Building Computer, looking at motherboards

[aik1ng]

HELLO Techspot forum members,
This is the first time, I have posted here. And I figured this is the best site to go for computer help, after reading some of the response on other threads.


So I have decided to build myself a gaming rig, and I am looking for some help from the hardcore gamers out there, as I am aspiring gamer.

I am looking into motherboards and cpus. I am pretty set on AMD due to its price, and the fact that majority of ppl I have met use AMD. I plan to use NVIDIA graphic cards, as I have had better luck with them over ATI.

The motherboard I am looking into right now is this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131593&ATT=13-131-593&CMP=OTC-yah00TT
The ASUS Crosshair ^^
or M2N-SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131013

CPU:
I am currently unsure on since, I want power, but I am not willing to pay the high price. And could someone clear up, if I got a Dual Core clocked at 1.8-2.0 GHz or Single Core clocked at 3.0 Ghz. Which one would run the best.

If you have any suggestions, as of which AMD Athlon to get please help.

 

[Bisirko]

If you want a cheap dual core processor you might wanna think about picking up an AMD opteron. I just bought a 170 off of newegg for 190. You can overclock it to somewhere around a 3.0 ne ways with the right set up.

 

[k.jacko]

If its gaming i'd seriously consider intel. The core2duo's are great.
You say you don't want to pay top dollar, but you've spec'd up a $254 mobo ???!!!!

The spec in my sig is a great gaming rig (although i could do with a better psu). None of my games struggle at 1280x1024.
The 7900gs is mediocre card nowadays, but it handles everything i play (see 2nd part of motto). And is a great overclocker if i want more out of it. As is my cpu coupled with the mobo i use, great for overclocking.

Motto: "Buy cheap, buy twice."....."Don't buy what you won't use!"

 

[aik1ng]

if i go core 2 duo, what motherboard should i get, i cant get the asus crosshair then. right?

 

[nickslick74]

With a C2D, nope, can't get the crosshair. A good, mid-range board is the Gigabyte DS3, much less expensive than the crosshair.

In my laptop I currently run a C2D T5500 (1.6GHZ) and it plays games and loads apps very quickly. Course the 7600 GO and 2gig of memory help.

So, what exactly is your budget right now?

 

[aik1ng]

is liquid cooling worth it

 

[Bisirko]

id say no, not unless you have a really expensive set up and you need the extra cooling, it can be risky too. just get a good case that has good reviews for airflow and cooling, also with extra fan bays. and you can always get better fans and what not but liquid cooling in my opinion isnt worth the extra bucks and care

 

[aik1ng]

whats good case to place all my hardware in?

 

[MetalX]

Antec Nine Hundred comes with my top recommendation. It is the best case I've ever seen. It cools everything extremely well and it comes stock with enough fans to do so. It could have a bit more room, but it is not the slightest bit cramped. Overall, it's just a great case. While it is ATX not BTX, the PSU does mount on the bottom of the case because the top is encompassed by a 200mm fan. Having the PSU on the bottom is good though, because the hot air from the system (which rises) goes through the 200mm fan, instead of the already warm PSU, helping to keep it cool, and thus, more efficient.

For a total system, I'd recommend:

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz - $223.90

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 - $99.99

RAM - OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM - $51.99 (Get THIS ($139.99) if you want 2GB)

Video Card - EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS - $149.99

Power Supply - Antec True Power Trio TP3-430 ATX12V 430W - $89.99

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - $139.99

Total: $635.85 for 1GB RAM, or $723.85 with 2GB of RAM, before tax and shipping.

I know the case is a bit expensive, but it's worth it! It's a great case (truth be told, I don't know why it's so expensive because it only cost me $129 Canadian when I got mine).

Overall, this would make a great system for not too much money .

Of course you need optical drives and hard drives, but those are all mostly the same so just pick a size (for hard drives) and a read/write speed (for optical drives) and buy the cheapest one pretty much

 

[aik1ng]

Im kind of stuck- now I want SLI-ready motherboard, so it would be compatible with nvidia. But to do that i have to go with amd. and IM all confused. I dont know if I should go amd or intel, or if i should go ati or nvidia, someone please help me....by the way i alrdy got a case the raidmax smilodon.

plz just tell me from your experience, and what can give me the bang for the buck.

 

[sparhawk814]

Hi I'm kinda in the same spot as aik1ng, I'm looking to build a desktop but I don't think I'll need as much power because I don't really game all that much. I'm gonna try and keep this under 500 if at all possible but I don't know too much about motherboards and CPUs.

 

[aik1ng]

Hi I'm kinda in the same spot as aik1ng, I'm looking to build a desktop but I don't think I'll need as much power because I don't really game all that much. I'm gonna try and keep this under 500 if at all possible but I don't know too much about motherboards and CPUs.

mmm, well if you arent going to be gaming, i suggest picking up branded computer such as Dell, or HP, you can find really good deals on dell.com

the best you can get for $500, is buying a pre-built one, but if you intend to make a gming rig, then be prepared to easily spend $500+