No Idea about Video Card

[The Linuxator]

First Point,Do not get a DFI lanparty UT It blew my mind away, very unstable. Go get yourself a VIA chipset motherboard for 70 bucks cheaper, I got my soltek slk-939pro for $85 top of the line all bells and whistles I couldn't notice a difference between the NF4 and any other chipsets. Right now my 3000+ is at @250HT x10 no problem.
Second point, You don't need a top of the line graphics card to get the best performance out of your games. I have an X800XL VIVO I bought it for $ 250 its an incredible deal I had a 6800ultra before I upgraded to an X800XL, Yes I considered it as an upgrade because I got a much better performance in AA and AF than 6800ultra. HL2, BF2 & MOHPA look sweet.

Third Point,trust me If you had 2 GB of ram or 4 GB you will not notice why? well because for what you will be using it another gig is irrelevant and expensive.

 

[ch33kym0use]

1GB is a lot for a home computer, more than that would be into server territory

to be honest I agree about DFI, not really that impressed by their quality and theres other boards which may satisfy you

no need to get the best of the best when it comes to graphics cards as linuxator said

theres other cards that will last just as long as the fastest available

 

[marcuri]

i'm also building a system and the DFI seems like a great choice but i'm not entirely sold on it yet either. if this is your first time and you want a good experiance, go epox. i've heard nothing but about how stable it is from those who bought it. if you want to you can also OC with it... its right behind the DFI board in the #2 spot of NF4 boards that can OC well.

if you're still considering the DFI check out DFI-street.com and don't be scared by the huge amounts posts about problems. its a popular board and people who buy it are overclocking it to redicluous speeds... plus after all.. it is a support forum ;p. some aren't even researching what to buy and they OC to the max of the board anyway with PSU's that are cheap and memory that doesn't work well.

anyway on that site you'll find what types of memorys they recommend with the DFI (ie. NOT corsair with that board... corasir is a top brand but it hates dfi boards) and what type of power supply you should pick up (for DFI boards its recommended that you use AT LEAST a 480 watt power supply that is ATX 2.0 or 2.01 compliant meaning that it has the 24 pin power connector and not a 20 to 24 pin convertor cable). OCZ is a good brand for PSU's for that mobo (the 520 watt one is a good pickup)... theres a whole list posted as a sticky on the forum. Like i said before, go there, read through it.. its very informative.... but theres alot there so take it slow.

For me, it looks like more and more i'm leaning towards a DFI but that EPOX is still in the back of my mind... and i've built 4 systems and have done alittle overclocking with a couple of them... so that says alot about how intimidating the board can be (from what i've read at least). if i were you the epox would be my choice for a board. Bought 2 Epox boards in the past and both were very stable. well, except the first one which wasn't Epox's fault but a fault of the nforce2 chipset and many manufactors had the problem (corrupt bios... cost me about $10 and 10 mins. of my time to fix it). Besides that one thing that popped up for me, epox has always been good to me and they have a great track record in terms of stability (at least in the last couple of years if i recall correctly).

sorry for the long post... i tend to ramble when i'm up real late (its 5am right now). if you have any other questions reply in here... the people around here know what they're talking about so you came to the right place for help. hopefully i helped a bit... good luck.

 

[Bighamm]

This is what I'm really looking at right now. It doesn't seem to be hugely expensive but it should be able to hold it's own in games. I wonder what I'm suppose to do with my old mobo, processor, and video card. Do you just throw them away?

2 gigs of Corsair Ram (512x4)

X800xl (Not sure which brand yet)

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

And Stick with the AMD Athlon x2 4200+ Manchester Processor

Edit: I'm looking at this Sapphire card http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications...chtools/item-details.asp?Edpno=1229514

Edit #2: Or this card
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de...2625129-6990257?v=glance&s=electronics

 

[FreshFish]

Originally posted by: Bighamm
This is what I'm really looking at right now. It doesn't seem to be hugely expensive but it should be able to hold it's own in games. I wonder what I'm suppose to do with my old mobo, processor, and video card. Do you just throw them away?

2 gigs of Corsair Ram (512x4)

X800xl (Not sure which brand yet)

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

And Stick with the AMD Athlon x2 4200+ Manchester Processor

Edit: I'm looking at this Sapphire card http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications...chtools/item-details.asp?Edpno=1229514

Edit #2: Or this card
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de...2625129-6990257?v=glance&s=electronics

Setup is looking sweet! If you want the X800XL, the $250 Connect3D card at monarch cannot be beat right now.

Also, sell all of your old hardware on the FS/FT forum! Somebody out there will want it.

Edit: the Sapphire card you linked is the X800, not the X800XL. The normal X800 is considerably inferior to the X800XL

 

[Bighamm]

Okay, well I think I'm set on the things I'm gonna get. I have to thank you all for all your help and if I have any more questions this will be the first place I harass.

2 gigs of Corsair Ram (512x4)

Connect3D X800XL 256MB Video Card

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon x2 4200+ Manchester Processor

And once I get the parts I'll sell my old ones on the FS/FT Forum! Be looking for me!!

 

[AnotherGuy]

Originally posted by: The Linuxator
Right now my 3000+ is at @250HT x10 no problem.

That 3000+ better be a 3200+ or ur full of it...

Bighamm I wouldnt recommend an X2 4200+ for regular use such as gaming and listening to Itunes... since there is not gonna be any games to use 2 cores for another year or more... so paying over +500 for smthn ur not using... doesnt feel right...
There is another dual core coming out in August i think priced at $350 lower clock speed of course... maybe 2.0ghz... thatd be a beter option I'd say ( overclock it to 4800+ speeds)

good luck

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Bighamm
Okay, what about the ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe?

I'd like to keep the card under $500, but I'd really like something in the $350-400 range.

A 6800gt would be a solid performer in that pricerange.

You can easily get an X850 or a 6800 Ultra from the FS/FT forums for that much. easily.

you can't do ANY better unless you buy a 7800, but thats over $500.

looks like an X850 or 6800U to me 😛