Mid level gaming pc

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 1st, 2009 02:19 AM

Crap. Newegg had to get my hard drive from a different source. They ran out of the boxed WD hard drive I wanted. So when the parts arrive here on Monday, I'll have to stare at them until the hard drive arrives the next day.

I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from lack of FSX.

Incidentally, I got the freebies Linksys notebook wireless adapter and the game Colin McRae's Dirt 2 with my order.

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 1st, 2009 11:30 AM

Cool. Update from UPS said all my orders are nearby and should be delivered first thing Monday, including the hard drive.

Mental note: Next time order earlier in the week so it's here before the weekend.

**tidus1203** · November 1st, 2009 06:31 PM

I am going to buy a new desktop probably early next year, here is the specs I have in mind...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Box Ed.
Mobo: Asus M3A78-CM
RAM: 3X 2GB Kingston DDR3
HDD: 1TB Seagate or Western Digital 7200RPM
GPU: Inno3D 9800GT 1gb ddr3 256bit /hdmi
Soundcard: Creative SB Audigy 7.1 Value
PSU: 600w
Casing: I will just use a cheapo generic, afterall in a PC its the inside that counts.

No more optical drives cause I will just use my external DVD drive to save on cost. Also I already have a 19" LCD from my current desktop as well as keyboard and mouse.

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 1st, 2009 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by tidus1203

I am going to buy a new desktop probably early next year, here is the specs I have in mind...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Box Ed.
Mobo: Asus M3A78-CM
RAM: 3X 2GB Kingston DDR3
HDD: 1TB Seagate or Western Digital 7200RPM
GPU: Inno3D 9800GT 1gb ddr3 256bit /hdmi
Soundcard: Creative SB Audigy 7.1 Value
PSU: 600w
Casing: I will just use a cheapo generic, afterall in a PC its the inside that counts.

No more optical drives cause I will just use my external DVD drive to save on cost. Also I already have a 19" LCD from my current desktop as well as keyboard and mouse.

You might want try a different motherboard. That ASUS* is designed for older Phenoms. You'll want an AM3 socket as well as one that uses DDR3 ram. Check out mine which is the Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H. You probably won't need a standalone soundcard. The onboard Realtek has been good for a while now. I have an Audigy 2 Value sitting here unused.

We seem to have similar components. You have the better cpu and bigger hard drive while I went for a quicker video card (HD 5770) and more ram (8gb).

Obviously you'll need a 64-bit OS to make use of the 6gb ram.

* The Phenom II X4 might work. But, that may also require a bios update and compatibility isn't always guaranteed. Me, I rather not take chances. So, I went with an AM3 board right off the bat.

**tidus1203** · November 1st, 2009 10:43 PM

That's for AMD, if I am going the Intel route this will be my setup! I will be using Windows 7 for either setup. I am leaning towards the Intel but I am not 100% sure yet...

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 9550 2.83Ghz
Memory: 3X Kingston 2GB DDR2 800
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA (I chose huge HDD cause I download a lot of HD videos)
GPU: Sparkle 9800GTX 512MB DDR3
MOBO: Asus P5Q SE Plus

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 2nd, 2009 04:20 AM

Originally Posted by tidus1203

That's for AMD, if I am going the Intel route this will be my setup! I will be using Windows 7 for either setup. I am leaning towards the Intel but I am not 100% sure yet...

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 9550 2.83Ghz
Memory: 3X Kingston 2GB DDR2 800
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA (I chose huge HDD cause I download a lot of HD videos)
GPU: Sparkle 9800GTX 512MB DDR3
MOBO: Asus P5Q SE Plus

The Intel setup looks like the quicker of the two. Of course, expect to spend about $100 more for the cpu and around $30 more for the video card compared to the AMD setup. That's right now. By the time you assemble a new one next year, the prices should be a lot lower.

**tidus1203** · November 2nd, 2009 07:46 AM

What's the difference with DDR2 and DDR3 memory? The DDR3 motherboards are so expensive that's why if its ok I will just settle with DDR2 motherboard with at least 4 slots...

**Jun aka Pekto** · November 2nd, 2009 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by tidus1203

What's the difference with DDR2 and DDR3 memory? The DDR3 motherboards are so expensive that's why if its ok I will just settle with DDR2 motherboard with at least 4 slots...

DDR3 has higher bandwidth. I went with it simply because Phenom II's require an AM3 socket. AM3 motherboards typically use DDR3. I want to avoid compatibility issues or doing extra work like bios updates if I stuck with an AM2+ motherboard.

Plus, I'm planning to to overclock anyway after years of not needing to do so. 2.8ghz---->3.2ghz. The faster ram will help.

You may luck out with an AM2+/DDR2 board if you go the AMD route. But for peace of mind in your case, I'd go with the Intel setup.

**tidus1203** · November 2nd, 2009 09:41 AM

Yeah here in RP its still hard to find DDR3 memory and if you do its pricey. I might go the Intel route na nga lang... AMD is just weak in this country, its an Intel country (they use to have a plant here)...

**number001** · November 2nd, 2009 09:51 AM

AMD is better in terms of price to performance in the less $200 processor segment. So if you are targeting Pentium Dual Core or the Exxxx series processor, then it is still better to go for Athlon II X2 or the newer X3.

Without competition, Intel has no initiative to do better so it is still wise to support AMD.