Cheap Upgrade into Multi-Core

[gostumpy]

Approximate Purchase Date: Today if possible!
Budget Range: Lower the better, wife'll kill me
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Surfing, Poker, Videos, Diablo 3 after upgrading Video Card
Parts Not Required: Antec 300 Case, Corsair 430CX PSU, WD Green 1TB, GeForce GT220 1gb
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.ca
Country of Origin: Canada
Parts Preferences: Corsair, AMD due to price
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1680 x 1050

This is what I've come up with:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor
$75

Mobo: Foxconn A74ML-K AM2+/AM3 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$50

Ram: CORSAIR 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (combo with MoBo- free)
+ 1GB DDR2 667 REUSED
= 3gb Ram

PSU: CORSAIR BUILDER 430CX

CASE: Antec 300

Video Card: Reused Zotac GeForce GT220 1gb

HDD: Reused WD Green 1TB

Total
_____________

$125



Worth it???

 

[jjb8675309]

I wouldnt spend a dime on a ddr2 board at this point... and foxconn is not the greatest imo and for gaming in the future you need 4 gigs of ram id say in order to run win 7 64 bit

here is what id get::



mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138318

$59, $44 AR

The same cpu: 75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138318

+ 4 GBs DDR3: $25

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253

So you have 59+75+25 w/free shipping = 159-15 MIR= $144, I know this is $19 dollars more in the end but the other components you have linked are just not that good (meaning the mobo and ram) at least you spend 20 more and what you get is better quality components that will last you a bit longer (and could even eventually support a Deneb or 6-core... so that is why I think my combination of parts would be a much better buy... and considering that you can get it your door after MIR for 144 I think it is well worth the upgrade, then you will be sufficiently setup to upgrade that gt220 to a 550ti or 6850 or something of the likelihood if you wish, good luck

 

[jjb8675309]

really in the end the combo deals on newgg dont save you that much money unless you are buying something that costs a grand so Id rather pay the extra 20 bucks and get decent parts before I spend 80-90% of the cost that you would have in the first place on inferior parts imo, my 2 cents

 

[geekapproved]

Terrible choices in my opinion.

Not to mention the board you chose is not upgrade able to the new cpu's coming out.

I think you should save your money, get at least a X4 955/AM3+ motherboard/DDR3, then you have the option to upgrade to bulldozer.

Or i3-2100/H61 motherboard/DDR3 and have the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge next year.

 

[gostumpy]

Wow I didn't notice that board, JJB, from what I see that is a GREAT deal! Faster Ram, Sata 6gb/sec (useless I know), USB3.0...

For $44.99 I think I'll order that right now

 

[gostumpy]

This is an upgrade to tide me over for 6+ months so I can play SOME games, IE, Diablo 3 when it comes out (need a new video card for that, but at least I won't be CPU bottleneck).

Then in 6 months this will become the secondary gaming computer, useable by my wife and I get a new one!

 

[jjb8675309]

Terrible choices in my opinion.

Not to mention the board you chose is not upgrade able to the new cpu's coming out.

I think you should save your money, get at least a X4 955/AM3+ motherboard/DDR3, then you have the option to upgrade to bulldozer.

Or i3-2100/H61 motherboard/DDR3 and have the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge next year.

to accomplish that it will be a significantly larger amount of money, thanks for your enthusiasm, that biostar board offers a lot for the price imo considering that the OP is upgrading from some sort of lowly desktop and given their budget, I don't see how these are terrible choices? its cheap, it gets the job done....

you love that i3 dont you?

 

[jjb8675309]

This is an upgrade to tide me over for 6+ months so I can play SOME games, IE, Diablo 3 when it comes out (need a new video card for that, but at least I won't be CPU bottleneck).

Then in 6 months this will become the secondary gaming computer, useable by my wife and I get a new one!

Diablo III might not even be out in 6 months.... just sayin

 

[gostumpy]

Diablo III is just an example of the type of games I want to play

 

[jjb8675309]

thats cool I'm just taking a stab at blizzard for their lengthened release dates, but isnt it supposed to be out in dec>?

 

[gostumpy]

They're hoping to get it out before Christmas this year, all things are pointing to that MAY happen... Progress is still being made...

However, I bet it'll be one of those things like when the Wii first came out, can't get one until a month after Christmas unless you're willing to wait in line at 6am before the store opens

 

[jjb8675309]

^no way not with digital downloads that will never happen, in fact that is how I purchased Sc2 is through battlen.net... and I remember reading that D3 will require an online connection to play as well...the single player that is.

 

[gostumpy]

Opinions?

Triple Core:
Athlon II x3 455 3.3ghz $80 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

or

Dual Core:
Phenom II x2 555 BE 3.2ghz $88 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

I would LOVE to Overclock, I haven't overclocked since my AMD Duron 650 @ 850 back in early 2000's

 

[jjb8675309]

personally Id get the triple core 3.1ghz for 75 and oc yourself, If your going to spend that much you might as well get a 955

 

[phatbuddha79]

If you're planning to play Diablo 3, I suggest you spend more money. Perhaps an Athlon II X4 or Phenom x4 840 can be a good start for a processor.

x4 956 with $15 off coupon right here
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
and mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157199

Settle with integrated for now. When Diablo 3 comes out, go with a Radeon 5570 or higher.

 

[gostumpy]

Ahh that Biostar deal is newegg.com, I'm in Canada

 

[geekapproved]

Don't waste your money on a tri core cpu on a crappy biostar board that you will never be able to upgrade.

You would be better off saving your money for something worth buying. Something upgradeable, not throw away hardware.

Personally I recommend you stay away from biostar all together. There's a reason their stuff is inexplicably cheap compared to other manufacturers.

Besides for $50 you could get a 760G that's AM3+, and upgradeable.

 

[Dark Comet]

Diablo 3s just been delayed until early 2012

 

[gostumpy]

Ok, if I was to spend the extra and get an AM3+ motherboard, would I be able to use my Sempron processor in that board until I can afford a new processor???

Thanks for the help!!

 

[geekapproved]

What sempron model?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504

 

[gostumpy]

Sempron 3400+ 1.8ghz Socket AM2... I've heard AM3/AM3+ is backwards compatible?

All those links you guys are giving me are for newegg.com, those deals are not available here... I'm using newegg.ca

 

[geekapproved]

It IS available. Right here, if you bother to look. Don't be so lazy.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504&Tpk=GA-78LMT-S2P


No you cannot use a AM2 cpu on a AM3+ motherboard.

 

[gostumpy]

Figured I better tie up the loose ends:

I decided on an i3-2100

 

[gostumpy]

Best answer selected by gostumpy.