Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: Building a comp, need advice
  • Subject: Building a comp, need advice
Subject: Building a comp, need advice
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Hey im going to be building a my new comp soon and just wanna get your thoughts on these things so far. The CPU, motherboard, and Video Card

CPU:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-deta ils.asp?EdpNo=

MotherBoard:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-deta ils.asp?EdpNo=1173590&CatId=1189

VideoCard:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-deta ils.asp?EdpNo=699287&CatId=0

  • 05.07.2005 11:17 PM PDT
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Well, none of the links really work.

Can you just describe what you're getting, the really detailed specs, and then the prices?

And if possible, can I ask your budget and what general direction you want to go with the pc?

[Edited on 5/8/2005]

  • 05.08.2005 12:35 AM PDT
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yeah sorry didnt see that they didn't work. But anyway the CPU is a AMD Athlon 64 2800+ / 512KB Cache / 1600MHz FSB / Socket 754 / Processor with Fan thats $122.99. The Video card is a Sapphire Radeon 9800se / 128MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Lite Version Video Cardwhich is $119.99. and the Motherboard is MSI K8NNeo-FSR nVidia Socket 754 ATX Motherboard / Audio / AGP 8x/4x / USB 2.0 / Gigabit LAN / Serial ATA and thats $96.99. And Im tring to make a bit of a higher end PC which can run Halo with no to minimal slowdown as well as other graphically demanding games. And as for the budget im not quite sure as of yet but im gonna say about $600 +

  • 05.08.2005 12:22 PM PDT
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Well, I assume you've got the case, hard drive, optical drive, and a new or powerful psu - don;t shove in the one from your old Dell. You'll seem something much stronger.

$600 won't get you a higher end pc. I spent $1000 and more will.

The processor is suitable. For socket 754 a 3000 or 3200 is ideal, though.

Video card, I won't lie it's not great. It will lag on high settings on Halo. If you see an SE after ATi's video card, that means it's 'special edition', which means a toned down version. The 9800 Pro is ideal here, though a 9800 would work okay. Either way, do not buy SE cards.

Motherboard is fine. Nothing really cheap about it. It's a mid-range socket 754 board.

If you have your current setup, expect to lag on Doom 3 for sure, and any new games in the coming year. That's on mid to high settings, though. I will say that if you want a 'high-end' pc you need to spend a bit more. This is a good s754 setup:

-MSI K8T Neo or Asus K8V. Any VIA chipset will do here - it's the strongest for socket 754.
-A64 3000 or 3200
-9800 Pro, or X800XL if you want to get some crazy good graphics for a low price [X800XL is the ultimate price/performance card in the higher end of ATi], or maybe a 6600GT

You'll need about 400 watts + on the psu. Antec makes some really nice ones, but so does OCZ - they're a bit pricier, though.

  • 05.08.2005 12:55 PM PDT
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Ok thanks, and yeah im probably gonna go with the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ instead. So heres what I have so far...

CPU:AMD Athlon 64 3000+ / 512KB Cache / 1600MHz FSB / Socket 754 / Processor with Fan

VideoCard:Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro / 128MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Video Card

MotherBoard: Staying the same unless a better one can be suggested. (But around the same price)

So how would this do running a Game like Halo on High settings?

  • 05.08.2005 1:23 PM PDT
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Looks good...but if you want a cheap-but-reliable video card, here's a Radeon 9800 Pro for $127...probably cheaper than what you have now. It's 256-bit, also.

http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E168141023 62&CMP=BAC-tbcpc

You might want to keep up with Techbargains.com. It's a computer deals website, and it has the best computer deals anywhere. :D

  • 05.08.2005 1:39 PM PDT
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When I saw socket 754 I remembered a mobo that had both PCIe and AGP slots on it. When I looked it up, it turned out to be an Intel 775. Ah well. The only thing that gets me is your $600 budget. You will have to have Ram, a hard driver, and a CD/CD-RW/DVD-RW for that budget. The machine that I am currently thinking of making costs around $1300-$1400 canadian. It has an AMD 64 3200+, a 6600gt, 1GB Ram, an 80GB harddrive, a good looking case with I believe a 380w PSU, and an A8N-E mobo, and other essentials like a moniter etc. Thats a socket 939 CPU though.

I don't know if these work.

This is an AMD 3200 754 with an x800 Pro PCIe card.

This is the same thing but with a 6600GT

This Is the same as the last one but with a 939 CPU. Its the same price.

If they don't work here are the specs:

1. AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.2GHz 512KB L2 Cache Newcastle Skt 754, Asus K8N4-E Deluxe Motherboard Skt 754 nForce4-4X 800MHz DDR400 w/ 8-ch audio, GLAN, SATA-RAID, Sapphire ATI Radeon X800 Pro 256MB DDR3 VIVO PCI-Express (Full Retail)

2. AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.2GHz 512KB L2 Cache Newcastle Skt 754, Asus K8N4-E Deluxe Motherboard Skt 754 nForce4-4X 800MHz DDR400 w/ 8-ch audio, GLAN, SATA-RAID, MSI NX6600GT-TD128E 128MB DDR3 PCI-Express TVO DVI

3. AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz 512K L2 Cache Winchester Core Skt 939, Asus A8N-E Skt939 Motherboard nForce4 ultra ATX DDR400 w/8ch Audio GLAN SATA-RAID ATX PCI-Express x16, MSI NX6600GT-TD128E 128MB DDR3 PCI-Express TVO DVI


[Edited on 5/8/2005]

  • 05.08.2005 2:28 PM PDT
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bump

  • 05.08.2005 5:59 PM PDT
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Have you factored in the RAM, the hard drive, the DVD drive?

At any rate, the setup, 3000, Asus board, and 9800 Pro, is going to be pretty nice. Note that it is one generation old, but hey, I don't think you want to go gung-ho into this. I think that you'll like what you get.

As far as RAM, I'd suggest maybe one or two sticks of DDR333, 512MB. I'd start with one stick of 512 and get another later on.

  • 05.08.2005 7:38 PM PDT
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i would like to point out that tigerdirect seems to have pretty high prices compared to www.newegg.com or www.zipzoomfly.com

zipzoomfly is a lesser known, but many times cheaper seller than newegg, and from mine and my friends' experience seems to be very reliable. its highly rated on pricegrabber too

  • 05.08.2005 8:02 PM PDT
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Yes, although ZZF has a slightly more primitive interface and carries fewer items than newegg, it's generally cheaper plus you get free 2 day shipping. In addition, both have better selections than tiger direct. Tiger direct doesn't even have the X700, X800, nor X850 cards yet, despite all other online retailers selling them left and right...

  • 05.08.2005 8:16 PM PDT
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If he lives anywhere but the US, ZZF probably won't have the lowest prices. When pricing out my new PC, I found that Tigerdirect.ca was very competative with all the other Canadian online stores. You should also look for coupon codes on the internet. You can get some really good deals.

  • 05.09.2005 8:55 AM PDT
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Yeah i already started to buy most of the parts (ex. dvd drive, harddrive, etc) so ill be getting the vid card, motherboard and CPU within a month or 2 which gives me some time to save up for them. Anyway thought i'd update you guys on the products ill probably be getting.

I wanted to know what you guys think about this package Mobo,CPU

  • 05.09.2005 4:49 PM PDT
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Tigerdirect is a good place for CPU as NONE of them are system pulls. They're all fresh. I personally would not buy a socket 754 setup because it limits upgradability, runs hotter, and sucks more voltage. I think 400 watts is MORE than enough to run that system, but I'm unfamiliar with the Athlon 64 / 9800se 's power requirements.

A tip form me - I've built a few systems and you're always better off buying name-brand stuff in the retail box with the original warranty. OEM may save you a few bucks now, but if you plan on having your computer fo awhile, chances are that it will screw you in the end. That's my two cents.

Back me up if you agree, SLD.

  • 05.09.2005 6:34 PM PDT
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Buy brand name stuff, just don't go for the most expensive. Most of the time you will be ripped off so shopping around is a worthwile thing to do.

  • 05.09.2005 6:46 PM PDT
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Yes, if at all possible buy brand names, especially for a first build, and the farthest I'd go is white-box, OEM brand names. For stuff like a CPU, OEM can be fine. Since I wasn't going to need the stock fan and heatsink for mine, I thought why spend another $20 just to get a pretty box?

However, where you don't want to do this is a video card, sound card, or DVD drive. The video card and sound card should be retail, as often because of poor handling and packaging the cd's get crushed because these places use foam boxes to hold OEM stuff [how stupid]. Same with the cd's or software that normally comes with a DVD drive. In addition, you don't get the software bundles you get with retail.

I think a hard drive is fine OEM, same with a floppy. The latter, who gives, it doesn't need drivers, you just want the drive. OEM hard drives, surprisingly, can carry a better warranty than retail. However, a lot of times nothing but the drive is included in the box.

In the end, it boils down to how much support you want. OEM includes absolutely NO instructions or paperwork, and sometimes comes with drivers. You're on your own with them. I have only had a problem with a video card OEM, the cd was cracked and the foam box that held the stuff was a bit abused. Otherwise, I buy retail mobo's, DVD drives, video cards, sound cards, but only OEM cpu's, hard drives, and floppy drives.

And that 3200 plus gigabyte board is good ;)

Just advice to anyone buying anything for their pc - check two to three reviews before. Often times it has saved me from buying something that looked good but turned out to be pretty rotten.

  • 05.09.2005 8:19 PM PDT
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Ok thanks, thats the board and cpu im going to get and yes ive factored in the dvd drive, ram and all that. But just wondering what type of video card you would reccomend to play halo with minimal to no slowdown on high settings? Would the Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro / 128MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Video Card be good enough? or can someone reccomend one that would suite it better thats within the same price range almost, since i already have the mobo and cpu picked?

[Edited on 5/9/2005]

  • 05.09.2005 8:44 PM PDT
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That's a nice set up but doubt you'll do it for 600, rather then the 9800se I would buy a 9600 xt or all-in-wonder card. for your budget put the money where it will do the most good--processor , mobo, memory and video card. and buy a good case, you will only change out a cheapie later. thermaltake makes great cases and read the hardware reviews on www.maximumpc.com they will save you grief when buying stuff. I can build a decent gamer for 600 but you gotta watch what you spend. fancy drives and keyboards can always be upgraded later. buy the best for your guts. email me at gizmo30646@hotmail.com

  • 05.10.2005 2:06 PM PDT
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Yeah i already have my CPU and Mobo all set, click here to see

and im almost set on RAM
all i need is a good video card that would have no problem running halo. But also at a good price. So all suggestions are helpful.

  • 05.10.2005 4:18 PM PDT
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You sure you want a socket 754? A 939 is comparable in price and is better. A Geforce 5900 will run halo no problem I've heard. If you get a 9800 Pro, you will have no troubles with games for a while yet.

  • 05.10.2005 5:28 PM PDT
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Ok i think these are my final parts that im going to be getting...

CPU+MoBo

Graphics Card

  • 05.17.2005 1:22 PM PDT
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I still think you should get a socket 939 board and CPU but that is still a sweet system.

  • 05.17.2005 1:43 PM PDT
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yeah i will eventually upgrade to a 939 board but thats not want i really want right now especially considering there more expensive. This stuff is all i really need right now since all i want them to run are Halo, Doom 3, Half-Life 2,FarCry and maybe some of the upcoming games like quake 4

  • 05.17.2005 1:54 PM PDT