Building gaming PC for my son. Looking for feedback on configuration 4

[pantichd]

Hello,

I am building a gaming PC for my 15 year old son for Christmas. A lot of the games he likes to play just don't work well on the pc he has been sharing with his siblings.

My budget is about $700. I'd love to hear feedback so I avoid mistakes and get the best possible system for the money.

I am also trying to buy everything from newegg because I've always been impressed with their service. Don't want to order from a bunch of different places and chance not getting it in time.

Here's what I have so far:
1) AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Dual-Core Processor
2) MSI K9N4 SLI-F AM2 NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
3) RAIDMAX Sagitta ATX-921WBP Black/Silver SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450watt PRESCOTT/ SATA Ready Power Supply
4) I am planning on reusing a 17" monitor, 180GB Seagate and 48X RW DVD drive

I'm looking for feedback on following:
1) The biggest issue I have now is picking a graphics card. I have no clue where to even begin. He is not going to be watching TV with it nor does he need to capture video. So I guess I'm looking for suggestions on good graphics cards for just gaming.
2) I believe that the mobo and processor are compatible but please tell me if you know otherwise.
3) Is the power supply that comes with the case good enough? I've had problems in the past with mobos being very sensitive to the type of power supply. How do you determine what kind of power supply you should use with a specific mobo?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

David

 

[paparazi]

I apologise wahnula, I sometimes read how a thread developes and cannot understand the direction they sometimes take, especially when members post statements without reading previous replies, it's just me ranting, no offence intended to anyone.
The 8800GT is set to cause something of a revelation, it is the newest re-incarnation of the 8800 series and as such has some extra features over existing models. what makes it so special is it's price and performance.
Price point: two models 256mb and 512, once initial supply is satisfied the 256mb version will go sub $200!!!
Performance: Better that the current GTS models and not far off the GTX.
As we know, the cheapest 320mb GTS versions are not far off $300, that will have to drop once the word about the GT spreads.
We are initially seeing over inflated prices for the GT but as soon as stock levels are satisfied both models will drop to their intended retail points. Which is blooming cheap for the performance these cards offer.
The bonus is that the GT uses less power and produces less heat so only needs a one slot cooling solution.
Martin

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[kmcferrin]

Just keep in mind that paparazi is talking about the 320MB and 640MB versions of the GTS. There is supposed to be a "new 8800 GTS" coming out that makes use of the same tech in the 8800 GT with more shaders, a faster chip and faster memory. The "newer and faster 8800 GTS" will have 256MB or 512MB of memory, the "older, slower, and now overpriced 8800 GTS" will have 320MB or 640MB of memory.

Why they didn't just call it something else I'll never know.

 

[paparazi]

Nice one kmcferrin, although I had seen the new GTS 512 version I hadn't realized that it was using the revised core, certainly makes sense to put the GTS back infront of the GT to bring the order back into line.
I think you see the products a few weeks before us in the UK.
Martin


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[pantichd]

First of all, thanks everyone for all your replies.

My son wanted to wait after Christmas so he could get all his Christmas money together. So I've been looking and looking and I think I've finally found the configuration. The only thing I'm stuck on is how to determine which video cards are compatible with the motherboard.

Sorry for such a basic question!

We already have the hard drive, case & DVD drive. Here's the rest:
PSU -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

Memory -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211066

Motherboard -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127029

Processor -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115031

Thanks very much in advance

David

 

[paparazi]

Hi pantichd
All reasonable mid/budget choices and a good ballance of components at this price point.
As for graphics: being a Intel motherboard it does support crossfire (2 X ATI compatble cards) but in a slightly watered down form as the second slot would only operate a 4X and not the full 16X but to be honest, this is only likely to effect performance of the very fasterst/most expensive graphics pairings which you are very unlikely to choose given the price point of other components.
And with that said.... if you were choosing just a single card to go in this machine and are very unlikely to ever want to go with a dual card setup? then...personally I would go with one Nvidia's 8800GT.
Both ATI and Nvidia are 100% compatible but you can only go with a single card option if you choose Nvidia.
As far as I can see and going on the other components chosen I would be looking towards the card previously mentioned, either a 256 or 512mb version of an Nvidia 8800GT (512 version prefered)
This Gigabyte looks like a good bet but does use 2 slots

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125081

Single slot Leadtek (one of my favourite brands)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122040

I suppose now the older 320mb 8800GTS versions are being discounted they be a good choice at the right, still a very quick card but not quite as fast as the newer G92 cored versions of the GT and GTS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130082

Martin

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[kmcferrin]

One thing to keep in mind is that this particular board only has a single PCI-E x16 slot. That being the case you will only be able to use a single graphics card, so Crossifre vs. SLI won't make a difference.

 

[pantichd]

Thanks for the responses. Could someone explain under what circumstances you would need TWO video cards?

These things are monsters compared to video cards I've seen and I'm having a difficult time imagining why you'd need two.

My son mostly plays games like Eve, World of Warcraft, and Rome Empire. I don't know if I'm getting all the names right and I can't ask him right now.

He did mention that he doesn't want this for playing games like *something* Combat 4 and that type of games. He has his Xbox 360 for that.

So now you got me wondering if I should be getting a different board even though I can't see getting him a 2nd video card right now. But if two cards is important (why?) then maybe I should get one that supports it.

If that's the case, I should be looking for a board that has two PCI-E x16 slots, right?

I really appreciate your help and patience with me!

David

 

[ATLMatt]

No, you won't need 2 video cards.

If your son bought every new game that came out, the day it came out, and wanted to run it at the highest possible settings, you would want 2 video cards to achieve that. However, the games you mentioned will all run at max settings on a mid range system running a single 8800gt or similar video card.

This is reinforced by him saying he isn't playing Call of Duty 4 and the like, which is a pretty demanding (hardware wise) first person shooter. WoW, Eve, and many of the current RTS games are not really as demanding. Of note... the new stuff we are talking about will still run fine on the machine you are building, just not at the absolute highest settings possible.

 

[paparazi]

I wish I'd never mentioned it now!
I think you have chosen an excellent motherboard and it is clear by your choices you are aiming at at capable but budget orientated system.
Crossfire and SLi are something of a no brainer at this price point, unless you are aiming for the ultimate gaming system and want that extra 30/40% graphics boost but at a very high cost (several times more than your present budget)

Just stick with the one very capable card.
For the record the P35 chipset wasn't really aimed at the crossfire fraternity but the chipset will support this configuration at 16+4 see chart:

http://www.digital-daily.com/motherboard/p35-roundup/

You did say gaming rig and that can be done on a budget just follow the suggestions above and forget SLi/Crossfire.
Martin






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Participate and help others.

 

[pantichd]

Just one last update. All the parts arrived Tuesday I was able to put everything together with no problems. Hope I don't jinx it now. : )

My son loves his new PC.

Thank you EVERYONE for all your input.

David

 

[wahnula]

paparazi

Thanks for the clarifications on the GFX cards. I have done my homework and studied up on the latest and greatest (for today ).

Have a star for your efforts and patience.

Tony

"...an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" - M.L. King

 

[paparazi]

Praise must go to kmcferrin for pointing out 512mb G92 core versions of the GTS, I hadn't seen or experienced them, so cheers for that.
Martin

On wings like angels whispers sweet
my heart it feels a broken beat
Touched soul and hurt lay wounded deep
Brown eyes are lost afar and sleep