First Build

[deserthermit]

I plan on building a gamming computer. This is my first build. I am accumulating about 1 part per month, my budget allowing. So far I have an AZZA Solano 1000r case and a Cooler Master GX series rs650w power source. This month I am getting the processor.
I like the
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX

And I also like the


AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX

The quad has L2 4x512cache and the Dual has the same L2 cache and L3 6mb. Does this difference make a difference in gaming. I have read many debates on quad vs. dual and I am still confused. I have about 130$ in my budget, want to build amd. Any suggesti

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section Video Games to section Systems by Mousemonkey

 

[Juanchioo]

get the amd athlon x3 rana 440 .... thats is a very good cpu and leave u money to the gpu

 

[coldsleep]

One problem with buying a part at a time is that if you get a part that's bad and needs to be returned, you won't know until you get the whole thing put together.

In general, I think the best budget AMD processor is the Athlon II X3 440 or 445 (depending on the price difference -- last week they were $1 apart).

If you want more detailed advice, filling out the info requested in How to Ask for New Build Advice would be a great help.

 

[deserthermit]

This is my very first build ever. I will basically be building it all myself, with only knowledge I have read online. I considered saving up and getting all the parts at once, but I am not that disciplined and would probably spend my savings premature. But, I am getting all the parts with a warranty...just in case. I have read that not much gamming software uses multiple core technology. But what about in a couple years? And what about l3 cache? I like the 440 x3. Anyway, thank you for the info.

 

[sp12]

Another point is that every 18 months parts get half as expensive per unit performance. So say you build your system over 12 months (not crazy at 1 month/part). The part you bought at the beginning is now a 66% worse price/performance part.

Obviously, some things like hard drives, ram, cases, and power supplies move slower, but things like CPUs move so fast it makes no sense to buy them 1 at a time. Buy the CPU/GPU/mobo absolutely last if you have to collect parts piecemeal.

 

[deserthermit]

Well there was a change of the plan in building my gaming pc. A relative of mine gave me a cpu....An Intel E8500 3.16Ghz dual core, So the plan has changed. So I investigated some motherboards and ordered one I liked. I ordered the Gigabyte GA-EP45T-USB3P. Next I will be ordering the memory. The memory standard on the motherboard reads
DDR3 2200 (OC)/1333/1066/800
Which memory would be best for building my gamming comp? Plus the board supports 1.5v for the memory.
How will I know which are compatable?

 

[deserthermit]

Best answer selected by deserthermit.