MAINSTREAM Doom 3: CPU and Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Socket 754)Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo (nForce3-250Gb)
Price: CPU - $290 shipped (Retail with HSF). Motherboard - $123 shipped
Mainstream CPU
With Dual-Channel adding just 3% to Doom 3 performance and the 1MB cache just 5% faster than 512k on the Athlon 64, it is clear that the Single-Channel Socket 754 Athlon 64 offers the best performance for the money for most Doom 3 players. Please keep in mind that 3% plus 5% means a Socket 939 with 1MB of cache is 8% to 10% faster than a Socket 754 with 512k cache, so the 754 chips are not a complete free lunch.
There is no doubt that not many buyers are willing to part with $825 for an FX53, and you don't have to step down very far in performance to reach the 3400+. The price of the 3400+, however, is a much more mainstream $290. There are two versions of the the 3400+. The original runs at 2.2GHz and has 1MB of on-chip cache, while the latest Newcastle design runs at 2.4GHz and has a 512K cache. Since we found that Doom 3 responds a bit better to on-chip cache than to a clock speed increase, we recommend that you buy the 1MB cache version for Doom 3 if you can find one. They are disappearing fast as Newcastle core takes over, but the 1MB cache chip is definitely a bit faster in Doom 3. However, the difference is not huge, and either 3400+ will do an outstanding job of driving Doom 3.
Mainstream Motherboard
Our Socket 754 Roundup: Comparing Generation 2 took a close look at the 2nd generation of Socket 754 Athlon 64 motherboards based on the updated nVidia nForce3-250 family and the VIA K8T800 PRO. While there are bargains available from close-out first-generation boards, you are better off buying one of the boards based on the newer chipsets for A64. The reason is simple - the new boards have many more features than the earlier boards. Also, from a performance standpoint, both new chipsets feature higher Hyper Transport speeds and working AGP/PCI locks. The Higher HT and working lock translate into better performance and much higher overclocking capabilities than the first generation nVidia and VIA motherboards.
The MSI K8N Neo Platinum was our Silver Editors Choice in the 754 roundup, but several developments have tilted our choice in that direction. It is now about 25% cheaper than the Gold winner in that roundup, and the MSI is readily available at a good price from many vendors. This of course adds up to good value.
It also helps that the MSI uses the nForce3-250Gb chipset, and therefore, supports all the distinctive nF3 features like on-chip Gigabit LAN, nVidia Firewall, and nVidia RAID, which allows the user to combine SATA and IDE drives in any way they want to create RAID arrays. The rest of the feature set is also top-notch, as you would find on any top-of-the-line motherboard. The MSI K8N Neo has top-line features and performance at a very reasonable price.
Last, but certainly important, is the fact that nVidia 6 series video cards actually perform a bit better on nVidia chipset motherboards. This means that you will be combining an nVidia nForce3-250GB board with the nVidia 6800 GT, which should boost Doom 3 performance a little bit.
You can read more about the MSI K8N Neo Platinum in our review at http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2063.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on the AMD motherboards from many different reputable vendors:
If you cannot find the lowest prices on the products that we've recommended on this page, it's because we don't list some of them in our RealTime pricing engine. Until we do, we suggest that you do an independent search online at the various vendors' web sites. Just pick and choose where you want to buy your products by looking for a vendor located under the "Vendor" heading.
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Wesley Fink - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
#29 and #30 -For $750 (after you added the value motherboard you forgot) you have:
1) A Video Card that is half as fast as the $998 Value System when playing Doom 3
2) A CPU that is 40% slower than the $998 Value system in Doom 3
3) A 17" Monitor instead of a 19" Monitor
4) NO CD or DVD at all
So for $250 savings (25%) you end up with a system that is a cumulative 60% slower than our Doom 3 Value System when playing Doom - with a smaller monitor and NO CD/DVD. That doesn't sound like value to me.
Did you not see the CPU charts for Doom 3 that show the Athlon XP at the bottom of perfromance charts? http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?... I also wish it were not so, but wishing will not change the performance we actually measured.
pliers - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
#29 link130 you also forgot to include a dvd or cdrw combo.link130 - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
oops, add $55 for a shuttle nforce2 ultra mboardlink130 - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
I agree with Avalon on the value pc. $1000 is ridiculous. For $1000 I can almost build a socket 939 3500+ system.This is My VALUE PC that can play doom3 at 10x7 high quality no problems
Total cost including shipping:
$690 - As built below
If I choose a 6800 instead of the 9800pro then just add $90 to run the game extremely well. Which is still FAR below the cost of $1000.
Bought mostly from newegg:
AMD AXP-M 2400+ @ 2.4ghz 1.7v - $77
Thermalright ALX-800 Heatsink + 80mm Fan - $21
Samsung 512mb 400mhz @ 2-3-3-7 - $83
WD 80gb 7200rpm 8mb IDE - $60
Powercolor 9800 Pro - $200
Thermaltake 420w PSU - $41
Logitech 640z 5.1 Speakers - $55
Aluminum ATX Case with 2 Fans - $35
XDS 17in X-Flat Monitor -$115
as you see, all my parts are good quality yet extremely cheap
link130 - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
Avalon - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
My mistake with the raptor drive. No need to point it out three times. I know perfectly well how to read, it's just a matter of remembering an older article.#26 - I can play it VERY well. Don't tell me I have to go buy a new $1000 system to play the game well, when my cheaper old rig does that already.
SKiller - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
#20 The guide is for people who want their system to play D3 *well*. When you fork over the money for a whole new system just so you can play 1 game (and maybe future games with eqivalent or greater requirements), you don't want it to play just OK. You want that system to play it *well*. Anything less would be a big waste of money. If you can't sepnd $1K on such a system, then you can't play it *well*, you *may* be able to play it OK, but then this guide is not for you.Embryo - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
LOL!pliers - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
#21 avalon if you had read the article correctly about raptor hds it was about using raptor hds in a raid-0 configuration on a desktop system not about using a single raptor hd on a desktop system. You must be reading this article wrong also [quote] We also used a 74GB 10,000RPM SATA hard drive for the fastest boot and Doom 3 load you can get short of high-end SCSI, plus a 250GB Hitachi with quiet fluid bearings to store the games, downloads, images, and add-ons that a hard-core gamer will accumulate. [/quote] Yes there is a mention of a raptor hd and another hd but just having two hard drives in a system doesnt qualify them as a raid-0 setup.ps: And if the main goal was just to be able to play doom3 im sure a review of a system with a 1.5ghz cpu, 384MB ram, a gefore 3, and a ata66 hd from 3-4 years ago could be mentioned but who wants to go out and buy that as your new "value" doom3 system?
Wesley Fink - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
The 6800 was selected for the Value System because it costs $278 vs. $200 for a 9800 PRO. That $78 buys you DOUBLE the performance at 1024x768 medium res in high quality - 80.1FPS vs.42.6. The 6800 also provides PLAYABLE frame rates at High res - something the 9800 PRO can not do.The two lowest priced cards to generate PLAYABLE (above 30FPS) rates at the low 640x480 resolution were the 9600XT and the 5700 Ultra. These cards are about 50% to 65% the price at $140 to $180. While they are playable at low res, moving to 1024x768 they drop to a barely playable 25.5 FPS - about 1/4 the performance of the 6800. If you need to save $100 to $140 on the value system price you could choose a 9600XT or 5700 Ultra and still play Doom 3 at 640x480 or 800x600 at playable rates.
In the end this is a Doom 3 Buyers Guide. We could try to sugar-coat the facts but would you really want us to? For a more traditional Value System you need to look at our Entry Level Buyers Guide.