What CPU Speed and Video Card should I get?

I'm building a brand new AMD gaming system for under $450, but preferably under $400 if possible.

I'm trying to decide on a good Processor Speed and a good PCI video card that will run all the bells and whistles smoothly and clearly without any problems, preferably someone who has the video card and has tested it, don't really want any assumptions on what might work. I've already done the research on how much the items will cost me and some parts I have already bought and this is all including S/H. This is what I have so far:

Dvd Burner - $35
Motherboard - DFI Lanpart UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 - $106
Video Card - (Looking for PCI only video card, since the MB doesn't support AGP)
Computer Case - $36.50
Power supply - 550W - $25
Hard Drive - 80 GB - $43
CPU - (Looking for a good processor that will run the latest games fast and smooth, do you think AMD Athlon 64 3000+ is sufficient?)
RAM - 1GB - $58
Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Floppy drive - (I already have these items from a previous computer)


Ok so the total I have so far is: $303.50, that leaves either $96.50 or $146.50 for the PCI Video Card and Processor! Please help, thanks in advance.

Check http://www.pricewatch.com
It should lead you in the right direction... I would say AMD and GeForce...
I would say go with a low speed (3000+) AMD 64 Single Core... And maybe a GeForce FX 5200 (Around a total of say I don't know maybe $150)... It's not all the bells and whistles... But it will work good on SL without much noticable lag... I run it all the time...

Hope this helps...

EDIT: ok I just noticed... PCI only board... WTH is that... You can get a better board for alot cheaper... You should go with a Cheapo ECS or even a monster KBV SE Deluxe Asus Mobo... It only runs 99 now because it's Socket 754... And the proc would be cheaper because it's Socket 754 but upgradability is worse though... Also if your running such small hardware and not many USB devices I would suggest cutting your costs on the 550W power supply... Go with a 450W or 500W or somewhere in that range... No need for all that muscle... Not for what you are attempting... Another great place is http://www.milegroup.com
Go to their AMD Socket 754 Configuration page and start adding stuff... They automatically build it for ya... And Warranty it... Plus it's free labor...

Heratiki Turnbull

EDIT2: Oh yeah... I went with Milegroup for my PC... They were top notch to me... I called the 1800 number and got a person in one ring... ONE RING... And they even called me and told me that my RAM was missmatched with my Mobo before I paid for it... Suggested something better with about $4 more dollars and made a small second charge... Built it in 2 days tested it and sent it out in 4 days had it in a total of 6... Enjoy...

Well I did a lot of research on this MB and the reviews on it seem to be really great and I want to stick with a socket 939 because 754 isn't supported as much anymore and I'm gonna have to upgrade it either way so might as well stay with the lastest, right? I'm not sure why it doesn't have any AGP slots, that's the only downside.

I don't want just any brand of Power Supply either, I chose the 550W because of the price which is very cheap for that wattage and the brand is really good - Logisys. It seems like the good power supplies are really expensive nowadays. I want to make sure I'm not gonna get something that's going to die on me. I guess I have to make sure I put a lot of fans in. If I can find a cheaper wattage with the same brand, I will definitely get that instead.

I saw a $14 chiefmax power supply but wasn't sure about the reliability because i never heard of that brand before and couldn't really find any reviews on it. Well it's too late to buy a pre-made PC since I already have some of the parts, I rather just build my own anyways for practice =P

I checked out Milegroup.com but seems like I can beat the prices easily by getting the parts on my own. I also make my purchases based on reviews only. If there are no reviews to support it I won't even bother looking at it. Thanks for all the help!

Its an nForce4 chipset. What you're looking for is PCI Express (PCI-e) not PCI. So you really have a whole range of cards available to you. Since you have like $150 left I'd get a Geforce 6600GT or if you can find one for cheap get a 6800GS. If you can spring the extra $50 or manage to find one on eBay definitely go for the 6800GS or GT.

Ahh. I was thinking the exact same thing, but it's not PCI, it's PCI-e, thankfully.

As far as the video card, I'll put in a plug for FlipperPA Peregrine's terrific SL Boutique, where you can get an NVidia GeForce 6600 256 MB PCI-e card for L$35,000 (about US$121 at today's average price of L$288/US$1 on LindeX).

http://www.slboutique.com/index.php?p=buy&categoryid=134

He also has an XFX GeForce 7800 GTX 256 MB PCI-e for L$150,000, but that's a little out of the OP's budget, I'd say (about US$521 at today's average LindeX price).

P2

The GeForce 6600GT looks like a pretty good card. Seems like they're running on ebay for an average of $100. I think I may try to snag one of those. Ok on the Processor, still deciding whether or not to go for more than a 3000+, On another computer in my house my dad just built an AMD 3000+ with about 450mb of RAM and when I tried to play SL on it, it's really really slow and laggy. Of course he didn't build or for gaming purposes, obviously. Is this slow lag, choppyness because of the Video Card, Memory or the CPU speed or all 3? I think the video card is a VIA/SG Unichrome Pro IGP which is not very good at all it seems. So should i get a faster processor than the 3000+?

Depending on how strict your budget requirements are, I would get as fast a processor as I could afford, not just for SL-related reasons, but because almost every new piece of software makes increasing demands on your computer. The better and faster a computer you can get now, the longer it's going to be before you feel compelled to go through this again.

That being said, I am presently running an AMD Athlon XP 2600+ and have very few issues with lag.

P2

Most likely that was due to the RAM being low and the Video Card (Or Onboard Video) being just not able to keep up... In the business world that PC would be great but let's face it... For video games it's all about how much RAM you can house and how fast your Video Card can tax your Processor... The 3 main forces... I checked www.pricewatch.com for a Socket 939 3000+ and ended up with $129 being the cheapest I could find and that's from an unreliable retailer (Since Pricewatch offers up recommendations from the users who have bought things)... At $129 your going to really be feeling the pinch trying to find a PCI-E card... A cheap PCI-E card simple doesn't really exist... And with your price range hardly any AGP cards that are decent exist... Wish I could help more...

Heratiki Turnbull

Ok, thanks for that info. I'm going to go with the AMD 3000+ and the PCI-e Video Card GeForce 6600GT which is about $123. I'll make the sacrifice and come up with another $100 which isn't that bad for that Processor. After I build it I'll let you guys know how it turns out if you like. Thanks again for all the help.

I have found newEgg very reliable, and Ron's suggestion of a 6600GT or a 6800GS is excellent. I did also see an AMD 64 3000 "Venice" CPU there for $132, its not the "E" version, but will be fine. I built my wife a 754 system with a Sempron 64 3100 and a 6600 Video card, and its pretty good.

More details are available (with comparative Frame Rates in SL) here:

http://baartman.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=313

You'll notice that the 6600 (not even the GT) performs as well as the ATI X800GTO which I have.


I quote Heratiki Turnbull:

... "A cheap PCI-E card simple doesn't really exist..."

Really? How about this for motherboards:

ASUS A8S-X Socket 939 SiS 756 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $62.99
or
MSI K8NGM2-L Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $63.00
or
ASUS A8N-VM Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $65

All have the PCI-e socket, and the 6100 Chipset in the last two is quite impressive, and competes well with the NF4

If you're looking at Video Cards, PCI-e is available in all flavours, and is cheaper than its equivalent in AGP these days.

PNY VCG66256APB Geforce 6600 256MB 128-bit DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail $112
vs
JATON Video-PX6600-256 Geforce 6600 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail $86.50

This is pretty close to what I would use, prices courtesy of newegg:

AMD-compatible Motherboards

ASUS A8N-VM Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail $64.99


Internal Hard Drives

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3808110AS 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -
OEM Model #T3808110AS $58.00


Memory - System

OCZ Value Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ4001024V25DC-K - Retail
Model #CZ4001024V25DC-K $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $76.13


Processors

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX -
Retail Model #:ADA3000BPBOX $131.00


Video Cards

eVGA 256-P2-N369-T6 Geforce 6600 256MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card -
Retail odel #:256-P2-N369-T6 $95.00

Total: $425.12

ive had horrid luck with newegg, the LAST and i mean last time i dealt with them (less than 4 months ago) I paied for overnight, it got here overnight, after it sat in their wherehouse for a week. they sent me wrong parts, didnt send me my GF6600GT and took another week to get that here. the mainboard i bought was fried (it happens) but when i tried to get a replacement they sent me tru almost a month's woth of BS and then said they wouldnt handle it becuase of the buy date (ok so newegg sent it a week in delay and delayed me for almost a month, then wouldnt do an exchange)

i ended up going to the mainboard's maker to get an RMA so almost 4 months later im paying for shipping (again) to get a working part i bought from newegg

screw newegg

I have been using Newegg since 2001, I have had a few parts go bad and there RMA was quick and I was satasfied. I have ordered about $10,000 in parts so far from them for the computers I build and I do understand that no one can be 100% satasfied. My cousin had a similar expierence as you Osgeld, but for the most part anyone else who I know has had nothing but the best to say about Newegg. There are other factors that could of lead to a slow RMA, like a card was out of stock, website errors, etc. Since they rubbed you the wrong way I would suggest you try www.zipzoomfly.com I also order from them whenever they have a cheaper price than Newegg, I too have had a no hassle RMA process from them, but it did take a week for me to give my RMA number unlike Newegg which was less than a day.

well 3 to 1 newegg good
if this was a vote i would loose, zipzoom ect yea ive not had any issues with them yet, and a week is better than never

final note on the newegg issue with the wrong parts they sent me, gave me 2 options, keep them and let my card be billed, or i could ship them back (and i would have to cover the shipping cost, ja rite) it came down to if you want them back you send me a box, or you can eat the cost (im not obligated to pay for something i didnt order) heh they had no problems getting me a fedex box overnight

just for a note to those who may read, PCI Express (PCIe) is much better and slowly replacing PCI/AGP. You do not want an AGP slot on there if you can get a x16 PCIe slot, as PCIe is much better.

Heh. I wish I could find a MB with an AGP AND a PCI-E slot... I'm being given a really nice (read: better than my current crappy ATI dino) AGP video card, and I'd rather be able to use that for a while and upgrade the video card part later.

As it stands, I'm just not willing to upgrade out of my Socket A if it means I either have to buy another new video card, or get a MB with only an AGP slot on it so I CAN'T upgrade later. Feh.

That said... does such a beast exist? *I* certainly haven't found anything of the like...

On another note: I use newegg lots... not once had a problem with them.

Yes, there are motherboards with both AGP and PCI-e slots. As an example, if you go to Newegg and do a search using their Drill Down chart, you can specify the # of each type of slot. It shows that under AMD-compatible boards, the ECS K8T890-A (1.0A), the ASRock 939Dual-SATA2, and under Intel-compatibles, the ECS PT880PRO-A (1.0A), the ASRock 775Dual-880Pro, and the ASUS P5VD1-X all have both AGP and PCI-e slots.

P2

*blinks* Wow... I swear... I've been checking there every few months, and do the drill-down thing, and as soon as I pick one the other goes down to '0'... but now that works... what the...? Oh well... thank you!

This Mother board gives you the option of employing either AGP or PCI-e Video Cards:

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard Approx. $67

Handy if you have an AGP card you wish to continue using, but with a 939 MB, and then later, possibly as funds become available, purchase a PCI-e card.

I personally use this MB, with a PCI-e card, and have found it reliable.

OOOohhh someone's trying to compete with me from SL Boutique already....


Edit: HA! My prices are cheaper!!!!

Where can I get to look at your prices?

Store'll be up again soon. I sell the same video card for about L$5000 less than SL Boutique though (7800GTX, same model and vendor).

Email [email]CorvusTech@gmail.com[/email] while I'm setting the store up, tell me what you're looking for and I'll shoot back what I have. My database is on my home computer and I'm at work.

Back in January I spent about $600 on a PC upgrade. This is what I got:

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (2.21ghz) socket 939 1mb L2 cache San Diego core
Abit AN8 Ultra 200mhz FSB nForce4
(on board audio, NIC, 2 FireWire, 8 USB, dual channel, PS/2, EIDE and SATA)
nVidia GeForce 6800 GS 256m DDR3 PCIe

I wasn't interested in dual core CPUs, or SLI motherboards. I kept my 1GB of RAM I already had from my old rig (PC3200 two sticks 512m), hard and optical drives, case and power supply. The system runs great! I'll probably spend another $200 on a new SATA hard drive, and swap out the two smaller EIDE drives I have in it now.

I have no interest in "bling" computers. Like Alienware or any "Boutique" place where you end up speeding another $3000 just for a useless paintjob. I build my own rigs anyway, I have no need for a glowing PC. That said... the motherboard I got has a series of glowing RED LEDs everywhere.. LOL.. just came that way. I think this was a stripped down version of the AN8 Fata1ity board.. same drivers and stuff. Just lacking a HSF block for the RAM and OTES.

Oh hey do you have a web site, or a catalog of stuff?
I'm in the market for a WD4000KD hard drive.