Budget gaming computer

Deus Ex Machina · 06-21-2005, 03:18 AM

Last time I posted here I related how I was stuck in between using a crappy machine for the next year and waiting for my parents to buy me a new machine for college or buying a new machine myself now. I've now decided to buy a new machine with my own money, because I can not stand this POS any longer. Because as we know, a top of the line computer only stays such for a while, I've decided to be more sensible and get mid-range to good parts and plug and play as necessary.

This machine is primarily for gaming. I'm not really interested in anything else CPU intensive, and since I've had to replace some parts of my current machine, I'll be cannibalizing an 80gig primary drive, a 160gig backup (both Seagate drives). I also have 2 256 sticks of cheap vanilla Ram, but I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to use them. Otherwise my processer and mobo are garbage, and I'm probably going to burn my video card once I have a new computer working.

So far I have this on my wishlist:

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: A8N-SLI Deluxe $169.00

eVGA 128-A8-N350 Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail
Model #: 128-A8-N350 $164.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $190.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT400 $78.99

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: MPF920 Black $10.00

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3120026A 120GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3120026A $81.00

SAMSUNG Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model TS-H352A/BEBP - OEM
Model #: TS-H352A/BEBP $24.50

Total from Newegg: 717.49

Basically, I want to know if this is all compatible and if I'm missing anything* or if I have parts I can get which would be better for gaming for around the same cost. Of course you're all welcome to say if part X is better than my part Y and so forth.

*The other thing is that I am lost as far as cases. I think I want something portable (LAN size, heh), but I want to make sure it has enough power for my system. Any reccomendations?

j0hn00 · 06-21-2005, 03:47 AM

That video card won't fit that motherboard. Personally, I'd take out the extra hard drive... (you've got two anyway), get a cheaper motherboard and use the extra cash for a better video card. Plus, if you're not going to be using RAID, why get a floppy?

Deus Ex Machina · 06-21-2005, 04:13 AM

Is there a Mobo that will fit everything else?

I'm getting the extra HDD because I've been ripping a lot (like, hundreds..) of CD's recently and I'm running out of room, so on my new computer I'll proabably put my games and system stuff on the 80 and all my music and image files on the 120.

The floppy is only 10 bucks and sometimes I use a floppy to transfer a small file without having to rip a new CD or whatnot.

As far as video cards, I was under the impression that the 6600GT was pretty good. I'm willing to put down another 50-100 bucks for another card if it would really be worth the price delta.

b182tm · 06-21-2005, 05:41 AM

From what I read, the 6600 GT is good. I ordered one, and it's on it's way here. I also use floppy to take data from one pc to the other, without having to waste a good cd-r.
Derek

j0hn00 · 06-21-2005, 05:46 AM

6600GT is a good video card, but you're going to have get the PCI-Express version if you want to use that motherboard.

Deus Ex Machina · 06-21-2005, 07:02 AM

I've heard AGP is better/faster than PCI, I don't really care, it's not like I'm set on this particular mobo, so I can always change that instead, especially if I can get something cheaper and then have more money for a superior video card.

I2EN3GADE · 06-21-2005, 07:24 AM

i had the same question on another thread about the pci vs agp. i was told that their performance is the same but everything is moving to PCI, so i would be better off getting a PCI card. plus, if you got a mobo with 2 pci express 16 slots, you could link 2 video cards and have up to 1 gig of video memory (my friend did it with 2 512 mb cards).

Deus Ex Machina · 06-21-2005, 07:59 AM

Okay, so assuming PCI-E is a safer bet for the future, and laying down some more cash for a better video card and doubling my RAM, and replacing the MoBo.. it would look something like this:

ASUS A8V DELUXE Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: A8V DELUXE $109.00

MSI NX6800-TD128E Geforce 6800 128MB DDR PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: NX6800-TD128E $226.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $190.00

CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail
Model #: VS2GBKIT400C3 $168.00

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: MPF920 Black $10.00

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3120026A 120GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3120026A $81.00

SAMSUNG Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model TS-H352A/BEBP - OEM
Model #: TS-H352A/BEBP $24.50

Total from Newegg: $808.50

I'm going to cap my budget at $1000, but otherwise, does this system work? If yes, what's the weak point? Also, I'm still looking for a case, an hour and a half of browsing tonight didn't turn up anything particularly attractive. Thanks for the help so far!

Charlie7940 · 06-21-2005, 02:02 PM

I don't believe 2 gig of ram is necessary. You probably won't notice a difference with one gig for a gaming machine.

ripken2004 · 06-21-2005, 05:08 PM

pretty sweet, and u still have 200$ to spend? if so then get a dfi nf4 board, and then either get a 3500venice or a 6800gt

06-21-2005, 03:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
Deus Ex Machina New Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 22	Budget gaming computer Last time I posted here I related how I was stuck in between using a crappy machine for the next year and waiting for my parents to buy me a new machine for college or buying a new machine myself now. I've now decided to buy a new machine with my own money, because I can not stand this POS any longer. Because as we know, a top of the line computer only stays such for a while, I've decided to be more sensible and get mid-range to good parts and plug and play as necessary. This machine is primarily for gaming. I'm not really interested in anything else CPU intensive, and since I've had to replace some parts of my current machine, I'll be cannibalizing an 80gig primary drive, a 160gig backup (both Seagate drives). I also have 2 256 sticks of cheap vanilla Ram, but I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to use them. Otherwise my processer and mobo are garbage, and I'm probably going to burn my video card once I have a new computer working. So far I have this on my wishlist: ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: A8N-SLI Deluxe $169.00 eVGA 128-A8-N350 Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail Model #: 128-A8-N350 $164.00 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $190.00 CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail Model #: VS1GBKIT400 $78.99 SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM Model #: MPF920 Black $10.00 Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3120026A 120GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM Model #: ST3120026A $81.00 SAMSUNG Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model TS-H352A/BEBP - OEM Model #: TS-H352A/BEBP $24.50 Total from Newegg: 717.49 Basically, I want to know if this is all compatible and if I'm missing anything* or if I have parts I can get which would be better for gaming for around the same cost. Of course you're all welcome to say if part X is better than my part Y and so forth. *The other thing is that I am lost as far as cases. I think I want something portable (LAN size, heh), but I want to make sure it has enough power for my system. Any reccomendations?

06-21-2005, 05:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
b182tm Diamond Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bronco Country Age: 19 Posts: 1,044	From what I read, the 6600 GT is good. I ordered one, and it's on it's way here. I also use floppy to take data from one pc to the other, without having to waste a good cd-r. Derek __________________ mobo ASUS A8N5X cpu AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ memory 1GB GeIL RAM video card 6600 GT 128MB hard drive Samsung 120GB SATA HDD R.I.P. Darrent Williams

06-21-2005, 02:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
Charlie7940 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 749	I don't believe 2 gig of ram is necessary. You probably won't notice a difference with one gig for a gaming machine. __________________ "The problem with troubleshooting is that trouble shoots back."

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06-21-2005, 03:47 AM	#2 (permalink)
j0hn00 Gold Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 324	That video card won't fit that motherboard. Personally, I'd take out the extra hard drive... (you've got two anyway), get a cheaper motherboard and use the extra cash for a better video card. Plus, if you're not going to be using RAID, why get a floppy?

06-21-2005, 04:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
Deus Ex Machina New Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 22	Is there a Mobo that will fit everything else? I'm getting the extra HDD because I've been ripping a lot (like, hundreds..) of CD's recently and I'm running out of room, so on my new computer I'll proabably put my games and system stuff on the 80 and all my music and image files on the 120. The floppy is only 10 bucks and sometimes I use a floppy to transfer a small file without having to rip a new CD or whatnot. As far as video cards, I was under the impression that the 6600GT was pretty good. I'm willing to put down another 50-100 bucks for another card if it would really be worth the price delta.

06-21-2005, 05:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
j0hn00 Gold Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 324	6600GT is a good video card, but you're going to have get the PCI-Express version if you want to use that motherboard.

06-21-2005, 07:02 AM	#6 (permalink)
Deus Ex Machina New Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 22	I've heard AGP is better/faster than PCI, I don't really care, it's not like I'm set on this particular mobo, so I can always change that instead, especially if I can get something cheaper and then have more money for a superior video card.

06-21-2005, 07:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
I2EN3GADE Silver Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Illinois Age: 19 Posts: 155	i had the same question on another thread about the pci vs agp. i was told that their performance is the same but everything is moving to PCI, so i would be better off getting a PCI card. plus, if you got a mobo with 2 pci express 16 slots, you could link 2 video cards and have up to 1 gig of video memory (my friend did it with 2 512 mb cards).

06-21-2005, 07:59 AM	#8 (permalink)
Deus Ex Machina New Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 22	Okay, so assuming PCI-E is a safer bet for the future, and laying down some more cash for a better video card and doubling my RAM, and replacing the MoBo.. it would look something like this: ASUS A8V DELUXE Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: A8V DELUXE $109.00 MSI NX6800-TD128E Geforce 6800 128MB DDR PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: NX6800-TD128E $226.00 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $190.00 CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail Model #: VS2GBKIT400C3 $168.00 SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM Model #: MPF920 Black $10.00 Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3120026A 120GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM Model #: ST3120026A $81.00 SAMSUNG Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model TS-H352A/BEBP - OEM Model #: TS-H352A/BEBP $24.50 Total from Newegg: $808.50 I'm going to cap my budget at $1000, but otherwise, does this system work? If yes, what's the weak point? Also, I'm still looking for a case, an hour and a half of browsing tonight didn't turn up anything particularly attractive. Thanks for the help so far!

06-21-2005, 05:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
ripken2004 Platinum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 534	pretty sweet, and u still have 200$ to spend? if so then get a dfi nf4 board, and then either get a 3500venice or a 6800gt