Thread: Building a game pc, questions

  1. #1
    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    Building a game pc, questions

    Hey guys, i'm needing help in here for once, hehe doens't happen much. See i'm building a new gaming pc, please note its a budget pc. Heres the two things i needed and am going to order before i ask questions:

    Motherboard and Chip combo

    Case - its the green z-extreme one

    So the new specs will be:

    AMD Duron 1.3GHZ
    264MB SDRAM PC133
    G4 TI4600
    Maxtor 7200RPM 20gig
    SB Live Audigy(?)
    24x OEM Burner Drive

    Now heres my questions:

    1) Is the KT133 part of the mobo specs the FSB?

    2) What is a Virtual RAM Module?

    3) What is an AMR slot?

    4) Will i be able to override the onboard sound?

    Please only suggest another mobo/proc combo if its SDRAM/AGP slot/ and under or same price as this one. I can't afford anymore then this, thats why i went AMD.

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    KT133 refers to the chipset the motherboard is based on. It is in fact 133mhz fsb.

    An amr slot is a special type of modem slot. To use it you have to have an amr modem. There is one listed under modems at the link to your mb/chip combo for 6.00. It think you can leave it empty and install a pci modem if you want, though I'm not absolutely sure. I believe amr modems are very "winmodemish". Minimal hardware, lots of software. Not my preferance.

    I have never seen a motherboard that you couldn't disable the onboard sound and install your own card.

    Virtual Channel RAM Module? You got me there. Looking at the specs it would appear to be a specific type of ram that is supported in addition to pc133 modules, but I'm just guessing.
    Last edited by kevinalm; 01-11-2003 at 04:06 PM.

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    Thank you for your reply. I'm going to attempt to use my current pci modem first, as opposed to a 6.00 modem. I thought maybe the ram thing would prevent me from using my regular pc133 SDRAM...

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    1: My last motherboard was a K7T Pro 2 (KT133) so i can tell lots,
    I'm affraid i'l have to correct kevinalm, it's an 100 mhz FSB
    motherboard, supports (mine at least) up to 1500 mhz
    (MP 15 x FSB 100), can hold 1,5 Gig of RAM running at 133
    MHZ, CANNOT recommand for overclocking, it goes at 107 FSB
    at absolute max.

    2: It has onboard sound, but easy to shutdown in the BIOS

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    I don't plan to overclock, i would overclock my XP2000+ if i wanted to o/c something.

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    Than don't expect too much, i managed to get mine 300 MHZ
    higher. My motherboard couldnt recognize its Performance
    Rating anymore because at the time 2200+ was the highest.

    By the way, you CANNOT run an XP on a KT133 Motherboard,
    unless you run it on 100 mhz FBS, but 1/4 of its speed will be
    gone.

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    misunderstanding, the xp2000+ is a full system that i have, i share it with my dad, this new stuff will be its own system for my gaming.

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    Oh,oops, thought you where going to buy an XP for your system,
    sorryz.

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    my fault for not clarifying, so whats your take on the case? Its my fav off that site, thats the only part i really have to pay for cuz my buddy is giving me 60 bucks for my DVD-ROM i never use.

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    Looks neat, Looks like a case for an overclocker?
    And looks like a case for people with long load times to
    have something to stare at

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    Redundantly Redundant RoD's Avatar
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    Well its an ATX case so i have options for how i use it, should i decide to make a wicked machine in march or so i'll buy the p4 3ghz combo i was looking at and saving for and stick it in there.

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    Here's a link that explains virtual channel.


    http://www.eetimes.com/news/97/981news/nec.html


    The specs on the mb manufacturer's website clearly state that both pc100 and pc133 are supported, so there should be no problem with using your pc133 sdram. (and that is the definition of a 133 fsb )

  13. #13
    An ATI Radeon (9700) is more suitable with an AMD chip.

    I would buy a BARE BONES PC-Kit, comes with Pent4 2.0Ghz 400FSB MOBO + Heatsink + Fan for $170-$185.

    Audigy is a good choice, just save your money for a 5.1 speaker system otherwise it's a waste.

    I would go with 512MB RAM min, however I would suggest 1GB.

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    thnx kevin, i'll read up on that; hmm i shoulda realized that was the fsb :P


    >>An ATI Radeon (9700) is more suitable with an AMD chip.

    Its the G4 or the ATI All-in-wonder 128 tv/tuner i got. Like i said the only thing really coming out of my pocket is the case as i can't afford anything beyond that.

    >>I would buy a BARE BONES PC-Kit, comes with Pent4 2.0Ghz 400FSB MOBO + Heatsink + Fan for $170-$185.

    $$$ man, $$. I am saving to build my "bas ass" system now in a few months, i just want a desktop to myself as my laptop is a pain for gaming on, and i want to use that strictly for development(lap).

    >>Audigy is a good choice, just save your money for a 5.1 speaker system otherwise it's a waste.

    Already have a 5.1 system with a 300w sub from sony.

    >>I would go with 512MB RAM min, however I would suggest 1GB.

    Again i'm going with what i can afford. I found out last night that my buddy will sell me another 128mb stick cheap so i may grab that.

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    Good vid card && Bad CPU != Good Comp

    My 2 cents: I wouldn't reccommend buying a Ti4600 paired with a 1.3 ghz. I would downgrade the vid card to a 4200 and upgrade the CPU (4200's can be OC'd so they are almost as good as a non-OC'd 4600, and they are $60-80 cheaper). Here's my story: I have a P4 1.6 and a 4600. I got ~8400 in 3Dmark2001SE. I OC'd my vid card to its limit, and the 3Dmark only went up to 8838... This is indicative of my CPU holding back my comp... So anyways, I wouldn't buy a leading edge (close to leading anyways) vid card and an outdated CPU.

    Not saying that that would be a bad comp, just not optimal for your money.

    //napKIN

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    "The best way to get answers is to just keep working the problem, recognizing when you are stalled, and directing the search pattern.....Don’t just wait for The Right Thing to strike you – try everything you think might even be in the right direction, so you can collect clues about the nature of the problem."
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