New PC specs (1 Viewer)

[Jayphen]

I'm sick of buying awesome games and not being able to play them to their full potential.. So I'm going to buy a new mobo, gfx card and processor asap. (I already have 1gb of RAM)

I'm more of a software guy than a hardware guy - my knowledge is pretty limited. I thought you guys might be able to make sure I'm not wasting my money heh.

This is what I was looking to get..

Asus A8N-SLI Premium : $239
6600 PCI-E 256mb : $175
AMD (Athlon64-939) 3800+ : $399
= $813

Then later on I was gonna buy a 6600GT and chuck that in with the other 6600.

Any tips? Will I need a new PSU? I think my current one is 250watts.

The 6600 and the processor come as a bundle, which is why the processor is so cheap.

 

[insert-username]

If you want to get a GT card later to run SLI, then you'll have to get a GT card now. SLI only works if you have two identical cards.

Apart from that, it's a solid bundle that'll run well.


I_F

 

[darksbane]

Those are some nice prices on those parts (though I'm not sure what brand video card that is, but if can be had for cheaper), but as insert-username said, if you want to run SLI, you have to have identical cards, so a 6600 and 6600GT won't work together in SLI.

You will probably want a more powerful power supply as well. Depending on what else your running a 400w PSU should be fine as long as its a decent brand, or a 480w if you want that little bit of extra headroom. I would recommend Antec as far as power supplies go, my 480w True Blue is an awesome power supply.

 

[Jayphen]

Hmm I didn't know that both gpu's have to be identical.. That's a bit of a kick in the pants.

The problem with saving up to get a 7800GTX is the processor will cost me an extra $150-$200, because I won't be getting the package deal.

I might sell the 6600 to someone and then use that money to save up for a 7800.. hmm

 

[darksbane]

That would work, and in the meantime, you'd have a decentish vid card anyway

 

[Sonic]

i would go with that it seems like a good idea but like darksbane said your card is good at least better than mine freaking out crap 3 years ago...

 

[Jayphen]

That would work, and in the meantime, you'd have a decentish vid card anyway

Yeah, the 6600 is sure to outclass my 9600SE hehe.

How much do you guys reckon I could pass off a second-hand 6600 for?

 

[Collin]

Save up some cash and go 7800 GTX.

Looking at what he wants now, I'm pretty sure he's on a budget (yeah Jayphen?).. and considering GTXs retail for atleast $700 bucks or so retail, he's probably not looking for top-of-the-line. If he wants a high performance vs. value for high-end, just go 7800GT. They OC pretty well too, so even though they lack 4 pipelines of the GTX, you could still make some ground with fair cooling and some OCing. So no need to go GTX unless he's willing to also up everything else (including the CPU).. since some people's CPU scaling tests (including one guy I know) suggested that some of these new cards insanely bottleneck the processor (his' was a 4800+, and his 256MB GTX was still getting held back).

Anyway Jayphen, 6600GTs are great cards. Performance vs. value, they're excellent. If you've got the money, SLi-ing two would be very nice.. and optimisation would be pretty good with that 3800+. As for PSU, you'll want 400W for a mid-high range Geforce 6.. atleast 480W for SLi. Personally I think Thermaltake and Antec make good PSUs. Never go generic when dealing with PSUs either.. skimping on quality when buying power supplies are a no-no.

 

[insert-username]

Save up some cash and go 7800 GTX.

If you want to go that route, wait until January for the mid range 7600 and 7200 to launch. $600 - $700 is a little steep for a non-dedicated gamer. You'd be after something, at max, in the $300-$400 range, and that'll last you a good 3 years if you choose well.


I_F

 

[Ragerunner]

I reckon a 6800GT or even an ultra would be good.

They aren't as expensive anymore.

$400ish ?

Even less if you are lucky.

I got my 6800 ultra a few months ago for about $500. Beasty card!

 

[sikeveo]

OCZ, antec, tagan etc are good for psu. Thermaltake is .......

Jayphen ur better off buying an opteron and overclocking it. It should reach 3800+ speed easily and it has 1mb cache.

 

[Minai]

I reckon a 6800GT or even an ultra would be good.

They aren't as expensive anymore.

$400ish ?

Even less if you are lucky.

I got my 6800 ultra a few months ago for about $500. Beasty card!

WHERE?
Although I doubt I'd be upgrading my 6600GT to anything less than a 7 series Geforce (and a new SLi mobo)

 

[Collin]

Yeah mate.. don't bother. Personally I never upgrade to another card of the same generation.. unless I originally got something shithouse but the 6600GT is a decent card. Infact, I never even upgrade to a card of the (n + 1)th generation........ too poor of a uni student I guess.

 

[Minai]

Yeah mate.. don't bother. Personally I never upgrade to another card of the same generation.. unless I originally got something shithouse but the 6600GT is a decent card. Infact, I never even upgrade to a card of the (n + 1)th generation........ too poor of a uni student I guess.

The catch is, I might be able to afford more regular upgrades next year (working full-time) so yeah, I'll see what the technology is like Q2 2006

 

[Ragerunner]

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=6800+ultra+card


Good site to find almost any computer part within Australia.

Or if you are into Ebay, this is the guy I got my card from.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5227059862&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MERFB:IID&rd=1

At the moment he isn't selling anything, but when he does, it's pretty darn cheap.

$550 au including postage for a e-VGA brand 6800 ultra was pretty damn nice. e-vga is pretty famous too.

 

[Collin]

The catch is, I might be able to afford more regular upgrades next year (working full-time) so yeah, I'll see what the technology is like Q2 2006

Well assuming schedule runs smoothly, the R580 with triple the shader units and GDDR4 aswell as the nVidia equivalent should be in around Q2. So save your money Minai and then buy a killer system in 6 months!

 

[darksbane]

Yeah, the 6600 is sure to outclass my 9600SE hehe.

How much do you guys reckon I could pass off a second-hand 6600 for?

Yup indeed it will, I'm currently on a 9600SE as well >.< though its the 128bit version at least and is clocked higher then most...but still...its a pretty poorly performing card...

 

[Jayphen]

Yup indeed it will, I'm currently on a 9600SE as well >.< though its the 128bit version at and is clocked higher then most...but still...its a pretty poorly performing card...

I don't really know anything about overclocking at all.. I overclocked it and ran it at that speed for a week, but I got scared and turned it back down heh. I stress tested it and everything and didn't get artifacts, but I didn't want to risk it since I didn't know what I was doing.

I kind of wanna OC my 2400+ cos I've never tried. I couldn't be bothered getting cooling though.



As for the gpu, I'm most likely gonna save up for a 7800GT and then SLI them later down the track. That should keep me going for a couple of years hopefully.

 

[darksbane]

I didnt overclock it, it came stock clocked higher and with faster RAM then the standard 9600SE. What brand is yours? What clock speed and RAM speed is it running at?

 

[Jayphen]

Radeon.. no idea what clock speed.