Getting a new system, could use some help/advice

[panoramicendtime]

OK, so I'm getting a new PC...I am experienced with computers but more so with software, and I have never built my own computer before. I am working with a roughly $1500 budget. I've picked a case (a nice-looking Raidmax with 420W PSU and 3 fans) and video card (Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB) and so I'm up to $249 so far. This PC is for college as well as gaming, and for gaming, if I can run Battlefield 2 at 1280x1024 with moderate graphics settings and 45 FPS I will be more than happy. I think I'm going to get a 19" LCD monitor because that will just be sweet. I would be fine with 17" though if I was nearing my budget.

The first thing I have to do is decide if I'm going to go with AMD or Intel. I have never used AMD before but the general advice I have gotten is towards it. However it has been mixed, and even among the AMD-proponents it is mixed...one person says to go with an Athlon XP 2600 because it will become unusable around the same time as any other chip I buy now, and another person says to get a 64 bit processor. Honestly I think this will be the most expensive thing to get the best of, and if I get a 2800 or something I can probably upgrade it in a year if I need to for $100 or so. Of course this affects my motherboard choice as well. The only thing I know right now is that I will probably get an nForce so I don't have to get a sound card.

I want to get 1GB of DDR, 2x512. I guess I can just pick this based on specs...but how do I know if it is compatible with my motherboard? Same goes for hard drive, I am looking at either 80 or 120GB, but I don't know how to know if it will be compatible with everything else - I think this is based on whether I get SATA or IDE or SCSI but I don't know how to tell which I need for which mobo.

So basically, I guess I am asking for advice on AMD vs. Intel as well as on Athlon XP vs. Athlon 64...leaning towards Athlon XP right now but interested in people's advice. Also, and I guess this is my main question: How do I know if my memory and hard drive will be compatible with my mobo/CPU? And are there any other compatibility issues I need to check?


Thanks so much for any help.

 

[DaveSimmons]

* Any good PC3200 DDR works with any of the motherboards you'll be looking at (at stock speeds)
* SATA and PATA (regular IDE) offer basically the same performance for 7200 RPM drives, so you can get SATA if the motherboard has a connector, PATA if not.
* A64 2800+ - 3200+ offer best gaming price/performance, except for possibly for a massively overclocked Athlon XP chip. I don't overclock so I'd go with the A64.
* 9800 Pro 128 is a good gaming card (best under $250), though for Doom 3 and future proofing an nV 6800 GT at around $350 is a much stronger card that offers similar value for money.
* Antec Sonata is a great case with an excellent Antec power supply.

Read all of the other A64 / gaming system threads for motherboard recommendations.

 

[panoramicendtime]

Thanks very much...I'll look around for mobo information.

Another question: What is most likely to be my first bottleneck if I get an Athlon XP, 1GB DDR, 7200 RPM hard drive, an nForce 2 mobo, and the 9800 Pro 128MB?

Oh, also I just thought of something. Say I go with the Athlon XP. When I upgrade to a 64-bit CPU, I'd have to upgrade motherboard too right? Would I have to upgrade anything else?

 

[Mik3y]

first off, you will not want to get an athlon xp. if you get the xp, i'm assuming you'll get the xp3200+. if so, get the athlon 64 2800+ instead. its faster and has far more potential when 64 bit os's come out for the masses. and no, athlon 64 is not 64 bit only. as for hte case and psu, dont just buy based on looks. if so, then you should get a better psu. a quality 350W psu is far better then a generic 500W psu. for harddrive, get either ide or sata. their the same performance. sata is just more convenient because of less cable clutter.

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: panoramicendtime
Another question: What is most likely to be my first bottleneck if I get an Athlon XP, 1GB DDR, 7200 RPM hard drive, an nForce 2 mobo, and the 9800 Pro 128MB?

it depends on what athlon xp model you get

Oh, also I just thought of something. Say I go with the Athlon XP. When I upgrade to a 64-bit CPU, I'd have to upgrade motherboard too right? Would I have to upgrade anything else?

yes you would need a new motherboard

 

[panoramicendtime]

Thanks for all the help guys...I think I'm going to get an Athlon 64 and work up from there.

 

[RussianSensation]

Or you looking to overclock or just pure stability?
How much is the LCD you are going to get?


AMD 64 is faster for gaming and office apps.
But for gaming alone, the videocard is much more important. Even AXP2400+ and 6800GT will give you better gaming experience than A64 3800+ and 9800Pro.

Answer the 2 questions above and we'll set you up with something..hhee.

 

[mechBgon]

Another vote for a Sonata or another case that comes with a really ( hint ) high-quality ( / hint ) power supply.

 

[ggnl]

What about the Sempron 3100? The cost savings of this chip over a similar A64 could translate into a better video card. At the same time you would have a little room for upgrades in the future. The cost savings isn't much compared to the A64 2800 or 3000, but if you dont have the flexibility in your budget I would choose Sempron + 6800 over A64 + 9800Pro.

The only problem is the availability of the Sempron.

 

[jacktesterson]

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Nvidia 6800 GT 128MB Video
1 GB PC3200 Ram (Samsung is great if not o/c'ing)
120GB Harddrive (I prefer Seagate)
Whatever you prefer for a motherboard (I personally am a Soltek fan), I would like to say MSI Neo but I hate MSI but this board seems to be good
Now you can afford your monitor

 

[panoramicendtime]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Or you looking to overclock or just pure stability?
How much is the LCD you are going to get?

Answer the 2 questions above and we'll set you up with something..hhee.

I don't think I'm going to overclock, not at first anyway. With my current experience, or lack thereof, I will be overjoyed if all the bits just fit together when they arrive.
17" LCD's seem to run about $350, and the 19" one I was considering is $450.

Another vote for a Sonata or another case that comes with a really ( hint ) high-quality ( / hint ) power supply

Well here is the case I was going to get...would you guys say it has a crappy power supply?

What about the Sempron 3100? The cost savings of this chip over a similar A64 could translate into a better video card. At the same time you would have a little room for upgrades in the future. The cost savings isn't much compared to the A64 2800 or 3000, but if you dont have the flexibility in your budget I would choose Sempron + 6800 over A64 + 9800Pro.

The only problem is the availability of the Sempron.

I don't know anything about the Sempron...I don't know if I could justify a $300 (over 400 for the GT)video card to myself though. From looking at benchmarks I can't imagine the 9800 Pro not performing to my needs. Anyway, I can get an A64 3000 for $170, which seems like a good deal to me. Still, I might be talking complete rubbish.

Originally posted by: AMDHardcoreFan
AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Nvidia 6800 GT 128MB Video
1 GB PC3200 Ram (Samsung is great if not o/c'ing)
120GB Harddrive (I prefer Seagate)
Whatever you prefer for a motherboard (I personally am a Soltek fan), I would like to say MSI Neo but I hate MSI but this board seems to be good
Now you can afford your monitor

I don't think a super video card is worth $250 over the 9800 Pro...at least not to me as a student, I am going to need to have a bit of money for buying things like food and clothing and bedsheets and stuff too.


I really appreciate all the advice, it is great to get fast and knowledgable replies like this.

 

[RussianSensation]

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 2.2ghz, 512k L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor - Retail - $218
MSI K8N Neo-FSR" NVIDIA nForce3 250GB Motherboard - $113
or any of the motherboards in this "Socket 754: Comparing Generation 2" roundup
2-3-2-5 OCZ Enhanced Latency Series 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 Platinum Edition x 2 = $252
Radeon 9800Pro 128mb - $198
Lite-On 12X DVD±RW Drive, Model SOHW-1213S BLK, OEM w/ Nero and PowerDVD 5 Software - $79
ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA" - $99
Hitachi 160GB 7200RPM 8mb cache SATA Hard Drive, Model HDS722516VLSA80 - $96
or an equivalent WD drive/Maxtor drive.

sub-total: $1055
Add in your 19" lcd + $450
Total: $1505

Of course this is not what I would build if gaming was of a concern. But as you've mentioned you care more about office apps. You can always buy cheaper memory as latency timings are less important for an A64 system due to on-die memory controller. Also you can save $10+ to $30 by getting 120-80gb hard drive and going with IDE instead of SATA. You can also get a cheaper motherboard like Chaintech VNF3-250. Some of these cost savings could be applied towards a $294 A64 3400+ 2.4ghz 512kb cache on newegg.