Mid level gaming pc

[Jun aka Pekto]

what i'd pick. . .
phenom x3
emaxx amd 790gx-xtrm
geil dual ddr2 4gb 800
ati hd 4830 ddr3

should pretty much end up a gaming whore rig

If you're not planning to do Crossfire or SLI, it's better to stick with a single PCI-E 16x slot (785GX). I noticed there's substantial price-savings when going with the single slot.

[safeorigin]

it's using pci-e 2.0 btw not to mention that it has a heat pipe, all solid caps and glan. however, if the budget is like 50k php, i might go for an FX :drool:

[Jun aka Pekto]

This is a Gigabyte 790GX motherboard


Here's a Gigabyte 785GX


The heatsink looks attractive especially if I plan to overclock. But if not, the tried and true HSF should be effective enough for cooling.

In my case, I haven't seen the need to overclock anything ever since overclocking a P-166 made the difference in making the original Quake playable.

But, if there's a 1 PCI-E slot 790GX with the same cooling pipes, I may consider it.

[Revenant]

The heatsink looks attractive especially if I plan to overclock. But if not, the tried and true HSF should be effective enough for cooling.

In my case, I haven't seen the need to overclock anything ever since overclocking a P-166 made the difference in making the original Quake playable.

But, if there's a 1 PCI-E slot 790GX with the same cooling pipes, I may consider it.

How about the MSI 785GM-E65? The aluminum heatpipes look "boring" compared to the "striking" Gigabyte pipes though.

[Jun aka Pekto]

How about the MSI 785GM-E65? The aluminum heatpipes look "boring" compared to the "striking" Gigabyte pipes though.

I might consider it too. I'll have to do some thinking first because I'm usually wary of buying the same brand as my motherboard that just went kaput (MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum).

I did notice two things that changed with motherboards since 2005.....

1. None use the type of (defective)capacitor anymore (PSU's still use them)
2. Fans have been replaced by heatsinks

Technically, that should mean a jump in durability and reliability for most boards.

Add: Reading the reviews for that MSI 785 board, Some hinted at bios issues. I recall having had to update the bios of my Neo4 Platinum too many times just to get the second core of the Athlon 64 X2 4200+ to be recognized. So, I'll probably pass on that board.

But, Gigabyte seems to have earned quite a reputation since 2005. I'll give that brand a shot.

[Horsepower]

Yeah Gigabyte is a proper motherboard. Better than Asus even.

Another one was Abit, too bad the company went under.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Yeah Gigabyte is a proper motherboard. Better than Asus even.

Another one was Abit, too bad the company went under.

Abit also let me down. That was back in the Athlon XP/Via KT266a days.

It's a little embarrassing when my wife's pc (has the older and slower ASUS Athlon XP motherboard based on the AMD760/761 chipset) outlasted the newer Via KT266a motherboards and the MSI board of my X2 4200+. It's over 8 years old now and have gone through W2k, XP, and now, Vista Basic.

I had 3 Athlon XP 1700+ pc's. One has the AMD760 board, one had a Soyo Dragon Plus, and the last one had an Abit board. The last two croaked within 3 years. I was tempted to go Intel once more. But, the Athlon 64 X2 dualcores kept me interested in AMD.

I'll stick with AMD for now. I figure the Phenom II X3 would be the sweet spot for multicore processing. I can always unlock the 4th core if I decide to overclock. I didn't realize the Phenom II X3 has 4 cores with one core (the 4th) turned off.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I've been watching the availability of the 5870 and 5850 at newegg. They're not lasting very long. They're being bought up as soon as they arrive. There's no way I'm buying a video card priced over $200.

The last time I did that was when I bought two Voodoo 2's for $600 (March 1998). The wife had a fit when she found out.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I guess it's a good thing my frst order didn't go through. I'm now able to fine tune my requirements for a midpack pc......

$559.00 - $20 rebate = $539.00
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready
Combo deal:
SAPPHIRE 100269HDMI Radeon HD 4890 1GB
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600

Compared to the last specs ($552.00 with no rebates)
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Black Edition
M/B: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3 1800
VIDEO: SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V (2 x 6-pin)

I love the combo deals. They knock off $20 here, $20 there plus rebates if there's any.

[hex]

guys thanks for all the suggestions. it will surely help me decide which system will i build.