Cheaper alternative to AMD Phenom II x4 940? Exceeds budget.

[tippmann01]

Hey, I am currently over-budget for my build, and I think that the only way I can decrease the cost, is by selecting a lower grade CPU.
I need to use the computer for animation, video editing, and gaming.

The price of the AMD Phenom II x4 940, is $242.00 CAD.
I'm buying locally, so...I don't need to worry about taxes. My budget for the entire rig is $625. After sales tax...it's a little over $700.
[Hate tax with a passion now.]

My motherboard supports AM2+/AM2 socket types.

The rig is for animation, and gaming.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So yeah. This is my current setup.

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Quad Core 3.0GHz AM2+ 2000/8MB Processor
$242.00

eVGA GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 PCIe 2.0 Video Card
$127.00

ASRock A780GXE/128M AMD 780G AM2+ ATX Mainboard (Video/Audio/Gigabit LAN)
$106.00

OCZ Platinum 4Gb DC PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory Kit
$66.00

LG DH16NS10 Internal 16x DVD-ROM SATA Optical Drive, Black
$19.00

Seagate 7200.11 320GB 7200RPM 16MB 3.5" SATA Hard Drive
$60.00
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still need a PSU, and the subtotal is $620.

 

[Helloworld_98]

drop that HDD, the .11's have major firmware flaws, get a .12 or a samsung spinpoint instead if you're on a budget.

and you could get a 720 BE, but then to unlock the extra core you'd need a biostar or asrock 790gx motherboard.

 

[tippmann01]

drop that HDD, the .11's have major firmware flaws, get a .12 or a samsung spinpoint instead if you're on a budget.

and you could get a 720 BE, but then to unlock the extra core you'd need a biostar or asrock 790gx motherboard.

I don't know about unlocking the fourth core...wouldn't that cause an overload of the CPU?
O________________________o
I want to play it safe, unless there is no real danger of my CPU exploding from massive energy pwn in the face-ness.

 

[tippmann01]

drop that HDD, the .11's have major firmware flaws, get a .12 or a samsung spinpoint instead if you're on a budget.

and you could get a 720 BE, but then to unlock the extra core you'd need a biostar or asrock 790gx motherboard.

WD SATAII 320Gb 7200RPM 8Mb Hard Drive is the new choice then...same price.

 

[B-Unit]

Well, there is no danger in unlocking the 720, HOWEVER, dont belive for a second that its a guarenteed quad-core. You have to get luck to make this work.

Personaly, in your situation, I would look to the 920 or 810 X4.

 

[orangegator]

Get these instead.

Phenom II X3 720 $169.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W $86.99 - $20usd
HD 4850 $132.99 - $15usd

 

[ainarssems]

Get HD 4770 instead

 

[The Third Level]

Drop the 9600GT and grab yourself a 4770 or 4850, both of which you can grab for about a 100.

 

[tippmann01]

Thank you!

 

[orangegator]

Thank you!

Also, get this DDR2 -1066 ram instead since you're getting a phenom.
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 $57.49

 

[tippmann01]

Get these instead.

Phenom II X3 720 $169.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W $86.99 - $20usd
HD 4850 $132.99 - $15usd

Is the Phenom II X3 720, a fairly decent processor? I honestly don't understand the reason for the mass-produced defective core idea...wouldn't I be better off with a quad-core from a different company?
Just don't want to waste money is all...

 

[redwave3099]

The Phenom II X3 720 is a phenomenal processor boosted my gaming and upped my 3dmarks score from around 11800 to 18600 with an overclock of 3.5ghz.

 

[tippmann01]

The Phenom II X3 720 is a phenomenal processor boosted my gaming and upped my 3dmarks score from around 11800 to 18600 with an overclock of 3.5ghz.

If you are not overclocking though, is it worth it? I'm still a bit concerned about the fact that my computer will not be able to be professional repaired, if anything goes wrong.

 

[tippmann01]

Also, get this DDR2 -1066 ram instead since you're getting a phenom.
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 $57.49

Was the RAM I selected incompatible? Or is this RAM just faster?
The company I am purchasing all of my components from, does not carry G.Skill RAM.

 

[redwave3099]

yes non-overclocked my score went from 11800ish to 15600ish....gained like 30 plus fps in some games. I was going to get an 940 instead but opted for the 720 because of price, I am really surprised and happy so far.

 

[hunter315]

Most tasks cannot take advantage of all four cores, see here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/multi-core-cpu,2280.html
the 720s are 920s that had something go awry in one of the cores, but the cache and the remaining cores are perfectly fine, sometimes its just one core isnt 100% stable or it has to run a bit slower to be stable so they disable it so you get a rock solid processor again.

The 1066 RAM will be faster and the phenom can take advantage of it so you probably want to switch to that, even if it isnt the exact brand suggested.

 

[tippmann01]

Current components:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black 2.8GHz AM3 4000FSB/7.5MB Processor
$183.00

MOBO:
ASRock A780GXE/128M AMD 780G AM2+ ATX Mainboard (Video/Audio/Gigabit LAN)
$106.00

RAM:
OCZ Platinum 4Gb DC PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory Kit
$66.00

OPTICAL:
LG DH16NS10 Internal 16x DVD-ROM SATA Optical Drive, Black
$19.00

HDD:
WD SATAII 320Gb 7200RPM 8Mb Hard Drive
$59.00

PSU:
Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 550W ATX 24-Pin Power Supply
$66.00

VIDEO CARD:
Sapphire Radeon HD4770 512MB PCI-E Video Card
$134.00
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotal: $633.00
Total: $716.01

 

[photonboy]

nice. very good system. well balanced and yes, I highly recommend the HD4770

 

[The Third Level]

HD4770 + Phenom II X3 720

You can attempt to unlock the 4th core, not guaranteed but if it happens it will usually run stable.

 

[tippmann01]

HD4770 + Phenom II X3 720

You can attempt to unlock the 4th core, not guaranteed but if it happens it will usually run stable.

I'm not planning on attempting the BIOS hack for it.

 

[Wisecracker]

I'm not planning on attempting the BIOS hack for it.

It's not a hack - you simply set ACC to 'Auto'.

 

[spearhead]

yes it is that easy and yet it is not sure your cpu is unlockable. one south korean being able to do it would not mean all would work. with cherry picked cpus seem to work tough. unlocking phenom X550 dual cores would be awsome but if you cannot get it done then just stick with phenom 940. its price has been cut and will be cut a bit more the am3 models will remain quite pricey compared to the am2+ 920 and 940.
here in the netherlands a new phenom 940 costs about €169 now and 920 about €20 to get at some stores already. just look and you might find an affordable phenom. you will be better off eith am2+ i think then with am3 now. unless you can find a very affordable phenom 955 system. such as one shop latley did in the netherlands they sold you a working system for 419 euro but you cannot expact anything from the motherboard and memory they were to cheap