Another new gaming system

[ddub64]

Obviously I am noobish since I am asking for help but here goes:

I am looking to put together a gaming system for around $800. I plan on using Newegg as my source and would like to buy the parts ASAP. I live in the US and have read some other posts but wanted to put something up for what I have been interested in. I do not plan on messing with BIOS or overclocking. What I am looking at is:

AMD Phenon 3 of some sort
Asus M3N78-EM motherboard
4 GB DDR2 Ram
? SATA Hard Drive
? DVD/CD Drive
8800GT Video Card
750W Power Supply
Cooler Master Case
Vista

I am not sure which items to get but I am looking at something in this range. Looking for hardware similar to what I posted that are reliable and efficient together. I was recently advised about Tri-core for gaming because they allegedly perform better and cost about the same as duel core. I plan on playing Warhammer Online and set that as my benchmark for gaming and the system to run it. I don't plan on doing anything else with this system.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Roguestar]

Go read the system builders recommendations thread. Intel > AMD, ATI > nVidia, at the mid-high range.

AMD CPUs are inferior to Intel CPUs both clock-for-clock and at the same price range, unless you're on an incredibly tight budget. An Intel CPU is the smart choice right now. Tri-core is a gimmick and a faster dual core is superior to a CPU with more cores at slower speeds, in gaming.

The 8800GT is outperformed by ATI's 4850 at the same price range.

Suggestions for a system actually worth building:
Gigabyte EP35-DS3L motherboard
4GB G.Skill DDR2-800
Intel E7200 CPU
WD 640GB hard drive
ATI 4850
Corsair 550VX PSU
Vista Home Premium x64 system builders OEM

 

[DSF]

One thing Roguestar alluded to but didn't state outright is that 750W is far more power than you need for a single-card setup.

 

[ddub64]

I have read that AMD/Intel is basically preference for gaming, any arguement for either side? I am looking at mid-high performance, the "best bang for your buck." I have read the post referenced above and it obviously leans to Intel. I have always had AMD and I guess that is why I lean towards it. I just want to build the best gaming system I can for about $800 based on my original post and really can't pull the trigger on which way to go.

 

[DSF]

Neither is inherently better for gaming, it's just that Intel offers superior performance clock-for-clock at this point in time. That's true of any application.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: ddub64
I have read that AMD/Intel is basically preference for gaming, any arguement for either side?

Neither are tuned for any particular set of applications, that'd be insane for a general purpose processor, but to put it in perspective: a 3GHz Intel processor is better than a 3GHz AMD processor at anything, right now.

Edit: I know how you feel about the security of a brand you know; before my Core 2 system I had only had AMD processors from the original Athlon up, but the Intel Core 2 is simply a better processor. I'll support AMD again if and when they get off their backsides and release a processor superior to Intel's latest offerings. Makes more sense to be a mercenary consumer and not loyal at the expense of performance or cost!

 

[Denithor]

ASUS P5Q Pro + e8400 combo

Both for $265 is a great deal of performance for a low cost. Add the other parts Rogue recommended and you're gtg.

 

[Roguestar]

Go team General Hardware!

 

[mrSHEiK124]

I've been bumbling trying to figure out what to do for my gaming/ACID/Premiere rig, and I'm waiting until Nehalem comes out to see if it's truly an ass-kicker, if the IMC blows chunks for overclocking, and just how cheap C2Qs get 😛

With that said, I'd say grab a Core 2 Duo or a C2Q Q8200, they're simply better. And this is coming from someone who's bought one Intel CPU in nearly ten years. Athlon 900 MHz -> Athlon XP 1600+ -> Athlon XP-M 2600+ & Intel Pentium M 740 (laptop) -> Athlon 64 X2 4200+. Come to think of it, this is the longest I've had any one computer...