Amd 64 3800+ CPU

[rvdbarnes]

Hi everyone

Iv recently been looking towards building my first machine...
Iv got my hands on my motherboard...an ASUS A8N-SLI
(link below)
http://uk.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=15&l3=148&model=382&modelmenu=1

Iv been thinking and thinking and thinking etc etc regards which cpu to drop in, i would quite like to have few restrictions on the gaming front, but cant really afford to get the AMD 64 FX cpu

So was wondering, if i have good enough gfx card, eg. radeon ati x700
would a AMD 64 3800+ CPU be alright for me?

thanks for reading guys, its appreciated

The reverend

 

[james.miller]

bit of a mismatch there. Fast cpu, but the x700 is a slow card by todays standards. a 3800+ is a fine cpu and plenty fast for most people, but you'll need a better card to go with that.


it all depends on how much your willing to spend.....

are you intending on running two graphics card with that sli motherboard? if that's the case then you need to e looking at nvidia card. if not, then you've made a mistake with that board as you could have had something a little cheaper than still does the job.

 

[rvdbarnes]

thanks for the reply.
Basically i was thinking of the x700, before i decided to go for the better motherboard, i thought id give myself a better base to build on.
I think i may go for perhaps the AMD 64 3500+ CPU and then spend more on gfx card(s).
what do ya reckon james?

 

[james.miller]

sounds much better. the best cards for the price right now are the sapphire GTO2's for £150 or so. If you can afford that then snap it up, because they 're in demand and they are limited editions

 

[InsertNameHere]

thanks for the reply.
Basically i was thinking of the x700, before i decided to go for the better motherboard, i thought id give myself a better base to build on.
I think i may go for perhaps the AMD 64 3500+ CPU and then spend more on gfx card(s).
what do ya reckon james?

I think that would be a good idea. It depends what budget you have but a 3500+ CPU coupled with a decent graphics card (at least a GeForce 6800GT / Radeon X800XL) would be a good combination for gaming.

You also state 'gfx card(s)'. I would invest in just the one (i.e one 6800GT instead of two 6600GT's or one 7800GT instead of two 6800GT's). In my opinion SLi doesn't offer much unless you're after ultimate performance (with two 7800GTX's).

 

[rvdbarnes]

sounds good, thats made my mind up on alot of my decisions now,

last question, will the amd 3500+ clock speed be enough for games like the dawn of war winter assault, that recommend 2.4ghz?

 

[InsertNameHere]

Well a 3500+ is fine for FPS games (and they tend to be the more strenuous). I've never heard of that game myself (or even know what genre it is) but I'm sure it will be fine. Your graphics card will best determine how well it performs.

 

[james.miller]

yep. if you want an indication, my 3200venice runing at 2.3ghz, along with my x800gto2 is enough to average me 90-100fps In counter strike:source @ 1280x1024, 4x FSAA with all the detial maxxed out. and if you want to know how it looks, it looks something like this....

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.miller700/css_1jpg.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.miller700/css_2jpg.jpg