Putting together a comp for $700

Hey guys, this is my first post.

Anyways I'm looking to buy a new computer, mainly for gaming purposes ( Half life 2 ) and I'm willing to spend ~$700 give or take including shipping

I currently have a
p4 1.7
384 RAM
80 gig HD
radeon 9000

I'm looking to go with an AMD processor ( I also have questions regarding the conversion of ghz... for example how does an AMD64 3200 compare to an intel p4 )

I have monitor, mouse, keyboard, and HD
as for the case..i think i should get a new one since I have no idea if the old one will hold up

I really want a good vid card so a big chunk can be used towards that
I also have a question regarding the new ati x800 xt cards, they are PCIexpress right? I heard that they will be potentially twice as fast in 2005? would getting an x800 xt be worth it? or should i wait for next year when they become more main stream and also faster?

thanks

 

read this...this should apply to your new setup: http://www.majorgeeks.com/vb/showthread.php?t=33401

i don't know alot of info on the x800, so i'll let another geek fill you in on it.

 

Right now, X800 XTs are only AGP and I don't believe they have even shipped yet. I think you can only get an X800 Pro right now. In the future, they will come out with X800 based PCI Express cards.

I'm not sure that you can get an Athlon 64 processor/mobo, RAM and an X800 video card for $700. It would probably cost more like $1100. Mobo (~$130), Athlon 64 3000+ ($223), 512 Mb of DDR 400 Dual Channel RAM (~$145), ATI X800 Pro (~$500), Case (~$50).

If I were you, I'd go for a good nForce 2 Ultra 400 mobo (~$120), an Athlon XP 3200+ Barton ($187), 512Mb of DDR 400 Dual Channel RAM (~$145), ATI 9800 Pro 128Mb (~$220)

Total: $672

This setup should be good for playing Half Life 2 at very acceptable framerates.

 

Alright I guess I won't be able to get an x800 xt or pro then. But how does an ATI pro 9800 128mb fare? Where on the evolution chain is that? is that the next step below the new x800 cards?

nForce 2 Ultra 400 mobo - what is the difference between mobos?

 

The x800 XT is the top of the line card right now. Hasn't even shipped yet. (I don't think)
The x800 Pro is next.
Then the 9800 XT w/256Mb
Then the 9800 Pro w/ either 128Mb or 256Mb. Right now, the extra memory doesn't provide much of an increase.

Here is a chart of all the video cards except the x800s and GeForce 6800s.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html

If you check the first person shooters, it will give you an idea of the performance you can expect with Half-Life 2. I would bet a Radeon 9600 XT/Geforce 5600 Ultra or higher will give you acceptable performance and quality in Half-Life 2.

 

The big difference between motherboard manufacturers is stability. As long as you go with one of the brand name boards and then look for the features you want, you should be good to go. Some manufacturers who make quality motherboards are: Asus, Abit, MSI, Gigabyte, and Epox. Find an nForce2 Ultra 400 mobo from one of those makers and then just get the features you want.