Need Some Suggestions!!1

NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
edited June 2004 in Hardware
Ok... well, unfortunately I didn't get a job this summer so my dad is giving me jobs when he thinks of them and for his work (Linux Networx) he needs some custom circuit boards made by a certain deadline and he is going to let me build them. I will earn about $400 for building all of the boards and then another $75 for some work I did last week for him. That would put me at around $475.

Unfortunately again, there are always soo many good pieces of hardware that I want so I would like to ask you guys for suggestions on what to get.

First possibility :
Corsair TWINX1024-3200XLPRO 1GB Kit DDR400 XMS3200 Xtra-Low Latency Dual-Channel ProSeries Memory = $362 + Free Shipping

Reason :
Battlefield Vietnam and Far Cry especially look like they require a gig of ram to play at my desired settings smoothly and I can't find 2 more sticks of my PC3500C2PT stuff.

Second possibility :
Antec TruePower True550 550W Power Supply = $101.99

Reason : 350W definately isn't enough for my future plans or future hardware so an upgrade would do me well.

AND

(Some Brand) GeForce 6800GT 256Mb OR "MAYBE" an ATi Radeon X800PRO (They would have to drop the X800 down under 375 for that to work though)

Reason :
My 5900NU is fine and all but I could use better performance in Battlefield Vietnam and Far Cry and an upgrade here would help me out quite a bit.

Third possibility :
Custom built by Performance-PCs Lian Li PC-V1000 (92MM Blowhole, All cables sleeved, Temp. sensor bay, drive/floppy covers (to match case)) = ~ $300

Reason :
Right now I have a fairly small and cluttered Raidmax 268 Mid-tower w/ 350W PSU that I think has been on my desk almost long enough. :)

AND

Custom built by Performance-PCs Antec True550 550W Power Supply (All cables sleeved) = $149

Reason : ...gotta have a PSU in the case!!1

Forth possibility :
Hand picked by ME! (and my online buddies) full watercooling kit for CPU/Chipset/GPU = ~ $300-475???

Reason :
I could do some overclocking and enjoy silence and/or low temperatures.

Now, if you have any comments or specific suggestions about anything please share!

Comments

  • entropyentropy Yah-Der-Hey (Wisconsin)
    edited June 2004
    Well, me personally, I would get a new graphics card. 9800pro oc'd to xt isn't bad by any means, but who *doesn't* want a shiny new card and all the bragging rights that come with it? :) BUT you might need a new PSU then, too. I'm not sure what you all have in your system, which would've been nice, but I think 350 would be pushing it for either of those cards. As for the ram, I can't tell you, because I don't have a gig, so I've never really had the option to notice a difference, so...your call.
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    I currently have a Raidmax 350W power supply and I think it is a bit weak so I would be getting a Antec True550 550W PSU w/ the graphics card...

    So far though from other resources the option to go with RAM is ahead. My friends have upgraded from 512Mb > 1024Mb RAM and said it made alot of difference but I think just getting a new graphics card and PSU would do the same thing, maybe a bit better for now... then when I think about it though, I could get a gig of ram now and wait for next years graphics cards to be out then I'd probably be happier overall...
  • entropyentropy Yah-Der-Hey (Wisconsin)
    edited June 2004
    alright :thumbsup: honestly though, how is that ram so expensive? That's quite a bit ... but I didn't really do any research on it either :p
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well... Its the XMS Pro Series for one, and it's supposedly really good stuff... Plus it's Corsair so they can overprice :P
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2004
    The Corsair XL Pro is the <i>only</i> 2/2/2 SPD memory on the market. It is <b>superbly</b> good.
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well, I just heard it from the king so there is a good reason to get that memory :D
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited June 2004
    i'm going to pick the psu option

    why? because if you got either of the other 2 options, you'd still probably need a new psu
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well... RAM for around $360 still leaves over 100 bucks for a PSU ;)

    :O Just read a review of that Corsair XMS PRO XL stuff and WOW! Cas2.5 at 255FSB on a Zalman water cooled 2.8 Prescott @ 3.5Ghz... They couldn't go any higher because the CPU was getting too hot so that means these sticks may have more potential :D

    They did it w/ my motherboard aswell so that means that I should be able to run 1:1 w/ these at 250FSB fairly easily!!1
  • ClutchClutch North Carolina New
    edited June 2004
    I think you made the right choice, RAM and a new PSU will do you very well. And plus it gives you solid ground to go on if you decide to build another system. Antec all the way on the PSU.
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well, still about a week or more to make a real decision but I am leaning towards at least RAM right now, but a PSU would be nice to get at that time aswell.

    My dad is ordering all the pieces for the circuit boards as we speak so they should be here when I get back from my Scout camp trip to Moab Utah this weekend :D
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well, I've posted this thread on several other forums and had mostly the same suggestions but the guys over at Icrontic (where I am staff) suggest I go w/ Mushkin. I read some reviews and looked at the products they have and they also have a 2-2-2 special 1GB kit. It's A few dollars more than the Corsair but it uses BH-6 chips and is supposedly faster than the Corsair XMS XL PRO stuff I was looking at. I think the Corsair would be COOLER but if one or the other really performs better than the other I will get the better of the two.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2004
    No surprise that Icrontic tells you to go Mushkin.
  • FormFactorFormFactor At the core of forgotten
    edited June 2004
    Man I would have to say a Radeon X800. That card looks sweet!

    But u could stretch that cash a lot further just bios modding a 9800 pro to a 9800 xt, and get some kickass games to go with it, doom 3 comes out in like 3 weeks y'know?
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    ....3 weeks eh? I will get that game whether I have money or not (parents :P)

    I think I'm gonna go w/ RAM for sure and probably the Antec PSU, and Thrax... Does that mean ... what? lol

    I still think I'll go w/ the Corsair just cause I like the name... (lol- I know, no good reason) and they look cool, plus they perform as well as I need them to.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited June 2004
    NeoFX wrote:
    Ok... well, unfortunately I didn't get a job this summer so my dad is giving me jobs when he thinks of them and for his work (Linux Networx) he needs some custom circuit boards made by a certain deadline and he is going to let me build them. I will earn about $400 for building all of the boards and then another $75 for some work I did last week for him. That would put me at around $475.

    Unfortunately again, there are always soo many good pieces of hardware that I want so I would like to ask you guys for suggestions on what to get.

    First possibility :
    Corsair TWINX1024-3200XLPRO 1GB Kit DDR400 XMS3200 Xtra-Low Latency Dual-Channel ProSeries Memory = $362 + Free Shipping

    Reason :
    Battlefield Vietnam and Far Cry especially look like they require a gig of ram to play at my desired settings smoothly and I can't find 2 more sticks of my PC3500C2PT stuff.

    Second possibility :
    Antec TruePower True550 550W Power Supply = $101.99

    Reason : 350W definately isn't enough for my future plans or future hardware so an upgrade would do me well.

    AND

    (Some Brand) GeForce 6800GT 256Mb OR "MAYBE" an ATi Radeon X800PRO (They would have to drop the X800 down under 375 for that to work though)

    Reason :
    My 5900NU is fine and all but I could use better performance in Battlefield Vietnam and Far Cry and an upgrade here would help me out quite a bit.

    Third possibility :
    Custom built by Performance-PCs Lian Li PC-V1000 (92MM Blowhole, All cables sleeved, Temp. sensor bay, drive/floppy covers (to match case)) = ~ $300

    Reason :
    Right now I have a fairly small and cluttered Raidmax 268 Mid-tower w/ 350W PSU that I think has been on my desk almost long enough. :)

    AND

    Custom built by Performance-PCs Antec True550 550W Power Supply (All cables sleeved) = $149

    Reason : ...gotta have a PSU in the case!!1

    Forth possibility :
    Hand picked by ME! (and my online buddies) full watercooling kit for CPU/Chipset/GPU = ~ $300-475???

    Reason :
    I could do some overclocking and enjoy silence and/or low temperatures.

    Now, if you have any comments or specific suggestions about anything please share!

    My IC7-Max3 SPD times Corsair 3200 LLPT at 2.5, 3, 2, 6. My P4 Prescott actually can't use the FASTER RAM well, several folks I have talked to suggested I not spend more on faster RAM as far as BASE speed (NOT to go to 3500) and instead go to lowest latency dual channel I can afford at PC3200. I will have a GIG of PC3200 LLPT in my Prescott (which started as a 2.8 and is now at about 3.1 GHz-- I am working up slowly) box within a week and that is more than enough to do many things at once.

    The problem is, when you relax timings, you are offsetting the faster BASE timing-- and last I checked, for 3500 you got to relax to JEDEC (please correct me if I am wrong). For an AMD box, this makes more sense, but Intel likes RAM more tightly ratioed than AMD does in some cases. Just as a perspective, The 3200 is running at 225 base, 1:1, set to SPD with ratios shown as above in the IC7-Max3 BIOS-- which is flashed to latest for that board I can get. Corsair tested that in a P4C800-E timed to 2,3,2,6. Un-modded IC7-Max3 here, but VERY good PSU and a UPS to baby that. VERY tight voltages to settings.

    I have been getting Corsair RAM from http://www.zipzoomfly.com/ , which typically beats Newegg pricing on that. they also ship Corsair PC3200 LLPT 2nd day UPS free in US (CONUS).
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Well.. I learned the hardway by buying PC3500 and now I'm not happy with it because I have to run 5:4 which sucks :( I tried changing CAS settings and it didn't help any. Still wouldn't boot after changed to 1:1 so I'm gonna get the nice PC3200 stuff. I am going to get the ram from ZZF aswell, I have noticed too that they usually beat Neweggs RAM prices.
  • ClutchClutch North Carolina New
    edited June 2004
    How many drives, etc.. do you have running? Didn't see it in your sig. Just do not forget that your PSU is very important, if that thing goes it takes with it what it would like to, just a friendly reminder.
  • NeoFXNeoFX Utah, US of A
    edited June 2004
    Yeah, I will be getting a PSU in the near future for sure because watercooling and more overclocking will require it ;)

    But... I have another opportunity to make some boards for a different project for my dad so I think I'm going to deal w/ 512Mb for now because airsoft gun season is in full swing right now around where I live and I don't have a nice gun yet :P So I'm gonna spend this wave of money first on a nice AEG and some other airsoft stuff ;)

    Later on I will get the RAM and PSU tho... Videocards can wait awhile aswell as the case and watercooling :D
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