Budget Games PC advice please

[Uncl30w3n]

Im wondering as far as a budget mid range games pc goes, would an Intel i3 530 with a Radeon HD5770 be better than a Phenom x4 925 with the same GPU. The i3 would be bought with the intention of eventually upgrading to i7.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

go AMD, but min 3.0 GHz (Athlon II X3 445, X4 640, or Phenom II X3 740, x4 955, or x6 1075)

 

[Uncl30w3n]

Do games take advantage of more than 2 cores?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

yes.

a recent study by Toms (Back in October) showed an average of 2.75 cores over 20 popular games. The exampel of PhysX on AMD a couple days ago showed Metro 2033 using all 6 cores ofa 1090t at 60-65% before turning on CPU PhysX, and 90-93% whn it was on.

 

[zephead]

go AMD, but min 3.0 GHz (Athlon II X3 445, X4 640, or Phenom II X3 740, x4 955, or x6 1075)

^^^^

This for sure. IMO for a budget PC you can't find a better priced CPU that offers the same performance as the Athlon II x3 445.

 

[Uncl30w3n]

Thanks. Would a Phenom x4 925 with a Asus M4A87TD EVO mobo be a good alternative or not?

 

[zephead]

Thanks. Would a Phenom x4 925 with a Asus M4A87TD EVO mobo be a good alternative or not?

The Phenom x4 925 is a good CPU, but it's $129... I thought you were looking for a budget PC? The Asus EVO board is a nice board, but it's $109 and designed for Crossfire/Core unlocking. If this is a budget PC are you going to want to use Crossfire? What's your budget if you don't mind me asking? If your looking for Crossfire and Core unlocking your looking at a large, possibly expensive power supply. Not to mention you'll want to get a better heat-sink, and plenty of case fans to keep the temps down. All this will drive the price up significantly.

 

[Uncl30w3n]

Hmmm... dont know how this translates into USD, my guess is around 750 usd ( 1,110 NZD)

 

[batuchka]

Not sure bout h/w pricing and taking lack of combos in NZ this was what $531AR USD on Egg nabs ya hehe

 

[zephead]

Hmmm... dont know how this translates into USD, my guess is around 750 usd ( 1,110 NZD)

That's $830 US. That leaves more spending room than I thought. Hehe for some reason when I see budget PC I think $500-$700. Your budget should be plenty to build a nice rig. With that price I'm sure some the more experienced people here can suggest a great build.