I want a Gaming Rig

[Broomjockey]

Well, first I need to decide where to get the parts from, as they've got similar, but slightly different lists. I'm hoping for some opinions on those, though it's mainly the Canadian techies who'll be helpful at this point (curses Newegg for not shipping to Canada)

http://www.memoryexpress.com/

This is the place that the guy who's helping me turned me on to. It's local, so I can pick up my parts in store, but it seems slightly more expensive, but with more options.

http://www.ncix.com/

I just found that one not long ago on my own. Prices seem slightly better, but I'd like to know if anyone's heard anything about it or done business with them.

[UncleImpy]

I was about to say Newegg until I saw your comment about not shipping to Canada. Whoops, I thought they did.

I have to second the comments about the Core2 Duos. I have an Intel Extreme mobo (I think the 945x? Im at work, cant verify) and a conroe, with twin GeForce 8800s and 2 gig of ram per channel, and I HIGHLY recommend that setup (I can render character details on dwarves on the opposite side of the smelting pit in Ironforge, if that reference helps) . Im still using XP on it and have had no problems. I'm leery of moving to Vista because I keep hearing horror stories about the SLI drivers causing trouble with Vista. More importantly, since all of this isnt the top of the line anymore, you'll be able to get it for pretty cheap.

[lordlundar]

I actually ordered all my upgrade parts from NCIX and their computer builder is a pretty nice setup. The only catch I've found is that they only ship out their stuff on Friday, so doing a weekend setup doesn't happen. Apart from that, they're a very good company.

[Broomjockey]

Okay, talked with my computer guy today, and made a few changes. Barring any serious objections from you guys, this will be the core of the system I'm getting:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ w/ 2x1MB Cache (Socket AM2)

eVGA nForce 590 SLI w/ DualDDR2 800, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, Dual PCI-E x16 SLI

Crucial BallistiX 2GB PC2-6400 Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB)

Thermaltake VA8000BWS Armor Super Tower, Black Steel

Seagate 320GB Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II w/ NCQ, 16MB Cache

LG Super Multi DVD Writer 18x18x10 DVD +/-RW Dual-Layer, SATA w/ Lightscribe, Black (OEM)

700W SLI supported power supply, high end store brand that CG is going to get for me using his employee discount

And the Geforce 8800 GTS that I've already got.

At a later date I'll be getting a second one of those, and some more RAM, and a Soundblaster extremegamer, as the onboard card will suffice until my next paycheque.

I'm also going to get a Samsung 22" LCD monitor to replace my 19" CRT.
So, thoughts? Opinions? Diving on the grenade to save my butt?

[Broomjockey]

I actually ordered all my upgrade parts from NCIX and their computer builder is a pretty nice setup. The only catch I've found is that they only ship out their stuff on Friday, so doing a weekend setup doesn't happen. Apart from that, they're a very good company.

Okay, that's good to know. Thanks

Looks like there isn't much of a price difference, so for future, anything I need, but not right away, I'll probably use NCIX, as getting down to Memory Express is turning out to be a bit of a pain. Just...probable shipping costs on a case make me queasy

[JustADude]

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ w/ 2x1MB Cache (Socket AM2)

The Core-2-Duo platform blows the Athlon 64 X2 out of the water. As much as I'm a fan of AMD over Intel it's a sad fact that they C2D is the best chip out there at the moment. I really would stick with Intel if you don't want to wait until the AMD Phenom is released.

The rest of it looks good, though.

[Broomjockey]

darn it. I was really liking the price difference.

[JustADude]

darn it. I was really liking the price difference.

That price difference (~$25 on Newegg) will, by itself, be a difference of 5-15 frames-per-sec on your games with an otherwise identical system, BroomJockey. Here's a LINK to a Tom's Hardware chart for all CPU Comparisons. There's not a single game benchmark listing the X2 6000+ beats the Core2 E6750 2.66GHZ (Which has a 4MB-shared L2, or the equivalent of 2x2MB L2).


EDIT: Oh, and on top of that, the MoBo and Memory he picked for you uses a MUCH slower bus-speed than the stuff I recommended. That'll cost you another chunk of FPS, and replacing your MoBo is going to be the single most difficult part to replace later, as well as your weakest link out of the box. Best to get that strong so you can upgrade further later without worrying about it.

[Geek King]

EDIT: Oh, and on top of that, the MoBo and Memory he picked for you uses a MUCH slower bus-speed than the stuff I recommended. That'll cost you another chunk of FPS, and replacing your MoBo is going to be the single most difficult part to replace later, as well as your weakest link out of the box. Best to get that strong so you can upgrade further later without worrying about it.

Ditto this sentiment. Get the best motherboard your budget will handle. I usually just put together a whole new computer when the motherboard won't handle needed (okay, okay, wanted ) upgrades.

[lordlundar]

Just...probable shipping costs on a case make me queasy

Shipping prices are based on price of the products and how you want them shipped. They use a few couriers and Canada post. Also insurance and extra packaging they bill extra for, but all of these are at the time of order. There's no courier coming up and saying you owe extra on an order. Just sign and it's yours.

As well, if budget is high, go with the Core-2, simply for the threading tech, which allows the cores to be linked for tasks and gives an insane boost. AMD does not have this tech with their current line of processors. Most new games are doing a similar approach in game now, so while you do take a performance hit, it's not a huge one and if your budget is tight, the AMD is a good choice.

[NightAngel]

I'd love to have a Dual Core Processor for mine. That's about the only thing that would make it better... okay, lie, there is ONE other thing that could make it better.

I am an NVidia fan and I'm glad that you have an NVidia card. When I bought my new gaming 'puter I wound up with an ATI Radeon. It SUCKS! I hate it! Never, ever get one.

*Case-mod: Not actually a high-impact item, but if you go for a case with a side-window you can get LED-lit fans and LED clusters to make the inside glow, with a total price difference of less than a stick of RAM. Looks particularly snazzy when combined with properly color-coordinated sheathed round cables.

I have one of the AlienWare blue glow cases. Now, it does look nifty, I'll admit it. I don't highly recommend it if, like me, your case sits on top of the desk. The light shines in your eyes and gets really annoying. If you're prone to headaches- not good.
I've turned it sideways so the window is facing the wall.... which makes the wall lit up and it's a lovely night light.

[Broomjockey]

But is that motherboard capable of SLI? And if so, will I be able to get the 16x that I can get out of the evga mobo?

Will the board I'm getting be able to take the Phenom chip when it comes out?
Is there a better mobo then the one I'm looking at that will take the Phenom, and does SLI?

Also, the price difference in the RAM is fairly staggering (if I looked right, it's about $100, no, don't quote newegg. Can't use it.), is the increase in performance going to be worth that?

[Broomjockey]

I am an NVidia fan and I'm glad that you have an NVidia card. When I bought my new gaming 'puter I wound up with an ATI Radeon. It SUCKS! I hate it! Never, ever get one.

Frankly, my current system has an ATI, and the problems I've had with it lately have seriously turned me off it. Trying to update the drivers almost borked my whole system, and I had to disable the card and revert to the old drivers to even begin to fix it.

[NightAngel]

Yep, my hubby's 'puter, which used to be mine, has an NVidia FX5500 (old) and it's astoundingly better than my ATI Radeon 99,000 or whatever it is.

[Broomjockey]

Failing that ASUS board being able to do SLI, is there one with the higher bus speed that will do SLI at 8 or 16x? I'm starting to pick up parts, and hope to get the last stuff on Wednesday, and assemble it then.

(The box for that tower is HUGE! )