[Warning: this entry is geeky and confusing in a good way. If you dislike rambling about components for a new computer please leave the room. And fetch me a soda.]

It’s been a long time since I could afford to rebuild my computer on my own or buy computer parts, but thankfully I’ve finally managed to scrape up enough dough and man does it feel good!! I am rebuilding my machine to be the best gaming rig I can make it for no more than about $300ish for the mobo/chip. Hopefully less but that’s my upper limit.

After looking around online I am pretty much fixated for now on the Athlon 64 3400+ processor, although the AMD 64 3200+ is pretty close in performance. Now I need to find a good motherboard / chip combo deal and I’m partway to the races.

Tigerdirect had what appears to be one of the best combos out there, an Asus A8V Deluxe Socket 939 Barebone Kit / AMD Athlon 64 3400+ / CPU Fan / Mid-Tower Case / Keyboard / Mouse / Speakers for $299 after rebate but I missed it. The mobo was highly rated and retails for around $125 itself. That and the chip itself retailing for around $260 and it’s a pretty good deal with all the extra stuff thrown in. But that deal passed.

Now they have the mobo and Athlon 64 3400+ processor for $279.99 after rebate. So cool deal huh? Except that they’re charging $17 shipping and as my good pal Gizmo pointed out, it’s an OEM chip w/a 12month warranty from Tigerdirect. Retail chips come with the proper AMD heatsink and a 3yr warranty. Big difference! Plus I still have to get a good heatsink for it so that’s even more money.

Ack. My brain is melting. This isn’t so easy after all.

See, there are even 2 versions of the Athlon 64 3400+ to boot. A 754pin version for the older Athlon 64 boards and a 939pin version for the latest mobos. Top it off that it’s easy to find retail 754pin 3400+’s but not the 939pin versions (all I can find is OEM 939 3400+’s) and man what a lovely headache it becomes.

Oh but wait we’re not done yet, fans. See, they say the newer 939 mobos are better and faster and I must admit I fell in geeky love with the Asus A8V Deluxe Via Socket 939 ATX Motherboard. But see, if I still want a 64 3400+ in it we bump into that whole OEM/Retail dilemma since I can’t find anything but OEM 3400+ 939ers. I could go with a 3200+ or a 3500+, as the 3200+ seems according to reports perform pretty much as a 3400+ but the 3500+ is like $50 more and what the heck is the difference between that and the elusive retial 3400+ 939pinner? HUH? HUH?!

Why the hello-kitty isn’t there a real site that shows the differences in performace between all the Athlon 64 chips to see which one is the better bang for the buck? HUH? HUH?! *push* shove *push* Stupid internet!

Toss in the fact that the Athlon XP 3200+ processor runs at the same speed as a 64 3400+ and you really start scratching your head. Should I get one of these? The boards are cheaper and people do love these suckers and really how much more of a performer is a 64 3400+ than a XP 3200+? I saw at a few sites that the 64 3400’s are supposed to be significantly faster in games like DOOM 3 and Farcry but how much can sites like Tom’s Hardware be truly trusted? I don’t know. Besides, in scanning the net a retail XP 3200+ and a recommended mobo, a Gigabyte GA-7N400-L (it is a sweet mobo) is about $260. An OEM chip + mobo is $198, a big difference but a risk for getting an OEM chip and how the heck would it compare to the 64 3400+ or 3200+, because I really can’t find a reliable tech site to answer all these questions. And if I’m going to spend $270ish then maybe I want the newer chip and mobo anyway even if it’s a little more. It’s not so much more that I shrug off the lure of that mobo I fell in love with.

And let’s not forget the graphics card I will be purchasing to go with it. 9600XT? GeForce 6800-OC? 6600GT? Ack!

See how a geek’s brain melts? But it’s a nice thing because I’m researching, drooling and going crazy looking for what my new system will be made up of and as any geek can tell you, it all might sound confusing and filled with headaches but man there’s nothing like hunting down what you want and pouncing on it! Feel the GEEK baby! Boo-ya!

So there it is, my beginning ramble festival as I think about what I want, what’s best for me and what deals I can find online. The end result might be quite different from what I want but right now I’m looking for the best gaming rig I can do for $300 for the mobo/chip + the additional $$$ for a decent video card. Thankfully I think my 350w power supply should be good enough as well as the case and that PC3200 RAM I have will be going in it so that’s all I need to buy - mobo, chip, graphics card.

OOOh, look some more links to click. Stay tuned for more blog entries on this until I make up my mind. *click* drool oooh, shiny…