Advice On A Build

[gh0st]

I built my last computer, well I got a friend to help choose the parts, but that was over 5 years ago & now I want to build & purchase another one, and I don't understand all the technical jargon, and since my budget is small, I want to get the most bang for my buck. Reason I'm buying a new computer is because the one I have now is old, and because Rainbow Six: Vegas is coming out ..I'm not a big gamer, but this looks fun lol ..so if anyone can give me any advice on the options ..greatly appreciated.

I'm purchasing my computer from CyberPowerInc or CyberPowerPC ..because that seems to be the cheapest right now.

Specs:
1. (Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
2. (Socket AM2)GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4 SLI Chipset DDR2/800 SATA 16x PCI-Express MBoard w/GbLAN,IEEE1394,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
3. (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)1GB (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
4. 160 GB Hard Drive

My question is about the motherboard/graphics cards, I want to get the best possible combination.

Would it be better to purchase two lower end graphics card, for example: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE 256MB 16X PCI EXPRESS VIDEO CARD -or- just one graphics card and mayber a better motherboard, for example: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 512MB 16X PCI EXPRESS VIDEO CARD

...confused...

[azzey]

The 7300 is NOT a gaming card. You need a 7600GS at the least, and if you have money left over you can move up to a 7900.

What is your budget?

[gh0st]

wow thanks for that info lol ..good thing I posted ..my budget is like 600/700 ...kinda low, but I'm not a gamer, just want something that makes games somewhat decent ...?

[gh0st]

NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card ..ok I'm at $637 with that card

[azzey]

Okay, can you give us a list of all the components you have so far (including hard drives, etc)?

[gh0st]

CASE: X-Blade 3 Gaming Med-Tower 450 Watt w/ Window (SILVER Color)
CPU: (Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
MOTHERBOARD: (Socket AM2)GigaByte GA-M55SLI-S4 nForce4 SLI Chipset DDR2/800 SATA 16x PCI-Express MBoard w/GbLAN, IEEE1394, USB2.0, &7.1Audio
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)1GB (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select or Major Brand)
VIDEO CARD: NEW !!! NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card
VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
LCD Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (160GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
Optical Drive: CD-RW 52X32X52 (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: NONE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

[azzey]

If you can bump the motherboard up to one with an Nforce 570SLI chipset for a reasonable price, then go for it. Also, if you can get DVD-RW drive instead of CD-RW that would be better. Other than that, looks good. Where are you buying from?

[gh0st]

I'm buying from www.cyberpowerpc.com

It's the Holiday Special I with ym adjustments, and they have the 570 sli motherboard for another 24 bucks ...so it seems like its just better going with one graphics card considering my budget

[gh0st]

two more questions, is it alright to install the copy of xp i purchased with my old computer onto the new one, even if i sell my old computer with windows xp still running on it

and does a dvd-rw really make a difference then just getting a regular cd-rw ..I don't watch dvd's nor burn them

thanks..

[mjc]

two more questions, is it alright to install the copy of xp i purchased with my old computer onto the new one, even if i sell my old computer with windows xp still running on it

No. If it is a retail version, yes you can TRANSFER it, but that means removing from the old computer.


and does a dvd-rw really make a difference then just getting a regular cd-rw ..I don't watch dvd's nor burn them

thanks..

Yes, because you will pay about $25-30 for a CD-RW drive but about $30 to 35 for a DVD recorder, which is usually as fast or faster CD speed and several other features, including the ability to record almost 5 GB of data on a single disk...plus there is an ever growing amount of software that is being released on DVD, so before too long you will need to be able to at least read DVDs to be able to install your software.