Sys specs for PS

[_-Gunslinger-_]

I am currently looking at a system upgrade before I buy PS. So far my specs look like this:

2.4 800 fsb intel
GeForce fx 5900 (256)
512 3700 DDR
Mobo that supports that.

I know that this would RUN PS but will it run it well?

[Rbstr]

Good specs
Get a radeon 9800 pro(or XT) instead of the FX5900, the 9800 outpreforms the 5900 in most things an Nvidia isn't a company i realy want to buy form now for a midrange/mainstream card get a 9600 pro(or XT)

http://usa.asus.com/products/vga/r9800xt/overview.HTM (9800XT)

http://usa.asus.com/products/vga/r9600xt/overview.HTM (9600XT)

For a mobo get an Asus P4P800 deluxe (nice 865PE board i have one and i love it!)(http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4p800-d/overview.HTM)

or

Get the higher end one P4C800-E Deluxe (Super 875p mobo)
(http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4c800-e_d/overview.HTM)

they both suport the 800mhz p4's and asus says they will suport the new presscot when it comes

For memory get Kingston HyperX or Corsair CL2 DDR400 the get a pair of 512 sticks (they both offer pair bundles) of a gb of memory PS eats RAM like none other

This is what i learned form building this one and learning form the mistakes i made(especialy the FX5600 no ware near as good as a 9600 pro)

[Jouster]

You may want to look at a 5900 ultra before you look at vRam ammounts. The thing you want to watch for is core/memory clock speeds. At this point in time, there really is no need for 256 meg on a vid card. ;)

[Rbstr]

Still say go with the 9800 pro its much better in DX9 games

[NoSurrender]

all i would get is 512 more ram...

[Rbstr]

a gigabyte will be very importan in games soon and PS with a gb runs awsome, or so i've heard

[_-Gunslinger-_]

Wouldn't whether or not a vid card preformes on a 9x game be driver related? And ill definatly get the gig of ram.

Also (though im not sure if this breaks fourm rules ill edit if it does) can anyone recomend a cheaper internet site to order from? The one im looking at now is www.buyxg.com but I have never orderd form them so I don't know if it will work out.

Or are you guys suggesting I order direct?

Edit: What OS should I run for PS?

[NoSurrender]

No Warez here No Sir

[_-Gunslinger-_]

Pyro_Man are you an admin (As indicated by the admiral title?)

[NoSurrender]

no but hamma will ban u

[_-Gunslinger-_]

Point taken. I already eddited the post after your comment. What about asking for advice on what site to order from? Is that not allowed?

[NoSurrender]

oh thats allowed i dont know why it would be. www.newegg.com is a great site and www.zipzoomfly.com also and www.pricewatch.com is great for finding baragins just be careful who you buy from. ;) good luck

[_-Gunslinger-_]

Thank you for the info. I might do some buisness with Zip for a gig of kingston 400 ddr for $183 but buyxg.com is still cheaper for the rest of the parts.

Edit: Buyxg still has a better price for ram. Thank you for the reputable sources though.

p4 2.4 800 FSB $181.00
Asus P4P800 $131.00
Kingston 3200 x2 512mb $185.00
nVidia FX 5900 Ultra $397.00

ZipZoom $894.00

p4 2.4 800 FSB $175.00
Asus P4P800 $126.00
Kingston 3200 x2 512mb $172.00
nVidia FX 5900 Ultra $362.00

BuyXG.com $837.01 (Note BuyXG.Com comes with one 24" IDE round cable)

[Rbstr]

i would still get a radeon 9800 pro, its better than the 5900 ultra(not that big of a difference but in Hl2 it destroyed the 5900 ultra, the 9600 non pro was even etter than it)

[NoSurrender]

some people like Nvidia over ATI and hes right about Hl2...

[_-Gunslinger-_]

Rbstr ive decided to go with the 9800XT put the problem is that I dont know where to order it from. Also when I looked at ASUS's site I noticed that there was a picture of HL2 and it said free game... WTF? Does this mean that if I order from ASUS that I get HL2 free when it comes out? And if so where do I order?

[keaoi]

The GF5900's are great, but games that don't need DX9 (wait for Doom3) can't see it's real magic. Honestly, if money isnt an issue, a Radeon9800 would be great, but from what Im told, a gig of ram will make all the difference.

Another thing, if you can wait, screw pentium. The Athlon64 smoked it in recent tests (http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/article.php/3082211) and 800FSB isnt really all it seems. Plus AMD is consistantly cheaper, and the tech support is QUITE a bit more friendly.

If money is an issue, I would reccommend what I use, and have no problems with (though more RAM wouldnt hurt).

AMD Athlon 2500+ Barton Core (bought retail from http://www.googlegear.com for $90)

A7n8X-Deluxe (searched retail on http://www.pricewatch.com $70)

512DDr RAM 3200MHz i think (pricewatch around $40-$50)

GeForce4Ti4800SE (pricewatch $150 or so)

After that, my HDD is a Western Digital 120GB Jb, but there are cheaper ones. Overall this system was under $700 and better than most Alienware machines.

Though i will admit i plan upgrading my video card with the Doom3 release.

[Daleon]

The 9800XT has a coupon you can prolly mail in to get HL2 when it comes out. They made the deal with Valve quite a while back. Rumors are the 9600XT may have it to, which would turn that card into quite a deal.

As for where to order, the ati site is usually one of the first places to have it for sale if you want an actual ATI board, but its most $$$ there. Otherwise look on pricewatch.

[keaoi]

too bad hl2's source code was stolen, i doubt we will ever see the game :(

[Terran Sniper]

Rbstr, the bad thing about the 9800 pro is it is $500.00