Non Gaming Sytem select CPU/MOB

[welchs101]

I am trying to build a non-gaming system for a friend for web surfing, itunes, skype, and email. Basic stuff.....i think.

I am trying to decide on which of the following cpu's to use:
1) AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3650WNGXBOX cost: ~ $120

2) AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
cost: ~ $78


I used the #2 before on my dad's build and it works great. Someone suggested on this forum to use the A6. I compared the A6 and the X3 on Anands cpu chart and the X3 was kinda better for most things......at least the way i read the charts. But i am not an expert.

I am looking for some guidance on which to pick. Also, i am not sure what MOB to use. Should i get a MOB that supports USB3.0.......that kinda of stuff. Is there anything else to consider when picking the MOB? I told my friend i could build him one cheaper/better than he could buy since he already has the OS, keyboard, mouse and monitor. OS will be windows 7 64bit.

Again, i am not an expert but not a total newbie......somewhere in between.

Thanks for your help.

 

[g-unit1111]

1) AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3650WNGXBOX cost: ~ $120

2) AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
cost: ~ $78

I don't think I'd use either of those - there's a lot of rumors with the Llano having a lot of problems associated with it.

For the CPU go with either the Phenom II X4 - 960 or go with the Intel i3-2120. They're both around the ~$120 range and they're both perfectly capable for anything he wants to do.

I am looking for some guidance on which to pick. Also, i am not sure what MOB to use. Should i get a MOB that supports USB3.0.......that kinda of stuff. Is there anything else to consider when picking the MOB? I told my friend i could build him one cheaper/better than he could buy since he already has the OS, keyboard, mouse and monitor. OS will be windows 7 64bit.

You could really go either way - with the AMD you could use this board and save quite a bit of money:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280

If you go with the i3-2120 I'd recommend this board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

The Intel board will run a bit more but it will be BLAZING fast - it's the same setup I have in my workstation build, I love it.

 

[saratj1]

The way I understand it is that athlons and the APU's are pretty similar clock for clock.
I would go for the FM1 setup to have all the graphics power vs. other IGP's.
I built an A8 system for my inlaws to play cafeworld on and they love it. More and more apps are becoming able to use the extra graphics muscle, for example new internet browsers are using hardware acceleration, flash player's, photoshop, DVD burning/conversion software, not to mention games, and everyones getting 1080p monitors which require more juice to drive.

 

[welchs101]

now i am really confused.

 

[g-unit1111]

now i am really confused.

Well what do you need more help on? I'm sure I can clarify it better.

The thing about choosing a CPU is it all depends on what your primary needs are and usage for the system. The Llano is made for HTPCs where you don't really need a lot of horsepower to begin with. For the tasks you're using, I think I would go with a Phenom II X4.

 

[welchs101]

The rumors on the A6: What are they? Have you known of anyone to have a problem?

Regarding the Phenom II X4: WHy would you go with this one?

Why would you choose the Phenom II X4 over the Athlon X3 or A6?

 

[g-unit1111]

The rumors on the A6: What are they? Have you known of anyone to have a problem?

What I've heard on the A6 is that the video drivers have been causing a lot of BSOD and other conflicts in Windows, among other things.

Regarding the Phenom II X4: WHy would you go with this one?

Why would you choose the Phenom II X4 over the Athlon X3 or A6?

The X4 is a dedicated quad core CPU - whereas the A6 is a dual core, and the X3 is a tri-core, and the X4 is the best price / performance CPU in its' category for the price.e

 

[welchs101]

which Phenom II x4 would you get.......i just checked new egg there are several and they are much more expensive than the X3 i mentioned in my previous post...........almost twice as much....................

What does BSOD mean?

 

[g-unit1111]

which Phenom II x4 would you get.......i just checked new egg there are several and they are much more expensive than the X3 i mentioned in my previous post...........almost twice as much....................

What does BSOD mean?

Since you can't get the 955 - which is the one I've used in many builds for friends - go with this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995

BSOD = blue screen of death - this will help explain it better than I can: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/blue_screen_survival_guide

 

[welchs101]

If i went with the 955 can you or someone recommend a build around this cpu?

Again, this computer is not for heavy gaming but rather web surfing, email maybe using skype .......stuff like that. My neighbor is using a really old dell and its really slow. They have been good neighbors and really helped me out a lot so i want it to work great for them. But i cant spend tooooo much money onit. Budget but nice.............

 

[welchs101]

i am sorry if i went with the 960T....can someone recommend a build. I misunderstood last post.

is the 960T as good as the 955?

 

[roll_right]

1) AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3650WNGXBOX cost: ~ $120

2) AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
cost: ~ $78

I don't think I'd use either of those - there's a lot of rumors with the Llano having a lot of problems associated with it.

For the CPU go with either the Phenom II X4 - 960 or go with the Intel i3-2120. They're both around the ~$120 range and they're both perfectly capable for anything he wants to do.

I am looking for some guidance on which to pick. Also, i am not sure what MOB to use. Should i get a MOB that supports USB3.0.......that kinda of stuff. Is there anything else to consider when picking the MOB? I told my friend i could build him one cheaper/better than he could buy since he already has the OS, keyboard, mouse and monitor. OS will be windows 7 64bit.

You could really go either way - with the AMD you could use this board and save quite a bit of money:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280

If you go with the i3-2120 I'd recommend this board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

The Intel board will run a bit more but it will be BLAZING fast - it's the same setup I have in my workstation build, I love it.

That board for the i3-2120 is way too expensive for his needs.

 

[welchs101]

is the 960t a good budget build for the needs i have listed. want the computer to be fast and last at least a few years.

the MOB you listed for teh amd chipset does not have on-board video..........i would need to buy a video card......which is what i am tyring to avoid to save money.

 

[g-unit1111]

That board for the i3-2120 is way too expensive for his needs.

That it may be but it does have onboard video - and the Intel integrated graphics will be a lot better than what the Phenom II will have.

the MOB you listed for teh amd chipset does not have on-board video..........i would need to buy a video card......which is what i am tyring to avoid to save money.

If you want onboard video then I'd definitely go with the Llano A6 or A8 - but make sure you get the quad core version (I think the problems I was reading about were related to the dual core version). The Llano has an integrated Radeon 6670 which will be more than adequate for what you need.

Maybe try something like this:

Motherboard; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128518
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

 

[welchs101]

i found a really cool web site that shows cpu performance/price ratio................the A6 is almost at the top.

 

[welchs101]

ok i am going to ask a dumb question.

The performance for the A6-3650 is a number like 4848
The performance for the X3 455 is a number like 2929

The A6 is at 2.6GHz and the X3 is at 3.3GHz.........now i know there are other things to consider than just clock speed but really, how can the A6 be that much better if its 1GHz slower than the X3

 

[Outlander_04]

ok i am going to ask a dumb question.

The performance for the A6-3650 is a number like 4848
The performance for the X3 455 is a number like 2929

The A6 is at 2.6GHz and the X3 is at 3.3GHz.........now i know there are other things to consider than just clock speed but really, how can the A6 be that much better if its 1GHz slower than the X3

Many computing tasks like say running the flash animations in a web page can be run by the graphics section of a Llano APU .

The computer cores are very slightly modified athlon/phenom cores scaled to 32 nm . Efficiency is better , and totaly system power consumption will also be lower than an athlon x3 build

Use Llano
an FM1 mb with an A75 chip set
2 x2 gig of 1600 or 1866 MHz RAM running at 1.5 volt or less
and a 400 watt psu

 

[welchs101]

If i get the A6-3650 do i need to get a MOB with on board video? Kinda confused about this one ..........i dont want to get a separate video card as i dont think this is needed given my neighbor's requirements.

But i think i read some where that the A6 has video built in..........i thought the video came from the MOB

 

[g-unit1111]

If i get the A6-3650 do i need to get a MOB with on board video? Kinda confused about this one ..........i dont want to get a separate video card as i dont think this is needed given my neighbor's requirements.

But i think i read some where that the A6 has video built in..........i thought the video came from the MOB

All FM-1 motherboards have built in video. Check these out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128515
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131765

 

[welchs101]

thanks. do i need a MOB with built in video if i go with the A6-3650?

 

[g-unit1111]

thanks. do i need a MOB with built in video if i go with the A6-3650?

You have to have a motherboard that will support the FM-1 socket. Most AMD motherboards will support the AM2 or AM3 socket, so yes you will need that board for that CPU to work.

 

[welchs101]

hi, i hope i am not asking an obvious question.

I understand that certain cpu's have to go into certain type of sockets.

What i was asking , and again i hope its not too dumb, but i read that the benefit of the A6-3650 is that it has the onboard video on the cpu chip.........never heard of this but i said "ok" sounds cool. I had only heard of either getting a MOB with onboard video or a separate video card.

so my question is this. The A6-3650............If i buy this cpu do i also need to buy a MOB with onboard video.

 

[welchs101]

does anyone know the answer or am i asking too dumb a question.

i thougth of one more..........if the A6-3650 does not require a MOB with onboard graphics.....what happens if happen to buy a board with on board graphics? would it cause a conflict?

 

[g-unit1111]

does anyone know the answer or am i asking too dumb a question.

i thougth of one more..........if the A6-3650 does not require a MOB with onboard graphics.....what happens if happen to buy a board with on board graphics? would it cause a conflict?

No, the A6 does require a board with onboard graphics. If you use a board that doesn't have the FM-1 socket, you won't be able to use that CPU.

 

[Cybernetic]

I've looked over a lot of the AMD CPUs. I really like the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE (OCs easily and on Amazon, it's around 182 bucks). If you want a cheaper, but still great AMD CPU there is always the AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE (high stock clock speed and easy OC; around 140 bucks on Newegg).