Perfomance : Price ratio

[ConfusedCustome]

I'm on the edge of buying a new computer. I have a really old 1 GHz with a GeForce 2 and I'm not looking to recycle anything but the extern hardware such as monitor, keyboard etc.
What I want is a computer optimized for gaming purposes but I want the best perfomance : price ratio. I figured it wouldn't pay off to buy a computer for 2000 $ now and a new one for 2000 $ in 4 years, it would be better to spend 1000 $ now and another 1000 $ in 2 years. I'm not looking for a high end computer but a standard one. I'm looking for a computer that is good enough to be able to play the latest games for some time into the future.
Therefore my question is the following: What would the price be for the components in my computer if I want to maximize the performance : price ratio in your opinion? I know this is an abstract term but in rough estimates? Should I buy an AMD Athlon 64 3800+ X2 or a 3200+? Should I buy a GeForce 6600 GT or a 7800 GT?
I have done some research on the net and I have searched this forum but I couldn't find my specific problem solved.
Thanks for your help

 

[Brtnboarder495]

Typically the cheaper the price range, the better bang for buck. However the cheaper hardware isn't as good as the more expensive stuff (obviously). Buying decent hardware with high OCing potential is the best way to go. Go with a DFI (one that supports PCI-e and Socket 949) board what ever you do, as they are great for overclocking. I'd go with an Opteron 146 or 148 and OC it, the clocks are amazing when OC'd on air. Memory is important too, not only the amount but the type. Make sure it's better then solid if you want to OC your rig. Your video card should be the 6800GS, or 6600GT if you need to shave off a few dollars.

 

[ConfusedCustome]

While it's true that the cheaper the computer the better the performance : price ratio it's only to a certain degree. As mentioned in my first post it won't pay off to buy an expensive computer every 4 years but neither would it pay off to buy a crap computer every 6 months. At least not from a gamers perspective
Thanks for the quick reply by the way. Some good info there, it's a jungle to buy new hardware.

 

[Brtnboarder495]

Yea I've been around the hardware market for over a year and I'm constantly on newegg.com checking prices and the new stuff (and I don't even have a PC!). By going with the DFI board you have plenty of room for upgrades, because it supports PCI-e and AMD's currently newest CPU socket, socket 939. Buying a solid Antec or OCZ power supply of at least 550w or higher will definetly leave you plenty of room to upgrade in the future. Remember you get some of the money from the parts that you switch out, you can sell them on ebay or such.

 

[ConfusedCustome]

Would it be safer to bet on the cheap version of AMD dualcores system: The 3800+ X2? Or would it be best to go with the 3200+?

 

[mike4realz]

it's best to go wid the dual-cores because they are new chips from AMD and also futureproof. but if price is a concern to u, you can go wid the athlon 64s then upgrade to dual-cores when u got da money

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

well, they're not futureproof, but here's what I tell my customers:
I can make a Microsoft Vista ready PC for you for about 1300. (I take 200, so the deal cost about 1100).

AMD X2 3800+
MSI K8N Neo4-F motherboard
2x1gb OCZ Valueram
6600GT
450W Fortron PSU
(fill in the rest of the components to your liking)

So, it lands at about 1100 bucks. That's what I would buy if I had the cash to throw around. Actually, I'd probably upgrade the motherboard a little, because I'd overclock... but if not, then that's your motherboard. I'd upgrade the graphics card a little, but that's because I game. I'd go with the 6800GS.

So I hope I helped. I say about 1200 will get a you a solid computer you won't have to mess with for a while.

Ryan

 

[Brtnboarder495]

Lmao MS is reccomending ATI's cards for Vista.

 

[ConfusedCustome]

1200 bucks was a bit more than I had hoped for but the motherboard sure looks sweet.
I'll look more into that motherboard for sure.
As things are now I think I'll go for an Athlon 64 3200+ for CPU and 7800 GT for graphics since it's mostly a gaming machine. The motherboard you mentioned might fit nicely with those though

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

I just bought the MSI K8N Neo4-F. It's pretty sweet. It doesn't lock out my overclocking features! Yes! It'll let me go to 400mhz HTT (har, har, har) and play with all of my voltages. I'm very happy with the stupid thing.

Ryan