Hey guys, I'm new here and I'd like to get some advice from the experienced gaming/performance builders here.
My old system:
1. AMD XP 2500+ Barton (Have a TT Volcano 12 Extreme heatsink on it)
2. Simpletech 512MB PC-4000
3. Abit Socket A KD7A (replaced NB fan with Zalman cooler, was getting hot)
4. Maxtor ATA 40GB 7,200 rpm HDD w/8MB Cache
5. BFG FX5900 (The discontinued version, not SE or XT)
6. 19" Daewoo CRT
7. Windows XP Pro
8. Thermaltake 360W Purepower PS
9. 52X CD-ROM (Forgot brand)
10. Generic AMD Case with 2 case fans/floppy/2X USB 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm planning to use my new PC almost exclusively for gaming, but I'm on a tight budget right now. One of the big reasons I'm upgrading is to prepare for the next sequel in my all-time favorite series of games: Age of Empires III. Due to HEAVY use of new Nvidia-exclusive technologies such as HDR, Pixel Shader 3.0, etc. in the game, my new video card must be an Nvidia 6xxx series. (The game is tenatively planned for a July '05 release)
Right now I have a budget of $700-800, but here's a critical issue comes in:
Should I attempt to sell my old system as a whole to aid me in buying my new PC, or use certain components like the PS, XP Pro, and monitor while parting out the rest of it to buyers?
**Here's what I'm brainstorming my new PC to be somewhat like, but I haven't nailed down all the components yet:
1. AMD 64 Socket 939 3000+ Winchester (Possibly buy at NewEgg?) = ~$150
2. I was looking at Corsair Value Select 1GB PC-3200, but that low
latency G-Skill 1GB PC-3200 2-3-3-6 looks awfully good so... = ~$100
3. Gigabyte K8NSC-939 S939/nForce3 250GB/FSB1600/DDR400 MB = ~$80
Worried about how this might OC though, please suggest others!
4. Western Digital 80GB SATA 7,200 rpm w/8mb Cache = ~$50
Don't really need more space than this, and 10K raptors
are too much $$$ for price to performance value.
5. XFX 6600GT 8X AGP (At NewEgg) = ~$164
6. Keep monitor?
7. Keep XP Pro?
8. Keep TT PS?
9. Dual-layer DVD+RW CD drive (haven't decided brand) = ~50
I would like to get only new CD Drive for cost reasons, but I'm
concerned that it might be unwise to get only a CD-Rom Drive if
games could be coming out on DVD in a year or two as some say
10. No idea whatsoever on what case to get, only that it would be = $?
aluminum/good cooling, etc.
*The choice of AGP or PCI-Express: Is PCI-Express not worth it for someone of my budget right now, or would it be wise to get it? If so, what would be a fast, OCable, and affordable PCI-E motherboard?
*It seems Socket939 is the better choice because I can upgrade to a 3500+, 3700+ etc. for cheap in the future.
*Should I go for the expensive 6800GT if I can find can find it for ~$300 soon. Of course, this complicates things because the only 6800GT's I can seem to find are AGPs, not PCI-E.
*If I go for the 6800GT, should I also up the CPU to a 3200+ (concerned the 3000+ would be a bottleneck to the 68)?
Thanks for reading this, and please help if you can!
My old system:
1. AMD XP 2500+ Barton (Have a TT Volcano 12 Extreme heatsink on it)
2. Simpletech 512MB PC-4000
3. Abit Socket A KD7A (replaced NB fan with Zalman cooler, was getting hot)
4. Maxtor ATA 40GB 7,200 rpm HDD w/8MB Cache
5. BFG FX5900 (The discontinued version, not SE or XT)
6. 19" Daewoo CRT
7. Windows XP Pro
8. Thermaltake 360W Purepower PS
9. 52X CD-ROM (Forgot brand)
10. Generic AMD Case with 2 case fans/floppy/2X USB 2.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm planning to use my new PC almost exclusively for gaming, but I'm on a tight budget right now. One of the big reasons I'm upgrading is to prepare for the next sequel in my all-time favorite series of games: Age of Empires III. Due to HEAVY use of new Nvidia-exclusive technologies such as HDR, Pixel Shader 3.0, etc. in the game, my new video card must be an Nvidia 6xxx series. (The game is tenatively planned for a July '05 release)
Right now I have a budget of $700-800, but here's a critical issue comes in:
Should I attempt to sell my old system as a whole to aid me in buying my new PC, or use certain components like the PS, XP Pro, and monitor while parting out the rest of it to buyers?
**Here's what I'm brainstorming my new PC to be somewhat like, but I haven't nailed down all the components yet:
1. AMD 64 Socket 939 3000+ Winchester (Possibly buy at NewEgg?) = ~$150
2. I was looking at Corsair Value Select 1GB PC-3200, but that low
latency G-Skill 1GB PC-3200 2-3-3-6 looks awfully good so... = ~$100
3. Gigabyte K8NSC-939 S939/nForce3 250GB/FSB1600/DDR400 MB = ~$80
Worried about how this might OC though, please suggest others!
4. Western Digital 80GB SATA 7,200 rpm w/8mb Cache = ~$50
Don't really need more space than this, and 10K raptors
are too much $$$ for price to performance value.
5. XFX 6600GT 8X AGP (At NewEgg) = ~$164
6. Keep monitor?
7. Keep XP Pro?
8. Keep TT PS?
9. Dual-layer DVD+RW CD drive (haven't decided brand) = ~50
I would like to get only new CD Drive for cost reasons, but I'm
concerned that it might be unwise to get only a CD-Rom Drive if
games could be coming out on DVD in a year or two as some say
10. No idea whatsoever on what case to get, only that it would be = $?
aluminum/good cooling, etc.
*The choice of AGP or PCI-Express: Is PCI-Express not worth it for someone of my budget right now, or would it be wise to get it? If so, what would be a fast, OCable, and affordable PCI-E motherboard?
*It seems Socket939 is the better choice because I can upgrade to a 3500+, 3700+ etc. for cheap in the future.
*Should I go for the expensive 6800GT if I can find can find it for ~$300 soon. Of course, this complicates things because the only 6800GT's I can seem to find are AGPs, not PCI-E.
*If I go for the 6800GT, should I also up the CPU to a 3200+ (concerned the 3000+ would be a bottleneck to the 68)?
Thanks for reading this, and please help if you can!
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