building a gaming machine

[zeebs]

hey all. putting together a gaming machine for a friend for preferably less than ~400. I have another friend who is selling me the proc & vid card because he is upgrading.. please let me know what u think of the specs and any suggestions..

proc: AMD Barton core 2500 XP
or
AMD 2100 for $10
vid: Nvidia ti4600 4x agp for $50
mem: 512MB GIG PC 3200 DDR RAM $74.00
mobo: Epox 8rda+ $~110.00
hd: 40GB use existing $0
case w/ power supply 400W+: $100 dunno what kind yet

[MJCfromCT]

gee i want to know where your getting your processor and vid card?

[MJCfromCT]

with a 2100+ and only a 4x video card its ability to game will be limited...if you are sticking with them, you don't need pc3200 ram...but if you go with the 2500+ and an 8x agp video card, the performance when it comes to games should go up by a lot

[RamonGTP]

Originally posted by MJCfromCT
with a 2100+ and only a 4x video card its ability to game will be limited...if you are sticking with them, you don't need pc3200 ram...but if you go with the 2500+ and an 8x agp video card, the performance when it comes to games should go up by a lot

4x and 8x makes no difference at all.... Its all marketing, run an 8x card at 4x and the performance will be virtually the same. Get a Ti4600-8x and a standard Ti4600, and again the performance difference is very very little if any... For $10 that processor is a steal, espicailly if its a tbred b which can be overclocked to 2700+ using that 8RDA+. However the price on that board seems a little too high.

[Giblet Plus!]

Originally posted by zeebs
hey all. putting together a gaming machine for a friend for preferably less than ~400. I have another friend who is selling me the proc & vid card because he is upgrading.. please let me know what u think of the specs and any suggestions..

proc: AMD Barton core 2500 XP
or
AMD 2100 for $10
vid: Nvidia ti4600 4x agp for $50
mem: 512MB GIG PC 3200 DDR RAM $74.00
mobo: Epox 8rda+ $~110.00
hd: 40GB use existing $0
case w/ power supply 400W+: $100 dunno what kind yet

Lucky you. Instead of the 8rda+, I'd spend a few extra bucks on the 8rda3+ or an Abit NF7-S, both of which are designed for 200(400) fsb.

Don't skimp on memory. You want two sticks for the nforce 2 platform. I'd recommend the Buffalo pc3200 with winbond chips @newegg. The winbond chips are the exact same ones as used in Corsair XMS and Kingston Hyper-X pc3500 memory. :)

You don't need a "400W" power supply, you need a quality power supply. A quality 350W would be more than enough for your system. I'd get an Antec SLK3700AMB case, which comes with a 350W Antec PSU, or a Sparkle/Forton 350W and a quality case like a Chieftec Dragon.

Don't forget to thank your friend. :D

[FrnchDp]

However the price on that board seems a little too high.

I bought my 8RDA+ in feb of this year and paid around $110 at the time. I would be surprised if the price hadn't dropped a bit since then. Look around (newegg.com)

But I have to say I've had no problems with it what-so-ever. I also got the Antec case SLK3700AMG w/ the 350w p/s. Again, great case, great p/s. Quality over quantity for sure. P/S and mobo are the most important pieces... everything else can be upgraded (I got the AMD 1800+ at the time for $60, knowing that it would be an easy upgrade as prices keep falling).



:r


...........................


Newegg has the 8rda+ for $83 and free s/h, or the 8rda3+ for $120 and free s/h
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=22&manufactory=1318&DEPA=1

they also have the SLK3700AMB for $68 + $18 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=slk3700amb

Great deals, plus more $$ for a better video card

[RamonGTP]

Yeah, newegg has it for a mere $83.00

oops, didn't read the bottom of your post... See that you already looked it up. ;) The $27 you save can go towards a good quality power supply.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Make sure the 8rda+ is a v2.0 revision, also make sure the RAM is of a decent brand name such as Crucial, dont skimp on the PSU and go generic, invest in a decent quality PSU from the lieks of Antec, Enermax, Sparkle or Hiper.

And lastly i dunno where your getting $50 from for a ti4600, theyre still rather expensive indeed

--Jakk:t

[Dreamwalker]

read his post..he said his friend was upgrading and selling him a Proccesor and vid card.

[FrnchDp]

Originally posted by FrnchDp
Great deals, plus more $$ for a better video card


hmm.. scratch that seeing the deal you're getting on that ti4600. i'd follow Jakk's advice and go for the good RAM (Crucial, Corsair..)

Originally posted by RamonGTP
The $27 you save can go towards a good quality power supply.

The Antec SLK3700AMB comes with the Antec True Power 350W psu. This is a great deal IMO as you get a great case AND a great psu already installed. And Antec's True Power technology outperforms and outlasts most generic psu with higher output.

:r

[RamonGTP]

Originally posted by FrnchDp



hmm.. scratch that seeing the deal you're getting on that ti4600. i'd follow Jakk's advice and go for the good RAM (Crucial, Corsair..)



The Antec SLK3700AMB comes with the Antec True Power 350W psu. This is a great deal IMO as you get a great case AND a great psu already installed. And Antec's True Power technology outperforms and outlasts most generic psu with higher output.

:r

Well than it can go towards paying off a good percentage of that case ;)

[ConfusedAlien]

lol giblet, you REALLY like sparkle psus!!!:D

and yes, sometimes, the 4x agp cards have been proven to be faster than 8x. dont know how but lol
benchmarks indicate that some cards are just better crafted. or the companies add patches to increase framerate efficiency!!!OOOOO_____OOOOOOOOO:eek:

im watching you nVidia...i have the 3.30 patch right here in my hand....:r

[MJCfromCT]

zeebs,

if you are going to be spending $110 on that motherboard, why not shell out 10 or 20 more for the asus a7n8x?

[Bigjakkstaffa]

The 8rda+ is a better overclocker and IM) the best Nforce 2 board on the market, unless you need SATA (im not convinced by it) or the extra onboard LAN port, then it is IMO the better board of the two, cheaper to boot and tends to have a lot less problems

--Jakk:t