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Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1426
Doom 3 has been quite a learning experience for all of us at AnandTech. Some of the things that we expected to find just never panned out when we ran Doom 3, such as the concerns that Doom 3 would not run on most systems. In fact, Doom 3 will run on most of the recent systems out there. Other things were a real surprise, like the fact that the ATI 9800 PRO is a medium resolution card to Doom 3 and it is GPU bound above anything but base performance levels. Doom 3 eats video cards for lunch, and while you will get a usable screen with most video cards, you really have to feed it top-end video for best results.
You have already seen the Doom 3 Week reviews, but in case you missed anything, you can find the answers in the earlier reviews this week:
Doom 3 Sound Guide
Doom 3: CPU Battlegrounds
Doom 3 Graphics Deathmatch
The purpose of this Doom 3 Buyer's Guide is take all that we've learned in these reviews and make some basic recommendations for a killer Doom 3 system. Since desires, designs, and pocketbooks are different, you will find three recommendations here - Performance, Mainstream, and Value. Because we've covered a lot of the components here in our ongoing Buyer's Guides, we will concentrate on the unique components for Doom 3 - mainly the CPU, motherboard, graphics card, and memory. The rest of the components have been pulled from our most recent Buyer's Guides, which you can find under the "Guides" tab at the top of the page.
Performance Doom 3 System
The Performance system for Doom 3 is the best of the best - the highest performing components in Doom 3 that were found in this week's testing. The goal here is to build the best Doom 3 system, with no concern for price. After selecting the core components, the rest of the components leaned heavily on recommendations from our most recent High-End Buyer's Guide and Overclocking Buyer's Guide.Mainstream Doom 3
Consider the Mainstream Doom 3 System to be the "bang-for-the-buck" choice - the best value that will bring you performance close to the best. Most of you will likely be most interested in the choices for the Mainstream Doom 3 box. Since Doom 3 requires some high-end components to really shine, some of the recommendations are a little different from our other Buyer's Guides. We referred to the most recent Mid-Range Buyer's Guide, the Overclocking Buyer's Guide, and recent AnandTech reviews for other component recommendations.Value Doom 3
The Value System for Doom 3 is the cheapest system that we could put together, which will bring a usable and satisfying level of performance to Doom 3. We've leaned heavily on the positioning charts in this week's review to bring a level of playing satisfaction to a budget Doom 3 system. The rest of the components are pulled from Mid-Range, Entry-Level and Overclocking Buyers' Guides.Memory for Doom 3
From all the comments that have been posted, there seems to be the unquestioned assumption that more memory will improve Doom 3 performance. The reality is that we have not been able to confirm objectively that assumption. The built-in benchmark for Doom 3, accessed from the console, was used to test common memory amounts on an Intel 875 platform, an Athlon 64 Socket 939 platform, and an A64 Socket 754 platform.![Doom 3 Demo1 Performance vs. Total Memory](https://images.anandtech.com/graphs/doom 3 memory_08060490854/3455.png)
![Doom 3 Demo1 Performance vs. Total Memory](https://images.anandtech.com/graphs/doom 3 memory_08060490854/3456.png)
![Doom 3 Demo1 Performance vs. Total Memory](https://images.anandtech.com/graphs/doom 3 memory_08060490854/3457.png)
![Doom 3 Demo1 Performance vs. Total Memory](https://images.anandtech.com/graphs/doom 3 memory_08060490854/3458.png)
It was surprising that there were no real performance differences between 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB of memory in our benchmarks with the built-in Demo1. The only memory amount that shows lower performance is 256MB on the Socket 754 platform.
Perhaps the built-in Demo1 does not stress the system enough to really reveal performance differences in total memory. We did check memory usage in the console and found Doom 3 used memory up to about 1.5GB if it was available, so we are puzzled why smaller memory amounts did not impact measured performance.
We are looking for more sophisticated methods to test the impact of total memory on Doom 3 performance. For now, the best we can say is that 512MB or higher seems to be effective. If you have 256MB, upgrade to 512MB. We can also say from a purely subjective point that a Doom 3 system seems more responsive with at least 1GB of memory. Loading Doom and switching back to the screen is much faster with 1GB than 512MB.
PERFORMANCE Doom 3: CPU and Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 FX53 (2.4GHz 1024K L2 cache)Motherboard: Abit AV8 (VIA K8T800 PRO)
Price: CPU - $825 shipped (Retail). Motherboard - $121 shipped
Performance CPU
For the best performance possible in Doom 3, the Athlon 64 FX53 is an easy choice. The FX53 tops all of the benchmarks in the Doom 3: CPU Battlegrounds review. This is also why the FX53 was our reference CPU in Doom 3 Graphics Deathmatch. The Athlon 64 is currently the fastest processor that you can buy, the Dual-Channel Socket 939 is the top-performing A64 Socket, and the FX is the fastest 939 processor. The FX series also has the distinction of being the only Athlon 64 processors that are completely unlocked. That means you can adjust multipliers both up and down, to obtain the highest possible speed at the fastest DDR400 memory timings, or to obtain the highest FSB that your high speed memory can run or your CPU can reach. Most FX53 that we have tested can easily reach 2.6GHz at default voltage with air cooling, and some do even better. This pegs performance at a clock speed that we won't see in a retail CPU until late this year.
Performance Motherboard
If we could find it for sale anywhere, our recommendation would have been the excellent MSI K8N Neo2, which was our Gold Editor's Choice in our recent Socket 939 Roundup: Battle at the Top. However, just as we were going to press, we received word of further delays in retail availability of the K8N Neo2. Quite frankly, after two months of recommending the K8N Neo2 and no one able to buy it, we are not going to recommend again a board that you can't buy today. The K8N Neo2 is a great board, if you are willing to wait for it, and the nForce3-250 chipset is a bit faster with an nVidia 6 series video card than VIA.Of the boards you can buy today, the Abit AV8 PRO and Asus A8V Rev. 2 were our Silver Editor's Choices in the Socket 939 roundup. The Asus Revision 2 is not yet in the market, but should be available in the next couple of weeks. The A8V that we have seen for sale are still the original revision, which performs quite well at stock, but does not have a completely reliable AGP/PCI lock. If overclocking doesn't matter, then the current A8V is an excellent choice, but if you want to overclock, wait for the A8V Revision 2.
The Abit AV8 is available today and is quite a value at $121. The AV8 performed very well in our Socket 939 roundup and will work very well with the FX53 and up to 4 Gigabytes of Dual-Channel memory. Even though the AV8 is one of the most reasonable Socket 939 motherboards that you can buy, it still includes Firewire ports, 6-channel on-board audio, and 2 SATA ports that support RAID. It also features one of the best selections of overclocking options that you will find on any Socket 939 board, so you can squeeze the most from your Doom 3 system.
For specifications and test results on the Abit AV8, please take a look at the AnandTech review at http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2128.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on the AMD CPUs 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.
PERFORMANCE Doom 3: Video and Audio
Video
Recommendation: Gigabyte GV-N68U256D 256MB GeForce 6800 UltraPrice: $538 shipped
It is some 2 to 3 months since the new top-end video cards were introduced by both nVidia and ATI. At this point in time, the dust should have settled and you should be able to easily find the video card that your heart desires. Unfortunately, this is the summer of discontent so far, and finding an nVidia 6800 Ultra or ATI X800 XT that you can actually buy is still a challenging task. It is possible to buy one of these wonder cards; they are just much more difficult to find one than they need to be. Now that Doom 3 gives you a solid reason to buy an uber 6800, the cards will hopefully become easier to find.
The new generation of video cards from nVidia and ATI are twice as fast as the previous generation in many benchmarks. Looking at games in general, we would be hard pressed to choose between the ATI X800 XT or the nVidia 6800 Ultra, but this is a Doom 3 guide, and in Doom 3, we found that nVidia is king. ATI rushed out some 4.9 Catalyst drivers, which do improve X800 XT performance, but the king of Doom 3 is definitely the nVidia 6800 family.
Derek found in Doom 3 Graphics Deathmatch that the top of the heap is the 6800 Ultra Extreme. However, the Ultra Extreme is basically just an overclocked Ultra, and if you think that the Ultra is hard to find, you should search for an Extreme. For that reason, we are recommending an nVidia 6800 Ultra for our Performance Doom 3 system.
A few vendors are showing availability of the Gigabyte 6800 Ultra, which is why it is listed. However, at this point, there is not really much difference in the 6800 Ultra cards, so choose whatever is available. The Albatron reviewed at AnandTech a few weeks ago is shipping at a slight overclock (410MHz) to normal Ultra speed and may be worth searching for. Overall, however, you will find little to distinguish the 6800 Ultra cards until there is much better availability of 6800 Ultra cards in the market.
The 6800 Ultra features 16 pipelines, a GPU at 400MHz, and 256MB of DDR3 memory at 1.1GHz. It is a nice step up from the 12-pipe 6800 and the lower clocked 6800 GT, although either of these 2 cards are still blazing performers - and easier to find.
Sound Card
Recommendation: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (7.1) retailPrice: $83
Doom 3 fully supports 5.1 surround-sound, and 5.1 definitely enhances the Doom 3 experience. While there are quite a few sound cards on the market, many of which we prefer to Sound Blaster, there is no doubt that Sound Blaster is the audio standard for gaming.
For our Performance Doom 3 rig, the top choice for an audio card is the Audigy 2. The Audigy 2 ZS is also a good card for those who love watching Dolby Digital DVD movies, or for someone who just wants decent quality sound. This version of the Audigy 2 supports 8 channels of sound and will deliver a great listening experience in any game, especially ones that support the Audigy 2's special features, like EAX. Simply pair the Audigy 2 with the right set of speakers and you'll have the necessary tools for an exceptional listening experience. Other special Audigy 2 features include 24/96 analog playback and recording, and "add-ons" like FireWire.
The Audigy 2 ZS differs from the regular OEM Audigy 2 mainly in its support of 7.1 channels of sound instead of 6.1. The benefit of going to 7.1 isn't really all that huge, since Doom 3 is a 5.1 title. However, the Audigy 2 ZS is a retail package instead of OEM, meaning you get additional bundled features, such as games and a FireWire header.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on nVidia video cards 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.
PERFORMANCE Doom 3: System Summary
Hardware | Component | Price |
CPU & Cooling | AMD Athlon 64 FX53 Socket 939 Retail | $825 |
Motherboard | Abit AV8 (VIA K8T800 PRO) Socket 939 | $121 |
Memory | 2GB (2 X 1024MB) OCZ PC3200 EB | $594 |
Video Card | 256MB NVidia 6800 Ultra | $538 |
Monitor | NEC/Mitsubishi FP2141SB 22" Diamondtron CRT | $664 |
Computer Case | Coolermaster Praetorian (PAC-T01-E1) Silver $114 plus 520W OCZ Power Stream $138 Shipped |
$252 |
Sound Card | Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 Retail | $83 |
Speakers | Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 5.1 | $349 |
Networking | Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet | $0 |
Hard Drive | 74GB Western Digital 74GB Raptor 10,000 RPM (BOOT) + Hitachi 250GB 7200RPM SATA (Model 13G0255 - 8Mb) |
$177 $183 |
DVD/CD-RW | Plextor PX-712A 12X DVD+/-R/RW | $140 |
Bottom Line | $3926 |
For $3926 you can put together a Performance Doom 3 system that will be the standard to which everyone else will compare. It certainly is not cheap, but if you want the best Doom 3 experience that you can find, this system will not disappoint.
Keep in mind that you still need to purchase a keyboard, mouse, Operating System, and of course, Doom 3.
The combination of the nVidia 6800 Ultra, the 22" Diamondtron NEC/Mitsubishi, and the FX53 will crank a beautiful Doom 3 picture at the highest frame rate possible and the greatest detail of any desktop system today. Add the wonderful surround capabilities of the Doom 3 played through an Audigy 2 driving Klipsch Pro Media speakers, and Doom 3 can actually make the hair on your neck stand up.
There are many reasons why most gamers prefer a CRT for gaming, but if you prefer a flat screen monitor the big and fast 20" Dell 2001FP at its new $810 price would be a great choice for Doom 3 or any other gaming. Dell recently reduced the price of the 2001FP from $999 to $810 which makes this very fast flat panel an easier pill to swallow. If you want the biggest, best flat-panel monitor you can buy, our Display Editor still recommends the Samsung 213T with a 21.3" screen. The 213T has also recently dropped to around $1040, which is a nice decrease from the $1200 of just a couple of months ago.
We included 2GB of OCZ 3200EB in a kit with two 1GB dimms. We chose the 2x1GB configuration over 4x512MB since you can still use 1T Command rate with 2 dimms. 4 dimms require a slower 2T command rate on the Athlon 64. None of the 1GB dimms we have seen can match the timings of the best 512MB dimms, but the OCZ 3200EB comes much closer than most with rated 2.5-2-3 timings. We found the performance was very close to a pair of the fastest 512's with the added advantage of 2GB of memory for Doom 3. It is even possible to go to 4GB with four of the 1GB dimms, but that seemed overkill based on what we saw in testing the impact of total memory on Doom 3 performance.
The Plextor 12X DVD burner is used due to Plextor's superb reputation and responsiveness to customer needs. It is also the only 12X DVD burner we have seen with 8MB of cache, which could make a difference at high DVD burning speeds. As a personal side note, when I have problems burning CDs or DVDs, or I have a game CD/DVD that is unreadable I always got to my Plextor. It normally will read most anything, and I'm confident that if the Plextor won't read it, then it is likely nothing will read it. That is always great assurance on a gaming PC.
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.
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.
MAINSTREAM Doom3: Video and Audio
Video
AGP Overclocking Recommendation: eVGA 256MB GeForce 6800 GTPrice: $389 shipped
If you take a close look at our Doom 3 Graphics shootout, you will see that the nVidia 6800 cards emerged as the best video cards for Doom 3 with current video drivers. There was also an undercurrent in those results, and that was the emergence of the 6800 GT as the video card value to beat. What makes the 6800 GT so good?
The 6800 GT is unique in sporting 16 pipelines just like the 6800 Ultra. In fact, the only real difference that we can find between the 6800 GT and the more expensive 6800 Ultra is the clock speed. Just so this is clear, the ATI X800 PRO costs about the same as the 6800 GT, but the ATI X800 PRO is handicapped by 12 pipes instead of the 16 used on the X800XT. In other words, an overclocked X800 PRO is still not equivalent to an X800 XT.
The two 6800 GT that we tested both reached 6800 Ultra clock speeds pretty handily, so if you want 6800 Ultra performance, you may well get it with a 6800 GT overclocked to 6800 ultra speeds. As was mentioned in the Doom 3 graphics review, however, Doom 3 eats graphics cards for lunch. Overclocks that seem fine on other games often fail in Doom 3 - the game is that demanding. In the end, though, at least you have a shot at the best 6800 performance in overclocking a 6800 GT. You can also buy 6800 GT cards more easily, which is more than we can say for 6800 Ultras, which are very difficult to find.
The 6800 GT is clocked at 350MHz with memory at 1.0GHz; the 6800 Ultra clocks the GPU at 400MHz, and the memory at 1.1GHz. Both have 256MB of DDR3 memory and 16 pipelines. The easiest way to try your hand at overclocking a 6800 GT to Ultra levels is with a widely-available utility called Coolbits, which adds Clock Frequencies to the advanced tab of the nVidia properties. Coolbits even offers a Test and Optimal Settings button, so you can check to see if your 6800 GT can support 400HMHz and 1.1GHz speeds.
Sound Card
Recommendation: On-Board Realtek ALC658 AudioPrice: $0
In looking at sound options, AnandTech found the on-board sound was very satisfying for Doom 3 play with the typical powered 5.1 speakers used on computers. The recommended MSI K8N Neo uses the same top Realtek ALC850 audio codec tested in the Doom 3 audio tests. Therefore, we stuck with the on-board sound for the Mainstream Doom 3 system.
The Realtek ALC850 supports up to 8-channel audio and fully supports the latest AC 97 2.3 specifications. More information on the features and specifications of the ALC850 is available at http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/products1-2.aspx?modelid=2003101.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on ATI video cards 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.
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.
VALUE Doom 3: CPU and Motherboard
CPU: AMD Sempron 3100+ (256K cache, Socket 754) $120OR AMD Athlon 64 2800+ (12k Cache, Socket 754) $147
Motherboard: Chaintech VNF3-250 (nForce3-250)
Price: CPU - $120 ($147) shipped. Motherboard - $83 shipped
Value CPU
We finally reach the point in our Doom 3 Buyers Guide where we are sweating nickels. Our Value goal was to put together the best Doom 3 gaming system that we possibly could for as little money as possible. We hoped we could do that for about $1000, but we weren't sure it could be done.The new Sempron 3100+ certainly helps us out with a Value Doom 3 system. As you saw in our CPU tests with Doom 3, the 3100+ actually outperforms the Pentium 4 3.2 Northwood in Doom 3 performance, at a very reasonable $120. The Sempron 3100+ is also Socket 754, so at least you have some place to go with future processors if you start with the Sempron. Frankly, the Sempron processors are just now entering the market and they're a little hard to find, but AMD tells us that the pipelines will start to fill later his month. This is the reason why we listed an alternate CPU.
The 2800+ is very easy to find; in fact, you can find it in many places with the retail AMD heatsink fan for a little less than $150. The 2800+ also moves you up the food chain with double the on-chip cache to 512k. As you saw in the CPU performance charts in the Doom 3 CPU comparison, the 2800+ moves you up near the performance level of the Prescott 3.4E and the 3.2EE in Doom 3. This gain in performance comes at a cost increase of just $27 over the Sempron 3100.
Either the Sempron 3100+ or the A64 2800+ will make a great heart for a Value Doom 3 system. Either of them far out-distance the Athlon XP processors, and the middle of the current Pentium 4 line. The naming is very confusing, but the 3100+ is actually a little slower than the 2800+. The Sempron was named to compete with Celerons, which have high numbers, but lower performance than other P4 chips at the same speed. Both the Sempron 3100+ and A64 2800+ run at 1.8GHz, but the Sempron has half the cache. The Sempron also does not have 64-bit capabilities, but it is otherwise the same as other A64 processors. Doom 3 is not 64-bit, so the Sempron is a great choice to save about $30 in a Doom 3 value system.
Value Motherboard
The Chaintech VNF3-250 won an Editor's Choice in our Socket 754 roundup for one simple reason - it displays screaming performance at a bargain price. Chaintech designed the VNF3-250 around the latest nForc3-250 chipset for performance, but they chose the basic nF3-250 chipset to save money. This means that the Chaintech does not support nVidia on-chip LAN or Firewall. However, Chaintech made the right use of the basic 250 chipset here because the Chaintech is the only nF3-250 board that we know about that sells for around $80 to $85.
You get all the upgrade nF3-250 performance, and a superb selection of overclocking controls, including a very wide selection of memory, chipset, processor, and AGP voltages. Chaintech also includes Memory Ratios below the rated CPU ratio and a CPU Clock Frequency range from 200 to 400. When all is said and done, the Chaintech VNF3-250 is the perfect motherboard for a value system that performs like the best - with overclocking capabilities that will not leave you wishing for more.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on the AMD CPUs 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.
VALUE Doom 3: Video and Audio
Video
Recommendation: PNY Verto GeForce 6800 128MB DDR 256-bitPrice: $278 shipped
The Doom 3 Graphics benchmarking showed the basic GeForce 6800 performing about the level of an X800 XT Platinum in Doom 3. At about half the price, this is quite an achievement for the 6800. The latest ATI Catalyst 4.9 drivers improve the ATI performance a bit, but no matter how you cast it, there is no doubt that the 6800 is an outstanding value for playing Doom 3.
Before you scream that we call a $278 video card a bargain, consider the alternatives. There frankly are none at this point ,if you want comparable performance for the dollar. ATI does not have a top-line variant at the $300 price point and the 6800 certainly blows away the older Video cards that can cost even more. For example , at plain old 1024X768 the 6800 is 75% faster in Doom 3 than either the ATI 9800 XT or the nVidia 5950, both of which cost about $50-$100 more than the 6800.
We are building a Value Doom 3 system, but the goal is still to be able to play Doom 3 at really acceptable levels. The nVidia GeForce 6800 fits that definition very well.
The 6800 is 12 pipes clocked at 325MHz with memory at 700Mhz. The 6800 also has 128MB of memory instead of the 256MB seen on the 6800 GT and 6800 Ultra. The 6800 core chip, however, is the same 6 series that represents a new generation for nVidia.
Sound Card
Recommendation: On-Board CMedia CM19761APrice: $0
As we discussed in the Mainstream Doom 3 sound options, AnandTech found that the on-board sound was very satisfying for Doom 3 play with the typical powered 5.1 speakers. The recommended Value board, the Chaintech VNF3-250, features the well-regarded CMedia CM19761A chipset providing 5.1 sound capabilities to match the surround sound supported by Doom 3.
The CMedia codec supports up to 6-channel audio. More information on the features and specifications of the CM19761A is available at the CMedia website.
Listed below is part of our RealTime pricing engine, which lists the lowest prices available on nVidia video cards 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.
VALUE Doom 3: System Summary
Hardware | Component | Price |
CPU & Cooling | AMD Sempron 3100+ Socket 754 OR AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Socket 754 Retail |
$120 ($147) |
Motherboard | Chaintech VNF3-250(nForce3 250) Socket 754 | $83 |
Memory | Kingmax SuperRam 512MB DDR433 (CAS 2.5) Model MPWC22D-38 (1x512MB) |
$84 |
Video Card | 128MB NVidia 6800 | $278 |
Monitor | Samsung 955DF (19") DynaFlat CRT | $206 |
Computer Case | ENERMAX Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case with 400W PSU, Model CS-EN5171LBFS-S ($56 Plus $16 Shipping) |
$72 |
Sound Card | On-Board | $0 |
Speakers | Logitech Z640 5.1 | $55 |
Networking | Onboard 10/100 Ethernet | $0 |
Hard Drive | Western Digital SE 80GB IDE 7200RPM (8MB Cache) OR WD 120GB IDE 7200RPM 8MB |
$60 ($83) |
DVD/CD-RW | Aopen Chameleon (COM5232) 52X32X52X16 Combo OR NuTech DDW-081 8X DVD+/-R/RW |
$40 ($65) |
Bottom Line | $998 ($1073) |
Yes, you can put together a complete new system for playing Doom 3 for $1000. Please keep in mind that you will need to add a keyboard, mouse, Operating System, and a copy of Doom 3. Everything else you need is here, though, including a decent set of entry level Logitech 5.1 surround sound powered speakers.
While the system tab is just $998, there is nothing cheap about our Value Doom 3 system. It is based on the Doom 3 top-performing Athlon 64 chipset and includes the top Doom 3 6800 video card. Admittedly, we are using entry-level A64 processors, and the lowest member of the 6 series video cards, but neither of these choices will have to apologize. As it stands here, our entry Doom 3 system, with the $27 upgrade to the 2800+, will perform at about the level of a Pentium 4 3.4E or a 3.2EE when playing Doom 3. The 6800 will significantly outperform the 9800 PRO or 5900, and will perform at near the level of an ATI X800 XT Platinum during Doom 3 play. The 6800 also outperforms the more expensive 9800 XT and the nVidia 5950 by more than 75% in Doom 3.
All in all, that's pretty heady performance for a $1000 value system playing the hottest new game to appear in a very long time. We even included a new value RAM find in Kingmax DDR433 CAS 2.5 SuperRAM. This single 512MB module should allow you to do some experimenting with overclocking. At $84 for a 512MB DIMM, it is certainly a great value that also performs very well. The new Enermax case features an Aluminum front panel to provide a bit of style in a Value box and a 400-watt power supply to provide a little extra leeway for pushing the system or overclocking the 6800 video card.
We've had a lot of fun putting together Doom 3 week for you. We hope that you enjoyed what we found, and also had fun learning about what it takes to make Doom 3 roar. We also hope that you find something in the three Doom 3 systems that we've assembled to make your decisions about what to buy for Doom 3 a little easier.