final revision 64 gaming rig...any suggestions?

nny

Member
Mar 26, 2004
115
0
0
hi, posted my proposed system a couple of days ago, got good feedback, did some more research and made some small changes. probably will buy system components in a few days from newegg, just wanted to post my revised system and see if there are any revisions that can improve the speed/quality/longevity/possible OCing of this rig. the only stipulation is, this system must be under 1000$.

ANTEC Performance Plus, 430W TruePower PSU, Model "PLUS1080AMG" - 114$
MSI K8T800 Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8T NEO-FSR" - 96$
AMD athlon 64 3000 - 224$
Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA, Model WD1200JD, OEM - 111$
Kingston HyperX Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3500 - 133$
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800PRO, 128MB DDR, RETAIL - 219$
SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920, OEM - 12$
Lite-On Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model XJ-HD166, OEM - 29$
Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM - 35$
total cost: 973$

thanks for any suggestions.
 

Monoman

Platinum Member
Mar 4, 2001
2,163
0
76
ANTEC Performance Plus, 430W TruePower PSU, Model "PLUS1080AMG" - 114$

why not for for the $70 "true430" instead. I an almost similar(I also run SCSI drives" and it works great!

 

nny

Member
Mar 26, 2004
115
0
0
Originally posted by: Monoman
ANTEC Performance Plus, 430W TruePower PSU, Model "PLUS1080AMG" - 114$

why not for for the $70 "true430" instead. I an almost similar(I also run SCSI drives" and it works great!

the case does come with the true 430W psu. unless i'm not understanding your suggestion....
 

Gerbil333

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2002
3,072
0
76
It would be slightly cheaper and pull less power to get a CD-RW/DVD combo drive instead of the seperate DVD & CD-RW drives. The 52x32x52x16 Combo drive is Lite-On model SOHC-5232K Black, and it's only $53.50 shipped at Newegg. That'll save you about $10. Of course, if you'll be burning on-the-fly, then this would be pointless. A DVD burner would be a good choice too, but that'd raise the price by $50.

You might as well ditch the floppy drive. There's no need for it anymore. If you need to do a BIOS flash, you can make a bootable CD instead. I've left the floppy out of my computer for the last two builds, and I haven't needed it at any time.

As already mentioned, you should try to get 1gb of RAM. I have a set of Corsair 512mb TWINX3200LLPT, which is very nice RAM, but 512mb's isn't enough for me anymore. I'm going to upgrade to 1gb when I build my A64 machine. UT2k4, FarCry, BF1942, along with many upcoming games can really use a 1gb of RAM (or more).

The hd seems like a good choice, but be warned that it'll probably be loud. My WD 8mb cache hd sure is, and the first one failed after 7 months (I RMA'ed it 2 months ago).
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
tone down the case a little, and get a CDRW/DVD combo drive. use extra cash towards gig of ram.


then your all set :beer:
 

syztem

Junior Member
Mar 15, 2004
16
0
0
as mentioned already, switching to a combo dvd/cdrw drive is a good idear..
and 1gb of memory is a must.

edit:

You might as well ditch the floppy drive. There's no need for it anymore. If you need to do a BIOS flash, you can make a bootable CD instead. I've left the floppy out of my computer for the last two builds, and I haven't needed it at any time.

you need a floppy when it comes to installing a raid controller's drivers during windows' installation, so its still a neccessity as of presently. the only managable work around is you can emulate a floppy with a usb-stick device, but just using a floppy would be simpler.
 

zodder

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2000
9,543
1
0
www.jpcompservices.com
For a gaming rig, 1 gig is a definite must. With the A64, try to get a pair (or single stick since the A64 doesn't run in dual channel) of low latency PC3200. You'll want to have the tightest timings at your highest FSB, which will be around 220 on the MSI. As far as the mobo goes, I think that's an excellent choice. I have the same board and it has been flawless since I've installed it. It's rock solid at default, and rock solid at 220. The A64/mobo along with the 9800 Pro is going to make a killer gaming rig. Get yourself preparred to be blown away. :)
 

nny

Member
Mar 26, 2004
115
0
0
thanks for the info zodder. if the memory will only be effective up to 220, is it better to get 3200 LL RAM and OC it to 220? or is the kingston hyperX 3500 at 2-3-3-7 nice to have because you dont have to OC it.
 

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
6,098
0
76
Originally posted by: nny
thanks for the info zodder. if the memory will only be effective up to 220, is it better to get 3200 LL RAM and OC it to 220? or is the kingston hyperX 3500 at 2-3-3-7 nice to have because you dont have to OC it.

Go with the Kingston or Mushkin PC3500 as the Crucial XMS LL memory isn't a great overclocker for most people. I would also suggest staying away from the MSI motherboard, I have the FISR2 which is pretty much the same thing as what you are getting, and have had nothing but problems with it. I would suggest spending a little more on something like the Asus K8V Deluxe, because ultimately if your motherboard has issues so will the rest of your system. I also agree to go with a 1GB of RAM, it is quickly becoming influential to game performance and is worth it if you can afford it! Other than that, enjoy the A64 goodness! :beer:
 

TerryMathews

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,464
2
0
Originally posted by: syztem
You might as well ditch the floppy drive. There's no need for it anymore. If you need to do a BIOS flash, you can make a bootable CD instead. I've left the floppy out of my computer for the last two builds, and I haven't needed it at any time.

you need a floppy when it comes to installing a raid controller's drivers during windows' installation, so its still a neccessity as of presently. the only managable work around is you can emulate a floppy with a usb-stick device, but just using a floppy would be simpler.

Or you can slipstream your RAID driver onto a custom WinXP install CD, but that's probably over this guy's head since he's asking for advice...
 

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
6,098
0
76
Originally posted by: TerryMathews
Originally posted by: syztem
You might as well ditch the floppy drive. There's no need for it anymore. If you need to do a BIOS flash, you can make a bootable CD instead. I've left the floppy out of my computer for the last two builds, and I haven't needed it at any time.

you need a floppy when it comes to installing a raid controller's drivers during windows' installation, so its still a neccessity as of presently. the only managable work around is you can emulate a floppy with a usb-stick device, but just using a floppy would be simpler.

Or you can slipstream your RAID driver onto a custom WinXP install CD, but that's probably over this guy's head since he's asking for advice...

That's what I had to do when I discovered the Floppy Disc Controller was dead on my FISR2 board, made the Windows install faster, and slipstreaming SP! was cool too, it's worth the time to do it!
 

zodder

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2000
9,543
1
0
www.jpcompservices.com
The XMS3200LL v1.1 is an excellent overclocker. I have mine running 2-2-3-6 @220 on my MSI right now (2.85v) . I like the LL PC3200, because if your board defaults to the memory's SPD and you're running PC3500 or more, you might not be able to run it at the tight latencies you would be able to with the PC3200. As far as the choice of MSI, I suggest you read the reviews on it. I haven't seen one that doesn't praise it for it's stabilty and overall best gaming performance. It is a ROCK solid board, both at default and overclocked.
 

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
6,098
0
76
Originally posted by: zodder
In fact, the MSI K8T Neo was so good, I bought the 865PE Neo2 for my Intel project. So far I'm glad I did. :)

I don't need to read the reviews, I OWN one. I have no problem with MSI motherboards, but this one is a lemon. You can go over to the MSI AMD64 Forum and find a good deal of what I am talking about. Just because a review says a board is good doesn't mean it is, and just because my board is bad doesn't mean they all are, but some of the general problems of this board result from poor quality in manufacturing and I would recommend a better board, because as soon as I can get my hands on a K8T800 Pro or Nforce3 250 board, this will be gone, period.
 

Todd33

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2003
7,842
2
81
Lite-On Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model XJ-HD166, OEM - 29$
Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM - 35$

Why not a combo CDRW/DVD-ROM? They run like $45.
 

zodder

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2000
9,543
1
0
www.jpcompservices.com
You'll find people bitching about any board if you go to their support site. That's what those forums are there for; help with a problem, not to praise the board.

As far as reading the reviews, I was talking to nny. I'd like for him to get an objective view, not a "I don't know how to configure my board, so therefore it sucks" point of view.
 

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
6,098
0
76
Originally posted by: zodder
You'll find people bitching about any board if you go to their support site. That's what those forums are there for; help with a problem, not to praise the board.

As far as reading the reviews, I was talking to nny. I'd like for him to get an objective view, not a "I don't know how to configure my board, so therefore it sucks" point of view.

Are you saying I don't know how to configure my board? Ok SmartA$$, tell me this, how do I go about stopping BIOS corruption at stock speed, no OC, after already trying the suggested steps of flashing the BIOS, resetting the BIOS, and removing the battery to try and reset the CMOS? What setting is it that is not selected or configured properly for those problems? Let's see, how do I go about getting my FDC to work? Which setting is it that wakes it up and makes it work? The problem is that the board I received is of shotty quality, not saying that all boards are like that, as I mentioned in my previous post, but you cannot assume that all of these boards are wonderful just because yours is. I think it is important not just to go to review websites and see how wonderful the boards are, but also to see what problems people are having with them to see if it would include any of the hardware I was putting into my computer. Research of a board must include the full spectrum, not just the good and not just the bad, but a combination to get the most accurate portrayal of the hardware before purchase. You say buy, I say buy something else, but in the end whatever the OP buys shouldn't be because of what we suggest, but because of his own independent research.
 

Gerbil333

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2002
3,072
0
76
Originally posted by: syztem

you need a floppy when it comes to installing a raid controller's drivers during windows' installation, so its still a neccessity as of presently. the only managable work around is you can emulate a floppy with a usb-stick device, but just using a floppy would be simpler.

Good point, but he's not going to be using running a raid array. Even if I were to do that, I'd just hook up a floppy from one of my older machines temporarily and then remove it as soon as Windows was installed.

A couple people have been discussing MSI being unreliable. I wasn't going to say anything since I have no experience with MSI's A64 boards, but I can say that I'll be very weary of MSI boards in the future. I've had very mixed experiences with them. When their boards work, they're great. The problem is the inconsistency. I had a K7N2-L that was full of trouble. After much troubleshooting, I finally replaced the board with this A7N8X Deluxe 2.0. That was over 9 months ago, and I still haven't had a single problem. On the other hand, I built a low-end machine with an MSI K7N2G-L at the same time I built the computer with the K7N2-L. I've had no problems with the K7N2G-L, and it's using lower quality parts!

I also owned an MSI K7T266 Pro-R, and it too was rather inconsistent. Often it would work perfectly, but every now and then I'd get some kind of random instability. This didn't happen very much though, and overall I was very happy with the board. It just wasn't the most reliable.

So, MSI will either be great, or you'll have problems. You may want to consider Asus. Don't take my word for it though. I haven't kept up with A64 boards. I've found that the best way to decide on a board is to first look at the editorial reviews on sites such as AnandTech or Amdmb.com, and then, most importantly, check out the user reviews and problems they're having. Read amdmb.com's motherboard forums, or other forums that have brand specific mobo discussion boards. Also read Newegg user reviews, but keep in mind that both of these sources aren't 100% reliable: Many times the user or other hardware is at fault, and you must also remember that people aren't going to post threads in forums if they AREN'T having problems! :p

Good luck! You're going to have a great system!

BTW, I wouldn't skimp on the case, as someone else suggested. I can't stand cheap cases. I have a black aluminum Chieftec dragon tower with a window and a blue cold cathode. I paid $88 for the case and $15 for the cathode. Yea, it was the most expensive case I'd ever bought, but I'd do it again! In fact, I've built two more computers with the same case for my sister and girlfriend (they requested this case), but in different colors. Green + green cathode for sis, and silver + blue cathode for my gf. These cases look good!
 

nny

Member
Mar 26, 2004
115
0
0
thanks for all the info guys. I think i will stay with my MSI board, the newegg reviews show a lot of respect for it. as far as the 3200LL vs. 350 RAM, could someone explain what the max RAM speed my MSI board will allow? is it 400?
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
MSI is nice as long as you dont get a bad board, their RMA process is tedious and very slow.

If you are dealing with newegg the manufacturer isnt a problem though. :)
 

zodder

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2000
9,543
1
0
www.jpcompservices.com
I completely agree, jdogg707. :) I'd just hate to see him pass on an excellent mobo (assuming it is 100% OK :) ) I guess I've just been either extremely lucky or just very patient with all my mobos because I have never had any problems with any mobo I have bought and installed. <knock on wood>