Good setup w/ little $$$

Sk8Joe01

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May 20, 2004
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this setup any good??: GA K8NS PRO mobo - AMD 64 2800+ - Buffalo 512 DDR pc3200 ram- Hitachi 120GB 7200RPM HDD - NEC 8X DVD+RW/-RW - Aspire X-Dreamer II(Black) ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply.

I still need to find a good graphix card. I want to be able to play games such at Halo 2, Hlaflife, etc etc... Will this run those fine? I know that the ram is a little low, i'm gonna buy more when i have the money.
I'm prety new to all this stuff so any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks much all
 

Sk8Joe01

Member
May 20, 2004
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Okay, setup is now: GA K8NS PRO mobo - AMD 64 2800+ - Buffalo 512 DDR pc3200 ram- Seagate 120GB 7200RPM w/8mb buffer - NEC 8X DVD+RW/-RW - Aspire X-Dreamer II(Black) ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply. all costing $733.74 from newegg.com

Any suggestions ona graphix cards?

Oh, and since i'm still a total dunce at networkin cops, wut is the best way to hook up my comp to the DSL modem on the other side of the house? i can't afford the airport shizzle, should i just get a real long ethernet patch cable and like a five way netgear switch? i really don't know what i'm talking about here, so any advise on that to...

Thanks again
 

minendo

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: Sk8Joe01
Okay, setup is now: GA K8NS PRO mobo - AMD 64 2800+ - Buffalo 512 DDR pc3200 ram- Seagate 120GB 7200RPM w/8mb buffer - NEC 8X DVD+RW/-RW - Aspire X-Dreamer II(Black) ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply. all costing $733.74 from newegg.com

Any suggestions ona graphix cards?

Oh, and since i'm still a total dunce at networkin cops, wut is the best way to hook up my comp to the DSL modem on the other side of the house? i can't afford the airport shizzle, should i just get a real long ethernet patch cable and like a five way netgear switch? i really don't know what i'm talking about here, so any advise on that to...

Thanks again

How many computers will be hooked up? Do you have a router already?
 

nanaki333

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2002
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for video cards, if you want to save some money and have a somewhat decent card. i'd go for a radeon9600. if you wait for the x800 XT's to come out, prices are going to drop on the 9600s and 9800s some more probably. as for networking, you can get a wireless router + wireless NIC for like $50 now for an 802.11b. or as you said, you could get like a 100ft cable for like 10 bucks or somethin and a cheap hardwired router for about $35.

forgot to mention. a64 2800 & 3000 only have 512K cache. the 3200 & 3400 have 1MB which is quite sexier. :)
 

Cheetah8799

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2001
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I'd say to get something better than a 9600, if you can get the cash. Used ATI 9800 Pro cards are under $200 right now. Check the FS/Ft forums. I suggest at least a 9800 Pro if you want to play the latest greatest games. Get one that is a known good overclocker as well, it'll help. ;)

You might need more than that 350W power supply if you plan to add more drives and such.

I agree on the Seagate hard drive suggestions. I prefer Seagate. Not quite as fast as some drives, but MUCH quieter.

Get 1gb of ram if possible. 512mb won't cut it in FarCry or BF:Vietnam. You'll get some lag/glitching cause it will be using your page file. I'd bet that most all new games in the future will need at least a gig.


If you're looking to shave money off the top, you could skip the dvd burner and just use an old cd drive to get it all going. Then buy the burner later. Or check the fs/ft forum for a used one.
 

nanaki333

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2002
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a radeon9600 can play the latest and greatest just fine. buddy of mine runs far cry just fine with 1GB pc133, p4 1.7ghz, 9600 SE. for the dvd burner though, you may as well get one. there's hacked firmware for that 2500 NeC dvd writer that allows dual layer writing. best part is, it's only like $75 at newegg.com. even though there's no dual layer discs out, always good to have the capability for when they do. $75 for that one vs $250+ for a new dual layer later down the road seems like a better deal. :)
 

Sk8Joe01

Member
May 20, 2004
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in order:

minendo- just two computers rite now, up to four in the future

nanaki333- arent those the hammer cores though? i thought all of the newcastle cores had only 512K cashe...

Cheetah8799- i will get another power supply eventually, and yeah, i think i'm gonna start out with a cheap combo drive...
 

Sk8Joe01

Member
May 20, 2004
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and who thinks the GA K8NS PRO mobo is sweet, and who thinks i should wait for the K8N NEO? wut are the advantages of that board, other than being the first to use the nf3 250gb and not just nf3 250
 

minendo

Elite Member
Aug 31, 2001
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minendo- just two computers rite now, up to four in the future
Do you have a router already set up? Or is the one computer plugged directly into the DSL modem?