[ionicism]

I intend to build a AMD gaming rig, =<$3000 with these parts, can anyone tell me if these are good choices (compatible, good value for price, etc.)?

Case- ThermalTake VA7000BWA SHARK Black Series ATX Full Tower
PSU- ThermalTake Silent PurePower 680W Power Supply
Mobo- ABIT Fatal1ity AN8
Processor- AMD Athlon 64 3500+
RAM- Corsair 2GB DDR400 XMS3200 DIMM Memory w/ Black Heat Spreader
Video Card- Sapphire Radeon X800 XL
CD Drive- Lite-On 52x/32x/52x CDRW
DVD Drive- Pioneer DVR-109 Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer
HDD- Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250GB (x2)
Sound Card- Creative AUDIGY 2 ZS PLATINUM
Monitor- ViewSonic G220fb
Keyboard- Saitek PC Gamers' Keyboard
Mouse- Logitech MX518
Speakers- Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speaker System

With a few other peripherals, it comes to about $2962.

I also have two questions:
Is it worth getting the 21" CRT or should I get a LCD?
Is the keyboard decent for gaming?

Thanks,
ionicism

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I would question the Motherboard

Everything else looks great....should game great


As far as the LCD goes...look for one with 16ns speed and under should do fine for any gamer.

I have this one http://accessories.u...ategory_id=4009

And it does great..(got tired of that 100 pound CRT taking up all my space)


not sure about the keyboard but im a big Logitech fan (except speaker systems)

[OneCool]

I would question the Motherboard

Everything else looks great....should game great


As far as the LCD goes...look for one with 16ns speed and under should do fine for any gamer.

I have this one http://accessories.u...ategory_id=4009

And it does great..(got tired of that 100 pound CRT taking up all my space)


not sure about the keyboard but im a big Logitech fan (except speaker systems)

[Metalive]

The keyboard will be fine for gaming. Excellent choice on the mouse, I love mine. You can't beat changing sensitivity on the fly for sniping in games like UT2004.


I would take a second look at the mobo though. Look into a regular nforce4 with SLI capabilities (You might just need it in the future)

Edited by Metalive, 02 June 2005 - 03:46 PM.

[ionicism]

Thanks for the help, will the Asus A8N-SLI or the MSI K8N Diamond work to replace the Fatal1ty, and if so, which would be better?

Edited by ionicism, 02 June 2005 - 06:33 PM.

[Metalive]

I would go for the Asus A8N SLI. Great Mobo, I love mine.



Happy building.

[Doby]

Actually I don't question Abit boards there very good, I suggest you google all 3 boards, read the reviews and then decide

Rick

[warriorscot]

I am also intending to build an AMD gaming rig however a much more modest one the base unit itself is only coming in at £450 I intend to upgrade later on. At the moment i am planning on getting a modest AMD 64bit Venice 3000+ however i am confused as to wether i should get a faster older core processor for the same price probably at least a 3200+wini but am i better of with the venice and its newer features.
And by the way does anyone have a gigabyte 6600gt turbo with heatpipe reviews are kinda sketchy to find and it is quite rare to buy on the internet at least over here anywhere, i really just want to know if its worth the money it certainly looks nice.

[OneCool]

I am also intending to build an AMD gaming rig however a much more modest one the base unit itself is only coming in at £450 I intend to upgrade later on. At the moment i am planning on getting a modest AMD 64bit Venice 3000+ however i am confused as to wether i should get a faster older core processor for the same price probably at least a 3200+wini but am i better of with the venice and its newer features.
And by the way does anyone have a gigabyte 6600gt turbo with heatpipe reviews are kinda sketchy to find and it is quite rare to buy on the internet at least over here anywhere, i really just want to know if its worth the money it certainly looks nice.

Go for the Venice trust me you wont regret it

[ionicism]

The A8N-SLI does look good, but the reviews I've read say something about an underpowered chipset fan. Can anyone tell me if this will be a serious problem?

Edited by ionicism, 03 June 2005 - 04:30 PM.

[OneCool]

I only question Abit from personal experinence ..nothing more nothing less.


Also had problem's with DFI in the past


both had mobo's DOA

MSI
Asus
Soltek

[jrm20]

There is nothing wrong with dfi motherboards, the old dfi boards did have few problems but the dfi company has worked the kinks out of there boards by now. I have a dfi lanparty pro 875 b rev b and its great, the best mobo i have even seen. Older msi motherboards werent that great, but there pretty good now. If you spend a good amount on a motherboard it will be worth it. You get what you pay for, dont go cheap.

[Rockster2U]

I'll jump on that one - DFI makes as good as or better boards than anybody these days. They can be a little tough to set up and they require very good memory if one wants to get the full potential out of them but I have yet to see a rival. Also, like Doby - I am quite partial to Abit boards too.

[Metalive]

Edit. Disregard please.

Edited by Metalive, 04 June 2005 - 02:27 AM.

[ionicism]

I'm fairly sure that I'm going to buy one of these three boards:


GigaByte GA-K8NXP-SLI
DFI LANParty NF4 SLI-DR
EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLI nForce 4 SLI

I've read very positive reviews for all three, does anyone have suggestions on the best one?

[Hemal]

I myself agree with Doby also and think Asus and Abit boards are the best makers out there...also great computer, good configurations...What type of cooling are you going to get? If you really are already spending that much money, would you be willing to go into water cooling?