[The Hurricane]

Yah I kinda want to build a "GOOD", cheap computer with $950.
My friend who knows way to much about everything for his own good built one based on what I thought using Tiger Direct.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2.0GHz / 1MB Cache / 2000MHz FSB / Socket AM2 / Dual-Core (Windsor) / Processor with Fan
http://www.tigerdire...a...&CatId=2328

BFG GeForce 7300 GS OC / 256MB GDDR2 / PCI Express / DVI / VGA / HDTV / Video Card http://www.tigerdire...a...&CatId=1560

Asus M2N-SLI-Deluxe NVIDIA Socket AM2 ATX Motherboard / Audio / PCI Express / SLI Ready / Dual Gigabit LAN / S/PDIF / USB 2.0 & Firewire / Serial ATA / RAID
http://www.tigerdire...p;sku=A455-2305

Western Digital / Caviar SE 16 / 250GB / 7200 / 16MB / SATA-300 / OEM / Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdire...a...&CatId=2458

Corsair Value Select 1024MB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Memory http://www.tigerdire...a...&CatId=1654

Power Up 5511 Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB and Audio Ports and 400-Watt 20/24 pin Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...a...&CatId=1520

so anyways that is what he made. I want it for gaming and video editing, but anywho I saw the Processor had a review and someone said it wasnt to great for gaming. Just want to know what any of you think. If you could give some advice or even a new scheme for set up it would be nice.

Edited by The Hurricane, 26 September 2006 - 02:52 PM.

[Advertisements]

I don't know anything about configuring an AMD rig. However, I can just about guarantee that you will end up regretting buying a cheap case with a pretty face and an inferior, no-name power supply.
The only case/power supply combo's I'd buy are from Antec. Otherwise, buy a bare case and a good power supply from one of the recommended manufacturers. Such as Seasonic, Antec, Fortron, PC Power & Cooling. Buying a high quality motherboard and graphics card then feeding them with a crap power supply is like putting recaps on a Corvette.

[Bartender]

I don't know anything about configuring an AMD rig. However, I can just about guarantee that you will end up regretting buying a cheap case with a pretty face and an inferior, no-name power supply.
The only case/power supply combo's I'd buy are from Antec. Otherwise, buy a bare case and a good power supply from one of the recommended manufacturers. Such as Seasonic, Antec, Fortron, PC Power & Cooling. Buying a high quality motherboard and graphics card then feeding them with a crap power supply is like putting recaps on a Corvette.

[The Hurricane]

I want an AMC Gremlin not a Corvette... I cant afford that Corvette... But anyways you think I should reconsider the case so nothing bad happens? how much more would this cost, rather than going with this case.

[Bartender]

Hurricane -
I don't want to get into making specific recommendations. Case selection is a very personal thing and you're gonna have to look at the thing every morning, not me.
I just want to make some general comments.
It appears that what you've got so far is a list of the things you knew you wanted - nice motherboard, graphics card, CPU, etc. That almost wiped out your budget. It looks like you went shopping for a case/power supply with the last $50 on the assumption that it's not all that important.
This is a common misperception. To me, there's nothing more important than your power supply (PSU) choice. Can you get ahold of the January 2005 issue of MaximumPC? They did a PSU shoot-out. I'll make an abbreviated quote from their lead-in...
"Picture this: You've just blown your last three paychecks building a kick-[bleep] computer. You splurged on a tricked-out case and spent long hours tweaking it to perfection. But you made one critical mistake. You strapped that monster system to a $35 bargain bin PSU. Who could blame you? After all, a beefy $200 PSU nets the exact same 3DMark score as a no-name cheapie. Why not spend that extra cash on something with a more visible return on investment? Heres why: When it comes time to upgrade or overclock, or when a brownout or lightning storm finally strikes, chances are that dirt-cheap PSU will let you down just when you need it most, potentially taking the rest of your expensive system with it."
They tortured seven name-brand PSU's. Only two winners emerged, the Antec NeoPower 480 and a PC Power & Cooling 510 Deluxe. That would surprise no one who's done their homework...both brands are well-regarded.
Please spend a few days researching this issue. Drop in at Anandtech, SPCR, Tom's Hardware, etc. They'll have some good ideas for cases, too, which are also very important if you're going to stuff one full of heat-producing parts like fast video cards.
After that, I'm hoping you'll come up with a way to free up some more money or re-apportion your shopping list. About 20 to 30% of your budget should go to case & power supply, not 5%. Antec builds cases with and without PSU's. I think their case/PSU combo's are just about the most cost-effective way to go.

[kidnova]

As far as your question about the processor, the 3800+ X2 will run games just fine. The review you read was probably referring to most games not being optimized to take advantage of dual core processors, which is true to date, but that will be changing quickly as dual cores become the standard.

Any games you play will be limited by your video card. You said you wanted to use it for gaming, but the question is what type of games and how pretty do you want them to be when you play them. The 7300 GS will run most games on low-medium settings, but some of the more power hungry games such as Oblivion might be barely playable. If you are really planning on gaming with this system, then I would recommend upgrading your graphics card to a 7600 GT or something comparable. However, if you play mostly older games, then the 7300 GS will be fine.

[anoobrew]

if u pay a little more u could get a 7600 GS or an x800 Gto and that'd make quite te diff in games

[The Hurricane]

Thanks Kidnova for that info cause you know what... Oblivion was one of the main games I want to play on it, PSU and maby WoW.
Yah I think my friend sugested some other video cards along those lines.
and yah I think now that I look at it that way about the death strikes I may consider waiting a couple weeks befor so I can afford a better case and PSU. Thanks for that situation, but 30% is a large amount for a case. Any other comments?

[kidnova]

I know Newegg had the Antec Sonata II case with a 450W PSU for a really good price not too long ago. It may not be the sexiest case out there, but the price/performance ratio can't be beat.

[Bartender]

Antec B stock might work for you
http://www.antec.com...pro_b_stock.php
Some of these come with PSU's, some not. For instance, the Sonata II comes with a PSU new, so should have one. The P180 comes without a PSU.
After shipping these prices are still somewhat cheaper than on sale at regular online vendors (if you can catch the sale!)

Edited by Bartender, 28 September 2006 - 08:47 AM.

[Blub man]

Aparently the AMD Athlon 64 FX range is much better for gaming than the daul cores, but i supose a dual core will do just fine.