AMD Setup

Bobo said:
Well I would recommend the 7900GTX over the x1900xtx. They are about the same price.

For $490:
x 1900xtx:
650MHz core
1500MHz memory
16 pipelines
256-bit
512MB GDDR3

7900GTX:
665MHz core
1630MHz memory
24 pipelines
256-bit
512MB GDDR3

Have a looksee here:
http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/9780

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30856

It seems that they are pretty much even in performance, but the x1900xtx is so loud, I would never buy it over the 7900gtx
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would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?
 
For a single high end model card the ATI model gets the best reviews. Some go with Crossfire while others go with SLI depending on the performance seen in different games themselves. Sometimes when any issues are seen during gaming you simply notch the voltage up from 1.5v to either 1.6v or 1.7 to meet the demand on the card itself. That's an older trick there. SLI or Crossfire is supposed to be the added avantage of running twin cards for higher performance over the use of one. The impression here was that you were trying to assemble a basic case not a full blown screamer at this time.
 
Cab00se said:
would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?
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Any of the aforementioned cards is pretty much overkill for most games out there (excluding oblivion) so one 7900 GTX would be good. Don't get an Asrock board, I would go for something like this. If you can spend that much money on a PC don't screw it up with a cheapy mobo. The one I mentioned would be the minimum.
 
no, i'm sorry if I gave that impression, the idea is a full blown screamer as you say that will last me the next 3 years.


The modifications I spoke of in the future are only if it needs more than the 2 gigs I am putting in now and the video cards I want. If for instance a year from now I need to upgrade them.

However, for right now I want that not to be an issue at all for at least a year and I want this computer to run games like CS:S at 1280x1024 with full AA and AF and all the bell and whistles on. Hope that makes it a little bit more clear. I have at maxiumum of like 1500 bucks for this all. Monitor will just wait until x-mas so don't worry about that.
 
Well the MSI K8N NEO4 Platinum board mrbagrat posted a link for looks far better then ASRock you were listing. You could throw on a pair of 1gb Kingston, Corsair, or even OCZ performance dimms to meet your needs. To go much over 2gb for most games out would be stretching however. CAD and other large engineering programs would have that need. As far as video I crank HL2, CS:Source, and Metal of Honor alike with the ATI 256mb AGP card. That's why the single card performer s really all you would need if you want to save some cash over the next few years for the case that follows.
 
Cab00se said:
would you recommend 7900GT SLI over one 7900GTX or are you just saying one 7900GTX for now or just in total?
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Well he had said that he only wanted one card now, and to upgrade to SLI/Crossfire in the future.

For a single high end model card the ATI model gets the best reviews. Some go with Crossfire while others go with SLI depending on the performance seen in different games themselves
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Well I have always seen SLI get better reviews than Crossfire, that's why I would go with the 7900GTX over the x1900XTX. Find me a review that says Crossfire is better than SLI, and I might change my mind.
 
Using what you have said so far I set this up for you:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+

DFI Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250gb

^^Combo^^
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner

G.SKILL 1gb PC 3200

AeroCool ZERODBA 620watt PSU

XFX GeForce 7900 GTX

Total: 1467.94

The Centurion you posted earlier looks fine, but this one supports 2 x 120mm.

If you don't need a DVD drive, it will be about 1500 with shipping & taxes. The reason I added a 250gb drive instead of a smaller capacity is that the price difference isn't really that much, and you get double the storage. 20-30$ for an extra 130gb is really good.

Comments?
 
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only that I wanted 2 gb of ram really and that I like having a window in my case :) .

Other than that, guess on the higher end of price but if I really want it to last I guess I should. I have about 7k dollars but I am supposed to be saving it for my vehicle next summer :o . Oh well computer first IMO.

I think I can get a 2gb corsair deal for 128 bucks after mail in rebate on newegg I saw this week and I'm sure there will be a deal like that when I order all this.

Other than that I guess you are suggesting just getting the one 7900GTX for now and maybe a second in the future? Or just keeping the one in the SLI board?

Anyway, looks pretty good I appreciate your time
 
Cab00se said:
Other than that I guess you are suggesting just getting the one 7900GTX for now and maybe a second in the future? Or just keeping the one in the SLI board?
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Well if you want to have two later, you need an SLI board. Unless you plan on upgrading the motherboard later as well, which I wouldn't recommend doing. It isn't that hard, just seems pointless to me.
 
For a better model board you may want to look over the MSI if not Asus for a board that is more updated and has easier access to downloads to keep the system updated. As far as choosing between Crossfire and SLI look over some reviews on the performance levels on each before jumping on anything too fast. http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2481
http://www.motherboards.org/ http://www.channeltimes.com/channeltimes/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=72088&cat_id=883
http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=9069
http://overclockercafe.com/old_news/week_of_12-11-05.htm
 
I've had 2 video cards in the past 7 years. The Geforce mx420 and the ATI 9600XT. Both were good cards for me at the time so I have no loyalty either way. The ATI crossfire looks impressive but for the cost/performance ratio is just not worth it IMO, rather look towards the nVidia. I'm thinking the 7900GT right now because the increase to the GTX is just alot of money for not that huge of a gain as far as I can see.

Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?

Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.

Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?

Thanks
 
Cab00se said:
Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?
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It will be fine. Cases only start to get cramped with a lot of expansion cards, aftermarket cooling, etc. You could get a full tower but they are
a. Usually more expensive

b. Take up a lot more room. You don't know how big full towers are until you've seen one.

By all means, if you have the room for a full tower and are willing to spend more money do so, but the Centurion will do just fine.
Cab00se said:
Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.
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DFI makes great quality boards. If you want the system to last 3 years as you said, DFI is the best way to go (IMO). Besides, you get what you pay for.

Cab00se said:
Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?
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Aerocool is a reliable brand, in cases, cooling, and PSUs.
You probably want >600 watts for what you are getting. A video card that powerful will be power hungry, and if you are planning to get SLI in the future you will need that much power.
 
thanks, and I'm an idiot the benchmarks I was looking at were for a 7900GT with 512 mb of RAM and i was going to buy a 256 for 300 but the 512 model price I might as well get the GTX, guess I'll just have to do some odd job to rationalize to myself the extra 200 bucks. Then I'll throw in another at x-mas prolly come way down in price by then with the 8xxx series out. Hopefully anyway.

basically I am looking at between 1500-1600 dollars right now unless I'm doing something wrong. Seems a bit high but oh well I guess then at least I won't have to worry about it for a year or two
 
Cab00se said:
I've had 2 video cards in the past 7 years. The Geforce mx420 and the ATI 9600XT. Both were good cards for me at the time so I have no loyalty either way. The ATI crossfire looks impressive but for the cost/performance ratio is just not worth it IMO, rather look towards the nVidia. I'm thinking the 7900GT right now because the increase to the GTX is just alot of money for not that huge of a gain as far as I can see.

Will that Centurian case be big enough to hold it ok?

Also, why did you pick the most expensive DFI lanparty board, is it just that much better or what because there are alot of other ones with good reviews.

Lastly, The powersupply i've never heard of that brand, is that good or would going down to a Antec TPII 550w be better for only 85 bucks?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Aerocool gets up there along with Enermax and Antec as far as supplies are concerned. Before jumping the gun on Crossfire completely you may want to look over some reviews. http://neoseeker.com/Hardware/Products/ati_x1900_crossfire/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/293/1/
http://www.siliconfactor.com/article.php?aid=30
http://www.digital-daily.com/video
http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=777&cid=2
 
those articles just confirm the fact that ATI has somewhat more performance but the cost is just too high for the average consumer in pound for pound ratio

EDIT: I'm pretty sure I might just go with a 7900GT and get another one later even if they are 256mb because I don't play any games over 1280x1024 anyway and the benchmarks are pretty much the same at that size
 
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The idea of the X1900 is for "High End" performace gaming with the larger capacity of 512mb on each card and not for the average weekend occasional game play. Anytime you after that line you will see a higher price since you are then paying for what you get as the saying goes. On many games the 1280x1024 resolution is not even supported. Games by Steam/Source are designed for running on lcds that usually see 1280x1024 default. You will see that on Flat screen crts as well.

Your best choice here is to go with what works best for your budget as well as any performance values you will see. There are some great NVidia cards out there just as well as seen in the ATI line. I added the reviews here for giving you a few more ideas to work with. MSI also has some good cards to look over along with the 7900GT.
 
well I am going to be playing at least an hour or two on a daily basis and games like CS:S in the resolutions I've specified. I dunno, I really am on the fence with wanting to just get the GT model and knowing that I might be dissapointed if I don't go big here between the GTX or even the FSAA of the ATI line.

Basically I am reading your reviews and articles you posted and its hard to get a clear cut understanding because obviously they are partial to whatever they are reviewing at the time. But I have two weeks left of commencement things before I buy this so hopefully I will know by then.

On a side note, would it be wise to start purchasing deals from newegg that offer free shipping and good prices on the items I want seperately as to save on the total shipping costs if I ordered it all at once (70 bucks). Just a thought I had because I am set on the ram that is always on sale and other things.
 
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