Hey group, it's time to upgrade. I finally slowed down my game to 1 FPS with textures supported, and although it's not optimized, I don't want to have to optimize everything to display 500 triangles with lighting and ONE texture. So, it's time to build a system. I wanted to go with an AMD processor and an nVidia nForce2 chipset, since that combo seems to work well. I was going to use the basics of my current system to add to the new one, so I won't need a new hard drive, CD-ROM drive, CD burner, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, pretty much the basics. I will need a new power supply to handle the *much* faster AMD processor, motherboard, CPU, CPU fan, DDR RAM, graphics card, and preferably a new case, since the Compaq Presario is so damn ugly. The case doesn't need to be much, but preferably not a beige cardboard box. I plan on getting a clear acrylic case in the future, but I'm on a budget, so it will have to wait. I was just wondering what y'all might have to recommend in terms of: -Motherboard (definitely AMD, and preferably nVidia nForce2 unless you can find something better) -Graphics Card (though, for my needs integrated graphics would probably suit, like the IGP version of the nVidia nForce2 chipset. I don't need 300 fps Quake III) -AMD CPU (I basically just need the speed that best suits my needs) -Case -Power Supply -RAM I mainly use my computer to program small OpenGL games, nothing really heavy on the graphics, though my code is rarely fast (but organized!), play music, and hopefully when the new system is built, be able to finally play Quake III Arena Also, I only run Linux and FreeBSD, so paying for Windows is a waste on my part, so please don't recommend anything with it bundled, as it is just money thrown away. Just so you can get an idea of what I'm coming from: Compaq Presario AMD K6-2 475 MHz 192 MB RAM 8 GB Hard Drive (I put everything on my network drive - 80 GB ) Integrated SiS video, though I've tried an 8 MB Matrox My aim is somewhere between $300 and $400. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. "Donkey, if it were me, you'd be dead." I cna ytpe 300 wrods pre mniute. [edited by - duncanbojangles on March 30, 2004 10:37:00 PM] [edited by - duncanbojangles on March 30, 2004 10:37:48 PM]

You probably don''t want an Athlon XP at this point, because they typically only have 333 MHz memory busses. Pentium 4s have 800 MHz, really cheap. Stick some dual-DDR in that and you''re flying! If you can splurge, the AMD FX 51 is THE fastest chip around, but that''s really expensive, and needs really expensive RAM and motherboards.

My recommendations are not the cheapest machine you can possibly build (heck; Wall Mart sells complete machines for $299 !) but is probably the best bang for the buck you can get right now.

For a new mobo, I''d recommend an ASUS P4P800 just because I''ve had good luck with it and friends have, too (you don''t need Deluxe unless you want RAID and gigabit ethernet). However, anything from a "big" vendor (Asus, A-bit, Gigabyte, etc) will probably run fine, and there are cheaper brands than Asus. i865 is the key (the 875 isn''t worth it). I''ve had bad luck with FIC boards, though. I see that the Asus P4P8X is $75 online.

The Springdale is likely to come out Real Soon Now, which will probably drive down prices of 865 boards a bit, so if you can wait, do.

For a CPU, a 2.8 GHz Pentium IV with 800 MHz bus (and HyperThreading, if you want it) is fairly affordable. The key is 800 MHz bus! That''s $165. For $189, you get the 3.0 GHz version.

For memory, I''d go with real quality, like Corsair XMS 3500 rated memory. Get two 256 MB sticks, so you get that dual-DDR-400 speed to match the 800 MHz front side bus. Those are $69 each.

For a case, I pick up Antecs at like $69 at a local Best Buy. They come with 350 or 400 W PS and look decent enough. Easy installs, good brackets. Can''t go wrong. You could save a few dollars online, perhaps.

For a cheap graphics card, a $89 GeForce FX 5200 isn''t bad -- it''s certainly faster than the built-in GeForce 2 in the NFORCE. Note that many newer games don''t even run on a GeForce 2 (or on a 4 MX). The FX 5200 isn''t the fastest, but it''ll run most games, and has DirectX 9 compatibility. If you want to spend a little more (like $159 or so) then a Radeon 9600 XT is a pretty good value.

75 + 169 + 69 + 69 + 69 + 89 == $540, for solid, reliable, high-performance parts. I recommend it.


Now, you''re saying you''re OK with your current hard disk, and that might be true. However, a nice new 10,000 rpm hard disk is likely to give a surprising speed-up, if the original hard disk came with the original machine. In fact, even a cheap 7200 rpm drive is likely to give more life into a system. Modern mobos come with SATA, so you could get a SATA disk as an added bonus. That''ll set you back a bit more, so perhaps save that for another upgrade later in the year. However, hard disks don''t last forever; you will need to replace your existing disk at some point.

Do not get a motherboard with an integrated video card. It will run dog slow. It uses system memory for display. So not only will you reduce your total amount of available RAM, you will also be using very slow system RAM for your video display. Go for the following:

ASUS A7V600 with audio $100(CAN)
ASUS GeForce FX V9520 128MB for $68-$82(US)
RAM is cheap
Case comes with a power supply(Make sure it is 300W)

Just start with the lowest that is currently available, without integrated video, and then improve pieces until you hit your price range.

eg. The above with 512MB RAM would be
motherboard $100
video card $159
RAM $120
Case $70
AMD Athalon 2200 $94
CPU fan $20

$563(CAN) converted to US$ $394

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First make it work, then make it fast. --Brian Kernighan

The problems of this world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men and women who can dream of things that never were. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy(35th US President)

Do not interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napolean Bonaparte

If I were you I''d ''definitely'' go with an Athlon XP with your budget. I currently have a Pentium 4 2.8Ghz Hyper Threaded processor with 800Mhz front bus, and I also have a Athlon XP 1800 cpu, and some of my opengl demos run faster on the Athlon for some reason. Plus, the athlon has a Geforce 4 TI 4400 and the Pentium is using a Radeon 9800 Pro. The specific demo of mine that ran faster was an Octree demo I had, which uses a lot of recursion and memory access, and I''ve found that Athlons are a heck of a lot faster than P4''s when it comes to memory access, bar FAR !!!

So I''d recommend that Nforce 2 mobo like you want, and an Athlon XP, along with a Radeon 9000 or 9600.

Drop the intel for starters the 800mh FSB dosnt make that much of a difference.

Im in australia so you gonna have to look up the prices your self

Get a AMD XP3000+ they run a 400mhz FSB
A nice but cheap nForce2 Ultra motherboard(make sure its an ultra)
2 256meg DDR400 ram chips
you can get a 300w case for very little money
for the video cahr get the FX5200 or if you can spend alittle more get the FX5600 or FX5700

Here are the price in aussie dollard

$265 for the processor
$114 for the motherboard
$128 for the 2 memory moduals
$49 for a 450w case

$300 FX5700 256 meg
$140 FX5600 128 meg
$87 FX5200 128 meg

$642 with the FX5200 and thats aussie dollars so u can get it heaps cheaper

If its over budget or u want a better video card a XP2800 is $195 or the XP2400+ is $118.

I recomend u go for the better video card

Thanks for the tips, guys. I''ll stay away from integrated video, but I think I''ll still go with an nVidia graphics card, ''cause I''ve been told many times that they are supported better by Linux, which is a large concern of mine. I can''t really go with an Intel processor because 1.) what you call cheap and what I call cheap are two different things 2.) I just like AMD. I''m not a huge gamer, actually, I''m barely a gamer, so if it can run Quake III, UT2003, and Worms at a leisurely pace, greater than 50 fps or so, then I''ll be more than happy. My main concern is that I''m no longer comfortable coding on my machine because I can slow it down far too easily. So thanks for all of your help, and if I didn''t take your advice, I did spend a moment and consider it.

kapru: Why the Ultra? Just asking ''cause they have a great deal on a barebones setup *just* like the one I wanted and fits pretty well with what y''all were describing.
Here''s a link: Biostar AMD 2500 512 MB combo
The only thing I see that doesn''t fit the description is the fact that it uses the plain ole'' nForce2 400 chipset, and not the Ultra version. Would I notice a big difference? If not, then I would probably go with this mobo:
XFX NF24-ALH
Also, here''s a link to the graphics card I would like to purchase: XFX GeForce FX 5200 with TV S-Video out
I looked for one with the features I needed, which certainly didn''t include DVI. This fits my criteria well without going overboard. Are these good items? Should I be wary of any vendors or companies?
I tried to choose parts that were what I was looking for without letting feature creep kill my budget. If I have enough left over, I may buy the green clear case, use it for the new computer and use the case that came with the bundle for my old Compaq Link to case I want:
Cool, it''s its own radioactive nightlight.

"Donkey, if it were me, you''d be dead."
I cna ytpe 300 wrods pre mniute.