I have a goal. A screamin' gaming machine, for less than $800.

I have built computers in the past, but find the task of buying the parts very annoying, because, expecially online, some parts come late, some come too early, and I get to ancoious to build it.

I'm thinking of getting an AMD Athlon 2800 XP, and an Asus Mobo. 510 Ram, and a 60GB hard drive. Thinking of a nVidia FX 5900.

Don't need an OS, Montior, Mouse, KB, CD-RW (Have an old 16x, that works great).

You think I can do it? :D

Ya, you could do it. Think about it this way:

Mobo/CPU: $300
RAM: $75
Case/Power: $100
HD: $150
Vid Card: $150
Other (Cables, etc): $20
----------
Total: $795


Now, of couse, this is pretty bare bones (no DVD, PCI Cards, Cool Cases) and I'm being pretty generous with prices. Of course, you could also just get a custom Dell or Gateway. I got one back in Jan 03 that consisted of

Intel P4 2.4 GHz
60 gigs
CD-ROM
CD-RW
256 MB RAM
LAN Card
Modem
TV Tuner
MS Works
Keyboard, Mouse, etc
Support

For $825 (tax/shipping included) (after mail in rebates)

Going the Dell/Gateway route ain't so bad. Question is, can you get an AMD through them, 'cause for gaming (as MM well knows), AMD is defintiely the preferred CPU. If you can do that, you should be in good shape. I've been amazed at the quality product these places put together these days. Not 3 years ago, I'd roll my eyes at the sight of those commodity boxes. But I've got a Dell that's 2 years old and runs like a dream! And it's got the added benefit of a beautifully designed case (somewhat Mac inspired, if I'm not mistaken) for stupidly easy component access should you ever want to make upgrades. You also benefit from a plethora of legal, licensed software :eek:

I know there's a bit o' pride involved in building your own, but since the speed and quality of components outreached the needs of available software, the market for components has changed considerably. People are not upgrading as blindly as before, so it's suddenly not so cheap to go out and buy individual components. It's actually cheaper to get a built system from a place like Dell or Gateway that benefits from bulk rates on their components.

Many of your words are true GD. However, bulding looks like my best choice now, because of expanability:

3450123 Maxtor 40GB 6E040L0 Diamond Max Plus 8 UATA133 - Bare Hard Drive $59.99

3608015 Patriot 1GB PC3200 Dual Channel 2X512MB CAS2 DDR 184Pin $179.99

3620155 Aspire TurboCase XDreamer Silver 350W Mid Tower ATX Case
$59.99

3833857 Intel® Pentium 4 2.6GHz (800FSB) Boxed CPU W/ ECS 648FX-A Motherboard $299.99

3836467 PNY 128MB DDR2 AGP 8X Video Card with nVidia's Verto GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 3D Chip - Dominate Your Games $229.99

Total: $823.94

Darn. But, I can go to Dell, and get the:
Demnsion 4600, with Windows XP Media Center for only $838, with a good graphics card.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=19&oc=D46MC&m_1=WMP268H&m_11=WMCE&m_6=64AIW&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&kc=6V468

I'll take Dell. :)

If you want to build a nice gaming PC, try this...

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ - you can get this about $90, and it's REALLY easy to overclock (with standard cooling) to Athlon XP 3200+ level (set the BIOS multiplier to 11*2.2)

I've built 4 systems with this processor at the heart, and they've been stable and fast, for not a lot of money.

Have fun

pssst....you can get it down to $799 if you don't get the 17in CRT with it...

Hmm, doesn't look like you can get an Athlon at Dell. That's unfortunate. But, subtract a monitor and you've got a cheaper box with probably better parts, and a warranty. Hard to pass that up.

It says that the P4 included uses HT. I havn't actually even touched a box with HT, so does anyone know if it does make a difference?

Also, GD, I don't know of ANY big name manufacturers that use AMD anymore. Dell, Gateway, and IBM all use Intel now. :(

HT Makes the Computer seem to be using Two Processors instead of one. it allows the Processor to process two concurrant processes at the same time.

Also. For an ultimate Gaming machine. you need to focus on three things, Ram and Video Card/Ram, and MOBO Front side speed

You can sacrifice a little on the processor and splurge on Lots (At Least a GB) of Ram, a Video card that has atleast 256 or better 512 MB of ram, and a Front side bus thats as fast as you can afford. Also if you have the chance to get 1GB of ram in one stick or two go for two. The DDR Systems run Twice as fast on two sticks as opposed to one.

Hope it helps
Joel

Originally posted by DRIVERJC
HT Makes the Computer seem to be using Two Processors instead of one. it allows the Processor to process two concurrant processes at the same time.

Also. For an ultimate Gaming machine. you need to focus on three things, Ram and Video Card/Ram, and MOBO Front side speed

You can sacrifice a little on the processor and splurge on Lots (At Least a GB) of Ram, a Video card that has atleast 256 or better 512 MB of ram, and a Front side bus thats as fast as you can afford. Also if you have the chance to get 1GB of ram in one stick or two go for two. The DDR Systems run Twice as fast on two sticks as opposed to one.

Hope it helps
Joel

Yeah, I know HT makes it seem like 2 processors, but is there an actual preformance difference? Or does it only really affect programs ment for dual systems? And does XP Home Support it? (because I know Home dosn't do duals....)


Also, are you sure about your DDR Ram Therory? I think it would just run at Max bandwidth with 2 sticks, not double bandwidth....

Originally posted by DisneyFan25863
Also, are you sure about your DDR Ram Therory? I think it would just run at Max bandwidth with 2 sticks, not double bandwidth.... Without digging out tech specs, I would guess you get a performance increase with two sticks over just one, but I doubt it's truly double (I'm sure something is shared somewhere along the data path).

I don't believe XP Home supports HT processors.....but XP Pro does.

If you are going to get a GB of RAM, get 2 sticks of 512MB.....I seem to recall something about an issue with some MBs and having only one stick of DDR 1 GB.....can't remember tho.

If you want to overclock, try ASUS motherboards.....they're built for it. I have my p4 1.6Ghz system overclocked to 2.1Ghz and it is completely stable.

-Demigod

First of all I'm sorry it took me so long to respond, I'm trying to Refi my home and Coordinate the Flooring install.

I might be exagerating on the Twice as fast with 2 Sticks of ddr as opposed to one. But I do have a DDR MOBO and when I put one stick of DDR Ram in it didn't like it at all. I'm talking major slowness. when I went out and got another 1GB Stick (yup 2GB of ram). It was like night and day. The computer was so much faster it looked like a new computer.

As for HT technology. It will make a difference in Processor Heavy APPS. If you find the Computer using a lot of the processor (eg for Video Encoding) the HT tech will make a difference. Not as much of one as opposed to actually running Dual Processors but it will make a difference.

Hope it helps

My $0.02 Worth:

<< Start with 2 Hard Drives configured as RAID-0. >>
Hard Drives
Seagate 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST380013AS, OEM
Specifications:
Capacity: 80GB
Average Seek Time: 8.5 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: 3D Defense System
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
Remark: OEM, Requires additional Power adapter more info>
N82E16822148019 $79.00
QTY 2 = $158.00

<< Add 2 sticks of DDR400 RAM >>
Memory (System Memory)
Buffalo Technology 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: Buffalo
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 32M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info>
N82E16820150563 $38.00
QTY 2 = $76.00

<< Put it on a kickin MB, with onboard RAID and GB Ethernet>>
Motherboards - AMD
GIGABYTE nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "GA-7NNXP" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD AthlonXP/Athlon/Duron Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP-T
FSB: 400/333/266MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR400/333/266 Max 3GB
IDE: 4x UltraDMA 66/100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP Pro 8X/4X, 5x PCI, 1x DPS
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,2xCOM,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),2xLAN,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel Codec
Onboard LAN: Intel 82540EM GbE + Realtek 8201 10/100M
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x Serial ATA/GigaRAID controller
Onboard 1394: Support 3 ports
Form Factor: ATX more info>
N82E16813128190 $164.99
$164.99

<< Drop in your processor of choice>>
Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2800+ " Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 2.08GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) more info>
N82E16819103377 $144.00
$144.00

<<Finish off with your video card of choice>>
Video Cards
MSI GeForce FX 5900 Video Card, 256MB DDR, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "FX5900SP-VTD256" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: GeForce FX5900/400MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/850MHz
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+VIVO+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®1.4
Cable/Accessories: 2 Cables, VGA via DVI Adapter, VIVO Adapter, 11 CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details) more info>
N82E16814127104 $339.99
$339.99

<< I used newegg.com but if you shop by price and part you should be able to bring this price back down... >>
Subtotal » $882.98

FYI:

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20030721/nforce2_ultra_400-14.html

Oh, and of course you'll want to be sure to save enough $$ in the budget for one of these:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/pcmods/cases/6169/?cpg=7

:D

Thats a Kickin' Setup. Although I think I would go for 2 Sticks of 512 instead of 256. My opinion.

Also I would rather have one of these cases instead of the one you selected

http://www.pcclub.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A1311101

Originally posted by DRIVERJC
I would rather have one of these cases instead of the one you selected

Actually the case was not included as part of the build (to steal a term from monster garage...) I just added it in as a somewhat humorous aside.

Hey now there's an idea, any TLC producers out there?? How about a new show "Monster PC Garage". A crack team of geeks is given just 5 days to build a kick'en PC that from the outside looks just like a stock IBM-PC circa 1980....

Originally posted by Steve0
A crack team of geeks is given just 5 days to build a kick'en PC that from the outside looks just like a stock IBM-PC circa 1980....

I have, taking up space in my garage, a vintage IBM PC 5150 (http://www.etedeschi.ndirect.co.uk/museum/picts/5150.jpg) [4.77MHz 8086, baby!]. It obviously isn't good for much anymore, but the case is in fine shape--and they made them to last back then.

I'd love to gut it and put modern components in--keeping the vintage look on the outside, of course.

I'm working on putting a blazing Athlon 64 computer into an old Amiga 3000 case :)

Monorailman:

You might want to read this...

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/01/10/2350257&mode=thread&tid=137&tid=152&tid=164&tid=185

Originally posted by DRIVERJC
First of all I'm sorry it took me so long to respond, I'm trying to Refi my home and Coordinate the Flooring install.

I might be exagerating on the Twice as fast with 2 Sticks of ddr as opposed to one. But I do have a DDR MOBO and when I put one stick of DDR Ram in it didn't like it at all. I'm talking major slowness. when I went out and got another 1GB Stick (yup 2GB of ram). It was like night and day. The computer was so much faster it looked like a new computer.

As for HT technology. It will make a difference in Processor Heavy APPS. If you find the Computer using a lot of the processor (eg for Video Encoding) the HT tech will make a difference. Not as much of one as opposed to actually running Dual Processors but it will make a difference.

Hope it helps

Of course that's assuming the applications you're running spawn threads to do different tasks. If they don't, having a second processor won't help.

MonorailMan:

As far as building your own PC goes...

Cases are cheap if you get them off the internet....35-50 bucks can get a decent case.

CPUs - well, a P4 2.5 is going for about $150....

Motherboard....go for a name brand...ASUS, Shuttle, Gigabyte are good names. Get one with a few PCI slots so you can add stuff to it! A good MB will run about $75.

Spend the money on a decent video card - Get a newer graphics card...I have an ATI Radeon 9600 and it works great - about 150 bucks...

Memory - get as much as you can afford....DDR 2700 SDRAM 512MB is about 75 bucks.

Hard drives....get at least an 80GB HD....they can be got for about 50 bucks or so.

CD Burner - you want one of these - about $50 bucks or so. A DVD reader/CD Burner combo will run about $75.

Monitor - depending on size and brand....monitors are cheap. Figure $100 or so on a monitor...more $$=bigger monitor.

Sound Card...depending on the Motherboard you get, you may not need a seperate card....some boards have the audio built in.
So I wont add in the cost here.

So here (Roughtly):

Case/PS.............$50
CPU...................$150
MB....................$75
RAM...................$75
Video Card..........$150
Hard Drive...........$50
DVDROM/CDRW....$75
Monitor...............$100
---------------------------------
TOTAL:............... $725

Not too bad - and this should keep you current, as far as software specs go, for a while.

-Demigod