what to get fro x-mas?

AFIsoldier · Nov 30, 2003

ok, my dad said i have about $400 worht to ask for for x-mas and i wanna know what i should get for my system...

i was thinking a 1800+ from excaliberpc.com and a new vid card...but what vid card and what else do i get?

Surfeit00 · Nov 30, 2003

I hear that the new 1800s are locked so I wouldn't get one of those.

A new video card would be nice

Id go P4. Get a 2.4C & an IS7. You will still have money left over. The 2.4c's these days seem to all be the m0 chips which do
3.6 on air. You would need some new ram if you were going to go to the darkside though...

AFIsoldier · Dec 1, 2003

the 1800+ at excaliberpc isn't going to be locked...week 0311...guarenteed stepping there. btw, i definatly wont be going to the dark side any time soon

Teh · Dec 1, 2003

Well, as far as your processor is, I think it's fine, atleast for a while. If I were you I'd get more ram and a better video card with that $400, or if you wanted to you could try and save all that and build a new system, maybe invest in some phase change cooling. What I'd do would be:
Unlocked Barton 2500+ ~$110
512MB of BH-5 PC3200 RAM (Sell your PC2700) ~$180
And maybe a new motherboard if the one you have isn't up to par with todays offerings. If you already have a good mobo I'd save the rest for either a good watercooling setup or towards a high end video card. There is alot of things you can do with $400 like.. high end sound... high end video... high end cooling w/ very overclockable processor... It's all up to you on which is worth more. The second option I'd choose would be to blow some on a Sapphire 9800np which should be ~$250 and then 512MB of BH-5 PC3200 ~$180 (you'd have to come up with some more $$ extra) and use the PC2700 + PC3200 together for a while or sell the PC2700 and collect money until you have enough for a new processor. You may be able to stretch your money pretty far with after Xmas pricing and good shopping skills.

AFIsoldier · Dec 2, 2003

how about....i get the saphire and the 1800+(tbreds are more fun to o/c than bartons...had more fun o/c'n my mom's comp...1700+...than my dads...locked barton 2500+) that would leave a little less than 100 bucks for cooling or another stick of samsung pc2700(wanna stick with that because it clocks GREAT and i can get a 512mb stick at my local store for 50 bucks)

Teh · Dec 2, 2003

Samsung PC2700 overclocks great? How far do you get? You don't really need anymore RAM right now unless you play games that take a long time to load like BF1942. If I were you, I'd spend the extra 100$ on a good watercooling setup so you can get the 1800+ to it's full potential (hopefully). I'm not sure if 100$ is enough to get a nice setup or not, because I don't know too much on the cost of the parts. I'm guessing a high end watercooling setup can be anywhere from 100-200$. But definately go with the Sapphire 9800np, if you game your MX is barely cutting it... I'd still consider the 2500+, the exta cache makes it more futureproof, maybe. If you get a guaranteed unlocked Barton, http://www.excaliberpc.com/ sells guaranteed Barton 2500+ AQZEA: 0341RPMW steppings, but I'm not sure if that stepping is the unlocked or not. Considering they sell guaranteed DLT3C's and the actual listing of the CPU code, I'd say yes. You'd have to ask someone.

AFIsoldier · Dec 2, 2003

i have clocked my samsung up to pc 3200 speed so, yea it colcks great(same chips that everyone wants when it comes to video cards) i wanna stay away from water cooling...too much hassle right now..if it were summer when i am at home all the time tyhe i would but durring school almost no time for tinkering..i might pick up another stick of the samsung since i do play bf1942 and almost exclusively play bf1942...very laggy on the mx440! my 400 dollar limit has also been knocked down to 320 since i busted the tires on the new 4wheeler so i have to pay for them, 60+20 for mounting...so i think i will get a sapphire 9600pro and the 1800+ from excaliberpc, an slk-900a, and a delta 92mm fan..that should do me for a few months untill i can scrounge up more money to finish the rig

Teh · Dec 2, 2003

Delta... loud. Alot of people are getting ThermalTake Smart Case Fan II's and Vantec Thermoflows I'd personally go with a 9500 Pro over a 9600 Pro, the 9500 Pro will win hands down, the 9500 Pro and 9600 XT are pretty much equal though, well.. according to a few reviews comparing the three cards anyway. And if you get more ram... get PC3200. Average PC3200 is about the same in cost as PC2700. Though if you run it with the PC2700 it will run at PC2700 speeds.

AFIsoldier · Dec 3, 2003

which would i find cheaper? the 9500pro or the 9600xt($183 @ excaliberpc) also what is a good brand for pc-3200 and can i find a stick of 512mb for under $100

Teh · Dec 3, 2003

It depends.. you could probably find a 9500 Pro on eBay for $150. I think I saw a 9600XT once for $150. I don't remember where.. I think it was on http://www.slickdeals.net/. The XT would probably be the better choice if you plan to play HL2. Whatever you can get cheaper would be what I'd do since they are both equal in performance relatively, but that's because I won't be playing HL2. If you ARE going to play it, it might be better to just go with the 9600 XT. Good PC3200 would be anything with Winbond BH-5 or BH-6 (preferrably BH-5). There is Kingston Hyper-X PC3200 (Non A), Corsair XMS 3200 C2 v1.1, Buffalo Technology, Twinmos... etc. You can just shop around or google it. You may also want to try http://www.pricewatch.com/ And you can get 512MB of Winbond Buffalo for under 100$ I think on newegg.com

AFIsoldier · Dec 3, 2003

sapphire 9600 xt for 153 or ATI 9600 xt for 180? sapphire doesen't come with hl2, so which is better? the heatsink on the ATI seems to be better.

AFIsoldier · Dec 3, 2003

also which is the best buffalo chip..infeneon, samsung, or winbond?

Teh · Dec 3, 2003

Winbond, definately. I'd probably get the ATI over the Sapphire because it comes with HL2. I would sell HL2 on eBay and get 30 bucks off it or something since I wouldn't play it. If you do plan to play it, then 180 - 50 = $130, so it would be $20 cheaper than the Sapphire.

Teh · Dec 4, 2003

I still think you should get a 9800np over the 9600XT, Circuit City is currently selling BBA 9800np's for $200... whether you get the Samsung or Infinion chips is in the air.. ATI tends to put crappier chips in it's NP cards... most/all Sapphire 9800 np's have Samsung chips, though. The 9800np will beat the 9600XT easily and will last you for quite a while... a better investment. You still would have plenty for ram and could continue using what you have until you get enough money for a new processor and heatsink w/ fan.

AFIsoldier · Dec 4, 2003

aight thanx
i will call up circut city and see if they have any in stock, and then see if the ones near some of my family have them untill i can find one...so $83 for winbond, buffalo pc3200 512mb stick

Teh · Dec 4, 2003

Just $83? That's a good deal.. I might get some myself.. are you getting this from Newegg?

Chris · Dec 4, 2003

I just posted this in a similar thread to yours it should give you a good idea of what to look for, you could probably drop the CD-RW and a few other things I dont know what parts your planning on using from your old rig. I would definatly go for the Barton rather than the TBred the extra cache is definatly worth it and it will OC some even thought the Multis will more than likely be locked.

Motherboard - Abit NF7-S - $107
CPU - Barton 2500+ - $86
RAM - 512MB Corsair 3200 - $82
Souncard - Onboard NF7-S Soundstorm
GraphicsCard - Saphire 9600Pro - $148
PSU - Fortron 350W - $20
Case - personal choice, find one you like and rip the cheap PSU out and ebay it.

CD-RW - Lite-On LTR-52327S - $38

-Total $481

AFIsoldier · Dec 7, 2003

ok, x-superalien(unless someone has any beef against it), 500w psu(with x-superalien), Abit NF7-S, 1800+ from excaliberpc.com, buffalo pc3200 512mb winbond, ati radeon 9600xt...what do you think?

Chris · Dec 7, 2003

Any idea what brand the PSU is that comes with the case is? The case its self looks like it could be made by antec/chieftec. If it is then the PSU should be pretty good. Are you set on the 1800+ like I said the extra cache on the Barton is worth it, considering it should hit a nice speed

Biznatch · Dec 7, 2003

How worth it is it? If the barton tops around 2.3 and you can get the 1800 to about 2.5-2.6?

what to get fro x-mas?

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