Hardware recommendations

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ferny
  • Start date Start date
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Ferny

Hello all. Given upcoming events in gaming software, and a hefty education
grant that fell out of the sky :), I had decided to upgrade my system:

P4 2.4
AOpen AX4B-533
512MB PC2100
Radeon 7500
SB Audigy2 ZS

At first I only planned to add another 512 RAM and go with a 9800Pro. Until
I researched my motherboard and found that its kinda low quality. It
followed that if I were to replace my mobo to accommodate faster ram...I
might as well just do a new build (my first). I've decided not to go down
the 64-bit path yet as there doesn't appear to be much software support or
even an OS for it. My main consideration here is to buy now, or soon, with
the maximum potential for upgradeability in mind. So with that, would it be
wise to order a system with the 915P chipset, hoping it won't be bunk
tech...and therefore future-proof my system. Or should I just run with a
socket 478 (or even socket A), kinda working backwards technologically, so
that I can let the new tech mature and let some reviews come out? I'm a
gamer and I know I want good hardware, especially in preparation for the
things that will come out based on things like Doom3's engine. Oh, and my
budget for CPU, mobo, mem, HDD, vid card, and case are about $1500US. Thanks
for taking the time to read this.
 
Ferny said:
Hello all. Given upcoming events in gaming software, and a hefty education
grant that fell out of the sky :), I had decided to upgrade my system:

P4 2.4
AOpen AX4B-533
512MB PC2100
Radeon 7500
SB Audigy2 ZS

At first I only planned to add another 512 RAM and go with a 9800Pro. Until
I researched my motherboard and found that its kinda low quality. It
followed that if I were to replace my mobo to accommodate faster ram...I
might as well just do a new build (my first). I've decided not to go down
the 64-bit path yet as there doesn't appear to be much software support or
even an OS for it.
Click to expand...

Ummmmm . . . you should go with your first plan, the extra 512MB RAM and a
9800 PRO. The extra RAM will help a little and the 9800 PRO will help a
LOT. Anything else you do will not have a significant impact on gaming,
unless you go with a high-end P4 or Athlon 64. Either one would fit your
budget. BUT, you have to decide whether you want to slightly upgrade what
you've got or replace everything with (high-end, expensive) hardware.
Anything else would be a waste of time, money and effort, as the end result
would not give you a system that would be a significantly better gaming
system than what you've got. If you are determined to replace everything,
go for a P4 3.4 or Athlon64 3400 or better. You can do it easily for 1500
bucks. But any lesser hardware, and you will not see a significant
improvement in gaming. -Dave
 
Dave C. said:
Ummmmm . . . you should go with your first plan, the extra 512MB RAM and a
9800 PRO. The extra RAM will help a little and the 9800 PRO will help a
LOT. Anything else you do will not have a significant impact on gaming,
unless you go with a high-end P4 or Athlon 64. Either one would fit your
budget. BUT, you have to decide whether you want to slightly upgrade what
you've got or replace everything with (high-end, expensive) hardware.
Anything else would be a waste of time, money and effort, as the end result
would not give you a system that would be a significantly better gaming
system than what you've got. If you are determined to replace everything,
go for a P4 3.4 or Athlon64 3400 or better. You can do it easily for 1500
bucks. But any lesser hardware, and you will not see a significant
improvement in gaming. -Dave
Click to expand...

Ok, so far I've priced the following:

P4 3.0C 800FSB
2X Corsair XMS Extreme Memory 512 PC3200
WD Raptor 10000 SATA 36.7GB
MSI 52x24x52x16 Combo Drive
Sapphire X800Pro 256MB 256-bit
Thermaltake VA3000 Tsunami

Total From Newegg: $1220.49 (includes $15 each on shipping for case and VGA)

I leave the mobo out because I'm still confused on the different kinds of
chipsets available and what they offer. The Tsunami case also isn't a lock
as I merely picked it based on how cool it looked with its LEDs :). I may
even hold off on the X800, until I see its game (Doom3) benchmarks. At any
rate, the above is what I'm starting my build with. Dave, or anyone, please
let this kid know if there are any glaring mistakes or anything they might
do differently. I'll also add that at this point I'm not interested in
overclocking...but that is not to say I won't be in the future. Cheers!
 
Ok, so far I've priced the following:
P4 3.0C 800FSB
2X Corsair XMS Extreme Memory 512 PC3200
WD Raptor 10000 SATA 36.7GB
MSI 52x24x52x16 Combo Drive
Sapphire X800Pro 256MB 256-bit
Thermaltake VA3000 Tsunami

Total From Newegg: $1220.49 (includes $15 each on shipping for case and VGA)

I leave the mobo out because I'm still confused on the different kinds of
chipsets available and what they offer. The Tsunami case also isn't a lock
as I merely picked it based on how cool it looked with its LEDs :). I may
even hold off on the X800, until I see its game (Doom3) benchmarks. At any
rate, the above is what I'm starting my build with. Dave, or anyone, please
let this kid know if there are any glaring mistakes or anything they might
do differently. I'll also add that at this point I'm not interested in
overclocking...but that is not to say I won't be in the future. Cheers!
Click to expand...

Chipsets for P4 are all basically the same, other than price. There are
some that are slightly faster in some benchmarks, but not significantly.
And they all have good features, but that's also dependent on the mainboard
manufacturer (not all chipset features are necessarily used, and some
features are actually ADDED by the mainboard manufacturer). With good P4
mainboards starting over fifty bucks, you might as well go straight to a
Intel solution, such as:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-446&depa=0

I don't see any glaring mistakes. I would question the 10K RPM drive,
though. If you feel you need that, at least get a 2nd drive (slower,
cheaper) to go with it. Maybe use the 10K drive just for OS and games? Use
the second hard drive for applications and data storage. You definitely
don't need a 10K drive for apps and data storage, but the 36GB is kind of
small to be your only drive.

Check out the following for a power supply:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-963&depa=0

Good match with that case. Good match for any case, actually. -Dave
 
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