Need some help with new build

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Monka

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I need some help building a gameing comp.

there is one problem i have been running into, my video card is a nvidia Geforce 7800 gs (agp). the main boards i have been loking at are all pci.

if i can get some help picking out a nice mainboard and processer for gaming please post a link.

i want to find a board with a agp slot so i can save 300 and use my old video card. if there are no agp currently out there i would still like to see some amd compatible mainboards for gaming.

thx
 
Hello and welcome to Techspot!

If you are determined to build a system around an AGP card, then I'd recommend this board to you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081

This way in a year or so when you want to upgrade your graphics, you won't be kicking yourself for not having a PCI-express slot.

This motherboard has both an AGP slot and a PCI-express slot. It also claims to be AM2 compatible!
 
isnt that a more low end board? i want to build a awsome comp and some of the reviews dont look to good
 
Well, hang on and see what some others say. Personally if I were building a new system, I would not build it around an AGP card. This severly limits you.

For example, AMD just released their newest CPUs so ideally you should be getting a motherboard that supports AM2. However there are no AM2 motherboards that support AGP (that I know of anyways).

The next best thing to do would be to get a 939 motherboard, but again, the 939 motherboards mainly support PCI-express graphics. There are no real "high end" 939 boards supporting AGP graphics.

That is why I recommend that Asrock board to you. It is 939 and it also has a PCI-express slot. That board actually has a very good reputation in the industry. It's performance, granted, is a little on the slow side, but not too bad, and it has both an AGP and a PCI-express slot.

If it were me, I'd sell the AGP card and get a PCI-express before I built a system. Doesn't really make sense at this point to build a system around an AGP card, UNLESS you are on a tight budget of course. If you are determined to go AGP, then I'd say that asrock would be the best way to go. Again, hang on and get some other opinions of course.
 
k i now know im going pci, if you guys could list a good mainboard and processer that would be awsome

i know what i need for my other parts, this is one area i need help. i know i want a AMD and my budget is around $1,000. Keep in mind i still have to buy all my other parts with that money.

keep in mind its for hard core gaming

ty
 
Here is a link to an Asus board: Click here. It is about the same price as the Asrock board that Don linked to. Neither are very expensive but they are two of the most expensive AGP, socket 939 boards carried by Newegg. High end motherboards are all PCI-Express these days it appears.

Edit: I see you are going with PCI-E after all. By the way, you keep saying PCI but I'm sure you mean PCI-E since PCI graphics cards are low powered and limited.
 
What exactly needs to be included in that $1000?

Motherboard
CPU
Ram
Graphics?
Hdd?
Optical drive?
Monitor?
Windows?
Keyboard/Mouse?
Speakers?
Case/Psu?
 
What is your current PSU? Maker and how many watts please.

What ram do you have? Make, size and speed.
 
i meant to add case to that. and have a 450watt pwr supply

ahhh i think its pc3200 ram 1gig and 512x2
 
Hmmmm.

There are (again) a couple of different paths you could go here.

If I were building a new system now for gaming, without question you'd want to go AM2. I will also mention here in case you have not heard, Intel is also coming out with a new processor that is rumored to be better than any AMD out. Many people looking to build systems are waiting until they release them, last I heard the release date is in a few months (haven't looked it up recently).

OK, now that's out of the way.... assuming you still want to build NOW....

AM2 systems are currently the best for gaming. They use DDR2 ram however, so if you are going to go this route, you should also get some new ram.

And we also need to know who makes your power supply. This is actually very important, as you are going to be using some high quality parts in your system. I'd hate to see them all get fried by a cheap PSU, and it happens a lot. The main thing we need to know is how many amps your PSU is putting out on the 12v rail. You can find this info by looking at the sticker attached to it.

OK, assuming your PSU is decent, and you are going to get some new ram, I will see what I can put together in your budget......
 
Hmmmph. Newegg isn't even selling the AM2 dual core CPUs yet....

20amps on the 12v rail is going to be a little low for the level of system you are wanting to buy to be honest. You are going to want to be up in the 30amp range. PSUs are cheap though. I'll include one for you anyways.
 
Anyone know why newegg doesn't have the AM2 dual core CPUs for sale?

They are easy enough to buy here in Japan, and I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to get them through newegg.... strange.
 
slackergare said:
hey its all about the video card
if the AMD boards don't have agp slots
then i consider pentium with a mobo that has both agp and the other pci express
can the video card play most modern games today.
i'd also consider the Raptor WD 10,000 rpm hdd
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=189&language=en

Not sure what you are saying there.... there are many AMD boards with AGP support. The thing is, they are old technology. Same would be true of any intel board. The latest chipsets all are built around PCI-express graphics.

I agree with you that "It's all about the video card". The thing is, AGP is a dead end. If building a new system, you need to get PCI-express. You are shooting yourself in the foot if you do otherwise.
 
Here is a sample of what I'd look at in your price range:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 $325 (newegg isn't listing them for some reason. I am sure they will soon. I have linked you to tigerdirect's site for now)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2207238&CatId=2329

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe $146.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013

Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

GPU: eVGA 256-P2-N567 Geforce 7900GT KO Superclocked 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130016

Case/PSU: Antec SonataII w/ 450w antec PSU $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

This comes to $980 so far.
 
I could have sworn I saw dual core socket AM2 processors a few days ago but I only see single cores now. I must have been mistaken.
 
mailpup said:
I could have sworn I saw dual core socket AM2 processors a few days ago but I only see single cores now. I must have been mistaken.
I bet you saw what I saw, which is amd cpu's that are on socket am2, but not am2 cpu's. But is this not an am2 processor?
 
@Paranoid Guy's link above: The new socket AM2 boards do have 940 pins, but I do not believe the socket 940 cpus fit in the AM2 sockets, and the AM2 CPUs do not fit in the socket 940 motherboards.
 
DonNagual said:
Here is a sample of what I'd look at in your price range:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 $325 (newegg isn't listing them for some reason. I am sure they will soon. I have linked you to tigerdirect's site for now)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2207238&CatId=2329

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe $146.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131013

Ram: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

GPU: eVGA 256-P2-N567 Geforce 7900GT KO Superclocked 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card $299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130016

Case/PSU: Antec SonataII w/ 450w antec PSU $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155

This comes to $980 so far.
The case DonNagual posted is from his own personal experience. Ask him for a coupla pics. It's an unbelievably glossy black.
 
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