Shokan

To the average consumer? I'm looking for a fast chip I can afford (read : no more than 600, if possible ) , which will deliver fast as hell gaming processing abilities . I know top of the line stuff is usually real expensive, so maybe get a step below the best?

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Lasereth

The absolute best is the AMD Athlon 64 FX-51 or the Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz Extreme Edition.

For under $600 and for gaming purposes, the best is definitely the Athlon 64 3400+ which will put ya back $400-$450. The 3.4 GHz C Core Pentium 4 is another option, but it's better for media creation than gaming and vice versa with the Athlon 64 3400+.

-Lasereth

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

VF19

Get the Athlon 64. That way you can get Windows 64 Bit later on.

Shokan

Is there any special mobo or can you recommended a good mobo for around the same price?

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VF19

Asus K8V for the Athlon 64 Processor
or the SK8N for the Athlon 64 FX

cheesemoney

You better have a damned good graphics card or that chip is wasted for gaming.

Lasereth

Yep, a Radeon 9800 Pro or GeForce FX 5900 Ultra at least. Anything less will make that system a waste of money.

-Lasereth

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

thephuse

So it is the general consensus that the asus k8v is the best athlon 64 mobo out there?

are the nForce3's really that bad?.. u think it'll be improved and overtake the k8v soon?

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Lasereth

Tests are showing that the nForce 3 isn't really "bad," it's simply not dominating like the nForce 2 did in most tests. Right now, it's simply a matter of which features you want on your board. I do think that the nForce 3 boards will start to prevail in the future...the nForce 2 boards were buggy as hell when they first came out; look at them now!

-Lasereth

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert