DOS Games Discussion

[pedersencato]

OK Guys (Gals?), Time to put you to the test so to speak. I finally have a decent job so I have a mediocre cash flow so I want to get myself a new computer... now I'm completely capable of overclocking so take that into consideration when helping me here. I will need a processor, Motherboard, RAM, Case + Power Supply. I'd prefer a mobo with AGP-based graphics as I'd need not speed more on a new video card, too. I am going to try to do this on a budget of approx. $700-$800CAD ($630-$720USD, $850-$970AUD, yes I know at least some here are from Australia, anywhere else look up your conversion on 'xe.com')... any advice is much appreciated; ask if there's anything else you want to know.

[Wally]

I wouldnt overclock..
Makes parts die very quicker.

IF you have no experience in buying parts its probably better off you find out stuff.

Just make sure that
Processor and Motherboard have the same sockets /bus speeds
Ram matches to MBord
Case should be fine as long as you have ATX power supply
AGP motherboards are rare to come across these days for a new computer.
PCI-Express is the latest for video. I suggest that

[pedersencato]

thanks, I was hoping for a more specific listing of types though...
The past few days I've been looking at the Conroes, and I must say they ARE Tempting... as much as it would mean A complete new system as opposed to migrating stuff... and even if I don't get a conroe, waiting for 24/07 is probably a good Idea as AMD is supposed to be doing mass price cuts, as Intel already is...

[Kazer0]

[Wally]

canadian Kazer0

[Kazer0]

That sucks. And wally, dont discourage overclocking. Under the right circumstances its just fine.

The AGP support is the bottleneck here. New processors from AMD are AM2, but AGP was last offered on the 939. No biggie, since 939 was only abandoned a month or so ago.

Prices from my pick, ncix.com.

MOTHERBOARD
ASRock 939DUAL-SATA2 ATX S939 ULI M1695 DDR AGP PCI-E16 3PCI SATA RAID Sound LAN Motherboard (939DUAL-SATA2)
$92 and has both AGP and PCI-e.

RAM
Kingston HyperX PC3200 1GB 2X512MB DDR400 CL2-3-2-6 1T 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
$100

PSU
OCZ OCZ45012U-450W Modstream Power Supply PCI-E Ready W/ Ezmod Cable System & Blue LED Fan (OCZ45012U)
$75

A case I suggest you pick up from a local store. Shipping would make it more expensive than just buying once locally. Since you have a PSU you are buying online, just get an ATX case that you like, and make sure it has enough room for fans and some fans.


Processor
AMD ATHLON 64 3800+ PROCESSOR S939 VENICE 2.4GHZ 512K L2 CACHE 90NM RETAIL BOX
$368

OR

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2GHZ 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
$371

Thatll bring you to abouts $700 and leave you $100 for a case... well, more like $50 after shipping and tax. I do recommend you wait for conroe to buy these parts, since the AMD price drops are huge.

[pedersencato]

Thanks for the depth, it's much appreciated... seems the store I normally go to to get my computer stuff doesn't carry ASRock boards but this one seemed to catch my eye as having everything I needed:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1578189&Tab=0&NoMapp=0 And it seemed to review well, too. Tell me what you think... If I don't get a Conroe I'll definitly be getting a Athlon 64 (not likely an X2).
By the Way, What currency were those prices (I may have overlooked it)?
Thanks Again

[franpa]

uh my pc's always overclocked wally... cus i have no idea what most of the options are for or what to set them to when i set it to manualy adjust the speed of my cpu. and i over clock my vid card due to huge performance gains in games.

[Kazer0]