I got about 1 k to make a gaming pc.

[thahenchman]

So, I've been saving up and have roughly a 1 k budget for a gaming pc. I would like to go w/ an AMD 64, and I'd like a badass video card. Any suggestions or specs?

Thanks

 

[mpmdpz]

Please excuse my stupidity.

If 1k is $1000 then I would recommend you get:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
1GB RAM
ATI X800XT Pro or nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT
A hard drive that fits your need.

If 1k is $10000 then get the best you can get.

 

[thahenchman]

1k = $1,000

 

[thahenchman]

Is there a consus as to which is better, x800xt or 6800gt?

 

[mpmdpz]

All you have to look at is the specs. ATI usually has a faster GPU and faster GPU RAM. I personally prefer nVIDIA, but I recommend ATI since they have better specs. They are below:

nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
370MHz Clock Speed
1000MHZ Memory Speed

I can't find X800XT specs right now.

 

[mpmdpz]

ATI X800XT

500MHz GPU
1000MHz RAM

 

[Plumcuda1]

I'd build this ..... lose the raptor and sound card to get you nearer the 1k mark.

 

[simeon]

DFI NF3 Ultra ~100
AMD 3400+ ~225
1GB Ballistix ~225
6600GT ~220
Fortron 400 ~ 60
NEC DVDR ~ 60
Seagate 80GB ~ 60
------
~ $950 +WXP and case

was going to be my rig until i blew my budget on 500psu, ocz rev2, 160gb, and especially on the x800xt - added about $400, but it's my first build so screw it.

 

[anthrax]

Originally posted by: simeon

DFI NF3 Ultra ~100
AMD 3400+ ~225
1GB Ballistix ~225
6600GT ~220
Fortron 400 ~ 60
NEC DVDR ~ 60
Seagate 80GB ~ 60
------
~ $950 +WXP and case

was going to be my rig until i blew my budget on 500psu, ocz rev2, 160gb, and especially on the x800xt - added about $400, but it's my first build so screw it.

Cut back on the following

1: Premium 1 GB memory....2T timing aren't going to get you more frames...(well not by a lot)
2: U could save on the PSU.. You can get away with a good 350W....they cost around 40 bucks...
3: Save on the CPU...get a a64 3200 instead and O/C it to 2400MHz instead.

4: With the money u saved from the above.. get a 6800GT.....then O/C it to 400/1100 instead.

 

[anthrax]

 

[Lokasenna]

define badass video card. my video card (9800 PRO, 256mb/256-bit) will run anything out there, but it'll be obsolete in a year or so. I built my system for $1,150 from Newegg, 230 of which is a 17" LCD flat panel, so if you've already got one of those, you've got a bit of leeway. Here are the specs:

CleverPower 500W Model SPS-500 55.50
ABIT AN7 94.00
Athlon XP 2700+ Barton 113.00
2x512MB Rosewill DDR 400 122.00
Seagate 80GB IDE 62.15
ASUS DVD-ROM, DVD-RW drives 89.00
CoolerMaster case 108.00
Rosewill ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (256/256) 270.00

That's a total of $873, I use that system here at ISU. It's not the best system in the world, but pretty good for what you've got to spend. If you've got a display already, use the spare 130 bucks or so either on a better vid card, or a SATA HDD (the mobo supports it, it's a pretty awesome board - I highly recommend). Also, you may want a different sound adapter, as it has onboard 6-channel.

If you know how to put it all together, order it from Newegg. Best customer service around and great prices and products.

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: anthrax

Originally posted by: simeon

DFI NF3 Ultra ~100
AMD 3400+ ~225
1GB Ballistix ~225
6600GT ~220
Fortron 400 ~ 60
NEC DVDR ~ 60
Seagate 80GB ~ 60
------
~ $950 +WXP and case

was going to be my rig until i blew my budget on 500psu, ocz rev2, 160gb, and especially on the x800xt - added about $400, but it's my first build so screw it.

Cut back on the following

1: Premium 1 GB memory....2T timing aren't going to get you more frames...(well not by a lot)
2: U could save on the PSU.. You can get away with a good 350W....they cost around 40 bucks...
3: Save on the CPU...get a a64 3200 instead and O/C it to 2400MHz instead.

4: With the money u saved from the above.. get a 6800GT.....then O/C it to 400/1100 instead.

:thumbsup: good advice there.

 

[thahenchman]

thanks guys.

Should I get a sound card, or rely on my mobo's sound? I heard that if you get a sound card it alleviates some pressure on the rig.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: anthrax
1: Premium 1 GB memory....2T timing aren't going to get you more frames...(well not by a lot)

You mean CAS latency 2, right? Command rate 1T vs. 2T is a significant difference on the A64, but you don't need to worry about this unless you have a lot of memory modules anyway. Expensive RAM is a waste, though.

Lokasenna has a pretty good rig put together for that cash, but it could have been significantly better (unless it was built quite a while ago). I'd recommend something along the lines of:

3000+
DFI NF3
Corsair VS 2x512MB
Antec Sonata
NEC 3520A
6800GT
(HDD)

Use onboard sound if your speakers aren't really fancy. If you find you need somewhat better quality, try a Chaintech AV710.

 

[Frew]

Originally posted by: mpmdpz
All you have to look at is the specs. ATI usually has a faster GPU and faster GPU RAM. I personally prefer nVIDIA, but I recommend ATI since they have better specs. They are below:

nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
370MHz Clock Speed
1000MHZ Memory Speed

I can't find X800XT specs right now.

You need to learn a lot more.

 

[drifter106]

Originally posted by: LeadFrog

Originally posted by: mpmdpz
All you have to look at is the specs. ATI usually has a faster GPU and faster GPU RAM. I personally prefer nVIDIA, but I recommend ATI since they have better specs. They are below:

nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
370MHz Clock Speed
1000MHZ Memory Speed

I can't find X800XT specs right now.

You need to learn a lot more.

:thumbsup:

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: mpmdpz
All you have to look at is the specs. ATI usually has a faster GPU and faster GPU RAM. I personally prefer nVIDIA, but I recommend ATI since they have better specs. They are below:

nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
370MHz Clock Speed
1000MHZ Memory Speed

I can't find X800XT specs right now.

That's like saying that Intel is better than AMD because of higher clock speeds . . .



which we all know is NOT TRUE

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: mpmdpz
All you have to look at is the specs. ATI usually has a faster GPU and faster GPU RAM. I personally prefer nVIDIA, but I recommend ATI since they have better specs. They are below:

nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT
370MHz Clock Speed
1000MHZ Memory Speed

I can't find X800XT specs right now.

That's like saying that Intel is better than AMD because of higher clock speeds . . .



which we all know is NOT TRUE

I like ATI myself, but 6800GT is THE bang-for-buck card atm. And their Linux support is 10x better, something I had to learn the hard way...