h22bubbleback

alright i havent built a computer since H.S. and iv been out of the game and now that my budget is tight and my wonderful dell laptop just shat the bed, need opinions...my goal is to run the newest CAD worryless while playin these new games with insane reqs.

athlon 64 3200+ yea or nay? (what socket would you perfer?)
intel > my wallet

MSI NEO2 platinum mobo? how are the BIOS? need to be flashed?

xfx geforce 6600gt?

tight budget and havnt really kept up with the comp world...please useful info

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pissedoffsol

using a 64-bit processor is useless unless you plan to buy a version of windows that is 64-bit. stick to 32 bit. unless you're building a server, you really won't know the difference.

if you're going for a gaming system-

get a board that has a pci-e video card slot. thats where its at now.
1gb of ram, a nice hdd, and a good processor.

Sabz5150

Yeah, only OS that can really take advantage of that 64 bit proc is Linux.

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h22bubbleback

i plan on using linux

how are MSI mobo's? Abit still up there?

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<span style=\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\'><span style=\'color:red\'>
Michael Moore...You've just been pwnd'</span></span>

Calesta

The A64 is still a level above the AXP when it comes to 32 bit performance- you can't get an AXP in speeds that match the A64.

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Sabz5150

Kinda like having two extra cylinders and not using them. If you're gonna get a 64 bit processor, run a 64 bit OS.

Linux is hands down the absolute best choice for that processor. Anything else is a waste.

As for motherboards, I haven't had any troubles with Abit boards. Also, my old Asus board is still running strong, haven't had any troubles with it whatsoever.

I would recommend a board with the nForce chipset. Linux is fully supported and I was impressed with the performance. Also, nVidia decided to switch to Intel processors exclusively for the nForce chipset (why they would do that is beyond me), so the boards will quickly become scarce.

http://www.svc.com/mb-k8nspro-99.html There's a link to one.

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Calesta

Yes and no. Sure you're not going to use the 64 bit capabilities with a 32 bit OS, but you're still going to benefit from the higher clock speeds that the A64 offers over the fastest AXP processors.

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Sabz5150

Yes and no. Sure you're not going to use the 64 bit capabilities with a 32 bit OS, but you're still going to benefit from the higher clock speeds that the A64 offers over the fastest AXP processors.
[/b][/quote]

The problem isn't the processor, it's the OS. When Win 3.1 was the Windows of choice, people were running a 16 bit OS on a 32 bit processor. A total waste.

If I was looking for sheer clock speed, I could overclock or just buy a P4. I buy a 64 bit processor for running 64 bit code.

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mdlax1

P4 3.0-3.2 hyber threaded , asus P4C800 mother board (supports H-T, 1 to 1.5 gigs of dual channel ram, 6600gt card is nice

should run you 1200.. budget if you ask me.. you need to define that word cuase what you want, doesn't equal cheap

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corvetteguy

For Board i would run teh Soyo KT880-Dragon-2 boards with AMD Sempron 2800....
Soyo KT880

For a hard Drive i would get the Hitachi 120gig

Hitachi 120gig

For memory

Kingston 512mb pc3200 400mhz

Kingston 512mb

For a Vid card, Which i ran this card before Playing Everquest, which the most demanding game on the market for graphics, and this card was excellent for the price

Chaintech GeForce FX 5200 / 256MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Video Card

Chaintech

For a Tower w/ Power Supply Its up to you but here is a good start

Tower w/ 420w power supply

A nice Budget Cd/ DVD burner drive

Cd/DVD Burner

Basic Sony Floppy Drive

Floppy Drive


So basically you'd have an Amd Sempron 2800 w/ 512 pc3200 400hz RAM 120 gig 7200rpm hard Drive and a Chaintech 5200 256mb graphics card and DVD/Cd burner for 550 bucks shipped from TigerDirect .com Complete with Tower and 420 watt power Supply

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Calesta

The problem isn't the processor, it's the OS. When Win 3.1 was the Windows of choice, people were running a 16 bit OS on a 32 bit processor. A total waste.

If I was looking for sheer clock speed, I could overclock or just buy a P4. I buy a 64 bit processor for running 64 bit code.
[/b][/quote]

Yes, it's a waste- but I would just overclock the A64 and see how high I could get too... and then again, I would be running 64bit Linux on the side anyway.

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endlesszeal

Intel doesnt hold a candle next to AMD right now in terms of performance. Even the most expensive Pentium Extreme Edition cant beat a decent AMD say a 3500. I say get the AMD 64 even though its useless right now because the price is almost the same as a regular XP and much faster. Get the socket 939 WINCHESTER core because it runs much cooler and consumes less energy then a Newcastle. Also dont get the socket 754 because theyre dying out already because AMD stopped making them.
As for a motherboard, get an SLi if you have some extra cash but if you dont a MSI neo platnium is great. The MSI is AGP and right now, there is no difference between AGP and PCI-Express. But if you get the SLI it will have PCI-E and you can link two cards together. Thus, if you do get an SLi you can get a 6600GT. Which is about 200 and get another one later and match the fastest cards right now, 6800GT which is like 400-600. There are some issues with the 6600GT like the fan on the GPU no secure and what not, so get a Leadtek Winfast 6600GT.
As for harddrive, get an sata or scsi thats good for you bank. Seagates are good because they have a 5 yr warrenty and most of the time cheaper than a WD or Maxtor.
Memory, get some 1gb crucial value ram. If you want to you can get soem Ballistix.
Anyway, happy building. www.anandtech.com for any more info.

endlesszeal

I know i sound like a salesmen but ive been doing a lot of research and i want to build a computer right now too. just im pretty broke and have no use for one until the next 6 mos when i transfer to a university and leave the one i have at home for my brother.

Calesta

You might not want to recommend the SLI nVidia cards.... the only way they work in SLI right now is if there's already a profile set up for the game you're playing- and right now the list of supported games numbers 15. nVidia is being a bit slow on the driver and profile updates.

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Sabz5150

He's gonna be using Linux, that 64 bit processor will be put to good use. Hell, I've been in the 64 bit world for quite some time.

Time to leave Windows behind. Join us, and see the power you can unleash.

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endlesszeal

thats for the heads up. didnt know that. anyway, DFI has a mobo that has the Ultra chip that can easily be modded into SLI modo with 90% of the effect of a "true" SLI for 60 less than its SLI mobo.

vtecsir1

im using a amd 64 2800, all the tests ive run for performance it beats the xp 3200 which is the highest non 64 chip amd makes.

if you are interested in a 64 bit chip get the 939 socket chip since amd is done producing 754 sockets past the 3700, the 939 lets you run dual channel memory unlike my 754 socket.

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JDMH22Integra

I saw someone posted anandtech.com in their reply... that dude went to my high school. Had a brand new BMW every year, glad to see he's doing well in the global marketplace.