Need advice on this new rig

T

The Sweeper

Guest
Hi,

I'm a frequent reader, but rare poster on HL2.net and a definite Newbie. After playing games at friends' homes, I'm finally ready to step up to a real computer and start doing it myself. It will be a huge leap from my 1999 Compaq Presario with 156 mg of RAM and 400 mgz cpu (yeah, I know...Stone Age).
I expect I'll be gaming on my new computer about 30 to 40 percent of the time. (OK, it could be more.) It's my intention not to update any of my new hardware until 2011.

I've already purchased:
1 Ultra X-connect 500 watt (not the SLI model) PS
1 ASUS DVD drive
1 ASUS DVD dual layer burner
1 300 GB WD HD (IDE)
1 Audigy 2 ZS Platinum audio card
1 Coolermaster Musketeer (for kicks)
(Oh I also plan to also install the WD 40 GB HD that's in my old Compaq and then use the tower as a doorstop.)

Within the next three weeks, I plan to order:
1 Lian Li PC-V 1200 plus case
1 GB (2x512MB) of Corsair XMS DDR 400 184-pin RAM 3200XLPRO
1 Windows XP PRO OEM
1 AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego Socket 939
1 WD 74GB Raptor HD

The two major items I'm getting conflicting advice about are my motherboard and video card. A friend, whose opinion I respect, is telling me that since I don't plan to upgrade for five years, I should spend the extra dough and go with an ASUS A8N SLI Premium or A8N Deluxe SLI board (which would you recommend, not much difference in price at Newegg) and buy one BFG 7800 GTX video card now and another next year.

The computer shop guy (who will help me assemble this) is recommending that there's still a few bugs that need to be worked out with SLI and that I should go with an ABIT AX8 board and a high-end ATI Radeon card and wait for refinements and or improvements to be made on the SLI system since I plan to do an upgrade anyway in five years.

Hmmmm. Any advice anyone has out there would be appreciated.

Oh, and I expect that if I go with the SLI board I will need a 20-pin-to-24-pin cord that Ultra sells, right? And I will be able to play HL2 Lost Coast with either of these systems, right?

Thanks again
 
And I will be able to play HL2 Lost Coast with either of these systems, right?
Click to expand...
i wouldn't worry about that - my below average system ran it like a dream on high - some benchmark :p
i'd recommend you get 2X1024mb sticks of ram to stay on top
keeping an eye on price that should keep you going playing all the top games for at least 3-4 years (obviously not on high by the end of 4 years :p)
 
Thanks John. How 'bout that ASUS/BFG proposal versus the ABIT/ATI option?
 
I personnally prefer ASUS as they offer more customisability on their motherboards and dual 7800s are the way to go at the moment
however, if you're patient it might be worth holding off until ATI come up with a better card than the x1800 (which is not good at all compared to current generation) but that could be months - ati are very quiet right now 0.o
 
Oh, and I expect that if I go with the SLI board I will need a 20-pin-to-24-pin cord that Ultra sells, right? And I will be able to play HL2 Lost Coast with either of these systems, right?
Click to expand...

you'll need the 24 pin adapter for any pci-e motherboard, not for SLI
 
Just out of curiosity, approximately how much money have you put into this new system?

There's a lot of high quality equipment listed there.
 
When all is said and done, I'm probably putting a little over $2K into it - about $300 of which I've already purchased. I know it's a little extravagant, particularly the case, but the way I see it, I've waited a long time to do this and I'll be looking at it for a long time to come.
 
a 24 pin adaptor didnt work all that well for me ..I ended up buying a new power supply that had a 24 pin connector as I was experiencing odd problems (usb not working at all, crashing, weird display glitches etc) ..as soon as I switched PSU's the problems disappeared


I'd definately go sli over crossfire ..sli has been around awhile they're ironing out the bugs ..crossfire hasnt, are there even motherboards available that support crossfire yet? as for motherboard, if you can afford it get the asus a32n-sli board isntead of the a8n-sli deluxe/premium ...cuz each slot runs at 16x as oppsoed to the a8n-sli which runs at 8x each slot ..it's a better upgrade path and is only about $40 more expensive than the premium


you can buy 2 x 7800gt's for relatively cheap or just get the best card out now and wait to get the second one ..the 7800gtx 512mb





oooo I love playing with other people's money
 
lies !!!
just cos you got an identical system last month :E
 
his has better stuff ;(


oh and I finished building everything on wednesday ...2 freaking weeks without a computer ...it's like losing the use of your legs or eyes ..I actually watched .....tv ...<shudder> ;(
 
Thanks CptStern,

Pulled this off Newegg concerning the A32N. Sounds like their talking about my situation...

A good board for SLI users

Pros: This board is good for those that want to utilize the full bandwith of x16 on each lane when running SLI.

Cons: This board would be no different to those planning on having 1 card for awhile, since the SLI-premium also runs 1 card at full bandwith of x16 (both mobos are sold out now until december).

Other Thoughts: I feel like there are some who purchase this because of the new factor, which is understandable, but it costs more than the premium right now. Later on, when prices drop, I think then it would be a good idea to consdier swapping out your current pci-e motherboard when you're configuring an SLI option. Right now, it would be best for those who have.. per se 2 gt/gtx-256 or 512 cards. Even at SLI x32, the current benchmarks doesn't show a dramatic improvement as one would hope, according to an online review site. If you want this for future upgradability, then go for it, but since it's sold out now, perhaps next year spring prices should come down.


Reviewed By: N/A, 11/29/2005 1:46:59 PM
 
john3571000 said:
I
however, if you're patient it might be worth holding off until ATI come up with a better card than the x1800 (which is not good at all compared to current generation) but that could be months - ati are very quiet right now 0.o
Click to expand...
What the **** are you talking about? The X1800 is the sinlge best GFX card on the market:LOL:
 
are you nuts?
the improvement over the current gen of ati's is negligible and a single 7800 is comparable to it on many settings
here's to laughing at you foo' :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

check out this site before making a fool of yourself http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/
 
Um, actually the X1800 beats a 7800 if pretty much every one of the latest games except for Doom 3.

(Quoted from PC Gamer UK hardware reveiw section)

It narrowly beats its nVidia rivalsin most existing DirectX 9 games and when running some of the most recent and demanding titles, such as F.E.A.R. and Call of Duty 2, its advanced 3D architecture beats the GeForce 7800 GTX with an extremly large stick. The only significant failing in performance is Doom 3.
Click to expand...

I win.

Edit: Yep, looked at that website, pretty much what im saying. X1800 beats the 7800. Oh, and I was under the immpression that the X1800 is the only card that can render HDR and AA effectively at the same time.
 
Blackghost905 said:
Looks like It will be a good computer if you would like to upgrade some of you'r stuff later the best place to buy from is www.alienwere.com
Click to expand...
alienware make computers - you don't buy parts off them
par example would you ring up dell if you wanted to buy a new gfx card? :rolling:
 
CptStern said:
a 24 pin adaptor didnt work all that well for me ..I ended up buying a new power supply that had a 24 pin connector as I was experiencing odd problems (usb not working at all, crashing, weird display glitches etc) ..as soon as I switched PSU's the problems disappeared
Click to expand...

That sounds like my problem! :O :O

It could be the PSU then? hmmmmm
 
Comparison During FEAR:

"The Radeon X1800XT was faster than the reference GeForce 7800 GTX." "Given the choice, we'd take the Radeon X1800XT in this title, but the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Extreme Gamer Edition doesn't look like a particularly bad purchase either."

Comparison During DoD:S

"We found that we attained a higher average frame rate on the XFX Extreme Gamer card, but the minimum frame rate was slightly lower. In a blind taste test, you would not be able to tell the difference between the two."

Comparison During Battlefield 2

"We found that the Radeon X1800XT delivered a much higher average frame rate in Battlefield 2."

Overall Thoughts

"It is hard to compare the Radeon X1800XT 512MB to the baseline performance you are going to get from a GeForce 7800 GTX at the moment, because the prices are so far apart. Having said that, the Radeon X1800XT 512MB is noticeably faster in just about every situation that they clashed. However, we don't believe that the additional £45 that it will cost you over the price of BFGTech's GeForce 7800 GTX OC (clocked at 460/1300MHz) is worth it at this moment in time."

So, remind me, how did I lose?
 
its meant to be next generation -faster and more efficient in every way, a card to rival nvidia's 8xxx series
as it is it actually struggles against the 7800 (dual 7800 would have it for breakfast and would still be cheaper)

Due to the nature of the other games we have tested - three being multiplayer and the other two having relatively unscripted A.I. - it is very hard to show apples to apples performance in those games, even if we follow exactly the same route through the level. Thus, we have kept this page showing the apples to apples performance in Quake 4 and NFS: Underground 2, as the A.I. is scripted to a certain extent.




None of the video cards are playable at these settings, but it gives you an idea of how much power there is behind each particular video card. The Radeon X1800XT is faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX by around 7%, while the XFX 7800 GTX Extreme is 3% faster than the Radeon X1800XT.


http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2005/11/11/ati_x1800xt_512mb/10.html


ati have thrown away the massive lead the 9800 series gave them in 2002/2003
Nvidia now have a huge advantage
1. their current generation cards are actually better than the next gen ati
2. they have a further 6 months to go before they release their next gen card

and yet you continue to defend the x1800
 
I've already purchased:
1 Ultra X-connect 500 watt (not the SLI model) PS
1 ASUS DVD drive
1 ASUS DVD dual layer burner
1 300 GB WD HD (IDE)
1 Audigy 2 ZS Platinum audio card
1 Coolermaster Musketeer (for kicks)
(Oh I also plan to also install the WD 40 GB HD that's in my old Compaq and then use the tower as a doorstop.)

Within the next three weeks, I plan to order:
1 Lian Li PC-V 1200 plus case
1 GB (2x512MB) of Corsair XMS DDR 400 184-pin RAM 3200XLPRO
1 Windows XP PRO OEM
1 AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego Socket 939
1 WD 74GB Raptor HD
Click to expand...

Make sure to get a PS with 24 pin connectors

For a hard drive a Western digital Caviar SE16 400 is recommended. It is the fastest 7200RPM hard drive (as fast as the raptor or really close), has 16MB of cache and is very quiet.

You will want a creative X-Fi soundcard for future gaming. It is much more powerful then anything else out there and allows for over double the sounds of current soundcards (with no loss in performance).

As is already mentioned you will want 2GB of RAM.

Finally you should look for a 7800gt or gtx (depending on what you want to spend). EVGA seems to be the current best manufacturer along with XFX. For maximum performance you could go with a 7800 GTX 512 which is the current fastest videocard.

Go here for benchmarks: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2607&p=1
 
Devvo said:
That sounds like my problem! :O :O

It could be the PSU then? hmmmmm
Click to expand...



I dont know ..check the amps on your psu ..550W seems like it's enough
 
john3571000 said:
its meant to be next generation -faster and more efficient in every way, a card to rival nvidia's 8xxx series
as it is it actually struggles against the 7800 (dual 7800 would have it for breakfast and would still be cheaper)

Due to the nature of the other games we have tested - three being multiplayer and the other two having relatively unscripted A.I. - it is very hard to show apples to apples performance in those games, even if we follow exactly the same route through the level. Thus, we have kept this page showing the apples to apples performance in Quake 4 and NFS: Underground 2, as the A.I. is scripted to a certain extent.




None of the video cards are playable at these settings, but it gives you an idea of how much power there is behind each particular video card. The Radeon X1800XT is faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX by around 7%, while the XFX 7800 GTX Extreme is 3% faster than the Radeon X1800XT.


http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2005/11/11/ati_x1800xt_512mb/10.html


ati have thrown away the massive lead the 9800 series gave them in 2002/2003
Nvidia now have a huge advantage
1. their current generation cards are actually better than the next gen ati
2. they have a further 6 months to go before they release their next gen card

and yet you continue to defend the x1800
Click to expand...

very well, you appear to have beaten me. To be fair though, either one of those cards would do me over fine :p
 
CptStern said:
I dont know ..check the amps on your psu ..550W seems like it's enough
Click to expand...

Couldn't find the amps, found the name though: EZ Cool ATX-550 JSP...

Hopefully I'll be able to find the specs on the net. Would love this problem to be gone! :|
 
On the X1800XT vs 7800GTX debate, in simple terms, i.e. performance wise, from most reviews and testing, the general consensus seems to be as such:

top to bottom: lowest to highest

X1800XL
7800GT
7800GTX 256mb
X1800XT 512mb
7800GTX 512mb

From what i've read that seems to be the general order of performance. Although i guess the 256mb version of the X1800XT might be closer to the 7800GTX 256mb. Although in real world terms, i would imagine that the in-game difference between a 256mb GTX and a 512mb X1800XT isn't all that noticeable.
 
Not update until 2011?

Simply put, not possible.
 
3ssence said:
On the X1800XT vs 7800GTX debate, in simple terms, i.e. performance wise, from most reviews and testing, the general consensus seems to be as such:

top to bottom: lowest to highest

X1800XL
7800GT
7800GTX 256mb
X1800XT 512mb
7800GTX 512mb

From what i've read that seems to be the general order of performance. Although i guess the 256mb version of the X1800XT might be closer to the 7800GTX 256mb. Although in real world terms, i would imagine that the in-game difference between a 256mb GTX and a 512mb X1800XT isn't all that noticeable.
Click to expand...

I meant XL all the blody time I was arguing X_X
Oh well, that means I WIN JOHN! :E
 
Devvo said:
Couldn't find the amps, found the name though: EZ Cool ATX-550 JSP...

Hopefully I'll be able to find the specs on the net. Would love this problem to be gone! :|
Click to expand...


look on the sticker on the side it should have a listing of numbers

where it says 12v+ it should have a number like this: "26a" = 26 amps ...my mobo/vid card/cpu called for at least 25a on the 12v+ ...I had 26 but it still wasnt enough


if your psu is a no-name brand, which it sounds like it is, then that's probably your problem.
 
You always need to check the rails on PSUs. A PSU with lots of watts and unstable rails will destroy your computer. If you use a PSU that comes with a case it's most likely a POS PSU. Stick with Antec, enermax or some other big brand and don't skimp on the PSU. If it's a bad PSU it will make everything else bad. If your not sure about the PSU you are getting post it here and I can look at it and tell ya how well it will perform with the rest of your rig.
 
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