New System

[[AK]Palooka]

I bought a new rig around Christmas time, and I finally got around to building it last weekend. Here are the specs:

• ATHLON 64 3200+
• MSI K8T NEO-FIS2R
• CORSAIR TWINX1024-3200LL 2X64X64 400MHZ 2X512MB (MATCHED PAIR) 2-3-2-6 DDR DIMM W/HEAT SPREADER
• ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB 8XAGP DDR
• HITACHI 160GB 13G0254 SERIAL ATA 8MB 7200PRM
• PIONEER 4X DUAL (+-) DVD REWRITABLE INTERNAL DRIVE W/SW #DVR-A06
• CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY2 ZS PLATINUM
• MITSUMI 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE
• LIAN LI PC-6089A ALUMINUM MID TOWER NO POWER SUPPLY 4x5.25" 3x3.5" 5x3.5"(hidden) W/ FRONT USB PORT & SEE THROUGH SIDE WINDOW (80mm FAN(BLUE LED); ANTEC TRUE 550W)

With no tweaking, my initial 3DMark2001 SE score was 20390. 3DMark2003 score to come . . .

[[AK]Palooka]

3DMark2003 score (before tweaking): 6041

[[AK]Faxman]

So, what's the verdict? Is it top notch for gaming? I've waffled again on my new system, and I'm going to put one together very similar to yours (which was my original inclination). The AMD64 prices have really come down since the new year.

[[AK]Palooka]

Well, I used it a little before the video card went kaput. There was a flaw in the fan that was causing it to stop spinning. I'm exchanging the 9800 Pro 128 for a 9800 Pro 256 now, so I should be back up and running sometime this week. I was very impressed with the new machine while I had it running, though. I'd say it's damned close to top-notch.

[[AK]Palooka]

The nightmare continues. I got the replacement video card installed and booted up the machine only to find that the hard drive wasn't being recognized. So, I took it out and examined the SATA port on the back, discovering that the piece of plastic that covers the contacts was broken off and stuck inside the plug on my SATA data cable. I'm now waiting for a replacement hard drive. This is a major pain since I already had XP and a bunch of software installed. Argh!

[[AK]Rocks]

OK, I also have a relitively new system since we are posting.

AMD 3400+
1.5mb Hyperx Mem (kingston)
HP DVD RW
Memorex CD-RW
ASUS K8v Deluxe
Audigy 2
2 Maxtor (7200 RPM's 200GB)
2 Seagate 160GB SATA
ATI 9800xt

3dmarks 2003 = 6248 No OC or tweaks yet