Basic budget build

[botham]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week
Budget Range: <500 (before rebates)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: surfing the internet, watching movies using ps3 media server (transcoding), possibly SkyRim
Parts Not Required: monitor, OS, disk
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: ncix.com
Country: Canada
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: I would like a quiet PC

I have chosen the following components:

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.49 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6450 1GB Video Card ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $376.44
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-02 22:06 EDT-0400)

Advice I'd much appreciate on:

- can I get a similar performing (cpu-wise) with an Intel cpu / mobo choice for similar price? which one?
Can the i3 2120 match AMD Phenom 4-core performance?
- Not sure what video card I need. I don't want to over-invest in a video card that I won't use to its potential.
- Memory advice. Is the G-skill good memory.
I can find the following Patriot for a similar price:
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield (PSD38G1600KH)

 

[James McKeane]

This thread received no responses, so i assumed you haven't built yet.

For your pc demands, an i3 2100 should do just fine, more specifically gaming wise, as the gpu will be the real performance bottleneck. Below I selected an Asrock E3G3, as it is very popular amongst gamers. although you preferred to neither SLI nor OC, this board does in the case that you may want to explore overclocking ablilites in the future. That all being said, you can downgrade to an H61 chipset motherboard, which will slice 50 to 60 off your entire build. I doubt you'll ever need a 600w PSU (or at least with this build), so i selected a better rated, lower wattage PSU. If future upgrades call for additional power, then you should keep the OCz.

I assume by "disks" you meant HDDs and not including optical drives. This all should fit under 500 at ncix canada

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.10 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6570 2GB Video Card ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Antec 380W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Lite-On SK-1788/BS Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Logitech B100 Wired Optical Mouse ($7.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $488.02
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-18 17:36 EDT-0400)

 

[botham]

James, thanks for responding. I ended up getting essentially what I had in my original post, with some minor changes (see below). Just out of curiosity, why do you recommend an Intel based combo vs. AMD (a $50 difference)? The mobo I chose seems better to my inexperienced eyes, with usb3, sata III, and cross-fire / OC capable. It seems AMD 965 is at par with i3-2120 on most metrics.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.42 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GT 520 1GB Video Card ($44.88 @ Canada Computers)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $387.25
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)