College Gaming PC

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Stokes

Senior member
Apr 20, 2005
510
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I'm getting ready to purchase the PC, already bought the case from CompUSA as it had a great deal (P160). I will be overclocking, and I do a lot of gaming, and looking for a machine to hold it's own for the next two years. Games I'm planning on playing are upcoming MMORPG's such as DarkFall, GuildWars, etc. Also want a machine for Battlefield 2. I can't say I play too many single player games, although I do play Rise of Nations (but multiplayer), and other strategy games such.

I also do a small amount, of graphics editting in photoshop, nothing really do consider I think.

I already have a Compaq Presario 2135US that will be just fine for taking notes, so don't need a laptop instead of the PC.

The last thing this system is aimed at is quietness. I already picked up some Yate Loon fans and still debating if I should get a 120x38 Panaflo fan for the CPU and which one. I am also looking into a fan controller. I want something that can control at least 3 fans, with temperature sensors, and an lcd display to show temperature and RPM.

Please critique my setup and I'm willing to go maybe $200 more worth of parts if it will really help things out in the long run and prolong the system even more. Thanks again!

Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 $132
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W $100
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Socket 939 $196
RAM: OCZ Gold Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) (VX4000 right?) $155
Video Card: Rosewill Radeon X800XL 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express $285
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP1614C 160GB $80
Monitor: HYUNDAI L90D+ Silver 19" 8ms LCD Monitor $339
DVD-R: NEC 3520A $46
Heatsink: Thermalright XP-120 $59
Speakers: Logitech x-230 $39
Mouse: Logitech MX-518
Keyboard: ??????

That should be all. I'm looking for input on the entire setup as far as gaming and overclocking is concerned and like I mentioned before, maybe willing to spend $200 more if people can convince me it is worth it.

All prices are taken from newegg, I'm not sure if I will order all the parts from them directly or go for cheapest for each part I can find. Whats the general consensus on this?

 
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fierydemise

Platinum Member
Apr 16, 2005
2,056
2
81
For a keyboard look at the saitek eclipse, its nothing revolutionary but its really cool, also the X800XL doesn't overclock very well
 
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Insomniak

Banned
Sep 11, 2003
4,836
0
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Logitech Elite is another excellent keyboard.

Other than that, looks good. If you need a quiet chassis, I can vouch for the Centurion 5 (so does Anandtech, oddly enough :) )
 
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Ike0069

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2003
4,276
2
76
Looks very nice.
Not sure you need the XP-120 over the 90, but either way you'll need a fan to go with it.
I suggest jab-tech.com. The have the XP-90 for only $25, and if you order the recommended Panaflo fan with it, it's only $7 more. Resellerrating link

I think you should go ahead and get the X-530 speakers. Gaming in 5.1 is much, much better than 2.1. Plus they're only ~$20 more.

And if you have money left over, consider getting 2X1 GB RAM. Most applications right now use <1 GB RAM, but that is changing. And with RAM prices so cheap right now, 1 GB stick of fast CAS 2 can be had for $140.
 
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Cheesetogo

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2005
3,823
10
81
I'd reccomend ocz value vx. I think it's around 100 dollars at newegg, and with that board, you can put the voltage up to like 3.2 and get 240-250 at 2-2-2-5! Text
 
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Stokes

Senior member
Apr 20, 2005
510
0
0
The reason I choose this RAM is because I read all these posts on www.dfi-street.com about people having RAM troubles, and they seem to say that any value ram, the motherboard does not like and can limit performance. Thats why I chose the Gold.

I thought about getting 5.1, except I don't know how much room I would have in my dorm room to get that setup and everything, i know most people usually have stands and stuff, and that is extra money right there.

Why recommend the XP-90 over the XP-120? and what about the copper version of the 90.

As far as spending more money, should I upgrade to the 6800GT? allowing SLI in the future? (after a new motherboard), or should I stick with the x800xl and keep things as is.
 
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w00t

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2004
5,545
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keyboard : logitech elite :)
and for gaming i recommend a crt plus you can make ur pc better if since crt's are cheaper.
 
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Twsmit

Senior member
Nov 30, 2003
925
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76
if this is for college next year, wait until you got to school. Prices will be cheaper and we will have a better idea of when the next gen video cards are out.
 
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leegroves

Junior Member
May 30, 2005
16
0
61
get a differnt HDD, either a raptor or something SATA II compatible.
If you plan on overclocking then just get the venice 3000 instead of 3200 and save some $$$
 
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t3h l337 n3wb

Platinum Member
Apr 22, 2005
2,698
0
76
If you play a ton of MMORPG's, then maybe 4x512MB RAM is right for you.
Leegroves: Why would he get a Raptor when he wants a quiet computer? They're also way to expensive to justify their performance. SATAII won't help with speed either, since SATA drives haven't even hit their full potential of 150 mbps. The 3200+ overclocks really well, and it's a much better investment than the jump from the 3200+ to the 3500+
Those parts seem to be fine. The X800XL is a great buy right now, and I think you'll be happy with everything.
 
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Stokes

Senior member
Apr 20, 2005
510
0
0
I thought about waitting, but I really don't think one of the next gen video cards will be in my range. Right now I am using an ATI 9700PRO, i could keep that and put it in the new system except it's AGP, that won't work with PCI-E will it? If i did that, I could wait longer on the video card. But my system right now is struggling a little.

As far as ram... 2 GB seems like overkill from what I have heard.

Another thing I could do is wait maybe another month and just get a 6800GT at that point. I've heard that those next gen cards will be out late summer as in late august. And by that time I want to have this thing done for sure.

Rosewill is suppose to be a good one, I'm already planning on replacing the heatsink on that with a ATI silencer, other then that, the card is no different then an ATI one. I am though thinking of the Gigabyte card that has heatpipes and suppose to be incredibly quiet and then just forget about the silencer.
 
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Ike0069

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2003
4,276
2
76
AGP won't work on a PCI-e MB. And I would go with the 6800 GT, but I'm a little biased.

As for getting the XP-90 over the 120, the 120 is huge and doesn't even fit on some MB's. The XP-90 should give you plenty of cooling without the fitment problems.
 
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aka1nas

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2001
4,335
1
0
Originally posted by: Excelsior
1GB is correct..2GB is overkill at the moment.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. For me, 1GB is not enough and 2GB is comfortable. Some new games are exceeding 1GB so 2GB will be comfy for another year or two. Also if you multitask even moderately you can use up 1GB pretty easily.
 
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Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
81
Originally posted by: aka1nas
Originally posted by: Excelsior
1GB is correct..2GB is overkill at the moment.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. For me, 1GB is not enough and 2GB is comfortable. Some new games are exceeding 1GB so 2GB will be comfy for another year or two. Also if you multitask even moderately you can use up 1GB pretty easily.
Click to expand...

Really? I was unaware that some games already exceed 1GB. If you look at what he intends on using this system for, it just doens't seem that 2GB is necessary. Of course anyone can multitask enough to make use of 2GB of ram, but i consider myself a fairly heavy multitasker (a good bit more than average) and so far 1GB has easily been enough.
 
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Ike0069

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2003
4,276
2
76
I agree. It's time to start considering 2 GB's of RAM.
1.5 Gb would actually be plenty, but they don't make 750 MB sticks, and it won't boot with 3 sticks, so 2 GB's it is.
 
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Stokes

Senior member
Apr 20, 2005
510
0
0
I never knew the ultra-d can't use three sticks of ram? Or did I misunderstand that statement

Right now I'm operating on this:

Windows XP Home
AMD XP 2400+
ASUS A7N8X
ATI 9700Pro
1 GB of crappy ram
40 GB hardrive (ouch!)
Huge CRT

I understand that people agree that the system is looking good as far as components, still unsure of the xp-90 over the 120, I know there aren't any issues of fitting it on that board.

My main dilema is should I buy this computer now? or wait another month again for prices to drop. No one knows when the new line cards will come out and although I know prices will be cheaper, but by how much? Maybe $100 in the end? if that? I'm not looking at future proofing my system as I understand thats not possible. I just want a computer that will handle my gaming for college with minor upgrades and still be fast from overclocking. Maybe I should look at an SLI board now and get the 6800 GT then wait and buy another one in a year?

Or should I go for the x800xl and buy whatever ATI makes for SLI and buy another x800xl?
 
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ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
Originally posted by: Stokes
Originally posted by: Addikt
College isn't about gaming...it's about going out and getting laid.
Click to expand...
Answered all my questions
Click to expand...
LOL, and a geeky engineering student-to-be like myself would have any chance at all at that? ;)

My core setup will be somewhat similar, though my priorities are very reversed (hardly any gaming, but frequently several Creative Suite applications at the same time). I'm waiting for the Athlon X2's to come out before I order, though.

btw, bumping to subscribe so I can follow the thread. :)
 
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