Proverbial Newbie Needing Advice

[prism]

I'll cut right to the chase: I need some advice on computer parts. I'm planning on getting a socket 939 A64, and I want the system to last for a good couple years. Do you guys think a 3000+ will be enough if I don't plan on OCing? Also, is Nforce4 worth waiting for, and if so, should I wait for the next set of mobos after the initial launch to work the bugs out? And I'm very confused regarding the speeds of RAM, so any advice there would be great.

Thank you all sincerely for any advice, I really need it

 

[bob4432]

check out the reviews on the socket 754s, i don't think they were much slower but are quite a bit cheaper. what are your computer uses?

 

[prism]

I use it mainly for internet, music and other media, but I want something that will give me great performance on new games (Doom 3, HL 2, etc.). I want to go with 939 because of its future lifespan.

 

[Regs]

I look at it this way -

If you can play D3 and HL2 @ 60-80 FPS on Max Quality running either 1280x960 or 1600x1200 Res, you have a Rig that's going to last for a good 2 years.

How about a 6800 GT + A64 3500 Newcastle?

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Regs
I look at it this way -

If you can play D3 and HL2 @ 60-80 FPS on Max Quality running either 1280x960 or 1600x1200 Res, you have a Rig that's going to last for a good 2 years.

How about a 6800 GT + A64 3500 Newcastle?

damn, to get those kind of fps at those resolutions don't you need 2 6800gts?

if you want to go skt 939 look into this review and get a board so you can get 2 pci xpress video cards running together. you can run 1 6800gt/ultra now and pick up another later if you need to.

 

[frankie38]

I am waiting for the new nforce 4 mobos. socket 939 and pci-e are the way to go!

 

[prism]

Sorry I forgot to mention this earlier, but I'm definitely looking for bang-for-the-buck, and I really can't afford the newest high-end video cards, which brings me to a new question: Would I be better off getting a 9800/5900 level card or X600/6600?

And do ATI cards work with NVidia chipset mobos and vice versa? One again I'm a n00b

 

[LatinJones]

I'm using an ATI Radeon 9600 on an nvidia nforce chipset. You won't have any problems there. I think you would be okay with a radeon 9800.

 

[gururu]

I'd stick with the A64 939. I'd throw in a 6800NU in pci-express if they have it or a 6600GT if they don't.

the 3000+ is decent but will definitely be considered low end in two years. the nice thing about 939 is that it is dual channel.

 

[canadianpsycho]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Regs
I look at it this way -

If you can play D3 and HL2 @ 60-80 FPS on Max Quality running either 1280x960 or 1600x1200 Res, you have a Rig that's going to last for a good 2 years.

How about a 6800 GT + A64 3500 Newcastle?

damn, to get those kind of fps at those resolutions don't you need 2 6800gts?

if you want to go skt 939 look into this review and get a board so you can get 2 pci xpress video cards running together. you can run 1 6800gt/ultra now and pick up another later if you need to.

I had a p4 3.0 running 3.6, 1 GB of RAM and a 6800 GT clocked to Ultra, and I get around 60-80 fps on both games 1280x1024. Only HL2 would dip below 50 or so in huge levels with lots of action, and it never went into the "red" fps.

Unless you're going to run 1600x1200 for everyhitng, SLI is overkill.