Help build a semi beast $2000-$2500AU

[happyhardcore]

ok i got like $2500AU to spend on a new machine
im using it for extreme downloading and game playing

the first thing is that im not sure what cpu i want to use
my mate suggested amd 2600 on the abit nf7-s mobo but im not going to be overclocking it so im think a p4 2.8 would be better

what do u think ?

if u can like make up a $2500 system for me that would be great
and thats australian money

the url below can give u a general view about prices

http://www.bigbencomputer.com.au/Part_Pricelist/part_pricelist.html

thanks

[coin]

If you're not overclocking and price isn't a huge issue then you're better aiming at the top of the chip market, see if you can afford a 3.0 or 3.2 P4, or if you want to go donw the AMD roand look at the newer 6bit chips.

[happyhardcore]

mmh true i think going with intel might be the way

which cpu do u think is worth the cost and what mobo should i use

Intel Pentium4 2.86GHz with fan $328
Intel Pentium4 3.06GHz with fan $442
Intel Pentium4 3.2GHz with fan $705

[coin]

I would have to admit to limited Intel knowledge.... the only Intel boxes I play with these days are the older PII and PIII stuff. Hyperthreading will be a help to your computers performance so the 3.06 is probably the best bet as the 3.2 is still overpriced. As for motherboard start scrolling through the review sites:D

[tom10167]

Might I coax you in to a 64-bit scheme? The benchmarks look rather appealing, especially with the price.

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/roundupmobo/athlon-64-3400.html

[NovaShine]

A 2.8C from Intel aint bad. The 3.06GHz is also pretty good. The pricelist you gave us was kinda sketchy.

If you going Intel, you want a motherboard with an Intel 865PE or Intel 875 chipset. Im not very familiar with the Gigabyte boards, but i know for a fact that the best Intel 865PE chipset mobo is the Asus P4P800 and the best mobo with an Intel 875 chipset is either the Asus P4C800E or the Abit IC7 Max3. I wouldnt really reccomend anything else.

For the ram, if you're not OCing, some good CL2.5 PC3200 from Kingston should be fine. 1Gig if you're doing video editing or content creation and 512MB should be fine for gaming and "extreme downloading" as you put it.

When your system is for gaming, i would reccomend no less than an ATi Radeon 9600pro and no more than an ATi Radeon 9800pro (IMO, the 9800XT is still overpriced). The Radeon 9600XT, Radeon 9700pro and the Radeon 9800 (or known as the 9800np) are all good choices, but don't buy anything from ATi with the suffix other than np, pro or XT. The others like SE or LE are all crap.

For the hard disk, if you can afford it, i would reccomend getting a Western Digital Raptor (SATA 10,000rpm 36GB) or 2 of them to Raid 0 together if u have enough money left over. They would improve your Windows loading time, loading of any program and loading maps for games dramatically. For normal 7,200rpm drives, i would reccomend nothing other than Hard drives from Seagate (barracuda) or Western Digital (caviar).

[NewBldr]

Just build the computer in my signature... the Lian Li PC-65 :)

[happyhardcore]

yeh the site is a bit dogiey but they got the cheapest prices
and i also think the 3.2 is over priced but i was just a bit worried seeing the 3.06 becuase of the .06 thinking its some sub standard thing

so what chipset u think i should go with, i like the 875P

getting the Western Digital Raptor (SATA 10,000rpm 36GB) might be a bit tricky, might have to oder it in

but i will need more space then 36 or 72 gb because of dvd ripen and extreme downloading (just go telstra unlimted cable)

yeh gonna need to oder in ram too

need to find ati radeon 9800pro does that come with 256

thaks for the good advice guys

[NewBldr]

If you're into gaming, I'd set up 2 raptors in Raid0 and have another huge drive for mundane downloading and such. If you just don't game that much, you could set up a couple 120GB, 7200rpm drives in Raid0 and end up with 240GB of pretty fast storage.

Do some research on the ram. Every 3200PC stick isn't created equal, if ya know what I mean.

Yes, you could get the 9800Pro with 256, but at a HUGE uptick in price. Frankly, I hear the extra video ram isn't even close to worth it.

Also, I went the 2.4c route, since it could be overclocked to 3.0Ghz pretty safely and costs a good bit less ;)


Good luck!

[EgeWorks]

What part of Oz are you from?

If I was going non-overclocked gaming at a reasonable price I'd get a P42.8($315) and an AI7($230) 1Gb of some decent RAM a couple of raptors(~$180) and whatever high end video card you can afford.

I think it would be wise to wait just a little while though as there will be some price drops later this month on processors.

[happyhardcore]

im from sydney

yeh i think i might wait for prices to drop