Need advice

[winter76]

Hi ok the pc i got atm is really old so its time to upgrade I'm looking to make a gaming pc . But I'm on a budget I'm looking for a good cpu . I don't have the money for a I7 so that's not a option. The games I'm going to play are Tera online, battlefield 2 bad company, hunted the demon's forge, and crisis 2 games like that.

I also want to add when I play mmorpgs I multitask a lot for example might take a brake form Home work I might have photoshop, indesign vent, msn in a video call, a few web browsers open playing music, and maybe even fraps open i want to do all that with no lag at all.

knowing all this what would be the better out of the 2 to get? i5 2300 or AMD Phenom™ II X6 processor 1065T? i know the I5 is faster but would the 2 extra cores be better because I multitask a lot?

 

[tecmo34]

Here is the best comparison I could find (one CPU version up)" http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/185?vs=363

The i5 pretty much beats the X6 across the board except a few applications. I would recommend going with the i5 or wait a little longer and see what the new Bulldozer CPU's hold (not sure on pricing either though).

 

[kajabla]

The 955 BE is generally good on a budget, though it's not a fancy new architecture. It won't bottleneck high-middle-tier graphics cards.

 

[photonboy]

When you're building a gaming PC on a budget you start with the graphics card because that will be your bottleneck. For example, it doesn't matter how much you spend on the rest of your system if you buy a $100 graphics card you can't go beyond that.

So you need to achieve a "balance" between your graphics card and CPU. Very roughly speaking, a $250 graphics card may be in "balance" with a $100 CPU. If you have a budget and purchase a $300 CPU then you're taking away from the graphics potential.

I don't have time right now for in depth help, but something like:

1) $150 graphics card
2) $80 CPU
3) $100 motherboard
4) 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
5) Windows 7 Premium x64 OEM
6) Antec 100 case
7) 500W PSU (ensure current or "Amps" is more than the graphics card requirement)
8) DVD burner (cheap, get best recommend)

Basically, crunch these numbers and see how that fits into your budget. If you wish more performance you need to upgrade multiple components since this is roughly balanced. In particular, the PSU, CPU and Graphics card need to be balanced. If the CPU is overkill for the graphics card the money is best spent on a graphics card. It's important that the PSU supply sufficient power (especially the 12V Amps for your graphics card).

In general:
1) pick a graphics card (find benchmarks so you can compare relative value of price vs performance).
2) choose the CPU/Motherboard system (i.e. "1155" or "AM3")
3) determine which combination of CPU + Motherboard is the best value, 1155 or AM3?
4) research all parts you choose, especially the PSU
5) recommend a $20 Heatsink+Fan. Stock fans are noisy; you probably will overclock any budget system you build.
6) add up the price of the system, including tax, shipping, accessories, Windows 7 OEM and if you have money remaining distribute it between the PSU, CPU, Graphics card and possibly the motherboard as well.

If your budget is low, I'd consider as a minimum a GTX550Ti OC which I saw for about $110 on sale.

*NCIX is a really great site for selection, prices and sales. Take your time, write down each part and spend time reading reviews etc.

I hope this helps. All the time I have.

 

[winter76]

o yeah i pry should of said this in the beginning I already have all ready have all that stuff I was just looking for a cpu this is what i have so far.



Sapphire HD 5870

8GB of ddr3 1600mhz

650 watt power supply

1 TB HDD (7200 rpm)

 

[winter76]

Do you guys think that a I3 2100 would run everything well for the next 4 to 5 years? or do you think I should stick with a 4 core?? taking in mind what i plain on using that i put above. because i look at alot of the benchmarks and it looks like the i3 2100 beats out most of the AMD x4's

any feed back would be most appreciated

 

[lilotimz]

I5-2500k would do you better as games are beginning to take advantage of 3 cores or more. Plus it is the "best bang for the buck" cpu out there and is the thing to get if you want an upgrade today.