Computer Question

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

During my trip to San Antonio this past weekend for the game I was staying with a friend of mine and got on his computer when I saw Counter-Strike installed :downspin: I booted it up and played for the first time in a few years and decided I should probably get back into gaming and build myself a computer. The problem is, its been so long since Ive been really into the stuff that I have no idea what is needed in building a good computer, what brands are the best to put in and what specs are needed for this generation of gaming. I'm putting my budget at about $2700-$3000 to build a great computer but need some help and advice and where to buy from and what brands offer the best bargain. I know we have a lot of computer experts posting here so any help is appreciated.

[Bear Grylls]

Mouse will hook you up with a computer, a Mazda 6, and an Ipod for a 6 pack of Rolling Rock and some good bud.

[Gerryatrics]

$3,000? I could probably put together two decent systems for that much. I need a new gaming rig too, how about hooking me up?

I'll take a look at newegg.com and see what I can come up with, maybe it will give you some ideas.

[Nbadan]

$3,000 damn...you could probably build a really decent gaming system for $1500 with a enhanced graphics card and leave the rest for a 50+ LCD to play on.

[Gerryatrics]

For the video cards, memory, motherboard and processor of the system I put together (in the shopping cart) on newegg it's about $1800. Adding a hard drive, CD/DVD Burner, power supply, sound card and a pretty decent monitor quickly brought it up to a little over $3,000. Of course it's still missing a component or two, like say, a case. :p: If you wait until July 22nd when the new Intel chips come out processors will be a lot cheaper.

Removing one of the video cards, the power supply and the monitor and cutting the memory from 4 gigs to 2 took the price down to about $1463. That's still a pretty kick ass gaming rig with room for expansion down the road.

[Nbadan]

board: Asus Striker Extreme Asus Striker Extreme Quad Core/ nForce 680i SLI/ DDR2-800/ A&2GbE/ ATXMBoard MFN STRIKER EXTREME(GREEN) RETAIL STRIKER EXTREME(GREEN) CPU: Socket 775 SupportsIntel Core 2 Extreme/ Core 2 Duo/ Pentium Extreme/ Pentium D/

Price: $320.00

Chip:Intel Pentium D 945 / 3.4 GHz processor

Price: $203.00

Super Talent T800UX4GC5 STT DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) Memory Kit MFN T800UX4GC5 RETAIL T800UX4GC5 Type: DDR2 Capacity: 4GB (2x 2GB) Speed: PC6400 800MHz Size & Bit: 256M x 64 Pins: 240pin ECC: No Registered: No CL 5-5-5-15

Price: $244.32

Western Digital WD5000AAKB New Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKB 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache EIDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive 3 Year Manufacture Warranty WD5000KB

Price: $115.00

ATI SAPPHIRE Radeon X1950XTX PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card with CRT and Dual DVI-BULK

Price: $349.00 x 2 = $698.00

Sound card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 24-bit PCI Sound Card, Retail

Price: $139.49

Grand total w/out case and $50.00 DVD/cd writer) $1719.81
(prices from pricewatch.com)

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

Ive been doing some reading on the $650 video cards and a lot of people are talking about how overpriced they are, would it best best to wait a month until prices drop and then snag one? Here's what my newegg shopping cart looks like right now, and this is just stuff im throwing in there that I think will work, tell me if some stuff should go or not.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $66.99
APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $59.99
ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q20WB Black 20" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
$199.99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Toledo 2.0GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3800DAA5CD - OEM
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M9 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $124.98
XFX PVT84GUDF3 GeForce 8600GTS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card -
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail $305.99

Total of $757.94 after rebates and combo deals

[Gerryatrics]

Ive been doing some reading on the $650 video cards and a lot of people are talking about how overpriced they are, would it best best to wait a month until prices drop and then snag one?

The retail 8800GTXs are about $580 on newegg, the 8800 Ultras are $700 and
up. The Ultras are a bit overpriced, but the GTX absolutely destroys everything out there. If you're gonna drop some serious cash on a gaming rig, then yes, it's worth it. Would it hurt to wait another month? Probably not, like I said before, processor prices will be dropping, the price of memory has been dropping at an incredible rate (be careful though, might rebound) and ATI's DirectX 10 boards are supposed to finally come out next month, so the NVIDIA prices might drop a little bit.


Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $66.99

You're better off with a 10,000 RPM hard drive, especially when it comes to games.


AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Toledo 2.0GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3800DAA5CD - OEM
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M9 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $124.98

I'd personally go with an Intel Core 2 Duo and like I said, prices are going to drop next month, but it's up to you. That motherboard is crap. You can't use the memory you list below with it, it only supports DDR, not DDR2. This combo isn't remotely suited for modern gaming.


XFX PVT84GUDF3 GeForce 8600GTS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

Decent enough card, just keep in mind that 256mb is quickly becoming the minimum of onboard memory for new games. It will be fine for a while, but in a couple of months you'll have to start turning the visual settings down in those shiny new games. Of course you could always pick up another one and use SLI.



CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4

I know it's part of a combo, but you can find better deals on RAM. The stuff I have in my cart isn't super high-end stuff made especially for gamers with cool graphics and lots of random LEDs, but it's PC2 6400 with "native" 1.8v voltage, the timing can be adjusted easily, and it's $44.50 per GB ($89 for 2 GB.)

[leemajors]

if you have the money, don't skimp on the case and motherboard like that - get a lian li aluminum case and something other than a BIOSTAR mb. if baseline bum is around he would probably have some good recommendations as well.

[Holmes_Fans]

$600 is a waste of money for a video card. Those are made for high end graphics designs, not to play counterstrike. There won't be a difference a $350 difference on that game whether you buy a $250 card or $600 card.

Unless you are rich $2700-$3000 is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY to unless you are also planning on getting a HD monitor/TV. You can play any game on the market just fine on even a $900 system.

[PM5K]

You could play CS on a 50.00 computer...

[NorCal510]

i have cs installed on my pc and i rarely play

my pc costs 800ish

dont overdo it

same money for a car or something

[Whottt.]

You could play CS on a 50.00 computer...


Good point :smokin

Hey lets all download CS so we can play on line!

Anyone need a Fusion GeForce MX 4000 Graphics/video card for 30.00 Dollars still in the box?
561-9941

I have another DELL for 180.00 complete with Monitor/keys/mouse/speakers/

130.00 for Raqshofan
:wakeup

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

You could play CS on a 50.00 computer...

Yeah I know but other than playing CS again the game I'm waiting on is SC 2, waiting another month wont hurt at all, I did find this site from a friend that reccomended it. www.ibuypower.com, this is what they offer for $1334.25 with s&h

Case ( Thermaltake Armor Jr. Gaming Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Power Supply ( 500 Watt -- NZXT PF-500 Power Supply )
Processor ( [Socket-AM2] AMD Athlon™64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology )
Processor Cooling ( CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit )
Motherboard ( GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4 SLI chipset w/7.1 Audio, Dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 2048MB [1024MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( [Special !!!] 200 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Wireless Network Adapter ( [Special !!!] Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps PCI Adapter )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

I took a lot of the extra shit out of it because in my older computer I have a sound card, flopps drive, dvd burner and all of that shit, and an OS because Im not touching Vista. With all of the extras including a monitor its a $2600 system I think

[Tonto]

tonto save pale face 1,600.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/nvidia-gamer-pc_W0QQitemZ130125246906QQihZ003QQcategoryZ140076Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://i4.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/a5/22/5abf_3.JPG




the NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI motherboard is the highest performing solution for the AMD® AM2 processor. This platform provides full-bandwidth dual x16 PCI Express slots, NVIDIA SLI™ support, and extreme overclocking to the AMD enthusiast. This motherboard provides enthusiast-class, workbench-friendly features such as LED with POST codes, power and reset buttons, and onboard speaker. NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GPUs and NVIDIA nForce® Redefine reality with the definitive gaming platform from NVIDIA.
The new NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 graphics processing
units (GPUs) and NVIDIA nForce® media communications processors (MCPs)
are architected for maximum gaming
performance. With up to 2X the
performance of previous generations,
GeForce 8800 GPUs provide
unparalleled levels of graphics realism
and image quality, while nForce 600 Series
MCPs deliver incomparable system performance
for both Intel and AMD processors.


XLR8™ 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2-8500) CAS 5 Dual Channel Memory Kit SLI-Ready with EPP

[dougp]

Sorry, but I LOL at anyone who builds a gaming PC with AMD and ATi in it.

Get an 8800GTX, Core2Duo processor, 4GBs RAM and Vista 64bit & a Raptor HD. The rest is cake - Quake Wars, Crysis, etc. will rock on that machine.

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

I dont know if I would ever buy a CPU off of ebay, you never know whats been taken out or what kind of fucked up shit could be waiting for you

[Nbadan]

Get an 8800GTX, Core2Duo processor, 4GBs RAM and Vista 64bit & a Raptor HD. The rest is cake - Quake Wars, Crysis, etc. will rock on that machine.


...8800GTX is also a budget buster at $550.00 per card.

[baseline bum]

board: Asus Striker Extreme Asus Striker Extreme Quad Core/ nForce 680i SLI/ DDR2-800/ A&2GbE/ ATXMBoard MFN STRIKER EXTREME(GREEN) RETAIL STRIKER EXTREME(GREEN) CPU: Socket 775 SupportsIntel Core 2 Extreme/ Core 2 Duo/ Pentium Extreme/ Pentium D/

Price: $320.00

Chip:Intel Pentium D 945 / 3.4 GHz processor

Price: $203.00

Super Talent T800UX4GC5 STT DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) Memory Kit MFN T800UX4GC5 RETAIL T800UX4GC5 Type: DDR2 Capacity: 4GB (2x 2GB) Speed: PC6400 800MHz Size & Bit: 256M x 64 Pins: 240pin ECC: No Registered: No CL 5-5-5-15

Price: $244.32

Western Digital WD5000AAKB New Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKB 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache EIDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive 3 Year Manufacture Warranty WD5000KB

Price: $115.00

ATI SAPPHIRE Radeon X1950XTX PCI-E x16 512MB Video Card with CRT and Dual DVI-BULK

Price: $349.00 x 2 = $698.00

Sound card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 24-bit PCI Sound Card, Retail

Price: $139.49

Grand total w/out case and $50.00 DVD/cd writer) $1719.81
(prices from pricewatch.com)

If you're going to spend that kind of money, you gotta get a Core2 Duo with the 4MB L2 cache and an 8800GTX. Pentium D is a piece of dogshit.

[Nbadan]

If you're going to spend that kind of money, you gotta get a Core2 Duo with the 4MB L2 cache and an 8800GTX. Pentium D is a piece of dogshit.

I was trying to keep it at around $1700 so he could stay within budget and still go out and get a 42" LCD to play this bad boy on....the Pentium D965 XE is definitely the way to go, along with the dual 8800GTX, but that's $500 + (560 x 2) = $1620 to my $901, or a $719 difference.

The Pentium D I proposed is a core duo (ntel INTEL PENTIUM D 945 Intel Pentium D 945 LGA775 Dual-Core CPU @ 3.4GHz 800FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T) (http://www.pricewatch.com/cpu/pentium_d_945.htm), but If he wanted a faster chip with 4mg, he could go with the Intel Pentium XE 965 Intel Pentium D XE/EE (Extreme Edition).


I guess it all depends on priorities.

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

I was trying to keep it at around $1700 so he could stay within budget and still go out and get a 42" LCD to play this bad boy on....the Pentium D965 XE is definitely the way to go, along with the dual 8800GTX, but that's $500 + (560 x 2) = $1620 to my $901, or a $719 difference.

The Pentium D I proposed is a core duo (ntel INTEL PENTIUM D 945 Intel Pentium D 945 LGA775 Dual-Core CPU @ 3.4GHz 800FSB 2x2MB L2 Cache EM64T) (http://www.pricewatch.com/cpu/pentium_d_945.htm), but If he wanted a faster chip with 4mg, he could go with the Intel Pentium XE 965 Intel Pentium D XE/EE (Extreme Edition).


I guess it all depends on priorities.

Dan what about the last system I posted the specs on from ibuypower.com?

[NASpurs]

Core 2 (Pentium D) is not the same as a Core2Duo. Stay away from Pentium D's like baseline bum said. Stay away from them at all costs!

[Nbadan]

Core 2 (Pentium D) is not the same as a Core2Duo. Stay away from Pentium D's like baseline bum said. Stay away from them at all costs!

Two pentium cores versus two celeron cores...blah....it'd still take it over the dual-core AMD.

[Nbadan]

Core 2 (Pentium D) is not the same as a Core2Duo. Stay away from Pentium D's like baseline bum said. Stay away from them at all costs!

OK, but the Intel CORE 2 DUO X6800 Intel Core 2 Due X6800 Extreme (intel Core 2 Due X6800 Extreme 2.93GHz 1066Hz FSB LGA 775 CPU Intel Core 2 Duo X6800 Processor LGA775 @ 2.93GHz 1066MHz FSB 4MB L2 Cache) starts at $1100

[Nbadan]

Case ( Thermaltake Armor Jr. Gaming Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Power Supply ( 500 Watt -- NZXT PF-500 Power Supply )

:tu

[Nbadan]

Processor ( [Socket-AM2] AMD Athlon™64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology )
Processor Cooling ( CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit )

Coolmaster :tu
Chip: :td

If you got the cash, I'd rather see you go with a faster chip, which if you wanna stay away from Pentium D's could cost a bit more. Maybe something like the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core CPU 2.40GHz 1066Hz FSB LGA 775 CPU 4MB x 2 Cache, but that's a $500 chip versus your $200 chip.

[Nbadan]

Motherboard ( GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4 SLI chipset w/7.1 Audio, Dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB )

For a $100 board the Gigabyte is ok, but for $300 the Asus Striker Extreme Asus Striker Extreme Quad Core/ nForce 680i SLI/ DDR2-800/ A&2GbE/ ATXMBoard is a tweaker's dream board.

[Nbadan]

Memory ( 2048MB [1024MB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )

:tu

[Nbadan]

Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )

On-board sound is always inferior to even mediocre Soundblaster cards, but the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 24-bit PCI Sound is the card to hook up to that surround-sound system.

[Big Worm]

Hey NBADAN I hooked up this vato so he can see his youtube through his TV. Now I want to separate the sound so his wife can put on the Headphones while she plays a game and he can watch a movie he downloaded off of BitLord on his flat screen. Can it be done? Or the sound card has to always play both programs at once on the same track?

[Nbadan]

Hey NBADAN I hooked up this vato so he can see his youtube through his TV. Now I want to separate the sound so his wife can put on the Headphones while she plays a game and he can watch a movie he downloaded off of BitLord on his flat screen. Can it be done? Or the sound card has to always play both programs at once on the same track?

Install duel soundcards.

[Big Worm]

Ok thanks I will try that.

[Nbadan]

It's not easy, you have to go into the control panel and play around with the sound preferences, but i've heard it is possible.

[Nbadan]

he can watch a movie he downloaded off of BitLord on his flat screen.

Just convert it to DIVX (avi) and watch it on a DVD player.

[Big Worm]

Just convert it to DIVX (avi) and watch it on a DVD player.


This man is from India and if he can save 50 cents on having to burn a DVD he will. besides he likes to go to YouTube and other websites to play music videos from India on the big screen. It was kinda cool when I was done. watching him surf on Google though a 42 inch TV. I have a Sound Blaster Gold card that has all kinds of out puts but even when I play Delta force I can hear the Tv show I am recording off my TV card.

Maybe the PC is set up so you can't have TVs and games running at the same time and hear the sounds on different speakers. I am sure window XP wants only one card or you will get all kinds of error prompts. But I will try what you said. I just hope his wife doesn't give me anymore of that Curry Chicken I have had the shits all day. I must have done at least 9 laptops and desktops from folks who work at USSA, they all live in the bent tree and all the other apartments on Fred road. Thanks to them I have been able to buy food for the last year. even though I only make 20 Dollars for each job :wakeup

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

On-board sound is always inferior to even mediocre Soundblaster cards, but the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 24-bit PCI Sound is the card to hook up to that surround-sound system.

The soundcard I'm probably just going to take out because my old computer still has an Creative Labs Audigy Platinum Sound Blaster Live card in it with 7.1 surround still and it works fine, I primarily use headphones anyways because nobody else in my house likes to here grenades and KILLING SPREE at 4 in the morning :depressed

[=RTM=]

If I download the game will you play on line? And I have SICKO the new Michale More Movie if you want to watch it on the PC.
561-9941

[Nbadan]

Sicko is also on Youtube (in pieces)...

[leemajors]

On-board sound is always inferior to even mediocre Soundblaster cards, but the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 24-bit PCI Sound is the card to hook up to that surround-sound system.
if you mainly use headphones playing games, there's no reason to spring for a soundblaster. the onboard will work fine.

[The Quoter]

Someone on BTJunkie released the actual DVD you want the link?

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

if you mainly use headphones playing games, there's no reason to spring for a soundblaster. the onboard will work fine.

The Soundblaster card I already have on my old computer and it works great, I dont know what kind of improvements they couldve made for me to pay another couple hundred to buy another one of their cards. Unless its fuckin 70.1 surround sound and every inch of my wall was covered in speakers... that would be kinda badass now that I think about it

[TDMVPDPOY]

onboard sound, never underestimate it, it does the job man....

actually AMD just had another price cut on their cpus...

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

If I download the game will you play on line? And I have SICKO the new Michale More Movie if you want to watch it on the PC.
561-9941
Which game you talking about?

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

Bump for Mouse and his idea about people dling CS and playing together, thatd be badass

[Gerryatrics]

I have the original Counter-Strike on Steam, never really played it though. Missed out on it when it first came out and the players started getting way too hardcore for me, so I went with Team Fortress Classic back in the day instead. But yeah, wouldn't mind playing a few rounds with the gamers here.

[TxJudsonRocketTx]

I have the original Counter-Strike on Steam, never really played it though. Missed out on it when it first came out and the players started getting way too hardcore for me, so I went with Team Fortress Classic back in the day instead. But yeah, wouldn't mind playing a few rounds with the gamers here.

I know what you mean, a friend of mine from San Antonio just got drafted into that DirectTV gaming league and is on $30,000 salary for playing for I think the next 3 months. To go along with getting paid for playing CS, hes also been out to China for a tournament last year in which everything is paid for, and goes back and forth between LA, SA, and NY every couple of months for different shit and never has to play a dime. Im guessing I cant hang with him anymore, but hey NbaDan, i talked to that same friend and he was saying I would be better off with a inteo 2x 2.66ghz processor than a quad because he thinks it wont make of a difference when gaming and that the video card is more important. Also, is there much of a difference between Asus motherboards and NSI? The prices are way different but the NSI has the same specs and is $130 cheaper.