• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Help: I suck at knowing what parts to buy..

thecoffeeguy

thecoffeeguy

Senior member
Ya, I have pretty much fallen off on what to buy over the past 2 years.I used to be good, but now I just don't know. So I come here in hopes of getting tips on a few things to purchase.

New rig will be for gaming and for home use (share with the wife). Soo, here is what I like.

AMD Cpu's. I'd like something that is good price. I have no idea on what speed ranges I should be looking for. In the 2ghz range? 3ghz range? 3800+ CPU? 3500 CPU? I don't want to spend a ton on the CPU.

Motherboard - No overclocking. Something that is reliable. Can hold up to 3 gigs RAM. One to two HD and one DVD/CD-RW device.

Memory - 1gig, hope to go to 2 soon.

Video card - oooo, ahhhh. Ya. I want a good one. Doesn't need to be top of the line but my current ATI Radeon 9600 128mb card is not cutting it anymore.

I have the rest of the stuff. But im open to cooling suggestions and a decent case.

Games I play:

Doom 3
Dawn of War
Warcraft III
Call of Duty
Band of Brothers

Mostly, FPS and RTS.

That's it. Hope my information helps.
Oh, budget...hmm, $1500-2200.

Lastly, what about Alienware stuff?

Thanks.

TheCoffeeGuy
 
with $2200, you can basically get the highest end stuff.

Dfi sli-dr
fx-57 or 4800+
6800U or 7800gtx probably no sli
1gb ocz gold vx pc4000


 
do you need peripheral items too? (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speaker, etc)? alienware blows, they are way overpriced. i would say they are like dell, but since i found out about coupons for dell i think they r teh r0xx0rs
 
Originally posted by: theman
with $2200, you can basically get the highest end stuff.

Dfi sli-dr
fx-57 or 4800+
6800U or 7800gtx probably no sli
1gb ocz gold vx pc4000
Click to expand...


no point getting those memory since he stated he isnt going to oc. and he said he doesnt want to spend a ton on cpu, even though an x2 4400 sounds nice. 6800gt beats the ultra because it can be clocked to gt. 7800s are really expensive atm.
 
Originally posted by: wafflesandsyrup
do you need peripheral items too? (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speaker, etc)? alienware blows, they are way overpriced. i would say they are like dell, but since i found out about coupons for dell i think they r teh r0xx0rs
Click to expand...


I have the peripheral stuff, but I might look at new speakers.
Coupons for Dell? Hmm...anything worth buying?
 
Originally posted by: wafflesandsyrup

no point getting those memory since he stated he isnt going to oc. and he said he doesnt want to spend a ton on cpu, even though an x2 4400 sounds nice. 6800gt beats the ultra because it can be clocked to gt. 7800s are really expensive atm.
Click to expand...

I have looked at the 6800gt. I read an article on it and it looks like it r0x0rs.

I think I might get the 6800gt, or something similar. Anyone know when the prices will go down?

CPU's - I prefer AMD, but I won't rule out Intel. If I can find a very good CPU that works well for gaming and office stuff at a GOOD price, I will strongly consider it.
Anyone have recommendations on CPU's for both brands?

TCG
 
Originally posted by: wafflesandsyrup
i originally posted this in another thread with a guy with $2000

case $99
cpu $328
optical $44
mobo $124
harddrive$123
keyboard$32
mouse $40
psu$130
os $84
sound$71
speakers$55
video $283
memory$79
monitor$350
i could definitely go cheaper if you dont want to spend all that cash.
Click to expand...


Good sstuff. I appreciate it.
I see you have a P4. Can you get a P4 for similar or cheaper price without sacrificing performance?
 
Do you have a less priced CPU that you recommend? Maybe something just below $200?
Like I said, I will not be overclocking so that might help.

TCG
 
Originally posted by: wafflesandsyrup
this should work just fine. im aware you wont oc, but when you want to/need to, this wont disappoint you.
Click to expand...

Nice...and the MOBO you suggested earlier should be sufficient?

Now I need to consider cooling. 🙂
 
Well I'm gonna throw in a couple things. The K8T890 motherboard is fine, but for now I think nVidia is leading the chipset business. An nForce4 motherboard will also work. Asus again if you want to consider nF4.

And the X800XL is a great card, but being a slight nVidia fanboy myself I will also recommend the 6800GT. You can get one for about the same price, maybe a little more. It performs slightly better than the X800XL in most applications except HL2, and supports SM3.

Here's what I was thinking as a build myself:

Asus NF4 motherboard (I forget the name)
3200+ Venice
6800GT (or X800XL if you really want it)
Corsair Value Select ram
Seagate 7200rpm SATA HDD (I don't know how much space you need)
Soundblaster Audigy2 ZS soundcard
Enermax or Antec or OCZ or any good company 460w+ PSU
Whatever you want for optical drives

And for peripherals, anything you want. I'll recommend some companies and products, though. For mouse, the Logitech MX1000 for wireless or the MX510/518 for wired are the best. Keyboards don't really matter but I love my Logitech Elite. Speakers, it depends on your budget. I've got Logitech (sorry I'm a fan 😛) Z-530 5.1s that I got for like 60 bucks and I love them.

That setup up there is relatively cheap, which leaves you a lot of money for the monitor. I'd get a Viewsonic 4ms LCD for about 440 at the Egg.

For cooling, it's really a no brainer. I assume you want quiet over cool (because you won't be OCing), so an Antec case (P180 is nice) with some quiet fans. For the CPU, get a Zalman 7000AlCu and a Zalman 700 or NVSilencer5 for the video.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top