what's better for gaming?

[imported_Spacemonkey]

Im going to build a gaming pc and I was wondering what would be better to get.

An x2 3800+ and a 7800gtx or an x2 4200+ and a 7800gt (both options are about the same price)

the rest of my future pc:
mushkin 2x1gb sp3200 @333
dfi lanparty ut nf4 sli-d
maxtor 250gb (with 16mb thing )
450watt antec psu
nec dvd +-r/+-rw nd-3540

Also I'm probably gonna overclock a bit in the future, but not just now with my new stuff (first time building my own pc, got a stupid dell now -_-)

anyway what do you guys think is better to get??

An x2 3800+ and a 7800gtx or an x2 4200+ and a 7800gt?

 

[Firsttime]

the 3800+ and GTX

 

[Mickey21]

Really I would weigh your percentage of gaming to not gaming. If you game 100% of the time I would go option 1. If you do a lot of other things besides gaming I would go for the more horsepower and get option 2. Your call really, either choice is fine...

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

Might want to look into the Benq 1640 for a DVD drive alternative.

"mushkin 2x1gb sp3200 @333" You're not going to run your pc3200 @ 400?

 

[imported_Spacemonkey]

well it is 3-3-3 not the mhz I figure

 

[raildogg]

oc the x2 3800 slightly and get a 7800gtx. some gtx's are less than $450 now

that Antec 450W I'm assuming is a smartpower, which will not be adequate especially when using it with the dfi lanparty sli-d and overclocking that x2 3800. an enermax 485w is around $75 and offers much better performance

but if you truly want a power supply which is capable of handling an overclocked and sli, then the OCZ Powerstream 520W is unmatched

 

[imported_Spacemonkey]

allright I'll look into the psu thing
how do you know how much watt you'll need anyway?? I haven't been able to figure that out

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Spacemonkey
well it is 3-3-3 not the mhz I figure

Oh, gotcha.

sorry.

 

[imported_Spacemonkey]

np
it does run at 400mhz

but it was actually just the cheapest set of 2gb I could get at that specific store here in the netherlands. They're pretty cheap with most of the stuff so I figured I could just buy everything overthere

 

[Griffinhart]

Me personally, I would go for the 4200+ X2 and the 7800GT. But, that's because I do a lot of non gaming stuff as well.

I don't think the Framerate difference between the GT and GTX isn't really anything noticable in the real world. And in gaming the faster processor may make up the difference. On the otherhand, If you are doing other stuff with the CPU like encoding or photoshop, the faster CPU will always be welcome.

That said, I think you would be hard pressed to see any appreciable performance difference with either options. Games would have very similar performance and even heavy CPU tasks would only see a minor gain with the faster CPU.

So, it really just boils down to your preference. As I said, I would opt for the 4200+ and the GT, but, I upgrade frequently and I would probably end up getting a better Videoboard next year before getting a new CPU. CPU performance seems to be leveling off lately, while GPU's have been getting some significant improvements.

 

[i1o0i]

AMD X2 3800+ and 7800gtx or ATI X1800XT

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: Spacemonkey
allright I'll look into the psu thing
how do you know how much watt you'll need anyway?? I haven't been able to figure that out

its not about wattage, its about performance in real time. the safe route would be to get the ocz powerstream 520w, it has shown to be a winner when handling overclocking, an sli and running any dfi lanparty motherboard, either an ultra or the sli in your case

 

[imported_Spacemonkey]

hmm.... you might have a point there with both the systems performing about the same in games, while the cpu will help with other 'normal' stuff as well. And a gpu is easier to sell then a cpu so if I wanna upgrade later it's easier to switch the gpu..

oh and I'm not yet running sli, maybe in the future sometime, or maybe never
does anyone think it would be better go get a cheaper non-sli mobo and just upgrade your sinlge gpu in stead of buying an identical one later to boost performance?
it would save me some money to get a better psu

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Firsttime
the 3800+ and GTX

 

[DaveSimmons]

4200+ and GT. It's easier to replace the card, the GT is fine at at up 1600x1200, and right now games only use one of the cores (plus a tiny bit of the second) so the extra CPU speed per core is useful.

 

[Gadzookie]

4200 and GT also ! wayy cheaper to replace the vid card in the future then the cpu !

 

[bob4432]

what is the rest of the system - what monitor? what games? what are you going to run the games at resolution wise? what else do you use your computer for?

 

[ElTorrente]

Originally posted by: Firsttime
the 3800+ and GTX

YUP.

The 3800 and 4200 are very close in performance and ocing ability, but the GTX will make quite a big difference over the GT in high resolution and future games.

The two processers will "last" about the same amount of time before they start feeling dated and slow, but the GT will feel dated much quicker than the GTX.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: Spacemonkey
allright I'll look into the psu thing
how do you know how much watt you'll need anyway?? I haven't been able to figure that out

you need around 30 amps (minimum) on the +12V rail
(if its a dual rail PSU, combine the max amps allowed on each rail and thats your number)



and to correct raildog

the best PSU hands down, unmatched is the PC Power and Cooling 510w SLI PSU

 

[imported_Kensai]

Originally posted by: Firsttime
the 3800+ and GTX

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: BigCoolJesus

Originally posted by: Spacemonkey
allright I'll look into the psu thing
how do you know how much watt you'll need anyway?? I haven't been able to figure that out

you need around 30 amps (minimum) on the +12V rail
(if its a dual rail PSU, combine the max amps allowed on each rail and thats your number)



and to correct raildog

the best PSU hands down, unmatched is the PC Power and Cooling 510w SLI PSU

you need 30A on the 12V for a 7800gt/x?

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: BigCoolJesus

Originally posted by: Spacemonkey
allright I'll look into the psu thing
how do you know how much watt you'll need anyway?? I haven't been able to figure that out

you need around 30 amps (minimum) on the +12V rail
(if its a dual rail PSU, combine the max amps allowed on each rail and thats your number)



and to correct raildog

the best PSU hands down, unmatched is the PC Power and Cooling 510w SLI PSU

you need 30A on the 12V for a 7800gt/x?

with the system hes running, itd be a very good idea


fine, 28A at the very minimum, but 30A allows room for overclock of GPU and CPU, and also takes into account a crapload of extras (hdd's, dvd drives, fans, etc)

 

[alimoalem]

definitely 3800+ and gtx. as you said, you'll be overclocking in the future anyway

 

[imported_NinjaGnat]

3800+ And the GTX, as you can't overclock yourself some more pipes. If it were a 3800 vs. a 4400+ I might say otherwise, as you can't OC extra cache in the same fashion.