Gaming Configuration

[anishcool]

Dear fellow members,

with all your experience and technical expertise please check config I have jotted down and give me some suggestions too.

Amd Athlon 64 3000+

ASUS A8N-E Deluxe (NFORCE 4 ULTRA CHIPSET)

160 GB SATA SEAGATE

ZION (HYNIX) 512X2 MB

XFX nVidia 6600 GT 256 MB suggest if there is anything better within 16k, not the 6800 ultra lol.

antec super lanboy with 400W antec smps

acer 715 17" CRT

keyboard and mouse :microsoft comfort edition combo.

Samsung combo drive

speakers : creative 6.1

sound card : creative audigy value card [not zs platinum pro ]

printer : hp 1315 all in one


I plan to buy this within 10 days.

Cheers !

[drvarunmehta]

Pretty good rig
Just a few changes recommended
Transcend instead of Zion RAM.
Separate CD-writer and DVD-ROM (will cost just 200 bucks more than combo drive). And NO Samsung optical drives. Go for Sony, Asus, Liteon, BenQ, LG, Pioneer or Plextor. Anything but Samsung.
Altec Lansing instead of Creative speakers.
No dedicated soundcard unless you really need it. The onboard sound on the nForce4 is 8 channel and pretty low on CPU utilisation.

[mohit]

everything is good just note the following ,

If your budget permits go for a 3200+ processor.

samsung combo drive - samsung has the worst drives of all and also try staying away from combos , go for a separate cd rw and dvd rom ...it will be much better and go only for asus/liteon/sony.

For your RAM i suggest you go for Corsair/Kingston instead of Zion.

For your printing needs also an all in one is not advisable at the moment , go for a stand alone printer such as canon ip 1000 if you dont really require other things such as scanning etc. (Who need scanning when you have digi cams ? , unless you have docs to scan )

For your graphics card make sure you buy the 128bit version and not the 64 bit version.

Also invest in a good UPS (take the max capacity you can afford to) , go for APC and nothing else.

[anishcool]

hey guys, thanx for the quick replies.

the kingston ram costs almost double than the zion. also the zion is based on hynix chipset which is pretty ok.

the all in one point is noted and i will consider investing in only a printer.

i will test the 8-channel audio and reconsider.

one question, how do i know its a 128-bit version ???

[icecoolz]

kingston RAM's shouldnt cost so much higher. You mentioned its a 512 MB RAM however failed to mention as to what's the RAM frequency. As in is it 266 or 333 or 400 mhz. Do verify that. A 400 MHZ 512 MB RAM stick only costs 3300 Rs from Kingston. Kingston is a very good performer and comes with a 3 year warranty. transcend or Corsair RAMS are the best and just might be a couple of 100 bucks more than kingston. if your budget allows it then go for it.

[harshagarwal]

hey plz tell me the price of AMD 64 3200+ (s939)

[anishcool]

Originally Posted by icecoolz

A 400 MHZ 512 MB RAM stick only costs 3300 Rs from Kingston.

Your right , a 512 MB stick costs Rs.3500 from Kingston.Zion is priced at Rs. 2300. But I am buying 2 512 MB sticks that means Kingston costs Rs.2400 more than Zion for 1 GB. Hence I will stick to Zion and it offers 1 year warranty.

The price of an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (939-pin) is around the Rs.9500 mark plus taxes.

Also, what will be a better choice the 6600 GT 256 or the 5950 Ultra 256 ?

[bharathbala2003]

@harsh it should cost bout 11.5-12K max

[Ankit]

i got it yesterday fot 9950 ..including taxes...

[bharathbala2003]

hmm i dunno mayb my price is too high but i checked it bout a month back.. mayb thats da reason..

[medigit]

hey anish cool,
just tell me where didu get KINGSTON ram 512 mb for 3500 .is it 266 MHZ or 333 or 400 MHz .i like to buy one

[drvarunmehta]

Originally Posted by anishcool

Also, what will be a better choice the 6600 GT 256 or the 5950 Ultra 256 ?

lol
obviously the 6600gt is better. the whole geforceFX 5xxx series was an embarassment for nvidia.

[anishcool]

i got a quote for 512 MB DDR 400 Mhz Kingston RAM from Bangalore. That is Rs.3500 + 4% VAT = Rs.3700

[medigit]

can u tell me how to purchase it from KOLKATA

[quad master]

Antec SLK3700BQE[Black] or SLK3700AMB[Beige] Without PSU.
Rs 4K approx
These are more roomier and have plently space to connect Optical Drives
and max of 5 HDDs
Check at www.antecindia.com

Super lanboy is just a jazzy case not worth the money

And get a Antec TruePower 430Watts PSU or Antec Smart Power 450W
Best is true power

Go for orignal Hynix DDR400 PC3200 2x512MB they cost 2.75-2.8K per module D43 Chip
I said orignal as there are fake hynix floating in market for 2.1-2.4K for each 512MB

The Hynix D43 based ram easily overclocks to a max 250-260Mhz
where as transcend overclock to a max of 230Mhz.

[anishcool]

Originally Posted by quad master

Super lanboy is just a jazzy case not worth the money

And get a Antec TruePower 430Watts PSU or Antec Smart Power 450W
Best is true power

I will buy the Antec True Power 430W SMPS but as far as the case goes the Super Lanboy is unbeatable.

Simple reason : I am looking a jazzy case and what better
Turn off the lights and you will see something never seen before

Originally Posted by quad master

Go for orignal Hynix DDR400 PC3200 2x512MB they cost 2.75-2.8K per module D43 Chip
I said orignal as there are fake hynix floating in market for 2.1-2.4K for each 512MB

Ok, I will check for the prices of Hynix modules. Pricing is pretty OK.

[Keith Sebastian]

That's a great config you have there. Hynix is OK as long as you don't have overclocking ambitions.

Turn off the lights and you will see something never seen before Very Happy

Not a good idea if you have the PC next to your bed and plan to keep it on 24/7 leeching stuff off the net on your broadband connection. The lights are bright enough to disturb sleep

Keith

[quad master]

Keith Sebastian wrote
Hynix is OK as long as you don't have overclocking ambitions.

You are wrong Hynix D43 Chip based ram has the best overclocking potential upto 260Mhz
Darklord has managed to take the Hynix to a new high 290Mhz at relaxed
timings on his ASUS Mobo [dont know which A8N-E or A8N-Sli]

It beats Transcend & Kingston by a huge margin
No other value ram can match hynix according to me.

Only you have to get the correct orignal plastic packaged Hynix Rams.

Give the Superlanboy a 2nd thought buddy.
Later on you shud not regret purchasing it.
Any cabby can be modified with a transparent side panel
And adding a TriLed antec fan which comes for Rs850 to 1000 approx.

[anishcool]

Hey Quad Master,

I know what you are trying to get across. I appreciate it and understand that the Super Lanboy is not value for money.

But I don't know why, I had this ambition (of sorts) that when I buy my new PC It will have a Lanboy Cabinet (2 years back). I will take the decision on the cabinet later, and will consider all options before purchasing.

Once again thanks for the advice, its great to have freinds like you who guide you at every step.

Cheers !

Anish.

[Keith Sebastian]

Originally Posted by quad master

You are wrong Hynix D43 Chip based ram has the best overclocking potential upto 260Mhz
Darklord has managed to take the Hynix to a new high 290Mhz at relaxed
timings on his ASUS Mobo [dont know which A8N-E or A8N-Sli]

Didn't know about Hynix's potential. I don't OC much. Anyway I was comparing OCing against quality RAM. Not el cheapo Kingston and Transcend (it may be over priced here, but that doesn't make it any better). This ain't directed at you, but I've found a lot of forum users bragging about Kingston and Transcend. Actually the previous comp I built in Aus. had Transcend sticks. Got them as they where cheapest available. Same fancy packing, 3yr warranty but just $4 more than generic noname RAM. Crapped all over when pushed beyond 175 (rated 166, 1:1). I can't undestand how something promoted (by the manufacturer) as value RAM (Kingston too) overseas is promoted as performance memory here and sold at a premium to gullible idiots.

Keith

[quad master]

HynixD43 chip based value ram is one gr8 value ram
which has gr9 OCing potential.

Transcend & Kingston Value RAM can reac ha max of 230Mhz if overclocked with care

But Hynix reach 250-260 easily.

@ Anish - its ur money and its upto u how 2 spend it.

[anishcool]

Originally Posted by quad master

HynixD43 chip based value ram is one gr8 value ram
which has gr9 OCing potential. But Hynix reach 250-260 easily.

Hey, I am a bit confused here 250-260 what ? Mhz ?

I thought we were talking about DDR400 RAM :roll:

[chinmay]

why don't u go for msi rs480...it rocks...

[anishcool]

Originally Posted by chinmay_d

why don't u go for msi rs480...it rocks...

The Msi Rs480 no doubt is a great motherboard for its price. However this is Ati first venture into the motherboard market and i am not too sure about service and support.

Anyways the Asus A8N-E offers better performance so that is a better option

[icecoolz]

DDR 400 MHZ is in dual channel mode. So its actually 200 mhz x 2. They are talking about OCing it to 260 MHZ which is 260 x 2 which will give you a 25% boost to your memory speeds.

I have no idea why kingston gets such a bashing. I have been using it for a while now running at a lower clock of 192 since I am playing around with my FSB for OCing purposes. Till date I have OCed my FSB till 220 and no issues till now. Runs nicely. And with CAS timings of 3-2-2.5-7 (wouldnt work any lower) And kingston RAMs have always been stalbe ones. And a 3 year warranty. Now that is very imp. In all my experiences its the RAM that fails first. And hence 3 years is aboon to me.

[Keith Sebastian]

Originally Posted by anishcool

Hey, I am a bit confused here 250-260 what ? Mhz ?

I thought we were talking about DDR400 RAM :roll:

200 Mhz at DDR is 400 Mhz. And, no, this has nothing to do with dual channel mode. My Asus K8N doesn't support dual channel at all (socket 754)

[icecoolz]

oops sorry my mistake. Kieth is right. It has nothing to do with Dual channel mode.

[mohit]

@ anishcool
hey buddy i think you should go for kingston , i am also using it for the past 2 months and these modules rock. i am using 2*256 (400 mhz) modules at latencies of 2.5-3-3-6 and i also got a 5 year warranty... what else do you want ? i havent faced any issues with them till now and you can buy them directly from the distributor (a.a infoways , delhi) ..just deposit the money in their account and they ship the RAM to you directly. i got mine for 3800/- (including shipping and all taxes) ....... visit www.aainfoways.com and send your enquiry.

Also before buying the graphic card check the model on the xfx website www.xfxforce.com for all specs and make sure it is a 128 bit card ... alternately you can use the monthy planner that rashi peripherals gives its dealers... it also has all the specs and models mentioned.

and one more thing dont even think of going for the msi-rs-480 board..it is a board for users looking for good onboard grafix not for hardcore gamers.... go for the asus a8n-e it is a very good board and above all has the nforce 4 ultra chipset... and hey try getting a sata 2 drive if available.

and dont forget to mention the prices of all your components before buying so we can check if you are getting a fair deal or not.

pm me if you have any more problems.

[anishcool]

hey thanks so much for the messages.

i will confirm the prices once i get the final list from the dealer.
anyone here who lives in bangalore ?
which is the best place to shop ?
i have found computer warehouse at barton centre which is giving me amazing prices. will post the full .list after bargaining.

anyways, kingston is out of my budget

i will buy the original hynix module 512 x 2 DDR400 PC3200.

i will check the prices of sata 2 drives, but highly unlikely that they will be available here.

keep posting,

cheers anish.