Comparing two kits for gaming

[exodusonfire]

The details are I've been looking to upgrade everything for a reasonable price (200-320$) but my video card since i already have one im satisfied with ( Nvidia 9800 GT). Manually assembling one is rather expensive and i wouldnt be confident that im getting all the parts to be compatible with each other so instead i just tried to find a fitting barebones kit.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1626533&CatId=5291

I was going to originally settle for this one until I saw the next one.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1429933&CatId=5294

There are a couple little things that make me consider the Biostar kit but what's really got me hanging is the CPU. I asked in a separate thread about which is better for my needs and got some good answers but was redirected to post here as well.

The diablotek case in the biostar kit comes with a built in 400w power supply, but i also have an ULTRA WIN-500PS 500W in case anybody would wonder.

I know alot of specifics is required as in what games i play and what other things are a factor but im mostly just a gamer (no casual games) and watch a lot of movies/streams/etc. A little bit of futureproofing would be nice so im not searching for something new again in a few months or something.

These 2 kits are really the only affordable ones i could find so as far as these two are concerned any insight into what suits my needs would be appreciated. Once again all im really hanging on are the CPU's since most of the other components are fairly similar(as far as i can tell )

 

[Outlander_04]

a 6 core processor wont game as well as a triple core running at a higher clock speed because games cant use all the cores.

If you use the form at suggested in the thread at the top of this forum we can help you select quality parts

 

[inzone]

I would go with the second choice also.

 

[exodusonfire]

a 6 core processor wont game as well as a triple core running at a higher clock speed because games cant use all the cores.

If you use the form at suggested in the thread at the top of this forum we can help you select quality parts

This I understand perfectly, I was wondering in just a general fashion that even though it won't use all the cores, would the difference in performance be very noticable between the cores it does use in the X6 vs the X3 or is that too game specific to really give a solid answer? A couple frames difference isn't a big deal and i like to think eventually six cores, or at the very least 4 or 5 cores will be utilized more frequently in games.

I apologize for not using the form but the reason I didn't is because I don't really have the freedom to manually select parts, what i mean by this is I have tried to hand pick each part but in needing so many new parts it always comes out more expensive before im even done picking everything. But if it helps i'll be more specific.

Budget Range:(200-320, maybe 350$)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, watching movies

Parts Not Required: Mouse, keyboard, video card, power supply (noted in first post), dedicated sound card, OS, monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: TigerDirect, Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Brand isn't an issue with me but I tend to lean to AMD cpus for its price and performance and ASUS mobos for the same reasons along with reliability

 

[inzone]

I can't be 100% sure but I think you can diable the cores you aren't using , at least I know it's a feature in the Intel cpu's and by doing that you would only be using the three or four thqat you have enabled and still have the six core for future use if it comes about that they would be using six cores in a game.

 

[Outlander_04]

I dont have specific details of the performance of those two processors , but I strongly suspect the higher clocked Athlon will perform better . Toms published an article a while back about performance scaling with more cores . They got very minor increases from the forth core .
There are also a number of reviews where 6 core phenoms performed worse than phenom quads in gaming .

Here is a $303 build from Newegg . The mb is mATX which should make no difference unless you also have a bunch of other expansion cards you wish to add .

AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131728

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case $40 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

Any dvd drive ~ $20

And Hard drive
either
500 gig Hitachi for $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145299
or 60 gig OCZ SSD for $70 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550

The mb is a quality unit with the higher performing 760G AMD chip set . It is mATX but that makes no difference except more room in the case . You would have to change mb to put a more powerful processor in though since its only rated at 95 watt. It MIGHT unlock the athlons forth core .

The case is a good performer , made to a budget point . It can be used with an ATX mb so you can use it for upgrades .

Now the spoiler .
If you wanted to spend that extra $50 it will be possible to fit in the latest tech AMD quad core . The FX 4100 . That's usually $110 , and you would probably have to buy a more expensive AM3+ motherboard too since there is no guarantee the board above has the latest BIOS to run FX processors
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128521
These parts give you a better upgrade path at the expense of extra cost . You also get a major performance boost .... that you might not see in games since you are sticking with your 9800gt graphics card

 

[exodusonfire]

Best answer selected by exodusonfire.

 

[exodusonfire]

I dont have specific details of the performance of those two processors , but I strongly suspect the higher clocked Athlon will perform better . Toms published an article a while back about performance scaling with more cores . They got very minor increases from the forth core .
There are also a number of reviews where 6 core phenoms performed worse than phenom quads in gaming .

Here is a $303 build from Newegg . The mb is mATX which should make no difference unless you also have a bunch of other expansion cards you wish to add .

AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

ASUS M5A78L-M LX AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131728

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case $40 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227

Any dvd drive ~ $20

And Hard drive
either
500 gig Hitachi for $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145299
or 60 gig OCZ SSD for $70 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550

The mb is a quality unit with the higher performing 760G AMD chip set . It is mATX but that makes no difference except more room in the case . You would have to change mb to put a more powerful processor in though since its only rated at 95 watt. It MIGHT unlock the athlons forth core .

The case is a good performer , made to a budget point . It can be used with an ATX mb so you can use it for upgrades .

Now the spoiler .
If you wanted to spend that extra $50 it will be possible to fit in the latest tech AMD quad core . The FX 4100 . That's usually $110 , and you would probably have to buy a more expensive AM3+ motherboard too since there is no guarantee the board above has the latest BIOS to run FX processors
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128521
These parts give you a better upgrade path at the expense of extra cost . You also get a major performance boost .... that you might not see in games since you are sticking with your 9800gt graphics card

I greatly appreciate what you did here, I will bookmark these and review more in-depth when i have time, but at first glance i might just go with that case and ram and go for the FX and its accompanying mobo. My video card isn't the best but at this time it performs very well for the games i play and for relatively near-future releases. At the very least with one of these better setups ill have a lot of leeway with my video card until i can afford a better one.

I appreciate the thorough response and will mark this as answered

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey