MAINSTREAM Doom 3: System Summary
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| CPU & Cooling | AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Socket 754) Retail | $290 |
| Motherboard | MSI K8N Neo (nForce3-250Gb) Socket 754 | $123 |
| Memory | 1GB (2 X 512MB) Crucial PC3200 Ballistix | $267 |
| Video Card | 256MB nVidia 6800 GT | $389 |
| Monitor | PHILIPS 201B45 21" CRT Monitor | $389 |
| Computer Case | IN WIN Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower Prescott CAG 1.1 with 430W Power Supply, Model S564T.430BFD2BDA ($69 plus $19 Shipping) |
$88 |
| Sound Card | On-Board | $0 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-5300 5.1 THX Certified Speaker System | $143 |
| Networking | Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet | $0 |
| Hard Drive | Seagate 200GB 7200RPM SATA (8Mb) (STORAGE) | $131 |
| DVD/CD-RW | Lite-On 12X DVD±RW Drive, Model SOHW-1213S | $75 |
| Bottom Line | $1895 | |
Our selections for the Mainstream Doom 3 system total a much more mainstream $1895. They include one of the fastest Athlon 64 processors in the 3400+ and a motherboard that will provide all of the unique nForce3 features. The system also includes the best-buy nVidia 6800 GT, which is basically the same card as the 6800 Ultra at a lower clock. Sound is still excellent, with the proven Logitech Z-5300 THX Certified 5.1 surround system. We have actually been playing Doom 3 with this speaker system running off an on-board ALC850, and we don't think that you will be disappointed with Doom 3 in this setup.
Also upgraded is the DVD burner, to a 12X model, and the memory is the Crucial Ballistix, which proved to provide 2-2-2 performance at DDR400 on an Athlon 64 board, as well as overclocking capabilities to DDR500+. You can check out how the Crucial performed in our recent =F-A-S-T= DDR Memory: 2-2-2 Roars on the Scene. A Doom 3 system also deserves all the monitor that you can give it, so we opted for a good value 21" flatscreen CRT. With the richness of detail in Doom 3, you will appreciate every extra square inch of a 21" CRT.
Because this system almost says "Please overclock me", we upgraded the Case and power supply to a new Inwin case designed to feed and cool a Prescott system with a decent 430 watt power supply. The use of large fans and the attention to details in the Inwin case will please many of you.
The Mainstream Doom 3 system is well-balanced to deliver the best Doom 3 experience for the money, which spells value. If $1895 is still a bit much, you can certainly drop to a 3200+ or 3000+ and save $70 to $115. The monitor can also be down-sized to 19" to save another $200. Substituting a 3000+ and 19" monitor drop the total to $1580. You can also go with the cheaper Logitech 5.1 speakers used in our Value Doom 3 system and save another $90, which still keeps the 5.1 speaker setup that Doom 3 supports. This gets the Mainstream total to $1490. Below this point, you should really take a look at the Value Doom 3 system.
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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.