New System Questions

[orgasmo]

Hi all, im looking to get a future-proof (ish) PC in around a months time. THe idea is i get a system that at some point in the future i can do a minor upgrade on to get a little more out of it.

The system i have quickly priced up is:

Athlon 64bit 3200+ £141.99
Zlaman CNPS7000B Cooler - £32.90
Asus K8V-SE Deluxe S754 Via K8T00 - £75.12
2 x Samsung 512mb PC3200 DDR400 - £117.48
XFX GeForce 6800GT 256mb DDR3 Duel DVI - £309.88

TOTAL £677.33 inc VAT

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a better setup for similar cash then please feel free. I am open to ATI gfx cards, but i just heard that the GF6 range wipe them out, feel free to correct my knowledge. I would like a setup that would allow me to goto a higher CPU at some point so i can get that second lease of life from it in the future.

Any help/suggestions are welcome.

[mr_anderson187]

get better ram, the 3200 corsair llpt stuff is 190 off ebayer, its very good its what im after

[BUFF]

The DFI nForce3 754 board should be widely available by then - initial pricing suggests ~£70.

[mike_w]

If you really want to future proof it, then you might want to wait for nForce 4 - Socket 939 Athlon 64 with PCI Express. Socket 939 will be AMD's main socket for a while, whereas Socket 754 is going to become the budget socket.

As for PCI Express, that'll let you slap in a new graphics card in the future, since PCI Express is supposed to replacing AGP.

If you don't want to wait that long, or spend that much money, then what you've posted looks pretty good.

One thing about 6800s and X800s. Right now, they are pretty close to each other in terms of performance. Whichever you buy, it's not a bad choice since they're both stupidly fast. The nVidia cards are particularly good in Doom 3. The ATi cards are particuarly good in Half Life 2. Right now, I would favour the Geforce due to the advanced features (Shader Model 3.0), but there's not very much in it.l

[orgasmo]

Thanks guys.

I'll look more in to the RAM and DFI NF3 board issues.
Thanks for all the info Mike, i have lost touch with the latest news on hardware development because i aint upgraded in a while so that was the info i needed. I think i'll go ahead and upgrade now and then i might do so again in summer once Longhorn is out and hopefully the other things you mentioned.

I think i'll go ATi after all because nVidia annoy me and i will be playing CS:S.

[ken]

i would 2nd the nvidia choice of cards. at the moment ATi are not producing (nor intend to produce) drivers for the Beta version of XP64 (1218) and there are alot of dissapointed souls out there. Nvidia drivers are ready and working for all the Beta Versions.

[orgasmo]

Just priced up this option, what do people think?

AMD (Newcastle) Athlon 64 3500+ (Socket 939) - £234.35
Zlaman CNPS7000B Cooler - £32.90
Abit AV8 SKT939 K8T800Pro - £80.49
Corsair 1Gb Matched Pair Cas 2.5 PC3200 - £120.49
Sapphire Radeon X800PRO 256MB DDR3 - £283.20

TOTAL £751.43

This is only £80 more but seems much more powerful, however i have noticed places selling PCI Express gfx cards? How long until they are out, the wait might be worth it if it allows me to get that second lease of life from the mobo at some point in the future.

[Mblaster]

That setup looks great, the S939 will allow you a better upgrade path in the furture. Although I would recommend that you got the 6800GT (IMO it's a bit better and can be had for cheaper). It is almost exactly the same as my PC infact, only difference being the video card .

The PCI Expres graphics cards are available now but there are no AMD motherbaords that support PCI Express yet. They will be released sometime in early 2005, nForce4 and VIA K8T890 (i think).

[orgasmo]

well thats basically what the debate is going to be i think:

6800GT or X800PRO, personally im finding the X800PRO to be £20 cheaper in most places, and i do prefer ATI because im going to be playing HL2 (CS:S).

Suggestions plz people.

[Punto]

well thats basically what the debate is going to be i think:

6800GT or X800PRO, personally im finding the X800PRO to be £20 cheaper in most places, and i do prefer ATI because im going to be playing HL2 (CS:S).

Suggestions plz people.

http://www.pcwcomponentcentre.co.uk/...fgr68256gtocuk

pcw component centre has the BFG 6800GT OC back in stock, £20 quid cheaper than the x800 pro you listed mate Hope it helps, be quick though. If you plan on overclocking though, i'd spend the 17 quid extra over the x800 you listed and get a Galaxy Glacier 6800GT, it's £300 and clocks to over 6800 Ultra speeds because of its cooling system, quiet as well.

[orgasmo]

nice spot mate, just im not going to have the cash for a month !!!

[ultimate]

nice spot mate, just im not going to have the cash for a month !!!

In another month the prices will come down and make your project that much cheaper

[StormPC]

No matter what A64 system you go with (S939 or S754) the motherboard and CPU will need to be replaced in a few months if you want the latest technology advantages. For that reason I'd go with the S754 if you can find a 1MB cache (ClawHammer) chip. If not you should go for the A8V 2.0 and a 3500+ (if money is a concern) or FX-53 if you want the fastest thing alive. The S754 is the best bang for the buck, but 1MB of cache is important. If you can't find a ClawHammer get the S939.