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I am buying a new computer system very soon (buying the parts, computer built by me) and I need help on my final decisions. I have posted here before and some of these parts were recommended. However, I have talked to other people and they recommended other parts. Now I need your help in making the final decision.

This will primarily be a gaming system (Counter-Strike: Source, maybe some BF2, etc.) but I will also use it to do my homework (hw sux) and produce audio and video, as well as chatting, internet, etc.

Most of these parts are on sale this week.

I already have the hard drive (IDE 160GB), the optical drives, the speakers, keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

Also, please keep in mind that I live in Canada.

Motherboard:
DFI LANParty UT NF4 ULTRA-D Motherboard ATX S939 NFORCE4 Ultra DDR 2PCI-E16 SATA RAID Sound LAN 1394
$137.99 on sale, regular $150.24
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...I&promoid=1068
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EVGA E-GEFORCE 7600 GT CO 580MHZ PCI-E 256MB 128BIT 1.5GHZ Video Card
$199.99 on sale, regular $239.56
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...A&promoid=1068
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I do not know which processor to get. I originally leaned toward the Athlon 64 3200+, but someone told me to get the Opteron 144 1.8GHz instead, saying that it would perform a lot better.

Here are both:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor S939 Venice 2.0GHZ 512K L2 Cache 90NM Retail Box
$178.98 on sale, regular $210.38
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...D&promoid=1068

AMD Opteron 144 Processor S939 Venus 1.8GHZ 1MB L2 Cache 90NM 64BIT Retail Box
$202.30 after $20 instant rebate, regular $222.30
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...anufacture=AMD

Like I said, I'm not sure which one to get, or even if any of those are right for me. Maybe a different processor?

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OCZ OCZ45012U-450W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan
$79.99 on sale, regular $93.06
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology
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ASPIRE X-PLORER 17IN ATX TOWER CASE 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT 2X80MM FAN WINDOW LCD TEMP. DISP. BLACK
$80.92 regular price
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...facture=ASPIRE
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Did I miss anything?

I'm on a budget too, so this (about $900) is pretty much my limit. If you have any suggestions for different/better parts, please by all means include it. ANYTHING else I would need to know would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your help

I can't speak about prices since I have no idea about Canadian pricing for PC parts and components...

Everything looks pretty decent and it'll be a good entry level PC for gaming.

Only thing you seem to have forgotten is memory, and if you're planning to reuse the memory you have now, I'd be careful to ensure you have memory that is compatible and up to par with the new system!

You might save a few bucks by going with an Antec case WITH power supply. With those extra bucks, do a videocard upgrade. Antec has lots of budget priced cases that include nice, 450-500W Smart Power PSU's.

CPU wise- I'd probably go with the Opteron for it's 1MB cache.

is the opteron processor good for gaming?

I would go with the opteron, because it has 1mb l2 cashe, which will outperform the 3200.


Also opteron are overclock dreams!!!!

Yea there is hardly any difference between a Athlon and Opteron. Both good for gamming.


and you will need some ram my friend
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

Whoops forgot to add the RAM, it was:

Crucial Rendition 1GB PC3200 DDR400 184PIN DIMM Memory
$88.98 on sale, regular $101.45
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Y&promoid=1068

And I won't be able to use my current RAM because it is only SDRAM PC133 I think yea old lool.

And none of the Antec cases are appealing to me, I'd rather stick with the X-Plorer.

And Sharkfood, what video card would you suggest I get instead of the 7600 GT CO? Get the Superclocked version?

So how high can an Opteron 144 overclock stably? (Comparing to a P4 in GHz; and its own frequency)

So is the Crucial (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Y&promoid=1068) better than the Corsair (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR) ? Almost 20 bucks less, and 1 stick better than 2 (flexible to upgrade, more slots available).

Nope. You want memory in PAIRS as that DFI LanParty support dual-channel memory configurations.

If you want 1 gig, you'll need to get two 512mb sticks in order to have dual-channel memory performance (yields up to 2x faster memory bandwidth). Otherwise you'll be starving your CPU for memory bandwidth.

Go with either Crucial or Corsair.. some people have their own favorite both in all actuality, both makers are name-brand, high quality memory providers.


Well, the 7600GT is a 12-pipe, 128-bit card for around $175-$190 US... while the X1800GTO is a 12-pipe, 256-bit card for around $200-$220 US here. If Canadian prices are to-scale with the two products, you'll get 2x the memory bandwidth and performance out of the X1800 GTO for around the same price (only a few bucks more here). And it seems to perform a bit better in some games (Direct3D):
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/...gto/page12.asp

Well I can't really spend the extra 60 bucks on the X1800GTO yet, I still have to save a lot for university Basically every dollar I make after buying this computer has to be saved.

And one important question: How long is this computer going to last, in terms of being up to date with current technology and able to handle future games/applications with ease? Should I spend a bit extra to make my computer not be outdated as quickly? On what parts, and replacing them with which parts?

I bought my 7600gt from ncix when they had it on for the same price as this sale. At this price, the value of this card is very hard to beat in canada. I have the same username here as I do at NCIX so you can look up my review and other comments there.

A lot of people recommend upgrading further than the 7600gt, and if you have the money, great! But for the customer interested in $/fps (us university students ) this card is top notch.

Check this out: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1945664,00.asp

Go with this ram for dual-channel that's why recomened it to you. You don't want to make you're cpu sad do you?


http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR



Also never compare a AMD Clock Frequience (ghz) to intel CF's because a 3000 is compaible to a 3ghz P4.

I have an Antec PSu and can seriously say it is THE best around. U can get this one from newegg its about ten dollars less then ur original choice, has more power output(500W) and is from a top quality brand.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103937

.. don't know about that but my True Power 480w just died after 3 months.. when u read around net theres lotsa similar cases even your link to newegg has one in customer reviews..

Aha but the thing is, Newegg is in USA, and my first post says I'm in Canada.

So:

1. 68.99 USD = ~$77 CDN (the OCZ one $80)
2. Not as cool looking as the OCZ, especially with my new clear panel case
3. Newegg doesn't ship to Canada (or anything outside the US, for that matter) even if I were to buy it

Thanks for your time in posting anyway.

Anything else I should consider?

Which power supply? Keep in mind, has to be pretty cheap.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology (was my original choice)

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology (20 bucks more for 70W more, worth it?)

or into the Powerstream line:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...Z%20Technology

I cannot spend $200+ on my PSU so I'm staying away from the 600W Powerstreams.

The back of the Powerstream looks 1337, but the other side is a mess of cables, that's why I'm leaning towards the tidy Modstreams. Any suggestions?

PowerStream; more Amp&ooomps more is better check thishttp://www.rbmods.com/Articles/Ocz/P...eam_520w/3.php

Is this good? I found it on TigerDirect Canada and it looks pretty cool with all the Kaleidoscopic colors and all.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...179&CatId=1079

one of the coolest looking at least but i really dunno.. max 34A on 12V rail should be ok.. but like i said don't know

you want atleast 20 amps on the 12 vdc rail. So it perefect.