Comment the config...

[Ivan]

Will be built somewhere in july...
Totally scratchbuilt...

Current planned specs for main FS/Gaming machine:
AMD Athlon 64X2 6000+
on
Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe (nForce 570, max 8GB RAM)
with
2x2GB interleaved DDR6400-CAS3 (should be available then... else 4x1GB same type)

Video:
2X 8800GTS, 640 MB each (might start with one)

Drives
OS: WD Raptor 10K 150GB (SATA 150)
Other: WD Caviar SE16 @ 500GB (SATA 300)

Other stuff
DVD Drive: black, blue led + rewrite
The usual card reader stuff (in black ofcourse)

Case:
Coolermaster Stacker, classic type (with 11x 5 1/4 position) with the optional lawnmower fan installed

PSU: the 550W one that i have at the moment
Will install Vista Ultimate on that...

[ATI_7500]

I wouldn't go with the AMD CPU...unless they got something better up till july. I'd recommend a Core2Extreme or quad core for now.

Common sense also tells me that you'd be better off with an ATI 2900...but my bias tells me that you should go for the 8800.

[Nick N]

AMD Bacelona will be available in July. Intel will be dropping the price of their products to try and upturn the Barc release. In that, better choices will be available for evaluation in both cost and performance

Motherboard technology is about to undergo changes.


The 8800 is being phased out due to several issues specific to the engineering of the original 90nm core. The 80nm 88XX series will be released and Nvidia is holding their 'Ultra' product in an attempt to upturn the R6XX release. To be quite honest, Nvidia has screwed the public especially in Vista with the 8800 and will be upgrading their screw up over the next several weeks as ATi releases their offerings.

July is not a bad month to re-evaluate the purchase. I would wait till then before making a list, any list.

By this fall, I fully expect the top of the line hardware in all catagories, with the exception of motherboards, will be cheaper than is has been for a year.

[Ivan]

Whats the performance gap between Core Duo E6600 and AMD 64X2 6000+?

Best ATI that the shop has where i buy my stuff is a X1950XT @ 512MB.

But as you guessed already... i'm with the nVidia / AMD camp, not the ATi / Intel one.... even though getting rid of half the processor cache to increase production didnt prove to be a good idea

@Nick: At least i can buy the case in advance... as that one is on the way out according to Coolermaster

[Nick N]

Whats the performance gap between Core Duo E6600 and AMD 64X2 6000+?

Best ATI that the shop has where i buy my stuff is a X1950XT @ 512MB.

But as you guessed already... i'm with the nVidia / AMD camp, not the ATi / Intel one.... even though getting rid of half the processor cache to increase production didnt prove to be a good idea

On a non-overclcoked system the two are on equal ground. EDIT: With advantages to the E6600 in the memory controller and power consumption areas.

With the right supporting components and clocked up the E6600 will not be anywhere near as bottlenecked by the 8XXX series or next gen ATi cards, all of which will be released by the end of May, beginning of June. I would not go with a 6600 anyway. E6800 would be the least I would run

Personally, if I was going to build an Intel/Vista system I would go with either the E6800 or the QX6700, a supporting motherboard that runs at no less than 1333 FSB rated spec with memory that is rated for 800-1000Mhz, probably the 2nd.


Barcelona will have a 42% better float point over anything Intel offers. As for how it holds up in other benchmarks and processes, that is yet to be seen. My assesment of the use of Intel with Vista may change as more information is released. I do expect the Barc will be a reasonable option, much more so than anything AMD currently offers.


You said you were waiting till July so I am sure the shop where you buy will have the upgraded compoenents. I would only buy online anyway and avoind the retail markups.

[Nick N]

Make sure you plan the PSU right.


A cheap one, even a cheap 800-1000watts, will most likely have trouble with a pair of next gen video cards if they remain in the 230-280 watt consumption range, and especially if you plan to clock


It is better to make that purchase right the first time than do it twice... you end up paying the same if not more

[DizZa]

July you say?

Do exactly what Nick said; see how the Barcelona and the new ATI / Nvidia develop. They will be much faster than your current planned computer.

As for me; I am waiting for second gen DX10. I just have a feeling you guys will be jealous of my next rig...

[Ivan]

Already got myself the new case... last one of that type in the shop.

Probably one that most of you know... Coolermaster Stacker STC-T01 in silver with black front. Bought a card reader to put in it, and a spare bay converter for the PSU display thing (next PSU will certainly have one of these too)

Next purchase: Black floppy (10 euros!!!) and another bay converter (6 euros) which finishes off the non-essential components.