Draft Specs of Gaming / Multimedia PC [ Feedback Required ]

[Xenctuary]

Hey guys. I am in the final stages of designing a new machine created purely for cutting edge gaming and multimedia use and would very much appreciate some suggestions or changes to the components.

When it's all said and done, I wish to be able to play games such as Half-Life 2 and FarCry at very high, if not maximum, graphical settings. I also look forward to the day where I can have several intensive multimedia applications such as Illustrator and Photoshop open simultaneously. At the moment I have to work on projects one program at a time, something that really can be restricting and frustrating.

After a load of research, I feel that I've got the right system for me. Please note that I already have a custom chassis, an appropriate PSU, LCD, HDD, cooling, speakers and all of the other essentials.

Anyway, enough chatter, on to the goods:

£700 Budget (updated 29th august)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ S939 "San Diego" at £192 (scan.co.uk)
GPU: XFX 7800GT 256MB DDR3 Dual DVI VIVO PCI-E at £280 (ebuyer.com)
M/B: Asus A8N-SLi at £86
RAM: Ballistix 1GB kit (512MBx2) DDR PC3200
Corsair TwinX 1Gb Kit (512MBx2) DDR, PC3200 (LED Activity Lights, Lifetime Warranty) at £102 (scan.co.uk)

I'm looking to order the following parts in next couple of days and wish to stay in the region of around £650. I have no idea how about AMD speeds, so I'm not sure whether the 3200+ is enough for my needs or not. Can anyone suggest a suitable motherboard? I can then go on and choose the RAM from Crucial. Any sort of feedback would be great.

[BenW]

The 3200+ should be plenty fast enough, expecially when matched with that graphics card. You want DDR RAM with an AMD, not DDR2

Crucial RAM:
Basic: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/part...CT2KIT6464Z40B
Performance: http://www.crucial.com/uk/ballistix/...T6464Z402&cat=

The second more expensive set should give you a couple more fps on games

[Trippledence]

Don't foget to budget for a big PSU with that spec. I expect that the 7800's eat up the juce and once youve got all the other gubbins. You might want to set aside £60-70 espechaly if you want a bit of future proofing.

[BenW]

I think the 7800 is actually meant to use less power than the 6800 series.

Just get a decent branded ~400W

[Xenctuary]

Thanks guys, I've updated the first post to reflect the changes. I've pretty much got everything down except for the motherboard - I really am lost, there are so many options and I have no idea what is right for me!

Originally Posted by BenW

The 3200+ should be plenty fast enough, expecially when matched with that graphics card. You want DDR RAM with an AMD, not DDR2

I wasn't aware of that, I just assumed DDR2 would be more beneficial?

Originally Posted by BenW

Crucial RAM:
Basic: http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/part...CT2KIT6464Z40B
Performance: http://www.crucial.com/uk/ballistix/...T6464Z402&cat=

The second more expensive set should give you a couple more fps on games

That actually works quite well, I'll definitely invest in the more expensive RAM for that little extra longevity.

Originally Posted by Trippledence

Don't foget to budget for a big PSU with that spec. I expect that the 7800's eat up the juce and once youve got all the other gubbins.

While researching I found that the 7800GT was suprisingly easy on the PSU. Nevertheless, I'll bear that in mind; there can't be much worse than spending hundreds on a PC for it to be reduced to fried components due to a £12 CPU

[kempez]

And the nforce boards require a lot of power

Get a decent PSU: Tagan, Enermax, Hyper, OCZ, PCP&C....

Mobo - EpoX are good cheaper board - or Asus AN8 or DFI Ultra-D

[sawyen]

Never skimp on a good reliable power supply... a 480W Tagan is trillion times better than a generic £20 600W PSU

Nforce boards are pretty thirsty, I would recommend something between Tagan and Enermax above 450W just to be on the safe side.

Abit and ASUS boards are pretty reliable. You'll be at a better position to kick that CPU up to speed later with ABIT, as they offer very comprehensive monitoring and overclocking options. DFI is a fav as well, but they do have some memory compatibility issues which annoys me.

3200+ is plenty, as long as you stick with a reliable memory. Ballistix or MXS or OCZ Gold series are all reliable memory that can work pretty well above 200MHz..

[nez]

Asus A8N-SLi (Standard), you could go for the delux if u really need the extra ethernet port and raid 5, but other wise its gr8 and only £85 from scan, we have one in the office pc, it boots to windows so bloody rapidly (about 10 secs)
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=158981

I think u can get a verison without sli, but its not much cheaper and you will have the option there for sli if u find another 7800 in a hedge!!

That would leave you enough for a very nice Tagen 480W power supply, this one works gr8 with a8n board and perfect for the 7800 too
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=82572

nez

[Xenctuary]

Sounds great, seems like I'm set! I'll probably order these items tomorrow, unless anyone else responds with alternatives. Thanks for all of your help guys, I'll keep ya posted!

[RDL]

Your selection seems good, just one point. I don't know how far you are looking to overclock, but if I was you I'd upgrade your CPU to either a 3500 or 3800 Venice, or a 3700 San Diego. You will hit a threshold with your current pc where the graphics card wont perform to full potential (this will be reduced, if not cut out by spending a bit more on a CPU). Other than that, decent setup!

[krazy_olie]

With regard to the cpu I personally think It's a good choice, I see your point RDL, but the way I see it is that a threshold will be hit by single core anyway before it will be badly limited by the clock speed. Having said that, if there's a bit left to spend then upgrading the CPU is the thing to do.

[ifyouknowme]

that setup looks cool but i would have thought a bigger cpu might be better

[Dark Horse]

Originally Posted by Xenctuary

That actually works quite well, I'll definitely invest in the more expensive RAM for that little extra longevity.

In practice at stock settings performance ram will get you only a few more % than standard ram but is often twice the price. If you're an overclocker you will see much larger performance gains with performance ram but if you're not I would say just get something like 2x512mb of standard ram at £60 and you won't notice the difference in the slightest.

Originally Posted by Xenctuary

I also look forward to the day where I can have several intensive multimedia applications such as Illustrator and Photoshop open simultaneously. At the moment I have to work on projects one program at a time, something that really can be restricting and frustrating.

Having read that I would say that you might want to look a better cpu than the 3200+.

A 3700+ San Deigo with 1mb cache would suit you much better and could be got with the money saved from buying performance ram.

[ifyouknowme]

i have a 3700 san deigo there about 185 quid now

[Xenctuary]

I've taken all of your suggestions into consideration and I really am torn between the very enticing 3700+ San Diego and my original choice of the 3200+ Venice. I might have to stretch the budget a bit, and I think I will settle for the standard Crucial memory ("standard" seems so inferior, haha).

Since sleeping is a lot easier than deciding... I'll sleep on it

I gotta consider whether I need to fork out for a new PSU (I have a few reputable ones lying about, I have to find them and check the wattage) and whether I need a larger local HDD or whether I can rely on network drives.

Thanks for all of the help, I would seriously be still lost if it weren't for you guys. Just goes to show that there is always time for design changes, however last minute they may be.

[BenW]

I'd personally go for the 3200+

Get a 3700 in a few months if needed.

BUT if its better CPU or ballistix ram then go for the CPU