New PC Time x2!

[Jaz]

Well, like blizz, I too am getting a new PC built.

Only major difference is that I have a budget of around £600. But I still want to be able to play games out now and for the next few years.

Most importantly, I want to be able to run SWAT 4 and GTR perfectly.

Specs that I have come up with are attached, with the only exception being that blizz advised to go for the 6600GT graphics card instead of the one listed.

Opinions please, and don't forget that I'm on a tight budget here, but still need the max perfomance that I can get.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers fella's. :emutalk:

 

[Stezo2k]

Nice setup, but don't go the athlon xp route if you want it to be decent for the next few years, add 10-20 pound more you could get an Athlon 64 3000+, go socket 754 if the AMD64 motherboard prices are too high for you

it's worth the extra believe me, plus it's x64 compatible so it'll work with xp x64 and longhorn, worth it just for xp x64, it's much smoother than regular xp

I wouldn't recommend the 5500 for that price, you can get something better in that rang, the geforce 6200s aint too bad

as for the RAM, go dual channel, its double the bitrate

how come you're buying extra leads etc? the only one you'll need is a cdrom IDE cable, the motherboard comes with one, and most ATX cases come with a power cord too

 

[Stezo2k]

here we go mate, much better performing setup for a cheaper price and all the accessories you had before or better

Faster RAM thats cheaper and a good brand
Faster CPU which is x64 compatible that isn't much more in price
Much faster graphics card that isn't much more in price
Cheaper DVD-RW that does the same thing
Cheaper HDD which is the same size but still a good brand/spec
Seperate floppy/card reader which is cheaper than a combo

Edit: Doh, i forgot to add the power cord, didn't read the title of that case you wanted, should only bump up the price by £1 anyway

 

[Jaz]

Nice one, Stezo2k. I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to PC gaming, so I need to make sure it'll be ok for games that are out there at the moment and will be coming out over the next year or so.

Anyone else have anything to add?

 

[Stezo2k]

Nice one, Stezo2k. I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to PC gaming, so I need to make sure it'll be ok for games that are out there at the moment and will be coming out over the next year or so.

Anyone else have anything to add?

No probs there mate, that setup will be perfect for gaming, I would recommend going for a socket 939 cpu/mobo, but the motherboards are too overpriced for them and the only difference is memory performance anyway.

Just the processor itself will improve gaming performance, the Athlon 64s are designed for gaming and hold quite a lead over the P4s/Athlon XPs.

I was going to originally specify you a geforce 6200, but for a little extra you could go for the much better peforming 6600, it's a really good card.

 

[flow``]

if you're not willing to pay a little extra for at _least_ a 6800gt... then the 6x00 line really isnt for you. theres a pretty big difference in the 6800gt and anything lower then it.. especially since you've got a vanilla 6600 and not even the gt. (do they even make 6600 gts?)

either way.. make it a 6800 gt

and unless you're an audiophile or have a 7.1 setup.. a 7.1 card really isnt all that necessary (especially an overpriced creative card).. the 24 bit stuff is overrated for the most part and creative really doesnt support the 24 bit cards like they do the regular audigy 1/2 line.. grab a cheap audigy 2 board and you should be just as happy.. and be sure to throw on that KX project drivers with it

 

[Stezo2k]

compared to the 5500 he was going to get, for the £15 extra, its worth getting much better performance with the 6600, it's a good price

 

[dogdogwoof]

at any stage can i kick you in the nuts in a rage of jealousy? i'll be hopefully getting an upgrade. but anyways nice pc specs

 

[t0rek]

It's not that difference between the 5500 and the 6600 is little, the fact is that they are selling him the 5500 too expensive! You should go for the 6600, the 5500 is just a overclocked 5200. If you still want to go for the 5500, please tell me, and I will sell you my 5200 in a good price, because I'm planning to buy a 6600

 

[flow``]

better yet, be a little patience and wait for nvidia's new g70 lineup coming out in a few weeks and watch the 6 series prices plummet

that should really save you some cash and let you upgrade to the 6800gt easily once the new cards arrive

 

[Stezo2k]

yeah, i agree it is worth waiting a bit more, with the Athlon 64 x2s coming out the end of the month in the UK, Athlon 64 prices should decrease too, especially socket 754..... they'll be even more of a bargain than they are now....

 

[cooliscool]

No probs there mate, that setup will be perfect for gaming, I would recommend going for a socket 939 cpu/mobo, but the motherboards are too overpriced for them and the only difference is memory performance anyway.

Just the processor itself will improve gaming performance, the Athlon 64s are designed for gaming and hold quite a lead over the P4s/Athlon XPs.

I was going to originally specify you a geforce 6200, but for a little extra you could go for the much better peforming 6600, it's a really good card.

Socket 754 A64's aren't nearly as good as you make them out to be (why the hell did you choose one for him so late in its life?).. the lack of a Dual Channel memory controller kills RAM bandwidth.. making them incomparable to fast 800MHz FSB P4 w/ Dual Channel RAM. My P4 box would eat any Socket 754 A64 for breakfast.

For £600, you could definitely replace that s754 board/mobo with a 939 set.

 

[t0rek]

Socket 754 A64's aren't nearly as good as you make them out to be (why the hell did you choose one for him so late in its life?).. the lack of a Dual Channel memory controller kills RAM bandwidth.. making them incomparable to fast 800MHz FSB P4 w/ Dual Channel RAM. My P4 box would eat any Socket 754 A64 for breakfast.

For £600, you could definitely replace that s754 board/mobo with a 939 set.

Agree

 

[Slougi]

Also do note that the 6600 and the 6600gt are different. The plain 6600 is a lot slower from what I gather. Pretty happy with the 6600gt myself.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

Socket 754 A64's aren't nearly as good as you make them out to be (why the hell did you choose one for him so late in its life?).. the lack of a Dual Channel memory controller kills RAM bandwidth.. making them incomparable to fast 800MHz FSB P4 w/ Dual Channel RAM. My P4 box would eat any Socket 754 A64 for breakfast.

For £600, you could definitely replace that s754 board/mobo with a 939 set.

Oooh! You're going to start a processor war?!

Bring it on!