cheapo capacitors and components..... you're right. Worst case scenario, i don't buy a HDD or an optical drive till Christmas, and i just use my IDE gear for a while. Still, keep the suggestions rolling. I have always wondered, does having a good case make any difference other than looking cool and cooling? Like, at the moment i have some cheap assed $40 case that came with a ATX PSU like 5 years ago. Have the power standards changed on the motherboards? Will i need a new PSU/Case? I have always liked these.

[Xenosaga21]

If you want to just play Team fortress/ call of duty 4 / warcraft III / Diablo III etc starcraft 2 and other games that come in future i would not spend a ton of $ cause you really only need high performance parts for games like
Crysis (which is kinda a boooring game without the world editor ^^)
Age of Conan (MMORPG that will be out done ounce Diablo III comes out ) ^^

Get this
Is this the website of the company you are using ? http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/default.php

---
this is what i would make given there online in stock items

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550/ 2.33GHz/ 4MB Cache/ 1333FSB/ LGA775 $155.00

Gigabyte GA-N650SLI-DS4L motherboard $123.20
Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400 Ram $62.70

XFX 8800GS Alpha Dog Edition 384MB, DDR3, 192bit, PCIE, Dual DVI, TV Out, HDTV, HDCP (PV-T88S-FDF4)
$110.00

Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400 Ram 62$

62+110+123+155 =450 so far
Samsung 750GB 7200RPM 32Mb SATA 2 clearance price on there site... $99.00
so 550
dvd driver now...
LG GSA-H55NBBK IDE DVD Re-Writer (20x/Dual Layer Black) 35$

Total around 585...

you can change / tweak video card etc... but i would deff suggest getting an intel cpu over and Amd one... it'll just perform better for most games/multitasking ...
The 8600 is a strong card... but try to get one with ddr3 ram 512mb if you can... the ddr2 one is still good ... but the ddr3 one will put the ddr2 one to shame for just a few more bucks ^^

The only reason i chose the intel cpu i did was for 1333 fsb and size of cache
The 8800 Gs in theory should out perform the 8600 gt 512mb gddr3 for around the same price.... 100 - 110$
The only thing is make sure that the power supply you are going to use is = to atleast 25 Amps on the 12 volt line ..... you can add up all the 12v lines it should say this info under the power supply where there is a sticker showing output voltage... the 8800 gs is not as power hungry as other 8800 gts/gt etc... but still needs some amperage... so make sure all the 12v lines on your psu add up to around 25 amps to be on safe side ^^ if they dont just get an 8600 with ddr3 ram on it.

Motherboard isa 650i nforce chipset... soso for overclocking/has sli but each card will only run at 8x apposed to 16x on that chipset. but for the games you want to play you really dont need sli... and if ever you do want to run more gpu intensive games you can always throw in a duplicate of the card you chose at a later date when they are cheaper and get a 30 - 60% performance boost

That hard drive advertised on there site is massive for the price... check if they have that deal there....

and to keep your old IDE drives/optical drives ... there are already atleast one IDE port on the motherboard... you can hook up 2 drives to it.... (more if you get a special ide cable with more connection ports ^^) or you can get the IDE expansion card... but PCI is somewhat limited to around 32mb/s transfer rates (average speed of most harddrives...)
So i would deff install games on the sata 2 harddrive ^^
anyways good luck making a decision .... just know what you are buying and dont let anyone at the store talk you into buying any of these brands

FOXCON/PC chips

They use cheapo capacitors that blow out in 3 months on all there products....
I purchased 3 mobos ounce for a cheapo rig i was making for office use and all of them blew out within a week of eachother . . ..



Also PS: Don't fear low clocked Core 2 Duo's for most games even crysis... a 2.4GhZ or higher Dual Core will perform just as well as a 3.0Ghz dual Core... -_- atleast I can't tell the diff between my 1.8ghz and my 3.0ghz for what I play.... AoC//WcIII//Command and Conquer Gennerals//Rise of Nations//coutnerstrike Source// Rise of nations Rise of legends//
Supreme commander//Command and conquer 3// ... TF2 //Doom3//

even a 1.8Ghz Core 2 Duo on my laptop and a 7600 go with 2gb Ram runs all these games great lol..... so if my 3 year old laptop with those parts runs all those games with like 50 - 60 fps....a new desktop today with almost any configuration should run those games better...

[fatslob222]

Well, thanks so much for your advice. And the last thing you said about your laptop, same applies to me. I have a Toshiba laptop that is a year and a half old, not even that, and my desktop, 5/6 years old, kills my laptop. I ended up picking these parts out in the end, as they have room for future growth ( so i hope! ). Still, tell me if there's any parts to swap around.

Nice find with the drive, but as i said before, i don't need a massive drive, as i have a 500GB external. The RAM is the same as what i was originally getting anyway. I went for your drive too ( Except the sata model ) Xenosaga because now that i am getting a new case, i don't need to buy a beige drive. Also, for like the $12 between your card and the one i was looking at ill just get yours. Rishwin you were spot on with the CPU and Mobo. Exactly what i want/need. So, all up, this should be my finalized computer ( Feel free to alter it if you like :closedeye ):

Ram
Corsair DDR2 2GB PC-6400/800 (2x XMS2 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400 Ram
Price: $64.90
Manufacturer: Corsair
Vendor Code: TWIN2X2048-6400

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz
Price: $182.00
Manufacturer: Intel
Vendor Code: BX80570E8200
OR
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Price: $226.00
Manufacturer: Intel
Vendor Code: BX80562Q6600

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L motherboard
Price: $147.40
Manufacturer: Gigabyte
Vendor Code: GA-EP45-DS3L

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 160Gb 7200RPM 8Mb SATA 2
Price: $55.00
Manufacturer: Seagate
Vendor Code: ST3160815AS

GFX Card
XFX 8800GS Alpha Dog Edition 384MB, DDR3
Price: $110.00
Manufacturer: XFX
Vendor Code: PV-T88S-FDF4

Case
Thermaltake Wing RS-100 Black Midi (430W)
Price: $82.50
Manufacturer: Thermaltake
Vendor Code: VG1430BNS

Optical Drive
LG GH-20NS10 SATA DVD Re-Writer
Price:$37.40
Manufacturer :LG
Vendor Code :GH20NS10

E8200:$679.20Q6600:$723.20

I really don't know wether i will go quad core or dual core. I guess it all depends on how much money i get in the end.

[Xenosaga21]

no games take full use of all four cores yet... so the other 2 cores are kinda useless when it comes to gaming....
You don't need it, its just nice to have.

I would probably just get the dual core.

The motherboard you picked has no SLI options, maybe look around if the store you are buying from has a SLI capable motherboard in your price range...
this way in the future if you really want to speed things up a bit ... you can just pop a 2nd video card in and be good for another few years. ^^.. rather than replacing the motherboard and getting new parts 2 - 3 years down the road when a game you really like comes out.

Be cautious and make sure that you have enough amperage coming out of your power supplies 12v lines... to power all that.

8800's need around 24 Amps minimum, if you ever want to run in sli at a future date your looking at around 48 amps atleast. ^^

[Rishwin]

no games take full use of all four cores yet... so the other 2 cores are kinda useless when it comes to gaming....
You don't need it, its just nice to have.

I would probably just get the dual core.

The motherboard you picked has no SLI options, maybe look around if the store you are buying from has a SLI capable motherboard in your price range...
this way in the future if you really want to speed things up a bit ... you can just pop a 2nd video card in and be good for another few years. ^^.. rather than replacing the motherboard and getting new parts 2 - 3 years down the road when a game you really like comes out.

Be cautious and make sure that you have enough amperage coming out of your power supplies 12v lines... to power all that.

8800's need around 24 Amps minimum, if you ever want to run in sli at a future date your looking at around 48 amps atleast. ^^

Why would you recommend him not to get a quad cos nothing uses it yet (even though they do on vista), then turn around and suggest him get an SLI mobo incase he wants to SLI in the FUTURE? You either future proof it or not, can't go midway.

[fatslob222]

Well, i went into the actual centrecom store today to get some quotes. First thing they said was, "SHIT! Nice rig!". I smirked and said yeah i had some help :P, so on that matter, thanks. Now, i also asked the guy, about going dual or quad core. He basically told me that for the $40, he would definitely go the quad, simply because its future proof, and its better performance in the end for general gaming, because each core gets a different job (like one core does physx, one pre-caches, etc before the GFX even gets the data to process), meaning the processing is faster ( hence better GFX performance ). I asked about an SLI mobo with the P45 chipset too, but for what its worth, i can live without SLI, seeing asthough its $133 more expensive for a board with SLI. Lastly, he said that the GFX card i picked out gets shot down and hunted by the 8800 GT, but once again, its like $100 more expensive. I said to him about wanting a card around the $100 dollar mark, and he said to go for an ATI card, which i have no idea about. I have never used ATI GFX before, but i heard bad things about them. So, all in all, i have the feeling i might go for the quad core.

[Rishwin]

Yeh quad would be preferable but i never mentioned it plainly cos it was more expensive and you were on a budget. Ati from my experience make excellent mid-end cards, however the new ones do use alot of power - if you go with Ati you will most probably not be able to go SLI with your power supply.

[fatslob222]

Yeah. I dont think SLI is too important for a 13 year old gamer who has to save up for 6 months just to buy a new Wii Game. Lol. The guy said something about the ATi 1350 or something like that. I couldn't see it on the site. You got any idea what he's on about?

[Rishwin]

Yeah. I dont think SLI is too important for a 13 year old gamer who has to save up for 6 months just to buy a new Wii Game. Lol. The guy said something about the ATi 1350 or something like that. I couldn't see it on the site. You got any idea what he's on about?

o.O

1350? that shit is ancient, and he'll be laughing if he can sell one to you for $100, its worth $25 tops (i bought a 1650XT over a year ago and back then it was $120). It is outdated, discontinued, and thats why you wont find it at any store at all unless its 2nd hand.

i still recommend the 8600Gt unless you can fork out another $50 and go for an Ati 3850