Upgrade Advice Need Mobo And Cpu $300

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

Well i got some ddr2 ocz reaper pc2 8500 1066 ram recently for a really good deal from a friend, and now i decided to up my whole old 939 system, problem is i only have 300 to spend and would like an amd processor with some good multi processing capabilities, any advice,opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Existing parts,
Xion 2 Case
Antec Earthwatts, 550 watt psu,
OCZ Reaper HPC DDR2 PC28500 1066,
EVGA 8800 GTS 320 Mb
Seagate Barracuda Sata 350 GB Hard drive.

 

[foolycooly]

why not intel?

Gigabyte UD3P 775 mobo - $134.99 - $20 MIR = $114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358


+


E8400 - $164.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

or

Q6600 - $197.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

and factor in a CPU cooler for some overclocking -

Xigmatek Dark Knight - $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029


---

TBH I don't know much about AMD, but you might find these combos highly recommended.

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

hmm that looks like a pretty nice setup, and tbh i dont know to much about intel right now, was looking for the bang for buck setup of amd with the new phenom 2s, maybe with like a newer am2+ board to cut costs, but if i can find some more prety good intel combos i might just be swayed =0

 

[Outlander_04]

Phenom X4 940+ GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H $288.89


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165047

spank the intel in games and then nuke it every where else

 

[IzzyCraft]

Yeah new phenoms are = if not better then i7 in games but gets shot back to intels normal quads everywhere else.

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

hmmm well id be mostly playing games like css and tf2 maybe some next gen games sometime in the future, and listening to and producing music is a pretty big priority for me. so i was kinda leaning towards the amd setup.

 

[MykC]

AMD Phenom II 940BE with MSI 780GX $290 - $15MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165080
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler $36 - $10MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Or save some money and get the 720BE $50 savings
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165035

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

hmm thats a pretty good combo deal there, but i really cant decide whether or not to get the 940 or 720, my main concern is that ill be spending extra money for performance that i wont be using, because from what ive seen the 720 has been placing top 10 in almost every gaming benchmark.

 

[aevm]

Phenom X4 940+ GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H $288.89


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165047

spank the intel in games and then nuke it every where else

+1 for this combo. It's AMD's best CPU so far, and you get a good MB with lots of features for a silly low price.

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

no longer available as of as soon as i clicked on it lol =(
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835101010
ive seen this as an alternative, deffinately planning on upgrading my 8800gts 320, possibly crossfire some 4870s in the nearby future.

 

[jerreece]

If you're going to upgrade your CPU & mobo, don't settle for less. If you buy lesser, you'll upgrade sooner. Ultimately, if you upgrade sooner all the time because you spend less initially, you'll spend more money over time.

If you have to buy AMD, don't do anything other than the Phenom II chips.

If you go Intel, foolycooly had some good picks there for mainstream chips.

If you want long term, get a Quad Core. If you'd prefer to upgrade again sooner, get a Dual or Tri-Core.

When the time comes to upgrade your video card, either hold out for a ATI 4870 or nVidia GTX 260 Core 216. Anything less than those two isn't really a huge jump over your 8800 GTS in my personal opinion.

Edit: Oh btw. If you want to run dual- 4870's you may need to consider a PSU upgrade. 550W might be pushing it, especially if that PSU has been used a while. You'd want to look at the recommendations ATI puts out on the 4870's power requirements.

 

[aevm]

Right. That Earthwatts is perfect for one HD 4870. When you buy the second one get yourself something with 750W and 4 PCI-E connectors (Corsair 750TX, PC Power & Cooling 750W, etc.)

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

hmmm all very good suggestions, well im really trying to keep it within the 300 range, possibly 50 more, but currently id really just like to get back to my games and making music so my only priority and concern right now is just getting a good motherboard and processor which will suffice me and keep me gaming for a year or so, the power supply and video cards will have to wait a bit, possibly once the newer ati lineup comes out ill be ready to crossfire some 4870s, and get a new psu, but currently i got my eye on the http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165030

 

[Outlander_04]

hmmm all very good suggestions, well im really trying to keep it within the 300 range, possibly 50 more, but currently id really just like to get back to my games and making music so my only priority and concern right now is just getting a good motherboard and processor which will suffice me and keep me gaming for a year or so, the power supply and video cards will have to wait a bit, possibly once the newer ati lineup comes out ill be ready to crossfire some 4870s, and get a new psu, but currently i got my eye on the http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165030

thats a nice deal but why bother paying more for a triple core when the faster quad is available with a motherboard just as good for $288.89

 

[JaredAudiophileGamer]

well the deal that was listed above is no longer available due to stock of the gigabyte motherboard it featured and idk, i really like asus, never had n issue with them, every build ive done has used an asus board and setup was always smooth as butta, and unlike some others i have heard, i have had a really good experience with rmas.