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600$(changed, sorry) budget - Need CPU/Mobo/GFX Card only

E

Etrusk

Junior Member
Another one of those "help some noob to not buy utter crap" topics 😀 I hope you are in a helpful mood.

Just a few things I would love to have, if possible:

1) Futureproofing - Dunno if it is possible, but I would love it if I could just add to this setup later and not have to just get rid of anything.

2) AMD cpu and mobo - Seems a no brainer even to a noobie like me, but maybe you know better?

3) Gaming Performance - For example I have no idea if I should skimp on CPU for a better graphics card or vice versa, but you probably do.

4) Finally, I will be buying the new stuff in January at the earliest, in case you think I should wait for something. I am a patient guy 😛

Please if it is at all possible, could you provide a reason for why you are picking something. I would like to educate myself a little too 🙂 My budget is 900 dollars, give it a 100 dollar cushion though in case something really deserves it.

Lastly, if you reply to this thread, let me thank you right now I really appreciate it 🙂
 
Go look on Newegg, the best combo for you would be something like a 7800gt+3800X2 or 3800 Venice+Epox or Asus or DFI motherboard depending on what you want to do with your computer. Give us a few more details(wheather you game or not, OC'ing or no) and we can help you out a bit more.🙂
 
i havent surfed around for prices lately but this should be within your budget:

amd 64 3200+
asus sli board (SLI futureproof possibly)
nvidia 7800gt

spend the extra on a faster cpu, more ram, aftermarket heatsinks for overclocking, etc. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: FirsttimeGive us a few more details(wheather you game or not, OC'ing or no) and we can help you out a bit more.🙂
Click to expand...

Sorry, I would like to OC it and I don't mind getting cheaper components that can overclock to similar performance to expensive ones. I mostly use my PC for gaming, so I am looking for some combo that will decently run the next gen games like Oblivion etc.

Thanks again 🙂
 
My advice:

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum - $ 123 People tend to go nagging about this one, but mine is extremely stable, overclocks like any DFI would 😉 (easily over 300FSB), and started right out of the box... (So not as picky on RAM like DFI...) Never had any problems with it...
OR
GigaByte GA-K8N Ultra-9 - $ 113 Slightly cheaper than the MSI, overclocking not as great but not bad at all (Dual BIOS!), lots of features, huge bundle, reliable mobo's...
MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E - $ 449 Can't go wrong with this one, it's POWERFUL, it's silent, you'll get a decent bundle... It is not overclocked yet, but samples are hitting quite high clocks...
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ - $ 322 Overclocking goodness, 2x512kB cache, excellent gaming CPU...

TOTAL: $ 894 or $ 884 🙂

Buy yourself a decent aftermarket HSF... 😉 Something like this... I know it's expensive, but it's about the best you can get...

EDIT: If you'd happen to find an Opteron 165, buy one of those, they should cost approximately the same as the X2 3800+, but will perform better...
 
Originally posted by: Wentelteefje
My advice:

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum - $ 123 People tend to go nagging about this one, but mine is extremely stable, overclocks like any DFI would 😉 (easily over 300FSB), and started right out of the box... (So not as picky on RAM like DFI...) Never had any problems with it...
OR
GigaByte GA-K8N Ultra-9 - $ 113 Slightly cheaper than the MSI, overclocking not as great but not bad at all (Dual BIOS!), lots of features, huge bundle, reliable mobo's...
MSI NX7800GTX-VT2D256E - $ 449 Can't go wrong with this one, it's POWERFUL, it's silent, you'll get a decent bundle... It is not overclocked yet, but samples are hitting quite high clocks...
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ - $ 322 Overclocking goodness, 2x512kB cache, excellent gaming CPU...

TOTAL: $ 894 or $ 884 🙂

Buy yourself a decent aftermarket HSF... 😉 Something like this... I know it's expensive, but it's about the best you can get...

EDIT: If you'd happen to find an Opteron 165, buy one of those, they should cost approximately the same as the X2 3800+, but will perform better...
Click to expand...


yep, thats what I would get aswell on a $900 buget

 
Well I seem to have hit a snag, namely I live in England and it seems prices here are an unbelievable rip off. For example a DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR is 170$ on newegg and a ridiculous 260$ in the UK. I could not believe it at first but it seems this trend is real and there's no way around it like shipping from abroad as they just make you pay for it on delivery... :S

In this case I am going to edit the thread and cut my budget by 65%. Please consider the new figures of a 600 dollar budget. Also I only need the CPU/Mobo and GFX card, I have everything else 😀 Sorry about this, you guys in the US are damn lucky to have such cheap hardware T_T
 
People tend to go nagging about this one, but mine is extremely stable, overclocks like any DFI would
Click to expand...

Agreed, my Neo4 Platinum has been rock solid since the day I got it. Overclocks great and took my dual-core CPU with no problem.

So anyways, for $600 with an emphasis on gamaing I'd do:

MSI Neo4 Platinum (~$120)
7800 GT graphics card (~$300)

And then for the CPU, you have a few options:

A64 3000+ and overclock it (~$140)
Opteron 146 and overclock it (~$190)

For $600 with an emphasis on overall system performance, I'd do:

MSI Neo4 Platinum (~$120)
6800 GS graphics card (~$200)

Again, a couple CPU options:

A64 X2 3800+ and overclock it (~$300)
Opteron 165 and overclock it (~$300)
 
Although you can overclock those Venice 3000's extremely well... (I had mine at 2.88GHz, but now backed off to 2.4GHz with the MSI mobo), I would consider a Dual-Core as well... X2 3800's are decent overclockers too, and the Opterons are just plain goodness... (do hold in mind they'll stress your PSU a lot more than a Venice when overclocking... standard they already take 110W...)

Dual-Core might come in handy in the near future... and a 6800GS is pretty powerful on its own, and a very good overclocker... So option 2 is the best according to me...


 
Originally posted by: Some1ne
People tend to go nagging about this one, but mine is extremely stable, overclocks like any DFI would
Click to expand...

Agreed, my Neo4 Platinum has been rock solid since the day I got it. Overclocks great and took my dual-core CPU with no problem.

So anyways, for $600 with an emphasis on gamaing I'd do:

MSI Neo4 Platinum (~$120)
7800 GT graphics card (~$300)

And then for the CPU, you have a few options:

A64 3000+ and overclock it (~$140)
Opteron 146 and overclock it (~$190)

For $600 with an emphasis on overall system performance, I'd do:

MSI Neo4 Platinum (~$120)
6800 GS graphics card (~$200)

Again, a couple CPU options:

A64 X2 3800+ and overclock it (~$300)
Opteron 165 and overclock it (~$300)
Click to expand...

Id go with option #1 and take the Opteron 146 and Oc the crap out of it, they have been hitting 2.8 ghz from what Ive been reading.

 
Thanks for replies so far 🙂

I have a little question. Would it be better to go for an SLi enabled mobo (paying a little bit more) in the hopes of buying another same graphics card in the future (cheaper), or is it unnecessary since single cards will always be best? Or is it too early to tell?
 
Great deal and good mobo... but I wouldn't stick with SLI (but I've repeated this so many times already... 🙂) Within the next product refresh cycle, your SLI will be "obsolete", as there will be single card alternatives that perform just as good and cost less...

SLI also brings a lot of added heat in your system, and stresses your PSU a lot too...

I would stick with the Dual Core, it's the future... Ok, a Single Core Opteron may overclock to 2.8GHz, but a Dual Core Opteron 165 manages to attain 2.6GHz... Do pay a little attention on your PSU as well, those are power hogs (standard they use 110Watts...), so a Dual Core and SLI would prove quite heavy...

However, if you stick with at least an ATX12V 450W of a big name company (Antec, Fortron, Enermax...), you can't be wrong...

EDIT: Of course, buying a SLI mobo (especially when it's such a deal) doesn't mean you HAVE to put dual cards into it...
 
Don't go SLI. It's pretty much worthless except if you have completely top of the line graphics cards, and still doesn't help performance that much. By the time you go to get another graphics card, you'll be much better off going with a better single card.
 
I have a little question. Would it be better to go for an SLi enabled mobo (paying a little bit more) in the hopes of buying another same graphics card in the future (cheaper), or is it unnecessary since single cards will always be best?
Click to expand...

SLI generally is not worth it, especially if you're constrained to such a limited budget. It would be much better for you to take the money you'd save by getting a non-SLI board and applying it to the other components you are getting. In essence, the only viable application of SLI is if you want "the best possible performance, right now" regardless of what it costs. It does not really work as an upgrade path. Keep in mind that a single 7800 GTX will typically outperform two 6800 Ultra's in SLI, and it will also cost less at the same time (even still). Furthermore, although I don't think the FX series offered SLI, I'd bet that if it had a single 6800 Ultra would have trounced two FX-5900's in SLI mode. The same was also the case back in the old days...two Voodoo3's in SLI seemed like a good idea at the time, but then next-gen cards came out and walked all over that setup, for substantially less money. Also keep in mind that by attempting to go the SLI upgrade path you can easily shoot yourself in the foot. For example, DX10 is looking like it's going to require special hardware-level support in order to use all its features, just like DX9 did with its shader model 3.0 and HDR support. So, if you buy a DX9 capable card now (because there are no DX10 cards yet) and then add a second identical one later, you've crippled your ability to transition to a DX10 capable setup without throwing out not one, but two relatively expensive graphics cards (or without scrapping the SLI upgrade path idea and getting a single DX10 card instead of adding in a second DX9 card).

So anyways, I'd say don't bother with SLI, especially on your budget. Take the money you save here, and apply it towards a better graphics card or a better CPU.
 
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