Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

shakran · 02-05-2004, 10:18 PM

I agree with the majority that what you want is a Barton core XP 2500. I have one and there isn't anything it can run with ease. It even runs Flight Sim 2004 with ALL the eye candy turned on with perfectly smooth framerates, and that's with an ATI 9600. The 9800 will make it even better.

I usually get separate mobo / chip because I can then get the retail rather than the OEM chip, which means a 3 year warranty rather than 30, 15, or sometimes even 3 days.

For the mobo, the NF7-s is a great one, but if you don't plan on overclocking you can save some money by going with an Asus A7v8X-X. It's a perfectly fine board as long as you're not gonna overclock it. Also, as long as you're not gonna overclock it, you can use that CPU heatsink/fan that came in the chip's retail box.

Get a Raidmax case from newegg. They're cheap, they're roomy, they have side fans (blasts air straight on the chip - does wonders for system cooling), front USB, and the power supply they come with is pretty damn decent. The only thing to watch for is that (and this is one reason they're cheap) they don't do a real good job of deburring the metal on the inside. If you're not careful you'll cut yourself. Also, on some of their cases, it's a PITA to get the front panel off 'cause it's secured with 6 screws accessed from the inside. They're also pretty nice looking IMHO.

For fans, right now the cheapest I'm finding is the 80mm Antec quad LED fans. they're 10 bucks and have higher CFM's than fans twice as expensive. For some reason, they're also cheaper than the non-LED fans. 2 should do it for just about any setup in a Raidmax, but if you're still having heat problems, there's room for a total of 4 front 80mm fans, 1 side 80mm (included) and 1 rear 60mm. if you get the right case. Whole thing costs between $27 and $40 depending on options (side window, crap like that).

For HD's, you can get excellent Western Digitals pretty cheap right now. Officemax was selling an 80g one for $20 after rebates last week (!)

Ram, go with Crucial PC2700 DDR ram. 512 megs should cost around 60 bucks.

you can go with the 9800 if you want, but I have yet to see anything my 9600 can't handle, and the 9600 is MUCH cheaper than the 9800. Or, if you want, you can spend a bit less than you would for a regular 9800 and get a 9600 All In Wonder, which ads a TV tuner and an FM radio tuner to the mix. Pretty cool.

Sound card is easy. Unless you're planning on doing audio production, an SB Live! 5.1 is all you need. I've seen 'em go for 20 to 30 bucks before, so it shouldn't be hard to find one very cheap. They're excellent cards and are very reasonably priced.

02-05-2004, 10:18 PM	#9 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	I agree with the majority that what you want is a Barton core XP 2500. I have one and there isn't anything it can run with ease. It even runs Flight Sim 2004 with ALL the eye candy turned on with perfectly smooth framerates, and that's with an ATI 9600. The 9800 will make it even better. I usually get separate mobo / chip because I can then get the retail rather than the OEM chip, which means a 3 year warranty rather than 30, 15, or sometimes even 3 days. For the mobo, the NF7-s is a great one, but if you don't plan on overclocking you can save some money by going with an Asus A7v8X-X. It's a perfectly fine board as long as you're not gonna overclock it. Also, as long as you're not gonna overclock it, you can use that CPU heatsink/fan that came in the chip's retail box. Get a Raidmax case from newegg. They're cheap, they're roomy, they have side fans (blasts air straight on the chip - does wonders for system cooling), front USB, and the power supply they come with is pretty damn decent. The only thing to watch for is that (and this is one reason they're cheap) they don't do a real good job of deburring the metal on the inside. If you're not careful you'll cut yourself. Also, on some of their cases, it's a PITA to get the front panel off 'cause it's secured with 6 screws accessed from the inside. They're also pretty nice looking IMHO. For fans, right now the cheapest I'm finding is the 80mm Antec quad LED fans. they're 10 bucks and have higher CFM's than fans twice as expensive. For some reason, they're also cheaper than the non-LED fans. 2 should do it for just about any setup in a Raidmax, but if you're still having heat problems, there's room for a total of 4 front 80mm fans, 1 side 80mm (included) and 1 rear 60mm. if you get the right case. Whole thing costs between $27 and $40 depending on options (side window, crap like that). For HD's, you can get excellent Western Digitals pretty cheap right now. Officemax was selling an 80g one for $20 after rebates last week (!) Ram, go with Crucial PC2700 DDR ram. 512 megs should cost around 60 bucks. you can go with the 9800 if you want, but I have yet to see anything my 9600 can't handle, and the 9600 is MUCH cheaper than the 9800. Or, if you want, you can spend a bit less than you would for a regular 9800 and get a 9600 All In Wonder, which ads a TV tuner and an FM radio tuner to the mix. Pretty cool. Sound card is easy. Unless you're planning on doing audio production, an SB Live! 5.1 is all you need. I've seen 'em go for 20 to 30 bucks before, so it shouldn't be hard to find one very cheap. They're excellent cards and are very reasonably priced.