Vid card/mobo/cpu question

[TequilaChaser]

So would I be ahead to get the vid card first or the combo first?  

well, if you going to spend $300 or so on the Combo and then again on the video?  then I say go ahead and get the AMD

Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz / ASUS M4A79 Deluxe AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard    combo

only thing you will not be acquiring is the DDR3 RAM option.........


then if you going to be able to get another $300 or so for video after 1st of the year. go with at least the ATI 5850...... ( look at the thread in this forum that Kazaa has on his 5850 ATI card, showing ingame screenshots )

for a reference of what you prob will be able to obtain......

still. take everything all of us say here with a grain of salt. we are simply making our opinionated suggestions....... it is still your call and final decision....  


wish the best .... hope this helps

Johnny ( TC )  

EDIT: btw if you don't know already, I am an AMD / ASUS/ ATI  fanboi   ..... have had nothing but Excellent Service out of ASUS products ( videocard, MB's, DVD/CD burners etc... )

EDIT 2: the Phenom II will have the extra 6 MB L3 Cache .. the Athlon II I linked to in the combo does not have L3 Cache.. but it is 95W and runs cooler than the 125W Phenom II.......

also NOTE*  the MB you posted that you currently have, says it is a Micro ATX...........  be sure that the New MB will fit your Case...... and remember all these new items will produce alot more heat than what you are used to....... please consider this aspect as well.......

[maddafinga]

Oh yeah, I have a great big Thermaltake case with two huge bellybutton fans and three 120mm fans to boot.  It's roomy and plenty cool, much more so than I even need right now in fact.  http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1390&ID=1835  I got it with an eye to upgrading about a month ago.  This mb is tiny inside it.  I used an ASUS mb in the first computer I ever built some years back, never had a single problem with it.  I have built a couple since then but only was able to get whatever the first and cheapest option to come along was.  I'm hoping this will be something of a good step up from what I have now and what I've had the last several years.  (I did take a 9 or 10 year layoff from flying due to real life interfering, so I didn't need a good puter really.)  I'm further hoping that it'll last me one or two years before I have to start a new build from the ground up, I think these two upgrades will make that happen and make me very happy in the interim.  The gf may complain some, but she'll get over it.