Inexpensive future proofed AMD PII build

[bluebird55]

First build, looking for a future proof motherboard and system that will last around 6 years. Build designed for budget, vid encoding of TV shows and home movies, light RAW processing of DSLR pics, a little gaming, not much. 19" monitor. Upgrading from 7 year old P4 2.26 ghz w/ATI X700. Will use 32bit XP until Win 7 releases. Can upgrade to 45nm PIIs when they release. Trying to keep budget under $750 total.

Requirements- Firewire from MB; Front Audio, Firewire, USB (that's why no Antec 300).

Rosewill R5605-BK 0.8mm Japanese Cold Rolled Steel Front Mesh Design Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Model #:R5605-BK
Item #:N82E16811147083

$74.99 -$25.00 Instant $49.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:GA-MA770-UD3
Item #:N82E16813128376

$74.99

POWERCOLOR AX4850 512MD3-DH Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:AX4850 512MD3-DH
Item #:N82E16814131125

Mail-in Rebate ($15)

$149.99 -> $134.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-520HX
Item #:N82E16817139001

Mail-in Rebate ($15)

$139.99 -$30.00 Instant $94.99

AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX920XCGIBOX - Retail
Model #:HDX920XCGIBOX
Item #:N82E16819103472

$229.00 -$40.00 Instant $189.00

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/4G - Retail
Model #:KVR800D2N5K2/4G
Item #:N82E16820134582

$44.99

Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:ST3640323AS
Item #:N82E16822148335

$69.99

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
Model #:SH-S223F
Item #:N82E16827151171

$24.99

Total as of now: ~$683 + ~$30 shipping

 

[batuchka]

Hmm ok $706.93, $26.47 shipping and $40 MIR

 

[flyin15sec]

Not a bad build. The only thing I'd change if you want to prolong the life of the system longer is to invest a bit more now on the AM3 platform.

AM3 cpu like PhenomII X3 720 $166 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

Motherboard: Gigabyte 790X AM3 $139
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378

Memory: Adata 4 gig DDR3 1333mhz $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211364

You're looking at a $70 difference. You'd get some folks who'll tell you there is no difference in performance, that is true to an extent. However with a native AM3 motherboard you do not have to worry about any future compatibility problems with AM3 processors.

Choice is yours really.

 

[Zenthar]

Future-proof and 6 years ... 2 words that don't go together in my mind so please tell me what "future-proof" is for you?

In probably 2-3 years AMD will probably have reached socket AM4, Intel will probably have a successor to Socket 1366, we will be using OpenGL 4 or DirectX 12, PCI-e 3.0 and DDR 4 ...

If you find any thread about people with old P4 and S939 Athlons, this will probably how "future-proof" you system will be in 3-4 years.

Sorry to break it to you .... 6 years ago lucky people had P3s running a single core @1.4GHz ...

 

[Outlander_04]

Batchuka's build is great for the price .

Id spend a little extra and get a motherboard with a 790 series chipset . That gives you more opportunity to overclock . It would add about $40 to the build cost .
Might as well stick with AM2 since theres no speed advantage with am3 and it costs more for the ram

You could also reduce the graphics card to a 4830 and save a bit more than that so the total stayed about the same

 

[bluebird55]

I hadn't found any of the new 95 watt processors yet on Newegg, so I figured that they hadn't reached retail yet (they don't have the link for AM3 listed on their filters). I liked the 790 chipsets, but I figured it was between the 790gx and the 790fx- again didn't find the 790x (probably because I was searching using reviews and price as filters). Didn't really see the need for the integrated graphics, and the Fx chipsets are expensive. But I'm heartened that the builds aren't really that far off, and just involve timing to hit deals.

One thing about the DDR3 ram is the added expense- is DDR3 limited to a single stick per channel with AM3, like with the AM2+ boards?. Overall, I was hoping to avoid getting a "dead" end chipset like the 775 which I can't imagine them making new processors for now with the I7 out, whereas AMD seems to keep backwards compatibility in mind (ignoring the wattage issue before....). Maybe longevity is closer to my idea rather than future proof.

 

[stoner133]

Here you go: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648

 

[batuchka]

Ok 95W and HD4830?

 

[flyin15sec]

I hadn't found any of the new 95 watt processors yet on Newegg, so I figured that they hadn't reached retail yet (they don't have the link for AM3 listed on their filters). I liked the 790 chipsets, but I figured it was between the 790gx and the 790fx- again didn't find the 790x (probably because I was searching using reviews and price as filters). Didn't really see the need for the integrated graphics, and the Fx chipsets are expensive. But I'm heartened that the builds aren't really that far off, and just involve timing to hit deals.

One thing about the DDR3 ram is the added expense- is DDR3 limited to a single stick per channel with AM3, like with the AM2+ boards?. Overall, I was hoping to avoid getting a "dead" end chipset like the 775 which I can't imagine them making new processors for now with the I7 out, whereas AMD seems to keep backwards compatibility in mind (ignoring the wattage issue before....). Maybe longevity is closer to my idea rather than future proof.

I'm not trying to swing you 1 way or another, just want to give you my perspective. Ultimately the final choice is yours, also you already have a nice build listed.

If you are looking for short term, then an AM2+ board with AM3 processor is ok. However, 1 of your goal is long term usage, or longevity as you stated. I'm inclined to agree with Zenthar, AM2+ will most likely be for another 2 years max, before AMD drops it completely, like it did with Socket939.

The AM3 platform, I suggested only costs an additional $70. It's almost a certainty that all future unannounced AMD processors will be AM3, which may or may not be compatible with AM2+ boards. We're not talking about i7 here, where the price difference is more like $200-$400 dollars, it's only $70.

Just my take on long term usability.

 

[bluebird55]

Like I said- I hadn't seen any AM3 boards yet, so now that I see the 790X board at $140, that plus a tri core (not necessarily the black edition) processor is almost the exact same price as the cheaper AM2+ board plus the quad core. I prefer the higher end motherboard and midrange processor so that sounds like the way to go.