Budget CPUs advice please!

[egel]

I'm working on a real budget build right now, and I'm looking for advice on CPUs. All prices are NZD. If you can think of alternatives to what I've listed, feel free to mention them, but there are probably good reasons (availability, or messed pricing over here, for example) that they aren't on this list. This build is likely to be used for general media stuff(watching DVDs, ripping music, maybe a bit of encoding), maybe a little photoshop, a lot of web browsing and MS Word, old-school games, and maybe the odd new one at very low settings. It might get OC'ed, but it will be using the stock cooler, and anything that might shorten the lifespan (borderline temps and voltages) will be a big no-no.

What do you recommend? (price/performance ratio, for what I want to use it for, and just general decency?)
If you recommend one of the AMD CPU's, any advice on a motherboard and/or chipset to pair it with would be much appreciated.

AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 2.2GHz, $52.65
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+, 2.6GHz, $98.08

Intel Pentium E2180, 2.0GHz, $113.57
Intel Pentium E2200, 2.2GHz, $121.89
Intel Pentium E2220, 2.4GHz, $138.26
Intel Pentium E5200, 2.5GHz, $146.19

 

[Koolaidman23]

I used the e2180 for 8 months @ 3 ghz w/voltage of 1.28. Great processor, I did a lot of the same stuff minus the encoding. But I am building three systems for work right now with the e5200. Seems to be a fantastic chip. Either get the e2180 or the e5200, don't bother with the others.

 

[wip99gt]

Yeah the E5200 is the best cpu in that list. It is priced higher but you should get a decent overclock with the stock cooler.

 

[egel]

Okay thanks tons for your advice guys.

 

[megamanx00]

E5200 if you can afford it. The Athlon 5000+ isn't bad for it's price though and if you're going to use onboard video then pairing it with a 780G based board will give you a decent budget build. If you use the E5200, either get a dedicated video card or an nVidia board (preferably of the 9400 type). Don't an intel board with onboard graphics if you expect to play any games.

 

[Outlander_04]

egel try using the pricespy website for deals .
www.pricespy.co.nz.

Watch out for the really cheap places that charge 3 times as much for shipping so it cost you more anyway .Like the place that has that price on the e2180 . They have listed an oem cpu that doesnt come with a heatsink and fan and also has only a few DAYS warranty .
And they are useless to deal with .
I still might buy from them if I lived close enough to walk in to their shop ... but never again with the online purchases from them

The NZ currency sinking in the last couple of months has really pushed computer parts prices up unfortunately . But there are still bargains for budgets .
If you go intel the minimum motherboard for overclocking really would be a g33 based board . Look for the Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2 or similar .That should overclock okwith any of the cpu's you mention . The e5200 is a later generation 45 nm chip and is the best choice . If not then the e2160 or e2180 IMO.

For AMD a 780g based board might be your best choice for a budget build

Either of these will give you on board gfx and get you up and running . Its easy to add a gfx card later .

Id chose the intel .

Id also wait a couple of weeks to see if C2D prices drop now intel has released new chips

 

[Belinda]

I'd go with AMD X2, fastest you can get with 780G MB. Your always going to get people saying get Intel because they better, run cooler etc but if it's within the temps they designed to run at i don't really care.
Also i find the MB's for AMD chips are cheaper for more features. Just look at some benchmarks for the 780G boards can't go wrong for the price/performence of them boards for a cheap and cheerful PC.

 

[egel]

egel try using the pricespy website for deals .
www.pricespy.co.nz.

I generally do, it's quite handy.

Watch out for the really cheap places that charge 3 times as much for shipping so it cost you more anyway .Like the place that has that price on the e2180 . They have listed an oem cpu that doesnt come with a heatsink and fan and also has only a few DAYS warranty .
And they are useless to deal with .
I still might buy from them if I lived close enough to walk in to their shop ... but never again with the online purchases from them

Yeah, I know. I'm not exactly a noob when it comes to dealing with pricespy listings. Thanks for saying, anyway. Were you referring to OCZone btw?

The NZ currency sinking in the last couple of months has really pushed computer parts prices up unfortunately . But there are still bargains for budgets .
If you go intel the minimum motherboard for overclocking really would be a g33 based board . Look for the Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2 or similar .That should overclock okwith any of the cpu's you mention . The e5200 is a later generation 45 nm chip and is the best choice . If not then the e2160 or e2180 IMO.

That board is cutting awfully close to the Asus P5K-SE (p35) in price. EDIT: Oops, sorry, that's the S2L. Still.
How do the 31 chipsets fare vs. 33's, anyway?
Also, I was planning to get a graphics card, so I'm not to concerned about having onboard gfx.

By the way, the e2160 is a crap deal, at more expensive than the e2180 and similar priced to the e2200, so not entirely sure why you're suggesting it.

For AMD a 780g based board might be your best choice for a budget build

Either of these will give you on board gfx and get you up and running . Its easy to add a gfx card later .

Id chose the intel .

Cheers for the advice.

Id also wait a couple of weeks to see if C2D prices drop now intel has released new chips

You reckon? They might not either, with the NZD like it is.

 

[mastergreen]

Another good price comparison site for CPU and hardware in New Zealand is PriceMe.