AMD Phenom II 521 Dual-Core processor

vanessa2011

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Which would be the best bang for my buck? I am a student and use multiple windows and play a couple of games. I am a dunce when it comes to computer systems and have done a little research but am still pretty much lost. I am slightly more familiar with HP and know that the Phenom dual-core processor would be preferred over the athlon but I have no idea how they compare to Dell and in what other ways. Can you explain the differences of these two in layman's terms for me as well as suggest which one is better? Thank you in advance!
-Vanessa

HP Pavilion p6823wb Desktop PC with HP 20" Monitor Bundle:Key Features and Benefits:
AMD Phenom II 521 Dual-Core processor
3.50GHz, 2MB L2 Cache
4GB of DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 16GB)
Give you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work
1TB SATA hard drive
Store 666,000 photos, 285,000 songs or 526 hours of HD video and more
SuperMulti DVD Burner
Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats
10/100Base-T Ethernet
Connect to a broadband modem or wired broadband router with wired Ethernet
ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics
With up to 1919MB total available graphics memory
Additional HP Desktop PC Features:
15-in-1 memory card reader
6 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x headphone jack, 1 x microphone jack, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port, 1 x coaxial digital audio out, 1 x microphone/line-in/line-out, 1 x rear speaker out, 1 x side speaker out, 1 x center (subwoofer) jack
1 x MiniCard, 3 x PCI Express (x1) slots, 1 x PCI Express (x16) slot, 2 x external 5.25" bays, 1 x external 3.5" bay, 2 x internal 3.5" bays

Dell Inspiron 560 i560-3505NBK Desktop PC Bundle:

Key Features and Benefits:

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6700 processor
3.2GHz, 2MB L2 Cache

6GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory
Gives you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work

1TB SATA hard drive
Store 666,000 photos, 285,000 songs or 526 hours of HD video and more

16x DVD+/-R/RW Drive
Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, Dell 1525N Wireless-N mini-card
Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the Dell 1525N Wireless-N connection built into your PC

23" widescreen LED digital flat panel monitor
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

Additional Features:

19-in-1 memory card reader
6 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
 

vanessa2011

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I really need to keep it around $600 for tower and monitor, but I can go slightly higher if needed. I will mainly be using it for school and research but will game when time allows. I am notorious for many programs running and would like for once to have a computer that makes gaming easier and more pleasurable.
 


Intel is not always better... It comes down to price vs performance.

As for the photo storage thing, that is typical marketing fluff.
 


Be specific please. Which applications and games are you interested in?
 
Off-the-shelf PC's can be difficult to upgrade. The Pentium you mentioned above is on Socket 775 which is two generations out of date and has no upgrade potential left.

I would suggest you try and shop from a retailer that allows you to specify the individual parts, rather than buy a pre-built Dell or HP machine. You will get better value for money that way.
 
+1 to herrs advice also note the Phenom is a rebranded Athlon in this case. Neither machines have a dedicated graphics card which you would need for gaming (and to add one you would almost definitely need a new PSU as well) both have weak CPUs the Intel one especially.
 

vanessa2011

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found these on newegg.com......would these two items be a better buy for what i am wanting?

iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 567D3 Desktop PC Phenom II X4 925(2.8GHz) 4GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity ATI Radeon HD 5570 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Asus VH238H Black 23" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1
 

pro-gamer

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vanessa2011

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mk. i've taken everything each of you has said into consideration...found an intel processor, vpu that is radeon hd6770, the space that i want...anything else i need to consider? that is probably obvious to you all but not the noob? this is what i have decided on and realized that to go cheaper is just not worth it. have i finally found the right track?! :)

CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1314 Desktop PC Intel Core i5 2500K(3.30GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity AMD Radeon HD 6670 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

thank you to each of you that has replied by the way. i sincerely appreciate all of the help sent my way!