hey i am currently looking to upgrade my computer (finally). I have around 1500 to spend and im looking at :

Am2 Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ - $269
DDR2 2gb corsair (2x1gb) 667mhz pc5300 - $349
Asus Am2 m2mnpv mobo - $139
thermotake soprano case w/ 400w ps - $139
albatron 8800gts 640mb pcie - $689

total - $1585

I would really like to get a 8800 because i want a dx10 card but would it be better to get better cpu + mobo and a 7950 or would it be better to get 8800 and worse cpu + mobo?I would grately appreciate any suggestions on what you guys think i should get or if something i have chosen doesnt go very well :D

I was also looking at (as a 2nd option)

intel core 2 duo e6400
asus p5b core 2
DDR 2gb geil 667mhz
albatron 7950gt 256mb pcie
thermotake soprano case w/ 400w ps

total - $1535 (prices are from ca)

thanks

Question, why did you put Corsair in one but Geil in another?

If it were me buying this stuff, I would probably opt for a Core2-E6600, and would wait for a GeForce 8600(GT).

While I'm an avid AMD supporter, Intel do frankly have a better product at the moment, despite it being a slightly more expensive solution.

i dont know why i did that haha,

the 8600 doesnt have dx10 does it? i cant really wait for too long for the graphics card because my current card is about to die :(

mate, i pretty much have that exact system as you've listed in the second one, except it's an E6600.

it hammers. it's definately got my vote

You'd be crazy to pass on the core2 atm, they are easily dominant over AMDs equivalents atm.

AFAIK the 8 series cards are all dx10 compliant. The 8600 range isn't too far off so it wouldn't be a long wait at all.

From what I hear at work it sounds like within a few weeks.

BTW the PSU's in Soprano cases are pretty asstastic, if I were you I'd factor in a more reliable one especially if you plan on running an 8xxx series card.

Zalman 460w or E-Power 570 (from CA) would do the trick nicely.

If you were only going for the Soprano cause it had a PSU... some other cheaper end cases - Gigabyte Poseiden and the Antec Solo both go quite nicely. I own a Soprano (which I passed onto my bro :P) and honestly they are pretty cheap and tacky.

last edited by rubba-chikin at 00:37:38 18/Jan/07

oh yeah, i meant, i have that except for the crappy PSU :P

yeah, get a decent one

Am2 Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ - $269

No no no noooo. Don't go AMD with the current generation of processors.

Don't even consider it unless you like flushing money down the toilet. Set your mind on -any- Core 2 system as it will outperform an AMD of the same price bracket.

thermotake soprano case w/ 400w ps

You can get something better like the Antec Sonata II (w/ 450W PSU). The rest of the system looks fine.

I'd say go the cheaper video card, and wait till the next generation of DX10 cards to get one, when the technology is a bit more proven and theres more point to actually owning one. At the moment, a DX10 card is pretty pointless, because there isn't any DX10 games to run on it. When Crysis comes out, there'll be a point to owning one, if you really want to get into that game, but its still only 1 game.

Unless you actually have a good reason for wanting a DX10 card, like you want to play around with some D3D10 development or something, I'd say go the 7950gt and wait it out and see what DX10 stuff is around in 6 - 8 months time.

At the moment, a DX10 card is pretty pointless

Exactly. Also, Vista hasn't been tested by the masses yet, so there's not much indication as to how good the driver and application support is. Give it about half a year at least until making the plunge to Vista.

I'd say go the 7950gt and wait it out and see what DX10 stuff is around in 6 - 8 months time.

I second this. By the time you actually start using DX10 features, a faster and cheaper card will be out.

the 7950 isnt compatible with vista either is it?

Of course it is.

Minimum System Requirements: "GPU: SVGA (800x600)" (Source)

The 7950GT just doesn't support DX10 features but that's perfectly OK as most of the first-gen DX10 games that come out will probably be primarily DX9 based, with additional support for DX10. So at first they probably won't even take full advantage of DX10.

There are a few exceptions of course but you won't see those particular games for quite a while.

last edited by parabol at 02:17:10 18/Jan/07

well 7900 series will run whats out at the moment. wait until the dx10 technology gets better.

Either that, or buy yourself a really low spec video card just for the time being, then buy yourself an 8800 when you are ready :p

Parabol,

I think he might be confused with the mutterings going around that nVidia are still having problems with their Vista drivers.

But honestly, why the hell would you install Vista anyway.

why the hell WOULDN'T you?!?!

^ Because you can just install the Vista Transformation Pack skin for XP while you're waiting for Vista to mature:

http://www.windowsxlive.net/index.php?page_id=15

http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~boldajis/images/vistatrans.jpg

why the hell WOULDN'T you?!?!

Well, 1. Because I'm perfectly happy running Mac OSX.

...
...
...
oh, you want me to go to 2?

2. Because it's a resource hog.
3. The UI, when I was using it, I found to be utterly horrible and confusing. Things not where you'd expect, it being a pain in the ass to find config settings etc...
4. Because I only have a GF5700 in my PC at the moment (haven't bothered installing it on my iMac, though I have a VM image for it which runs like a dog).
5. It's $600 just to get the basic minimum features I'd require!

Thx for linkage Parabol thats hot

thanks guys for your imput :)

i think i'll get

intel core 2 duo e6400
asus p5b core 2
DDR 2gb corsair 667mhz
albatron 7950gt 256 / 512 (havent decided on that yet)
Antec Sonata II (w/ 450W PSU)

is their any issues that anyone has heard of with that ram/mobo/g-card?

thanks again :D

albatron 7950gt 256 / 512 (havent decided on that yet)

Depends what resolution you play games at. If you run at 1280x1024 or lower, then 256MB will perform the same as 512MB. If you're doing significantly higher resolutions (1600x1200), etc, go the 512MB.

I bought a Leadtek 7950GT (256MB version) for $355 from MSY, and it works well at 1280x1024. 512MB is a waste of money for my setup.

P5B is an excellent choice - if you are running on a fairly tight budget and don't need all the bells and whistles the more costly boards have its easily the best value for money core2 board out atm, performance is great.

If you want a gaming/performance machine you'd be insane to get anything other than an nforce or intel chipset mainboard right now.

Yeah the original dodgey 400W PSU looked dodgy to me. Never skimp when it comes to PSUs : /

i have an antec sonata II and my power supply that came with it blew up last week. smoke and everything!

Since you've stated you want to get a dx10 card sometime in the near future, I would honestly fork out for a capable power supply now rather than later. Also, what is your current video card now? I would be almost tempted to utilize that at the moment and spend the extra money on a faster cpu.