buiding my son a new gaming computer

Hey Guys,
I was wondering if you guys could give me your inputs on building this gaming computer for my son's Birthday. I have decided to go with the DFI LP UT NF3 250GB mobo. I read alot of great reviews about this board, however, It has:

IDE 2 - ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
2 - SATA Raid with Nvidia Raid 0,1,0 + 1, JBOD
2 - SATA by Marvell SATA PHY

My question is: What type of Drives would you go with and how many to start?
What would be sufficient? I dont know anything about gaming on computers so obviously thats why I am asking you guys.
I was also wondering if 512 DDR PC 3200 would sufficient to start as well?
Any suggestions you may have would be very helpful and very much appreciated!
Thanks a bunch!

 

When you say "gaming computer" your walking down a very thin line; a gaming computer specifically means that it is made to handle todays high end games and has room for tomm's games too. You should be looking at a64/p4 , 1gb of high end performance ram (ie low timings and high bandwidth) get at least a nice fast 36gb Raptor as your main SATA then all your storage to a large sata 7200rpm. Your video card should also be a high end card not to go below the 6600GT.

 

I agree with omegamerc,but I would choose the 64 over the p4 and would get the 1 gig of 3200 Win xp uses a little over 256mb on an average system that leaves the other programs fighting for ram always good to have xtra esp if your going to game.

 

I really appreciate your advice and I hope I dont sound to dumb when I ask this but what do you mean by 64/p4 ? I was wondering if this has to do with the CPU?
The DFI is an AMD 64 and I was planning on putting the 3200 in it. He will definitely be using this for todays high end games plus some on line. In your opinion, is this a "good" board to start? or do you suggest something else?. As I had said in my first post, it had rave reviews.....
So a nice SATA 7200 for storage (operating system etc.) and a RAPTOR 36 GB for gaming. I take it that the Raptor contains all your gaming files?
Once again, thank you for your help!

 

I believe MSI NEO PLAT 2 still king of A64s. I have my WXP and my most demanding/freq used games on my 36GB raptor and defrag every few weeks. my sata 7200rpm holds all my storage ( i split it in two 100G drives). The only prob with this MSI board is that you need the floppies to boot the new WXP installation if its old revision of the board.

 

I have an msi neo 2 platinum and its an awsome board,in gaming it gives the best performance of all the nforce 3 boards,alot of guys dont like it because of its overclocking performance,I used the auto overclock that is included in the bios and it wont even go past the first stage!I wont know fully until I push it but its not promising.

I wouldn't buy an nf4 board yet untill the tech has been proven to be stable over long term,but thats just a personal opinion,I would just buy an msi neo 2 or the dfi depending on which you get cheapest!

 

Im having to make a tuff decision!. The NF4 is $43 cheaper than Neo Plat 2.
Here is another factor to throw into the mix. This is his "first" gaming computer but since he has such a passion for games period I didnt want to get something he is going to "outgrow", so I wanted to get him something nice to start but yet at the same time not spend an arm and a leg. I want this computer to do the job when he plays but also something he can grow into...if that makes sense
Am I heading in the right direction guys? If the NF4 isnt quiet your preference
what would be YOUR next choice if it were yours other than the Neo Plat 2?
Thanks guys

 

My Next choice would be NF4 bout 6-10months from now if i have the money again; maybe some duel pci-e video cards vrrrrrm

Be aware that a gaming computer is in the video card you buy also; i would say thats 40% of where a gaming computer gets its name!

 

If you go with the highest spec board then you "might"get complications because no one has tested it yet with all the configurations,but if it works "which it should" it will give the best performance,if you build it yourself make sure its working good long before you pass it on,so you dont have a drawn out RMA if its for a birthday or something.also what is the manufacturer of the $43 cheaper nf4?

 

Rikky,
The DFI Lanparty UT NF3 is $43 cheaper than the Neo plat 2...sorrry! I had a typo in my last post It should not have been NF4 but Nf3
What videocard do you recommend guys without going overboard, that will get the job done?
Thanks again

 

And what would your preference be on a "middle of the road" if that, for a video card?............................You guys have been really helpful!

 

The reason the dfi is cheaper than the msi is because of the socket the cpu plugs into,the dfi is the older 745 a64 socket and the msi is the new 939 a64 socket,all the new amd cpu"s will use the new 939 socket you must make sure the sockets are the same for the cpu+motherboard,the new amd cpu's are made better and run cooler and are about the same price as the older ones so you really want to go with a 939 board.

You definatly need 1gig of 3200 memory though 512 isnt enough try and get a matched pair of 2 512 sticks this wiill make use of the a64 dual channel memory.

A good card to start with is a 6600gt they are about $200 the next one up is 6800 $200-300,6800gt $300 -400.I like nvidia and they are all worth the $ it just depends how much you wanna spend.

 

Not all memory is made the same; you need somthing that IS NOT generic - value - performance or enthusiastic RAM. These terms all intermingle the same idea - crap. Its better to buy somthing that costs 50$ more then somthing that isnt. The timings, the lower the better, improve how much data is sent and recieved. When you read "pc 3200" thats how much data it transfers NOT the actuall timings. So you could get somthing that said PC 4500 but the timings on it could be horrendous. To find out what timings are on the ram itself you can either 1) find a good review site or 2) look on the product box info or retail website. You should look at companies like OCZ (for example) that produce high performance, stable RAM. check out andatech and tomshardware for RAM reviews.


6600GT is the lowest you should be looking at and even now its a bit inadequet (maybe it will go as far as 1-2years). 6800NU is a "better" choice but a bit more expensive, again all about compromising.


Like stated before 754 socket are old and outdated. 939 motherboards are the only thing you should be looking at(AND A 939 cpu!). If your looking with your pockets and not with your wishes then wait out a month or two ; check the new prices, save some more money, and get the things you REALLY wanted.


I always found that if I hurry to a buying decision I regret if awefully fast because Im aware of what im missing. I feel that you keep looking for an medium in $ vs performance; if this is so you should be really looking at a decent all around build, NOT a gaming PC.

 

I totally agree with omegamerc The ram you buy should be of good quality its all part of an all round balanced pc,I have corsair 3200 twin xms matched pair they run really fast timings and I couldnt be happier with them but they were more expensive than the value ram,but the reson I paid extra was because they were matched in factory,this is important for stability,Im just tryin my hardest not to keep cranckin up the price of this pc!

I would reccommend corsair memory,just not the price!

 

Hey guys, Hope ya had a good weekend.
Funny you should mention the RAM. A friend suggested running the twin matched set of ram and I believe that is what I will do. I also went to www.anandtech.com and read the review on the DFI LP UT NF3 250GB MOBO and the gave it an outstanding review. I was wondering if you guys had alittle time if you wouldnt mind checking this review out and seeing what YOU think about it. You guys have been a tremendous help....I was also wondering what you thought of the ATI Radeon 9800 pro 256mb?

 

DFI LP UT NF3 250 is a 754 socket which is no good like we told you before. The chip is; outdated, runs hot, and is pretty thick, and 754motherboards lack features like dual channel. You really should get a 939 pin mobo/cpu that is a NF3.

About the 9800PRO 256mb ; if i had to choose between it and a 6600GT 128mb I would stick with the GT; the 9800pro WONT handle todays games (unless you play at low settings/resolutions). When you choose vid cards its all about the current technology and not how much ram it has; this cheap shot is always done by mfg of video cards. They put a LOW end video card like a 9200/6200 and they slap 256mb on it; then people go and look at it and are estatic because "100$ for 256mb! OH MY GAWD!" deal going on in their heads thinking this major brand company just bent over for them and handed them a free item...I guess ignorance is bliss.

 

I really appreciate ALL your help. I have been taking alot of notes and of corse there is alot for me to take into consideration. I want him to have a nice setup to get started on, and of corse, this time Dad is flipping the bill, so I am trying not to go to crazy....even though I would love to. I really want to make sure this is something he really gets "into" ( the overclocking and the basics of taking the care and resposibility of a nice/decent machine etc..) My hopes are that he "graduates" to a much nicer system one day soon, which 9 times out of 10 is going to happen. I want you guys to know how I appreciate the fact that I can come here and post and recieve such great help and advice. I will take MANY of the things you have told me in this post and apply it to my sons computer and there is no doubt it will be one he will be proud of.
Thank you again!

 

Heres what I am running:

Abit A17 Motherboard
Intel P4 Prescott Processor OC @ 3.0ghz 800mhz FSB
Dual Channel 4gb PC 3200 Corsair XMS Pro2 Memory
80gb Barracuda 7200.7 SATA Hard Drive
ATI 256 mb Radeon 9800 XT
Housed in a Aspire X-Infinity Case

I love this beast, I have had zero issues running anything at all. If i were buying today I would of course go with the Fatal1ty mobo. You always want dual channel memory on your gaming rig. This allows your RAM to function much like a RAID and prevents any slow downs. Thus allowing the incomming capper to be mine disced without delay (ahhhmmm tribes)

 

That fatality mobo is overated bs

 

Kewl guys! More info! ...Believe me, I'm taking notes!

 

Fxman this is a question that should have been asked at the begining of this thread,What is rough amount you want to spend on this Pc?

 

I agree that there is allot of hype around this board but you cannot ignore the strengths and the strong attention to detail the board boasts. I mean since when does a 1066 FSB constitute as overrated?

 

Good question! and I guess I should have pointed that out earlier. It would have made things alot easier. Well, I actually brought my Mom an Dad, my brother and his Grandpa in on this. They are all going to give him $ for his birthday. I gave them a list of the things we were going to need and there prices (harddrives, PSU, ram etc...) and based on what he collects for his birthday is going to determine how many drives and so fourth. I was going to buy the MOBO and the CPU and my son has saved for the case. Ultimately I wanted to start out with a "middle of the road" board to make sure that he likes the computer gaming...If not I'm sure I will! anyway, I have planned on atleast 1 Raptor drive as of now and hopefully we pull in the money for 2. As for Ram, I have looked up several and I guess it will depend on the board but you guys have definetly taught me cheap is not good for gaming, so that is out of the question. I do have a question concerning an OS. Do you recommend XP PRO w/SP2 ? I know I havent exactly answered your question concerning $. We are kinda doing this as a Father Son type of thing and building it as we go and HOPING that relatives help out on his birthday....they always do! so I dont see this being a problem. I was also thinking of giving the video card a try that you guys suggested. I really have NO idea how much this machine is going to end up being. Like I said, I think I may have just as much fun on this thing as him, so it wouldnt surprise me if I end up putting alot of bells and whistles on it down the road.

 

Well i think of it as is 5% real-world performance gain worth that extra large price gap it has vs other boards.

It doesn't matter which WXP version you buy; if you buy in places like newegg.com you can buy hardware and OEM version of WXP-h/p which comes out to a cheaper price. SP 1/2 just means service patch (basically a huge update to cover up virtual pot-holes) which is a free download from microsoft anyways.

 

I wouldnt go with XP home and I would hold out on service pack 2 as long as possible. I just deployed it to the users here in the office and it was not pretty. I mean I love the boot up after install of sp2 and no icons or taskbar. Way to go Billy G.!

 

n2o you can always remove it and try again
Fxman before you buy anything post what your buying and everyone will advise you on what is worth the money!

 

I will keep you guys posted. I am checking out different boards and reading reviews. I will let you know very soon.

 

The only thing i object to this guide is saying to buy an SB Live! Sound card. http://www.techspot.com/articles/midlevelpc/

 

Yeah pretty much right,I agree the soundcard could be better probably a basic audigy would be better in stores near me they only seem to stock the audigy 2THX7.1 as there basic audigy for about 90 dollars,dont know if they have stopped making the older ones?

 

I see the old sb lives for like 15$ as a generic OEM package at MicroCenter.

 

True however; last removal forced me to reinstall all drivers, not to mention on some of our older PCs the removal was close to a hour.

 

Somewhat off topic, but we rolled out SP2 at work on over 2,500 machines and had very few problems. The benefits of having SP2 outweighs the negatives (in general). For a gaming maching, install SP2 without hesitation. XP Home should be more than fine for your needs.

 

Guys,
I am looking at video cards on newegg. I see alot of different Nividia 6600GT's by different companies...what do you reccomend? Does this really pose a difference?

These are 2 that I found

eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Video Card, 128MB GDDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "128-A8-N343-AX" -RETAIL

EVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB DDR3, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, AGP 8X, Model "128-A8-N350" -RETAIL

This one is from the review from anandtech.com
XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, Dual DVI, AGP 8X, Model "PVT43AND" -RETAIL

I need pointed in the right direction..

 

I think you should go with the 6600gt from xfx they make great cards and i have had a few and they all are great overclockers,this also gives the clue they might last a while if overclockings not your bag.

I havnt had any experience with evga but the 6800 is a faster card,It doesnt usually matter what make of card you get as long as its the same number, after all you can always return it to the manufacturer if it breaks or doesnt work.

I would say if the egva 6800 is the same price and everyone says they make good cards get it,or get the xfx.

 

The 6800 256bit is a better card by any means. I personally buy from BFG since they come pre-overclocked; and are the only US company that actually has US customer support. I heard XfX is good in their card quality but they lack in customer support. I havnt had any eVGA experience yet; try looking up a review. But again 256bit > 128bit.

 

I can stand behind BFG Technologies. Their video cards have a lifetime warranty. I had a card fail and they replaced it very quickly with a brand new card. If the card goes out of production, they give you the closest thing they have in production. Good company.

 

That is what I am going to go with, the BFG. I found it at a pretty good price. I appreciate the advice.