Advice on this system

[Scarlett Letterman]

So i'm getting a whole new system and I'd like to spend not too much more than 1000$ (canadian). This is what I have on paper:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU (200$)
Evga Geforce 7900 GTO 512 MB (300$)
MSI K9N Neo Mobo with 550 Nforce chipset (115$)
Seagate Barracuda 250 Gb HD with 16 Mb cache (115$)
Enermax EG565 FMAII 535watt power supply (115$)

So that right there is 850$, but I don't yet have the ram. Now I need dual channel ram for this mobo, which is very expensive apparently, especially since ram prices just shot up . For PC800 the cheapest i see is two sticks of 512 Crucial Ballistix DDR2 ram for 300$.

So my questions: How does the system look? What can i expect for longevity? Should I downgrade to a 7600 GT instead?, because its like half the price of a 7900. And should I wait around and see if ram prices drop down? Cause 300$ for just 1gb is sickening. So basically how can i cut a few corners here. Thanks! incinerate

[Incinerate_IV]

Keep your 7900GTO, and buy the cheapest DDR2-533 ram you can find. You are never going to go over 533 unless if you are overclocking.

[Scarlett Letterman]

So something like this?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...730&CatId=2366

Is enough to fuel this? http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...334&CatId=2347

Sorry if its a dumb q, but I keep hearing that these motherboards need high quality ram. And should I wait for prices to come down? i.e. wait 2-3 weeks?

[OTZ]

Please check www.NCIX.com - you will save quite a bit of money. The 3800 is 180, and the GTO is 266 after mail-in rebate. Everything is cheaper there - including shipping and tax (As long as you don't live in BC). Tigerdirect sucks

[krazykarl]

Please check www.NCIX.com - you will save quite a bit of money. The 3800 is 180, and the GTO is 266 after mail-in rebate. Everything is cheaper there - including shipping and tax (As long as you don't live in BC). Tigerdirect sucks

I second that.

But also due to the way candadian tax laws work, if you dont live in BC you dont pay PST. When you spend that much money 8% savings adds up to quite a lot.

Also ive noticed recently that they have started offering "combo deals" which saved me around $20 on parts I was going to buy anyways.

here you can get the motherboard and hard drive for $90 ea
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...=MSI/MicroStar

[OTZ]

Seagate 320GB SATA2 16MB Cache $110

ASUS nForce570 AM2 $113

Or go with KK's suggestion above for the Mobo and HDD

AMD 3800 X2 AM2 $180

eVAG 7900GTO $265

Mushkin 2 X 1GB PC2 - 5300 $270

Or if you want to save some $$$ and get just 1 GIG then > Mushkin PC2 5300 2 x 512MB $140

Antec True Power 550w $108

All for under $1K. Check back if you can't buy it today, as they have sales every three days on just about everything. The prices above end tonight I think

[Incinerate_IV]

Sorry if its a dumb q, but I keep hearing that these motherboards need high quality ram. And should I wait for prices to come down? i.e. wait 2-3 weeks?

You'll be much better off getting cheap ram and saving the money for other parts like CPU or video card. You get a much higher performance boost that way.

[Cadmium77]

So i'm getting a whole new system and I'd like to spend not too much more than 1000$ (canadian). This is what I have on paper:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU (200$)
Evga Geforce 7900 GTO 512 MB (300$)
MSI K9N Neo Mobo with 550 Nforce chipset (115$)
Seagate Barracuda 250 Gb HD with 16 Mb cache (115$)
Enermax EG565 FMAII 535watt power supply (115$)

So that right there is 850$, but I don't yet have the ram. Now I need dual channel ram for this mobo, which is very expensive apparently, especially since ram prices just shot up . For PC800 the cheapest i see is two sticks of 512 Crucial Ballistix DDR2 ram for 300$.

So my questions: How does the system look? What can i expect for longevity? Should I downgrade to a 7600 GT instead?, because its like half the price of a 7900. And should I wait around and see if ram prices drop down? Cause 300$ for just 1gb is sickening. So basically how can i cut a few corners here. Thanks! incinerate

YOu've almost got the same system as me; get 2 gig RAM in two 1 gig RAM modules...if you get four 500 MB RAM modules you won't be able to upgrade to 4 gig later on without getting rid of the 500MB RAM modules...

You will kick ass. You should see the demo running on my rig. Exstasy.

That might seem ridiculous now, but in a couple years when Vista comes out and all the games are DirectX 10 you'll need it and want it.

[Incinerate_IV]

That might seem ridiculous now, but in a couple years when Vista comes out and all the games are DirectX 10 you'll need it and want it.

A couple of years!? Its more like in 2 - 3 months.

[Scarlett Letterman]

Wow thanks for all the help guys! But all those prices on NCIX are after a mail in rebate, and mail in rebate have never been reliable. Is it a big hassle?

[OTZ]

Not all the prices are after mail in rebates. Even without them, the prices are cheaper than they are at Tiger. Check back at NCIX tonight, or tomorrow night, they will have their newest sale on.

I haven't had any problems with MIRs - they have taken a while, but I haven't been denied yet.

[AlfonsoVIII]

2 things. 1. Get the 4200 X2 or the 4600 X2, you will need this extra boost for RTW, dont believe me, read my article in my sig. Also, get 1x 1 GB stick, so that you can add another one later as for right now, 2GB is useless. Dont believe me, refer back to my article in my sig. I have everything maxed in the M2TW demo and I have decent fps, but getting a faster processor than the 4200 will make it go faster, trust me.

[Scarlett Letterman]

2 things. 1. Get the 4200 X2 or the 4600 X2, you will need this extra boost for RTW, dont believe me, read my article in my sig. Also, get 1x 1 GB stick, so that you can add another one later as for right now, 2GB is useless. Dont believe me, refer back to my article in my sig. I have everything maxed in the M2TW demo and I have decent fps, but getting a faster processor than the 4200 will make it go faster, trust me.

Actually now I'm leaning towards a an X2 4200 for 222$ canadian. I have a month until MTW releases though so I think I will wait a few weeks.

[OTZ]

Actually now I'm leaning towards a an X2 4200 for 222$ canadian. I have a month until MTW releases though so I think I will wait a few weeks.

Good decision - although the 7900GTO may not be around by then.

[Lee1026]

MSI K9N Neo Mobo with 550 Nforce chipset (115$)

Get a cheaper one. Unless if there are reasons why you need a expensive mobo (and if can't name any, you don't have any reasons) get the cheapest.

Enermax EG565 FMAII 535watt power supply (115$)

Just for the PSU, that is more then a little bit obscene. Desprite what people are trying to get you to believe, even high end systems are hard pressed to chew up more then 350 watts.

[Scarlett Letterman]

Good decision - although the 7900GTO may not be around by then.

Whatya mean won't be around?

Get a cheaper one. Unless if there are reasons why you need a expensive mobo (and if can't name any, you don't have any reasons) get the cheapest.

well no I don't have a reason i know of. I know little to nothing about mobos, wanna recommend something?

Just for the PSU, that is more then a little bit obscene. Desprite what people are trying to get you to believe, even high end systems are hard pressed to chew up more then 350 watts.

My last PSU was a 435 and it blew out on me.

[Lee1026]

well no I don't have a reason i know of. I know little to nothing about mobos, wanna recommend something?

Search for the socket you need. Find the cheapest one. Get that.

My last PSU was a 435 and it blew out on me.

Let me guess: it was a no brand PSU that you brought for a song, right?

[Scarlett Letterman]

Search for the socket you need. Find the cheapest one. Get that.

k

Let me guess: it was a no brand PSU that you brought for a song, right?

que?

I spent 30$

[Lee1026]

Well, as there are no real agency going around the place to ensure that PSUs do what they said that they would do, bad brands do get somewhat unreliable.

[Lee1026]

Try checking reviews before you buy. That is just about the only way to save cash.