Finally building a gaming rig!

[tristanic]

After too many years of trying to game on a 5 year old compaq presario with a vodoo rage gpu I think I'm finally going to build a gaming rig! This will totally be my first build so please be gentle with me. It will mostly be gaming (ie bf2, hl2, fear, cod2, fear etc.) with some photoshop and illustrator tossed in. I have never overclocked before but am open to it. I am trying to keep it between $1,000 and $1,500. Here is the list of what I am thinking about getting or already have:

RAM <--already have 2gb corsair xms 3200

Soundcard <--probably stick with my Audigy 2zs plat unless there is some overwhelming reason to upgrade

Speakers <--staying with my Klipsch 5.1 promedia ultras

Optical <--hp dvd40 lightscribe dvd/cd probably just stick with this and not bother with another cd

HD <--sticking with my two 74gb raptors here

Case <--have a lian li 6010

Mouse <--mx510 with a pretty blue led

Keyboard <--g15

CPU = AMD Opteron 165 Dual-Core 1.8GHz Processor $328

Monitor = FW900

Here is stuff I probably need or am unsure about:

PSU <-- Enermax 465 whisper, the older version, not sure if I need a new psu or not
http://www.xpcgear.com/en431watpows.html
or
Enermax Liberty 620W PSU

Mobo = ABIT AN8-ULTRA or Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra or MSI K8N Diamond, no clue really, probably not one of those DFI because I've read they wouldn't play nice with my Corsair.
Now I am hearing that only some DFI's have issues with some Corsair so now I am even more confused...

GPU = ??? a 1900xt maybe a sapphire or radeon as suggested below.

I wanted to get everything around the end of this month at the latest and I am very open to suggestions or tips! Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

lol u my friend ave answered ur own problem already =)

x1900xt from sapphire or powercolor

 

[drum]

oh man, going from a voodoo3 to a 1900xt... the cones in your eyes will orgasm my friend, right before your head asplode

 

[NaOH]

Your PSU seems fine. Get an opteron 165 if you can spare the extra cash. If not, just get the 3800 x2 and you can achieve some good overclocks (I'm still bumping mine up, hoping to achieve 2.6, you should get good clock speeds running that memory). Can't really comment on those mobos cause I don't have much exp with them. I have an evga NF41 and it is perfect. Asus A8N-SLi premium is good too. I would stick with the Nvidia chipsets though (nforce4). Then get a 7800GTX and use it until you feel like upgrading and just slap another one on the mobo for SLi.

 

[CraKaJaX]

I would go with a X2 3800 for your CPU. Can overclock that thing a lot (if you plan on overclocking?) The 1900x would be fine, you might not see a difference though coming from a voodoo3 :laugh: If you plan on overclocking though I would go with a DFI board.

 

[batmanuel]

Originally posted by: drum
oh man, going from a voodoo3 to a 1900xt... the cones in your eyes will orgasm my friend, right before your head asplode

Remember that scene from the end of Raiders where the Nazis look into the Ark? It'll be kinda like that.

As far as the PSU, I'd really recommend getting a newer ATX 12V 2.0 power supply that is native 24-pin instead of using an older 20-pin with an adapter. You processor and video card is going to need a lot of 12V power to keep it happy, and you realy need a 24-pin power plug to properly get that to the board. Dual 12V rails might also be nice since the video card is so beefy, but the jury is still out on the dual rails. If you want to stick with Enermax, the 460W Whisper II amd Noisetaker are both $76 at Newegg (both are 24-pin, it just depends if you want single or dual rails).

 

[tristanic]

Thanks for the help with the gpu and cpu so far, will be updating my original post as I get more ideas. Right now thinking of getting the AMD Opteron 165 Dual-Core 1.8GHz Processor $328
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...uctCode=80106-R&affiliate=pricegrabber
Is this a good choice/price??

 

[NaOH]

I don't think you will be dissappointed.

 

[SonicIce]

hey, u could play quake 2 before. what more do you need? all new games are just better graphics

 

[tristanic]

Any idea on the best mobo to go with my corsair ram? I'll probably want to do a bit of overclocking but not at first. Also anyone who has had experience with both the 2005fpw and the fw900 I would really appreciate some insight!

And yes Sonic Ice I can still play quake 2 and I get a whopping 23 fps in CS 1.5 until something blows up, then I get more along the lines of 4.

 

[Megatomic]

Well, don't go with an Asus A8N-SLI Premium with that memory. You won't be able to run at CAS2 if you do.

I'd recommend the MSI K8N Diamond, my buddy just got one and he's pretty happy with it so far.

 

[tristanic]

So I just got one of the opteron 165 from Monarch! Now I just need a Mobo, monitor and figure out which is the best 1900xt to get???

 

[fire400]

Originally posted by: tristanic
So I just got one of the opteron 165 from Monarch! Now I just need a Mobo, monitor and figure out which is the best 1900xt to get???

Sapphire x1900, your gaming experience will be flawless with a GHz processor and gigs of RAM.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: drum
oh man, going from a voodoo3 to a 1900xt... the cones in your eyes will orgasm my friend, right before your head asplode

:laugh: So true.

 

[alimoalem]

i'd get the Sapphire X1900XT. according to AnandTech, it overclocks the best and beats many X1900XTXs. it's like 1 fps slower than two of the other 1900XT's but i'm sure that's fine until you overclock.

great choice on the cpu.

for your motherboard, i would go with the epox 9npa+ Ultra board you referred to. don't get an SLI board. i doubt you'd use its full potential and it's most worth it when you buy both cards at the same time and they're both top of the line cards.

enjoy your system, it'll be awesome.

hope i helped

 

[tristanic]

Another update, I decided to go with an FW900 off ebay (god, I hope it actually works when I get it!). So now I just need to figure out the MB. I am now hearing that only some DFI's have issues with some Corsair so I am even more confused. Any suggestions on the mobo and maybe a good 1900xt bundle would be most helpful!

 

[Howard]

Nice monitor.

 

[svsnow]

if i was you... i would get a 7800gt and a sexy LCD
seriously anything more is overkill a 7800gt can play all games out today with high graphics, and when that is not true you can slap in another for even cheaper than now... or upgrade to a newer card that is about the same performance as 2 7800gts.
also yes dfi needs extra tweaking (generally with some corsair) doesnt mean its not good. but since you do mild overclocking if at all any decent board will be fine to push yopur hardware liek the MSI..
good luck

 

[svsnow]

or x1800xl if u liek ATI ... i kinda favor ati but the 7800gt was just an awesoem deal since u can get em for 285 or less

 

[nib95]

I would go with a different motherboard.

Considering you'll be OC'in that Opteron up to a fair speed, i'd recommend a DFI Lanparty Ultra-D.
Best OC enthusiast board out there imo.

Well unless you can afford the more expensive and better SLI-DR eXpert version.