New budget build for friend - FX4100, Phenom II X4 965, or what?

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Sprinx

Sprinx

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So, a friend of mine at work is wanting to build a desktop, which he has never done before. He is ready to buy immediately, so we'll probably purchase this week. I've let him borrow my old rig for the last two LAN parties, and thought about selling it to him, but after asking here, I decided to tell him to build new (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/339556-31-worth). Hope that link works.

Anyway, trying to do a build under $400, excluding video card. That pretty much excludes Sandy Bridge, so I was thinking an AMD build. I know I've heard that the FX series are pretty much not all they're cracked up to be, but is it really that bad? I was thinking the FX-4100, since it's under $100. Should I get him an AM3+ board, but put a Phenom II X4 965 in it instead? Or should I go with an Intel Pentium dual-core from the Sandy Bridge line?

He will be doing some gaming in addition to normal computer activities (web surfing, paying bills, etc.) Here is my proposed build.

ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767
$89.99

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996
$109.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
$46.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769
$79.99

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW . . . Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067
$17.99

Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
$49.99

Total: $394.94
+ Tax ($37.53) and shipping ($10.75) = $443.22

I'll check prices on Amazon and TigerDirect, but I prefer newegg. Tax is a biatch, though.

He already has a very nice HP IPS 1920x1200 monitor that he got from a closed-out business. I'm giving him an old 650 W PSU and an old 7800 GTX card to hold him over for a few months.

I have a wish list on newegg:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19958226
You can also search for "AMD Budget Build" and choose the one from 3/26/2012.
 
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Sprinx

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Thanks, I've been looking at the i3's, and they're about the same as the FX-quad cores. It just seems so impossible that 2 cores can compete with 4, but the benchmarks and lots of other posts that I've seen seem to support this.

The board you referenced is an H61 board - should I get that, or a Z68 for a little bit more? I'm currently running an i5 750 myself, so I'm not as familiar with the Sandy Bridge offerings. From what I can tell, the H61 is lacking USB 3.0 and SSD caching; not sure either would be used, but then again, I did suggest to build a new rig.

What do you think of this MB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270
$84.99

My friend's got a cheap ASRock, and he's got an i5 2500k OC'ed to 4.8 GHz on water. Or should I just stick with the H61 and put that $15 elsewhere in the build?
 
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Sprinx

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Ah, now that I look at it more, I think I've found a good board. I like the MSI route, and this is an H67 board which seems very capable:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130578
It's $84.99, $69.99 after rebate.

Is H67 recommended over H61? The number's higher, so I'm assuming. The H67 has Sata III as well as USB 3.0, and it's got better reviews than the ASRock.
Plus, it has Realtek ALC892 for audio, vs. the ALC887. My friend will not be buying a sound card, and this provides 6 3.5mm ports vs 3 on the 887.

So, right now, I'm thinking to pair the H67 MSI board referenced above with the Intel 2120 i3. This will make a Micro-ATX build, and probably let him buy a smaller case, if he wants.

No reviews on this MSI H67 board, however... :(
 
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g-unit1111

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It's micro ATX though - I never, ever recommend micro ATX on any full desktop system. This would be a better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121508

X4 965/980 or i3-2120. Forget the FX4100, even the $60 Pentium G beat it for gaming.
Click to expand...

That's what I was saying earlier.

Thanks, I've been looking at the i3's, and they're about the same as the FX-quad cores. It just seems so impossible that 2 cores can compete with 4, but the benchmarks and lots of other posts that I've seen seem to support this.
Click to expand...

It's actually not in the number of cores it has - it's how they're utilized - and there's where Intel does better than the AMD as its' core instructions are on the CPU where AMD offloads those to the operating system and that's never a good idea.

Is H67 recommended over H61? The number's higher, so I'm assuming. The H67 has Sata III as well as USB 3.0, and it's got better reviews than the ASRock.
Click to expand...

H61 has very limited expansion and disables a lot of features in the BIOS including access to the multiplier which would make any attempt to overclock not fun, but if you're buying H61 - you probably have no use for that anyways.
 
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geekapproved

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Sprinx

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I personally always choose ATX for my builds, but is there any particular reason why one should never build a gaming machine with Micro ATX? Just curious. I know I've seen some benchmarking overclocking builds using micro-ATX.

If I were to go ATX, I'd be more inclined to go with this ASUS P8H67-V:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783

My two favorite motherboard brands are ASUS and EVGA. I've always had good experiences with them. This ASUS is $104.99, which is a bit more than the others. Total build is $427.94 now, before tax and shipping. My peace of mind with the ASUS might be worth it though, especially since it's not my system.

Plus with the H67 + sandy bridge, he can use the onboard video until he buys a discrete card. No reason for him to borrow my dinosaur 7800 GTX.

Also, I noticed the memory standard for this board is 1333/1066. Am i wasting money with 1600 MHz memory?

 
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g-unit1111

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No it isn't - not only do you forfeit access to the multiplier and RAM multiplier, you also forfeit extra SATA ports for drive expansion (such as adding an SSD), 2 DIMM slots, PCI slots including both x16 lanes - which would water down and hinder any SLI or Crossfire setups you want to run and the more powerful GPUs you want to run, again - I say it's not fine for a gaming build. It's fine if you're using a true gaming board like the Asus Maximus IV but H61 is not acceptable on a gaming build, IMO because you forfeit so much to save a few bucks - get the ideal motherboard for your build, and don't go cheap.

Plus with the H67 + sandy bridge, he can use the onboard video until he buys a discrete card. No reason for him to borrow my dinosaur 7800 GTX.
Click to expand...

That's a way better option than an H61 mATX board is.
 
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Sprinx

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I was thinking about this ASUS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783

But I like that ASRock, as well. I had a bad experience with an ASRock P45TS-R (couldn't put it to sleep with more than 1 PCI-express slot filled - not good for an HTPC), but that seems like a solid board.

Sorry - no Micro Centers near Nashville, TN :cry:

So, I may go with the combo on newegg, as the ASRock looks like a better board. The $20 in savings will end up being a wash with the taxes, but I prefer to buy from them if I can. My other option is to split up the purchase between Amazon and newegg, as Amazon is tax-free in TN.

Thanks to all for the good advice so far. I'll let you know what we go with.
 
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L

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i3 + z68 will be a great option. No sli, but this not that kind of build. The z68 will also stay a bit more relevant than the one you have from asus over time. From here you have a nice upgrade path.

That link I posted uses amazon and the case in that link is the cheapest thing I would tolerate.
 
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M

MMO Fan

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it's a good starter case but definitely not the best.
I had one for a primary unit and now after two years it's my son's case for his unit.
it's got room and easy to cable, for the price I can see it..
watch out for the windowed panel the little grommets might pop out if not careful.

the fan for the window I leave blank but I have 3x120mm fans in there now and had 4x120mm fans before.
standard ATX power supplies (newer ones) will block the bottom (very bottom) fan so do not bother with that one.
Click to expand...
Bitfenix budget cases are by far the best http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=63256&vpn=BFC-MRC-100-KKX1-RP&manufacture=BitFenix&promoid=1101
 
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Sprinx

Sprinx

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Okay, so we had some snags in getting together to make the final decision. Luckily the i3 + Z68 combo is still active. Also, the Rosewill Challenger case has a nice combo deal w/ a Rosewill semi-modular PSU, which means he can buy a new PSU instead of re-using the one from my closet, which is probably about 6 years old now. I was slightly nervous about that.

Anyway, here's the current build:
This MB + CPU Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.881815
Intel Core i3-2105 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I32105
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$219.98 after $10.00 instant and $20.00 for combo

This case + PSU combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.867807
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower
Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-750 750W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31/EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active-PFC Power Supply
$109.98 after $40.00 instant and $30.00 for combo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
Samsung by Seagate Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ/ST500DM005 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
$69.99 after $10.00 promo code

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244
SAMSUNG DVD BurnerSH-222BB/BEBE
$16.99

Total $426.94 + $38.57 (tax) + $0.00 (shipping) = $455.51

I've changed the HDD and DVD burner due to price changes and free shipping choices. I'm slightly hesitant about the Samsung (by Seagate), but it's $20.00 less than the WD Blue I originally picked out (which packs a $10.00 shipping charge now, vs. free shipping earlier)

I will give him 4 GB of DDR3 1600 and let him borrow a spare 9800 GTX+ until he gets a newer card. Since his monitor is 1920x1200, he'll need one for newer games.

BTW, the Bitfenix cases do look nice, but I could not find a way to buy them in the U.S.
 
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