Advice needed on building gameing system

triggertrigger
edited October 2004 in Hardware
I inherited 2 Xeon 2.8/533 ES Processors.
Main interests are gaming and working the web.
Will it be better to try to build a gamer with the xeons or sell them and buy regular pent4?
I want to try to keep the system around $1000

Motherboard sgl or dual?
Memory?
Video Card?

Any suggestions are welcomed.
Thanks in advance

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    A dually won't necessarily provide better gaming performance than a single-CPU desktop.
    Will it be better to try to build a gamer with the xeons or sell them and buy regular pent4?
    Why not an AMD 64-based system?
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    Indeed, as Leo suggested, your best bet is to sell the Xeons and build an AMD-64 system.

    Check out this thread:
    http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19794

    If you build a similar rig to the one that primesuspect wound up building, you'll have awesome gaming performance. And if you sell the Xeons to do it, your net out-of-pocket cost will be around $1000.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    It really depends... the Xeons aren't going to be quite as fast as an A64 or whatever in games, but they won't be slow.

    My Xeon system (2x 2.8GHz/512k/533 @ 3.2, 2GB DDR400, 6800GT) hits almost 11k in 3dmark 03 with no tweaking whatsoever. That's not as fast as the fastest 6800GT-based systems, but it's not far off.

    PERSONALLY, I'd keep the Xeons, simply because SMP has other advantages. It's difficult to describe if you haven't used a dual cpu system before; they just run much more smoothly imo than single CPU systems do, and I've got more than my fair share of both (the aforementioned dual Xeons, dual Athlons, dual P3s, 3 P4 systems, and a single Athlon system).

    The Xeons will not be the absolute fastest gaming system you can get, but they'll be plenty fast enough, and dual CPU systems are just plain cool. :D
  • ShortyShorty Manchester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    Geekys advice is what I would have typed :)

    Dual CPU's "feel" slicker. Ask Tex or MediaMan.. they will tell ya the same.

    Im saving for dual opterons for that very reason ;)
  • JustinJustin Atlanta
    edited September 2004
    What about dual 64s?
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    Could go with dual Opterons, but the Opterons are significantly more expensive than the Xeons; since he already has the Xeons, he can get a PC-DL for <$200; a decent Opteron baord is $350-$400+, plus the $$ for the ECC/REG DDR400 RAM (either 2 or 4 sticks minimum, depending on the board, with a 4-stick minimum being better), plus the $$ for fast (244, 248, 250) opterons.
  • ShortyShorty Manchester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    The XEONs will be nice ;)
  • GobblesGobbles Ventura California
    edited September 2004
    I have to concure with above statements.. Build the rig on the xeons.

    Here is an example as to where you might see the "slickness" described. You have a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor you are playing any game of your choosing, on the other you have a desktop going with say teamspeak, web browser, chat, email. If everything is configured correctly, you should not see any performance drops in game, provided you have the right amount of ram to go with it..
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited October 2004
    Gobbles, you make a very compelling argument. That sounds like a great toy - and genuinely productive as well.

    Hmm, that would look great: case with large window looking in on two CPUs, with two CPU coolers spinning.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited October 2004
    Since you already have the Xeons, build your system around them. I have 3 dual AMD systems and they are really nice and they definitely don't lag near as bad as a single proc machine if you are working with a bunch of stuff open and running at the same time.

    Leo, I guess I need to take a couple of pics of my K7D rig for you then. It's an Antec/Chieftec style case with a window and I'm running 2-SLK800's with Delta focused flow fans on it and it really looks cool. I had it at a friend's business for a while and a lot of people would ask him about it.;)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    Leonardo wrote:
    Gobbles, you make a very compelling argument. That sounds like a great toy - and genuinely productive as well.

    Hmm, that would look great: case with large window looking in on two CPUs, with two CPU coolers spinning.

    Yeah... Hey Leo, I think it's time you stepped up to a dually... ;):D
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited October 2004
    Geeky1 wrote:
    Yeah... Hey Leo, I think it's time you stepped up to a dually... ;):D
    Hmm, let's see:

    $ Down payment on new $$$ home
    $ closing costs on said $home
    $ new dining room $table
    $ new SLR digital $camera
    $ wifey travel to visit parents in $Germany
    $ skiing with Xander this $winter
    $ fishing with Xander next $summer
    $ financial planning for Xander's $$$college

    Money for computer gizmos? ;D;D:eek2: Not for a while!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    The home costs are kinda unavoidable, but you can sit on the floor, you don't need a camera, get your wife a rowboat and put an outboard on it, skiing and fishing are overrated, especially compared to a dually, and college is a waste of time ;):p:D;D;D

    In short, give me dual cpus or give me death!! :D;D
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited October 2004
    I can buy in to much of what you said, but:
    skiing and fishing are overrated,
    THAT IS PLAINLY HERESY!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    bah. You're just not a REAL geek. :p
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