first pc build HELP!

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curti

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hi
please keep the flaming to the minimum. I really dont know what i am doing.

i am looking to build a gaming oriented pc. I have a limited budget at $1300 MAX.

this is the list that i came up with.
i know it is missing some things, but what i have listed is all that i am really worried about. (most of the pc)

AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 512k L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor (p.s. what windows do i need to take full advantage of the 64 bit processor?)

Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD740GD, OEM Drive Only

pqi TURBO Series Dual Channel Platinum Kit 184-Pin 1GB(512MB x 2) DDR PC-3200

EPoX "EP-8KDA3J" nForce3-250Gb Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL

video card is still up for grabs.
everything is on newegg.com
nothing on this list is engraved in stone. any of it can change.

please help me!
 
go scoket 939

dont get a raptor waste of money if your on a lower budget

you can get a 6600 gt for that price range
 
here is an awsome graphics card the x800 its what i have in my computer and i can run all the games at ultra high graphics with not a single bit of lag even farcry. its a little pricey so it wont be the card for u if u need to get a monitor and alot of extra stuff that dont ectually go into the case of the computer. but here is the link i also order mine from newegg and it cam a day early as it ddi when i order ram for my sis computer and another uv light for my case.

abit radeon x800 pro-vio
 
Don't go with the X800 Pro. While it is a good card, its value isn't as good. The 6800 GT is the same price and much better, especially in Doom 3. Believe me, I am an X800 Pro owner and wish I would have gone with the 6800GT. Go with the eVGA Nvidia GeForce 6800GT.
 
Don't go cheap on the RAM!!! You will hate yourself later, especially if it is a no-name brand. Also, Go with a decent motherboard with extra options. I will give you a list of my PC and I only paid around $1000 for it. Minus the Hard Drives and Video Cards, which I already had or bought at a later date.

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Mobile (excellent for overclocking)

Abit AN7 Motherboard (Nvidia NForce Chipset, no need for audio card)

Thermaltake Xaser III Case with Harcano System and 7 cooling fans

Thermaltake Volcano 11+ Heat Sink and Fan

Antec Truepower 550W Power Supply

OCZ Enhanced Latency Platinum Edition Memory PC3200 (2X512MB)

Plextor DVD+/- RW Drive

Lite-On DVD-Rom Drive

Cheap Sony Floppy Drive

I bought a Geforce 6800 Ultra after the fact, and also a 200GB SATA Hard Drive and a 300GB SATA hard drive.

Make sure your motherboard is SATA ready. The days of the IDE Cables are slowly phasing themselves out.

Also, you will need some good thermal paste to put on the CPU. The stuff that ships with them are crap. I would go with Arctic Silver 5 or better.

Lastly, if you aren't too stuck on the 64Bit stuff, I would discourage it. You can better spend your money in a lower priced Athlon and overclock slightly and have a PC that runs just as fast. Athlon is the best CPU I have found, because of their architecture and the way they process. For instance, I bought an Athlon XP 2500+Mobile that is a 1.83Ghz CPU. I easily overclocked it to 2.4Ghz without any issues and have had it there since July 2004. My temps are constantly at 30 to 35 Celsius. Also, it was only $89 so if I fry it, I can afford another. :)
 
I would get a socket 939 CPU and motherboard; the Abit AV8 3rd eye and Athlon 64 3200+ or 3500+ winchesters are really good CPU's

I agree, the X800 is a good card, but not good for value. the 6800 GT can easily be overclocked to more than ultra speeds on stock cooling, and already has 16 pipes like the Ultra, however the X800 pro has 12 pipes against the XT's 16, but the XT is way too expensive.

I would hold back on the 10000RPM drive, and get a 200GB Seagate SATA drive. and then maybe an 80GB also to put your OS and program files, and it would still less than the cost of a 74GB Raptor.

I would suggest G.Skill RAM, or if you can't afford it get Kingmax or OCZ PC4000 RAM. it is really overclockable RAM. the G.skill RAM is amazingly overclockable
 
Echo_ said:
go scoket 939

dont get a raptor waste of money if your on a lower budget

you can get a 6600 gt for that price range

Depends how much money he has to spend cause a socket 939 MOBO can get pricey
 
Ok i had just below your budget and this is what I Did

AMD Athlon 3400+
Asus A8V Mobo
200 GIG WD Caviar SE (Seagates are also good)
Geforce 6600GT
2x 512 Meg Ultra DDR RAM (Dual Channel)
A case and PS, Raidmax.
Thermaltake Venus 12 CPU Cooler

Now if you have the money I would get a 6800GT as well instead of a 6600GT. The 6800 wins for the price. You can get basicly any ram in this setup to work. Also i didnt buy any CD drives because i already had them.

And the Raptor is kinda a waste of money
 
Don't say PQI ram is crap..Its actaully way better than you guys think. The pqi TURBO Series Dual Channel Platinum Kit 184-Pin 1GB(512MB x 2) DDR PC-3200 can overclock to 260Mhz+ because it is tccd..make sure you get the 2-2-2 timings ones..then they will be tccd.
 
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