newbie building gaming computer..needs advice

[mike128]

So i want to order parts sometime in the next week for a gaming computer i am building. I want to spend around $1000 not including the monitor and i already have a cd/dvd drive. Here are the parts i have picked out. Let me know what you think or what can be changed. Thanks

here it is:
CASE:
ASPIRE X-Infinity ATXB6KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 420W power supply for AMD/Intel Power Supply

Mobo:
Gigabyte GA-K8N

Video Card:
GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit GDDR3

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2000MHz

Memory:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200)

Hard Drive:
HITACHI Deskstar 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM


I am open to any suggestions anyone has and changing anything. Thanks

 

[moparman390]

Not a bad setup.

For another $60 an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual core would be a wise investment. Multitreaded games are coming out later this year.

Oh, and for another $18-$19, you can get a 250GB SATA hard drive.

Other then that, nice case (you might consider looking into a name brand power supply), I have that exact same RAM (great choice), the motherboard should be fine (unless you intend to push the limits of overclocking), and the video card is a good one (I have an EVGA 7800GT and I am using their Step-Up program to upgrade to a 7900GT).

That would put that all right around $1000 after shipping.

 

[cmptrdude79]

Mike,

People would be much more willing to help if you actually listed those parts individually, rather than making us click on the link for each one.

/lazy

-J

 

[mike128]

i changed it to make it easier

 

[mike128]

is a dual-core cpu alot better for gaming than a single-core??

 

[moparman390]

Two things.

1. The link didn't work.

2. The 3700+ will be a little better in current games, but the dual core will keep your system from slowing down when you have lots of things open and there will be multithreaded games coming out later this year that will take advantage of dual cores. They will run alot faster on a dual core or even will require a dual core to play with full effects on. In the near future all of the most popular games will take advantage of multithreading.

 

[Wonderful]

right now, a dual core isn't exactly better....like everyone else said--but one of the things you should really look into when building a computer is the future---what kind of plan do you have for upgrades, and how long do you expect this machine to be effective (be able to keep up with new software, games, etc.)....I would spend the extra money and grab a dual core so you've got it covered later. You're better off spending a little more now and getting the right thing. You seem to be heading that direction with some of the other parts---2GB is a great number right now! I would also look into a slightly bigger hard drive. Moparman is right again with the 250GB hdd, 160GB can be a lot, but with all the games and such, it could likely fill up quickly.

Just my two cents.....sorry if I repeated a lot of your ideas

 

[jaguarskx]

is a dual-core cpu alot better for gaming than a single-core??

That is only true if the game is multi-threaded, meaning if they actually do take advantage of both cores.

Here's a link to dual core games.

The X2 3800+ basically has two 2.0GHz core in one CPU.
The 3200+ is a single core that is clocked at 2.0GHz.

If you play a game that is not multi-threaded then the two will perform almost the same. Ever tried scanning your PC for virus while playing a game like Doom 3, Call of Duty 2?

Dual is also very useful if you do a lot of multitasking.

In any event, dual core is the future. Both AMD and Intel are scaling back their production capacity of single core CPUs, and they will be the new "Value" CPUs. Software companies will be coming out with programs that will take advantage of dual cores, and not just games.