A "High End" Gaming Computer

[khc3t]

Here is a classic post, of a gamer needing another gamers advice. I have about $2500 dollars give or take a few hundred depending on the goodies, and want a "nice piece of ass" gaming system. I am not really set on anything in particular, and i don't really have the time to look into it so much as i would like to, so here i find myself asking =YOU= for some help. Something I reallly want to go overboard on is a nice monitor, and a nice speaker system. I've heard great things about klipsch series, and like i said i still haven't looked into it much at all. So, here i leave you with a nice task at hand. Please help me build my dream machine...

 

[icy_oblivion]

Are you building or buying the machine? And are you partial to AMD or Intel?

<font color=green>My other personality is schitzofrenic.</font color=green>

 

[icy_oblivion]

This is the system I would buy right now if I had the money. There are a lot of things that could be replaced with different brands if you wanted and they shouldn't affect the price that much.

AMD System

all prices are from <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com</A>

Gigabyte GA-7VAXP, VIA KT400 chipset 8X AGP ATX motherboard - $113.00
ENERMAX EG365P-VE(FM). 350W - $47.00
AMD ATHLON XP 2400 /266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - $206.00
Lite On 48x12x48 CDRW Model LTR-48125W - $57.99
LITE-ON LTD-166S16X DVD ROM Drive - $50.00
WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 100GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD1000JB - $145.00
CORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series CMX256A-2700C2 C2 256MB PC2700 DDR RAM - get two for $103.00 each
NEC/Mitsubishi 19" CRT VGA Monitor Model FE991SB White Retail - $280.00
VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ - $62.00
Klipsch Promedia 4.1 THX Certified - $239.00
RADEON 9700 PRO 128MB TV/DVI 8X AGP - $365.00

So far that is only $1770.99

The motherboard has a built in LAN card that you could replace easily with an addon card. I havn't included the case, keyboard, or mouse since those are very user specific as far as taste goes. Left out the OS in case you have your own and I don't know which OS is best for gaming anymore anyway. If you plan on getting this system you might want to switch to a 400W PSU if you plan on adding anything later.

I figure with that system you could add another hard drive and raid them with the onboard raid if you wanted to and that would still keep you under $2,500 even with the OS, case, keyboard, and mouse.

I might get around to posting an Intel system this afternoon.

Travis

<font color=green>My other personality is schitzofrenic.</font color=green>

 

[dhlucke]

If this is USD, then the sky is the limit.

If you're a gamer, I would start with the most important component that costs the most: The monitor. Go out and research a 21" - 23" monitor.

Then worry about the rest.

<font color=red>
<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?dhlucke" target="_new">Forum Assassin</A></font color=red>

 

[lagger]

Icy I would suggest for 1 dollar more the 48246 lite on burner it rewrites 2x's faster and has the media tek 6 series chip which is flashable to make the drive a 522452 drive sweet eh ??

<A HREF="http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?lagger" target="_new"> All Nude Female Jello® Wrestling RuleZ!</A>

 

[icy_oblivion]

Yah, like I said above though, I just through together that system in the course of about ten minutes. And it is still no-where near the price limit. I wish I had $2,500 US to spend on a computer.

<font color=green>My other personality is schitzofrenic.</font color=green>

 

[khc3t]

-AMD XP-2200+ CPU

(up to Athlon XP-2600+)

-New MSI KT3 Ultra KT-333 MB

-512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR RAM

-80GB 7200 RPM ATA 133 HARD DRIVE

-New Nvidia Geforce-4 TI4200 128mb DDR W/ TV-Out

-16X DVD-ROM

-40x/12x/48x CD-RW

-Creative Lab Sound Blaster 5.1 Sound

-19" Viewsonic E95 .22MM SVGA Monitor

-800 Watt Subwoofer Speaker System w/ Matching Neon Light

-Windows XP Home Edition.

-Corel Wordperfect office 2002

-ALUMINUM Medium Tower Case w/ MOD "See Through" Window + Neon Light 350 Watt



$1125


I saw this as a bundle package, and there are somethings here that I would want to change, and somethings here that i have no idea about what kinda product it is. I know i want klipsch, unless other wise advised on another speaker system. I know if i buy each piece i will pay less, also right now i just need to figure out what i want to buy {each piece}, such as the mother board etc. I have no idea on that business aspect.

Everything sounds good, except for the following:


-New MSI KT3 Ultra KT-333 MB
-Creative Lab Sound Blaster 5.1 Sound
-19" Viewsonic E95 .22MM SVGA Monitor
-800 Watt Subwoofer Speaker System w/ Matching Neon Light {wow even a little matching light>>sarcastic<<}

I'm pretty much sold on the rest of the components, mabey someone could give me a little more insight on this piece of machinery. This a good system? Too Much Power? Should i mix and match a little? Some insight would be great. thnx

 

[DaveP]

You didn't say where you found this bundle, but, you can likely buy the seperate pieces that you want, and add to it. I personally don't have XP Pro, but it's supposed to be better for gaming. Make sure you get a good power supply (400w + should be a good starting point) and plenty of good quality ram. It's a subject for arguement, but many prefer corsair, crucial, samsung, to name a few name brands. If price is not an object, maybe you should consider an intel system. Personally, I'm partial to AMD because they are cheaper and I don't overclock. Somebody else posted that you should start with the monitor because it is likely the most expensive component, and I agree. You can easily spend $500 on a top of the line model. And it's not likely that you'll spend the rest of your money on the other things, even if you get the best of everything.

Old age is a hoax.. Turns out to only be a severe back problem.

 

[icy_oblivion]

For speakers, if you are looking at 4.1 systems, Kilpsch (sp?) and Logitech both offer very good speakers. The Logitech Z-560 is quite a bit cheaper but does tend to have a bit too much base.

I also just noticed that Logitech just came out with a 5.1 system(Z-680), but if you are going with 5.1 I would stick to Klispch until you know something about the Logitech's.

<font color=green>My other personality is schitzofrenic.</font color=green>

 

[paulj]

If you are going with the Athlon you should look at the nVidia nForce2. That is the fastest mobo for the Athlon. <A HREF="http://www.falcon-nw.com" target="_new"> Falcon Northwest</A> can build you one with an nForce2 system (Asus). Even if you don't buy a system from them you can get a good idea of some good components and build it yourself. The nForce2 boards are hard to find. Pricewatch had some. You will just have to check availability.

 

[paulj]

Also the Yamaha CD Writers will burn a label on the CD. You might like that. I think you have to use Yamaha CDs to burn the label. Keep that in mind when reviewing it.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by paulj on 11/13/02 08:55 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[NightNinja7]

try a Radeon 9700 pro. Would look sweet on a 21" monitor.

A ninja travel not by day, but by night.