I have built a number of systems around the AMD processors. My current system, with which I am quite happy, uses an Athlon 1800 XP+, an ASUS A7V266E motherboard, 768 MB DDR SDRAM, a GeForce 3 Ti500 (Leadtek Winfast 64 MB), and 80 GB RAID-0 array with 2 7200 rpm IBM Deskstars. I run Windows XP Pro from the RAID-0 array and have a separate hard drive with Windows 98 SE loaded. (Note: if you want to set up a dual-boot system with Windows 98SE and Windows XP, I suggest installing Windows 98SE first and then installing XP, either in its own partition on the hard drive containing SE or on a separate hard drive. If you do so, Windows XP should recognize the 98SE installation and automatically configure a dual-boot. You can read about the details of doing this in many places on the Web.)
It may seem that the various GeForce boards are fungible, but the Leadtek has much better 2D text output, particularly at 1600x1200, than other GeForce boards. The reason has to do with the strength of the drive signal it generates, as well as the quality and type of output filter it uses. You can read about this issue in various articles on the Web; you can also read about removing the output capacitors on other GeForce boards to obtain better output quality, albeit at the expense of violating FCC emissions regulations.
(I don't know about the capabilities of the new NVIDIA chip, but if you go to their home page, there is an "ominous" banner that indicates that they will be announcing something important on February 6, 2002. If you're interested in their next generation product, you may wait until then to at least learn a little about it.)
I suspect that you should be able to put together a similar or better system for no more than the amount you're considering, providing that you don't need to buy a new monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, DVD-drive, CD-ROM burner, etc.
I get excellent performance in AH: I run at 1600x1200, 32-bit color and get about 75 fps in the air, 35 fps in a furball over a base while flying through smoke. I started off running in Windows 98SE, because I couldn't use my Saitek X36 HOTAS setup in Windows XP. I thought about biting the bullet and buying a CH USB rig, but I am holding out for the TM Cougar. In any case, I now use Windows XP for AH, because the excellent HazardScript programming software allows me to use nearly the full capabilities of my Saitek gear in Windows XP (you can read about and download HazardScript at Ron Hunt's Saitek help site--see the link on the
http://www.simhq.com home page). Moreover, I get better performance in Windows XP, probably because NVIDIA's drivers are optimized for that operating system.
I'm sure that there are good options if you go with an Intel processor, but frankly I don't know as much about them. For a long time, Intel P4 systems were saddled with the underperforming and expensive combination of Intel's i845 chipset and Rambus memory. There are better options now, but I'm not sure how they compare to an Athlon/DDR SDRAM combination on the price/performance curve.
In any case, here are a couple of suggestions to educate yourself on the options available to you:
1. A number of hardware web sites publish periodical (e.g., monthly) guides in which they choose the components that they think are best for various types of systems (e.g., high-end gaming system, low-end gaming system, office system, etc.). Some of the guides dual-spec systems, providing options based on both AMD and Intel processors. Off the top of my head, I am aware of
http://www.sharkyextreme.com and
http://www.anandtech.com, but I know that I have looked at similar guides on myriad sites.
2. Once you have decided on components, comparison shop on the Web. The best way I have found to do this is to use the pricing search engine at
http://www.pricewatch.com, which allows you to search for the lowest prices on specific computer components and peripherals. I have ordered dozens of products, from motherboards to memory to hard drives, to CD-R/W drives to video cards to joysticks to surround sound systems), based on the results I have obtained from that engine. I have never had a bad experience with any vendor. Before ordering from anyone on the web, however, I would understand things like their return policy and restocking fees. The only thing that I am loathe to order on the Web is a monitor, but that is only because I had a really bad experience ordering a television from a shady outfit in NYC! I know plenty of people who have ordered monitors on-line.
Good luck and have fun! Building a new system is an adventure, but, if you do it right, you will get much more bang for your buck than you would if you ordered one pre-built.
- JNOV
