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Building a new gaming rig...

R

ryu323

Junior Member
Thanks for looking..
I'm planning on building a new computer 1) because my 4 yr. old P3 isn't cutting it anymore, and 2) for the upcoming release of EQ2. My budget is about $1000 for everything including the monitor. I'm pretty clueless about computers but I've been doing some research lately and this is what I've come up with:

CPU--The general consensus is that AMD is better for gaming so I'm leaning towards an Athlon 64 2800+ or 3000+. MWave has the 3000+ listed for $168.
MOBO--Not sure which one to go with but I think I need a "socket 939" because of the CPU (not quite sure what that means). $100 should be about enough to cover the mobo.
VIDCARD--I really like the GeForce 6600GT, which is currently only available in the PCI-e version. I was wondering if AMD supports PCI-e (compatiblity w/ socket 939 mobo?), and if they don't, would it be better to go Intel to be able to use this card? Or stay with AMD and find another vidcard? The 6600GT I hear has the most bang for the buck: $~200
RAM--1GB of ram...I guess Corsair Value Select PC3200 ram is good for the price~$160
HD--Not sure whether to go with the 10k RPm models or to just stay with the cheaper and bigger drives. Is the performance really worth the doubled price? HD should run about ~$80-100. Also, what is RAID and is it worth it do get it?
MONITOR--17inch LCD~$250
CDRW and CASE--~$75

I think thats about it. The total comes out to around $1100. This will be my first build. Are there any other items I'm going to need on top of the ones I mentioned, such as fans? Is everything compatible in my system? Should I substitute any of my parts? Anyways, thanks for reading this, any comments or help would be greatly appreciated.
 
The socket on the motherboard needs to match the CPU. If you get a CPU that is socket 754, get a mobo that is as well.
AMD mobo's do not support PCI-e until the Nforce4 chipsets come out.
The raptors are fast hard drives but you don't have to have it.
RAID basically means using more than one drive in a "set". There are several types of RAIDs. Google, "RAID types" and you should find some info. You'll basically be interested in RAID 0 which is what motherboards support (when they support RAID)
I'd put more money into a case with a really good power supply.
 
Well you can buy 19 inch LCD if you do some research, it will be around $300, i saw one last week on techbargains.com. You are right about 6600GT excellent card i think for $200, but you cannot have it with AMD. If you can wait like MUSTISO said "AMD mobo's do not support PCI-e until the Nforce4 chipsets come out" i think you should wait one more month.
 
Thanks for the replies, very much appreciated...probably going to go with the cheaper hard drive and a 350W Antec case. So if I went with an Intel instead, what would be a comparable CPU/MOBO combo that is PCI-e compatible?
 
LGA775 chipset from Intel supports PCI express.....915 or 925 mobos....

you will need a prescott at around 3ghz to equal this system....

Disclaimer.....I am a bit of an AMD fanboy and don't know much about Intel kit.....this is straight off the top of my head....try doing some searches in google.....or look at Anands buyers guides for ideas on PC equipment
 
I'm a bit biosed since I just got an AMD64 3000, but I'd say the AMD chip is a better price/performance bargin for you. If you get a socket 939 chip, expect to pay more like $120 for a mobo. You can get a socket 754 mobo for ~80, but they're a half generation older.
Like everyone said, if you wait a month, you will be able to get AMD with PCI express for the 6600 GT. On that note, a month from now the 6600 will probably be available as an AGP card and the mobo and cpu's will all be cheaper....but you can always claime that if you wait a month this or that will be out.
Skip the raptor and raid setup, you only need that if you're doing pretty specilized things or want the coolness factor.
Last, make sure you get a quality power supply, it'll save you from wondering why your computer keeps rebooting.
 
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