I have about $2,200 im getting back from Fin. Aid to drop on a good desktop machine. I will probably use the TV tuner card, my PCI audio card, and my dual monitor CRT monitors from my current system.

I want to play battle field 2 and run a virus scan at the same time. So im looking a heavy gaming machine that will last me for at least a couple of years. I already have a 120 GB spare hard drive so the other drive will probably be more system related so nothing too big. I want to keep the system cool. Im not too picky about quietness.

I don't know if I want a 64 bit system, due to everyone still having driver problems. Im not familiar with PCI express, will it run my basic PCI cards?

Im re-using my mouse, keyboard, and speakers.

8/18/2005 11:04:59 AM

How much are you looking to spend? You can get almost whatever you want these days with that kind of loot.

8/18/2005 11:12:09 AM

^^ if you want a heavy gaming machine you probably want an athlon 64 even if you're not going to run xp 64 bit edition. pretty sure the only driver issues with 64 bit systems were under xp 64. so if you don't use that version till it's ready, you should have a problem.

[Edited on August 18, 2005 at 11:16 AM. Reason : ]

8/18/2005 11:15:54 AM

I actually got 3,600$ back from Fin Aid. but im using that to buy books and what not.

I only want to spend about ~$2,000 to $2,200. I figured i could build me a better high end machine than what I could buy from Dell.

8/18/2005 11:24:45 AM

depends, if you hit dell's site at a good time and use a good coupon code, you can sometimes get a system way cheaper than you can buy the parts. that's usually only true though if you were planning on buying a monitor with the system, since alot of those deals involve the lcd screens for almost nothing.

8/18/2005 11:27:28 AM

it would almost be kind of difficult for me to spend $2k+ on a computer, especially without getting a monitor.

my only advice would be an amd athlon64 FX or X2, radeon x850 XT (or 7800GT if you're into that nvidia), and probably 2 gigs of decent dual channel DDR 3200 ram (OCZ, corsair, kingston, or crucial). the motherboard, i'd just get whatever supports the other equipment you get, but from a reputable brand.

not sure if that helps at all.

8/18/2005 11:42:34 AM

Even though you have the loot, don't buy the bleeding edge stuff. The mere fact that you need us to help pick the stuff out means you aren't the type the needs the top of the line. Get the stuff a step down, save your cash, and in 6 months if you decide you really need more (and you probably won't) then you can upgrade your vid card and processor for about 50% the cost it will take to get it new today.

8/18/2005 11:45:41 AM

All I can say is that my x850XT PE is worth every penny I paid for it back in like feb.

8/18/2005 11:51:05 AM

I'd say sink a lot of it into a pair of hot ass SLI cards, and then go with price/performance everywhere else. It's the only difference you'll really see.

8/18/2005 12:51:25 PM

SLI is still in beta testing

8/18/2005 12:53:09 PM

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Build_A_Computer

8/18/2005 12:56:14 PM

^ that's actually a fairly decent guide, not too much on hardware specifics though. if you want ideas though, you can always go to alienware.com or voodoopc.com and see what they put in their higher/highest end gaming systems. take that info, then get those parts through places like newegg.

8/18/2005 1:57:05 PM

Quote :

"Im not familiar with PCI express, will it run my basic PCI cards? "

I laughed.

8/18/2005 2:46:05 PM

PCI and PCI-E are two different types of slots. One won't fit in the other.

8/18/2005 3:03:52 PM

How well will the 64 bit processors run with Win2k. I don't game which would be the biggest motivator for getting XP. If it really will run a lot better then I will bite the bullet and purchase it, but otherwise I'll just stick with 2k if I can to save the 80 bones or so.

8/18/2005 3:12:41 PM

overall the athlon 64's have the best gaming performance as tested in windows xp (32 bit). not sure about win 2k, but you should probably run xp anyways and it's fairly cheap to upgrade to xp pro. if you're a student, the bookstore can sell you a $70 upgrade that includes both 32 bit and 64 bit versions. otherwise, you can usually get the OS fairly cheaply from places like tiger direct as an OEM item if you purchase something internal and essential to the computer. this can of course be as cheap as an IDE cable.

8/18/2005 4:14:46 PM

Quote :

"If it really will run a lot better then I will bite the bullet and purchase it"

Quote :

"you should probably run xp anyways and it's fairly cheap to upgrade to xp pro. if you're a student, "

This tells me nothing.

I'm not a student.

8/18/2005 4:28:14 PM

ah, the original poster IS a gamer, was more adressed to him

and you should probably cosider XP pro anyways, just because recent news seems to suggest it MAY... just possibly... be supported better by microsoft.

[Edited on August 18, 2005 at 4:34 PM. Reason : ]

8/18/2005 4:31:07 PM

AMD Athlon XP 4200+ $482.19 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547
Reputable nForce4 Ultra motherboard ~$120 tops (don't recommend DFI, because of difficult setup for the inexperienced)
2GB (2x1GB) Corsair XMS PC3200 C2PT $300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145575
eVGA GeForce 7800GTX with BF2 $529 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130235
NEC 16x DVD burner ND-3540A $45 in whatever color matches your case
Antec Sonata II Case $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155
Windows XP Pro $147 (probably get that for way less)
MS Office $70 at the bookstore

Total = 1793

I'd say that's under what you want to spend. You could get a better dual core processor but it won't be worth the extra money you pay I don't think. You could get a Logitech MX1000 laser mouse or MX518 gaming mouse. Throw in a floppy for 1 bucks. Add in some cold cathodes or UV reactive round cables if you're into that. You're still way under $2200. If you want it cool, get an aftermarket heatsink like the Zalman CNPS-7700, but if you get that particular one make sure it will fit your motherboard. A lot of times it's just too big. It fit my MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum. Also change the case based on your preference. That is one of the quietest and sleekest cases out. You can also get something from Raidmax or NZXT if you like bold, standout cases. Also throw in Trend Micro's security suite for $50 or less if you have an old copy of Norton or McAfee.

But as TypeA said, you can pretty much get whatever your heart desires for that much money if you're not getting LCDs or peripherials.

8/18/2005 5:47:44 PM

^ 4x 512's generally seem to outbencmark 2x1gb

8/18/2005 6:10:41 PM

^dual channel is what you are refering to as to why 4 perform better than the 2 1gb's.

8/18/2005 6:57:25 PM

ah right

8/18/2005 7:11:31 PM

you'll want an AMD Athlon64 DUAL CORE
hands down best price for performance and you'll need it for Windows Vista

on a side note: i can't believe anyone these days is still on windows 2000

[Edited on August 18, 2005 at 7:32 PM. Reason : .]

8/18/2005 7:29:47 PM

^ appearently CNN, the NCSU Bookstore, ABC, NBC, the NC DMV, and that guy all have something in common then

8/18/2005 7:47:07 PM

some of the boards have problems with running all four slots so if you're gonna get 4x512 then make sure that the motherboard you buy doesn't have any of those problems. Also the clock usually goes down to DDR333 instead of running at DDR400.

8/18/2005 7:54:51 PM

anyone got any specific motherboard model suggestions for him that will do dual channel ddr without problems like that?

8/18/2005 8:02:53 PM

i'll probably get a big MoBo with a lot of slots and what not for future expansion.

8/18/2005 10:21:07 PM

i like Petschska's specs. DONT TOUCH SLI WITH A 10 FOOT POLE.

Quote :

"I want to play battle field 2 and run a virus scan at the same time"

why? virus scanning is wasted memory when running BF2. just re-launch it when you exit.

even with a 7800 i dont know if you can max settings safely.

[Edited on August 18, 2005 at 10:28 PM. Reason : -]

8/18/2005 10:24:24 PM

^ just saying I wanted something with some power.

What kind of power supply wattage should be looking to run that video card and 64 bit processor?

8/18/2005 10:31:17 PM

550 is probably safe. i dunno. each component should have listed its power needs, you just add the numbers up. people usually end up just taking a conservative estimate.

8/18/2005 11:12:34 PM

while SLI might not scale 100% right now, it scales much better when you bring FSAA and anisotropic filtering into the picture, and has the benefit of making bleeding edge games playable at high resolutions with high levels of antialiasing and filtering ok

a difference you can actually see without running 3dmark and tallying up Arbitrary Measurement Units

8/18/2005 11:31:34 PM

Yeah I'd go with 500-600W of a quality Fortron Source, Antec, Enermax, or OCZ power supply.

I can tell you the K8N Neo4 Platinum clocks memory down to DDR333 when all 4 slots are used. Download PDFs of the manuals before you buy of each one, you're considering. It will tell you. As far as the problems with using four slots, I'm not sure if it's the chipset or mobo specific, but I would research it a LOT if you were gonna go that route. But yeah don't touch SLI and I'd go the safe route with only using 2 slots.

8/19/2005 12:33:45 AM

Quote :

"probably 2 gigs of decent dual channel"

hell no thats a waste unless you're doing video editing or heavy rendering of some sort, as Noen will tell you. btw he's got a great site for the kind of questions you're asking.

8/19/2005 8:07:15 AM

CHRIST, WHAT A BUNCH OF PUSSIES

DID SLI PICK ON YOU IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR SOMETHING

8/19/2005 8:23:04 AM

Yo, are these XP Prof. OEM (for compaq, dell, etc) going for $70 bucks acceptable? These sites say they will install on anything.

[Edited on August 19, 2005 at 12:00 PM. Reason : x]

8/19/2005 11:58:23 AM

Quote :

"I want to play battle field 2"

That game uses memory like a beast. That's why I said to get 2GB of RAM; plus he can afford it.

Quote :

"DID SLI PICK ON YOU IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR SOMETHING"

No. But he stopped being my friend when we went to 9th grade.
SLI isn't that useful unless you're running at resolutions of 1600x1200 or higher with max filters. The next generation of cards will have twice as much power as a single current generation card so it's not a viable upgrade path either. Basically SLI is reserved for people with too much money or people who need really, really high resoultion. Not to mention the more expensive motherboard.

[Edited on August 19, 2005 at 12:05 PM. Reason : clearified]

8/19/2005 12:04:39 PM

Fin. Aid got fucked up. I owe the school 980$. So now im looking about ~$1300 to spend

8/19/2005 3:05:33 PM

sounds like you're getting a dell after some coupon codes now

8/19/2005 3:11:21 PM

yeah

8/19/2005 3:14:46 PM

BTW found out our Financial Aid department is known throughout the USA for being the worst. How awesome is that? Cause they fuck'd mine up too!

__________

8/19/2005 4:03:44 PM

~$1300

using some older parts you can still get a kick ass machine....

8/21/2005 3:14:03 PM