Building a new Gaming Computer

[TomPabst]

I'm building a new gaming computer, and looking for suggestions from you on the best motherboard/cpu combination....for a gaming system.

Some of the hardware is already decided as:

Vid Card: I have both a GF2 ULTRA (creative) or a V5 to use...haven't decided which yet.
Sound: SB Live, 5.1 XGamer
Power: Antec 400w ATX (their new one)
Case: Full-tower (custom vented ...Antec)
HD: 60 Gig

That's the stuff I have....

What motherboard/cpu combo is suggested....don't want to purchase the "top" CPU...but was the fastest CPU around at the current "price break" levels. I heard an Intel 1 gig is now around $400...?? I will assemble this myself....which I've done many times. Enough to know, that building a system is not always fast and simple. I'd like your suggestions on the MB and CPU....looking for reliability and speed (...lol...odd combination, huh?).

I do know about the issue with not selecting the ACPI option when installing Win98SE (which I will install on this system but with the APM installed...not the ACPI)....those problems with my current system are part of the reason I've decided to just build a new one.

Thanks in advance, for your help and inspiration!

Regards,

Tom



------------------
Tom Pabst
www.pabst-racing.com

Sys Specs:
Win98SE,IE 5.50+ /DX8
Abit BE6 II (BIOS:BEh-sh)
P3 800 Intel
384 RAM
20 Gig HD (WD)
Vid: GeForce 2 Ultra (Nvidia 6.31 ref drvrs)
Snd: SB Live 5.1 X-Gamer
Misc: Int zip, 21"KDS monitor, 44xCD, Antec 400w pwr sup, USB: mse, kybd, race wheel, LogFF joy, prntr and Kodak DVC cam - all on 3 hubs (latest Intel USB patch).
IRQ's = no conflicts

[hiredgoonz]

I would go with an Athlon setup...and a board by asus or abit...

The asus a7v is great, it allows you to do all sorts of overclocking...and most new athlon chips can be safely (and reliably) overclocked by 100-200 mhz...

The information below comes from www.tomshardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com) (the guy's name is Thomas Pabst strangely enough) and gives a good idea of what to expect from Athlons in overclocking...

AMD Athlon 900MHz overclock to 1050MHz $139.00
AMD Athlon 1000MHz overclock to 1150MHz $186.00
AMD Athlon 1100MHz overclock to 1266MHz $227.00
AMD Athlon 1200MHz overclock to 1400MHz $279.00

As far as compatibility goes, I know there were some early agp issues with amd chipsets, all of which have been corrected...

My athlon 1 ghz runs flawlessly (shouldn't have said that) Tyan mb, running Win2k, 256 ram, V5 5500, 2 hds, dvd and 2 cdrws, one on an ata100 card, dlink nic, usrobotics modem, diamond mx400 audio...

I'm not trying to talk you out of Intel, but for the price, it's just a tough to justify a p3 system....


[This message has been edited by hiredgoonz (edited 01-16-2001).]

[sleddog]

I'm not qualified to recommend a particular cpu and motherboard for a gaming system, but here's three little letters to get you started...

AMD

From what I've read they beat the pants off any PIII for a gaming system. And did I mention they're also much cheaper?

Some misc. afterthoughts...

Pay close attention to the RAM your getting. You can go to http://www.crucial.com and get the real stuff. If you pay a few extra dollars it's well worth it (hey it's money you saved buying AMD!)

Invest in a high performance heatsink. CPU temps are everything in a highend, stressed system. Get an Alpha PEP or PAL (available at http://www.2cooltek.com and elsewhere) but don't get the infamous Delta Black Label fan -- it's an incredible performer but noisier than a birthday party for 5-year-olds http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif And stay away from the Orb coolers, they get mixed reviews.

[This message has been edited by sleddog (edited 01-16-2001).]

[TomPabst]

Thanks for the info guys....

The AMD sure makes a case for itself. Speed and price. While price is not such a big issue, it seems to becoming one for me since I find myself upgrading about every 6 months lately. I have to keep "at the edge" of the envelope because I'm doing sub-contract work for game developers...and my stuff has to run at the top end to do this work.

I have stayed away from AMD in the past because of issues with the onboard cache. Is that old stuff now....nothing to consider?

Regarding RAM, I've gotten spoiled being able to buy 128 ram sticks at Costco for $100 for the last year. Now, I'll be moving up the ladder. What do you suggest for RAM....quality wise, and any manufacturer suggestions would be great too.

I'm leaning towards that 1200 Athy...overclocking it. I have an ABIT BE6 II mb now...I'm not impressed.

Tom


------------------
Tom Pabst
www.pabst-racing.com

Sys Specs:
Win98SE,IE 5.50+ /DX8
Abit BE6 II (BIOS:BEh-sh)
P3 800 Intel
384 RAM
20 Gig HD (WD)
Vid: GeForce 2 Ultra (Nvidia 6.31 ref drvrs)
Snd: SB Live 5.1 X-Gamer
Misc: Int zip, 21"KDS monitor, 44xCD, Antec 400w pwr sup, USB: mse, kybd, race wheel, LogFF joy, prntr and Kodak DVC cam - all on 3 hubs (latest Intel USB patch).
IRQ's = no conflicts

[hiredgoonz]

I haven't heard of any problems with the athlon except the agp issues with the very early amd chipsets...

Sleddog is right about crucial, good memory, great prices...although I got a good deal on some pny pc133 which I'm using now, and I haven't had any trouble with it...

and then if you're going to do serious overclocking, mushkin is probably the best memory available, but it's a little more expensive...they have pc150...