Time traveling from 2003 to a new beast! 1K budget.

Hello everyone,

I've been running with the same Athlon 64 3200+ for about six years now, and I was looking for an upgrade. I have a budget of under a thousand dollars, so I've constructed a table with my options and choices at the end. I've also enclosed a cheap build just for kicks!

I would appreciate any suggestions.


So that puts the final build at:
Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W $99.99
Antec Nine Hundred Two $99.99
AMD Phenom 955 AM3 125W HDZ955FBGIBOX $165.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA790XTA-UD4P $119.99 ($6.98 )
(2X) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB $93.99x2=$188
XFX HD-577A-ZNFC$179.99
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $89.99

Edit: I've decided to change the power supply to Corsair, and the video card to XFX based on muddocktor's recommendations.

I’ll add it up and it looks like...

940.92

This is the el-cheapo version that I'd overclock to get my money's worth:

Antec NSK 4482B $84.99
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus $112.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P $79.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB $93.99
SAPPHIRE HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB $99.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 640GB $59.99
Scythe MUGEN-2 $34.99

566.93 (plus around 30 dollars of shipping)

Is the cheaper system worth it? I'm saving 50 bucks on a processor only to dump it back into a heat sink... I welcome your opinions and criticism!

Intransit

Welcome!!!!!

Well, for 1k, I would personally go i5.

Just switch out the cpu/mobo for an i5 750 and MSI P55M-GD45 for about the same cost and better performance outside of gaming.

I would also go with the Corsair 650TX unit over the PSU you selected, though both will work fine, the corsair should be better as far as quality is concerned (someone please correct me if I am wrong).

I've been doing AMD my whole life, so Intel makes me a little nervous! I would be excited to try the new i5, especially because I'm intending to do a lot of virtualization to make myself more valuable at my new job. It's why I have the 8GB of RAM.

You're not the first person to suggest the i5, and I also hear that Microcenter has a great combo deal on a CPU/Motherboard. I'm really loathe to go about 1k though, do you think it can be done?

I don't know the first thing about the i5 platform, but I'll do some research at home and post a link.

Thanks for your suggestion, and the welcome!

Well, now that I know you have a microcenter nearby, you MAY be able to jump to an i7 920 and still keep under 1k. The i7 920 is $199 at microcenter and a decent overclocking board is only about $140. The only difference here will be the ram X58 chipsets are triple channel ram so you would be looking at 6GB. Depends on how much you are virtualizing and how much ram you are assigning to the VM.

But for i5, you can easily get that for under 1k as the i5 750 is only $150 at microcenter.

I had trouble getting an i7 for 1k or under.. i do not suggest trying..i had to use our classifieds section to get deals on alot of parts.. though I think the one thread of mine when i was looking for parts was over 1k, like 1150+ or so and was using all brand new.. Here was my list originally.. prices may have changed by now: price layout is orig prices / current newegg prices!

i7 - microcenter @ 200
gigabyte ud3r x58 @ 190 / 189
g.skill 6gb ram @ 150 / 150
corsair 650tx @ 100 / 90 (70 after MiR)
5770 @ 170 / 165 (sapphire non-vaporX)
WD caviar black 640gb @ 75 / 75
HAF922 @ 100 / your case is 99
dvd burner @ 24 / 25
HSF cogage true spirit @ 38 / 35 (svc.com)
OS - win7 pro64 @ 105 (can get student discount on this with .edu email still? would make it @ 32)

Overall thats approx 1150.. and all being brand new at the time (month ago give or take a few days)

imo i5 is better bet.. I would have gone i5 if I was doing it all again.. i think the i7 is overkill for anything im even remotely doing with it

No windows (didnt see him mention that above) and a decent overclocking foxconn flaming blade GTI would put that right at 1k.

psionic98 said:

OS - win7 pro64 @ 105 (can get student discount on this with .edu email still? would make it @ 32)

Click to expand...

You can't get it for $30 anymore, but if you have a valid .edu email to use you can still get it for $65 at theultimatesteal.com

I just posted my orig list.. I didnt look for the absolute budget..though i haven't heard much bad about flaming blade

though hes a fan of amd, and nothing wrong with getting the x4 955BE chip since it overclocks well and might make the OP feel better!

also says for work.. can get away with 5750 or even 48xx series.. its not intended for gaming.. can possibly save 50+ on lower end gfx

What I took from his posts, and hopefully he will clarify, is that he wants to use virtualization to put OS's/Apps etc on there, not that it is a workstation or an office machine per say and no gaming. But yeah, if he can lop off the GPU down a coupe notches if he doesnt need it, i7 is certainly within site.

yeah, I know what your list was, I just said it could be done and showed how. You struggled to get there, I made it happen...hehe!

You don't have to go triple channel with i7 920s, you just have the option
If you're virtualizing things that use lots of cpu power the i7 920 is the way to go hands down.
Otherwise i'd go for a C3 revision PhII 955, personally.

for case CM Scout is nice

Intel's got better virtualization access built into the Processor than AMD. (though I'm still an AMD fanboy, have been for a decade)

If you're in school at all you might be able to get a legit copy of Windows from your school. (Mine's part of the MSDN Academic Alliance; I get free copies of every windows OS from DOS 6.0 to Win 7 64bit Pro.)

Power supply is way overkill. A quality 450W-500W will work just fine, for about half the price.

if going i7 i wouldnt touch a 500w psu as adding in hdds/gfx and such could start edging on the max amps for the psu.. lowest i was willing to do with my i7 was a 620, having a buffer for power is better bet imo.. never know what you want to do later and having to re-buy a psu would be a waste

Wow, you guys are great. I really appreciate your thoughts on my build. I'm definitely not averse to giving this i5/i7 some serious thought. In fact, I'm going to head over to Microcenter now and take a look at what they have. I wrote down all the suggestions in this thread, and emailed it to myself.

I'm going to use this combo as a reference point for what I'm willing to spend at MC. It's a GIGABYTE GA-790XTA-UD4 and AMD Phenom II X4 955 for $291 dollars, after a small combo discount.

As far as gaming goes, I should have been clearer; I do intend to do a lot of gaming on this machine. I don't need anything uber cutting-edge, but I would like to be quite comfortable with the new games. I assume the i5/i7 chips are more than adequate.

I figure most of the other stuff in my build is like legos and will fit with either Mobo/CPU (except RAM config), so I'll most likely go with whatever price is best.

So, as it stands:

Choice 1:
1. AMD/Gigabyte bundle for $315
2. i5/Unknown mobo for ______ at Microcenter
3. i7/Uknown mobo for _______ at Microcenter

I'm going to head over there now, and I'll fill in the blanks when I come back!

Thanks again for all your help. I'm obviously a stranger and completely new to the forums, and you all have been very welcoming and helpful.

Since I just finished my i5 build, I'll list it here for reference:

Case: Antec Mini P180 - $50 (newegg, $30 rebate)
CPU: i5 750 - $163 (microcenter)
Memory: GSkill Ripjaws 2x2GB - $94 (newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte P55M-UD2 - $90 (ewiz, $15 instant coupon)
Cooler: CM Hyper 212 Plus - $25 (amazon)
Video Card: Used XFX 4870 1GB - $130 (classifieds)
SSD: Intel X25M 80GB - $192 (tigerdirect with $35 bing cashback and $25 ebillme rebate)
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 500W - $35 (frys.com)
DVD Burner: I had one from an old build but here's an option - Samsung one - $25 (newegg)
OS: I got W7 for free, but $30 if you're a student and a lot more if you're not.

Total: $779

It's actually a bit cheaper than that, with some newegg Bing cashback and 2% credit card cashback. Everything was brand new except for the video card, which has lifetime warranty.

Obviously, you can replace the SSD with a traditional hard drive, or get a better video card, but I feel that this build is very solid.

Now days games are much more video card limited than cpu, so i5 won't hold you back at all. I recommend the 4870, 4890, 5850, 5870 depending on your budget.

BTW: i5 750 is @ 4.2ghz, max temp is ~75. I get excellent framerates in TF2, haven't gotten around to installing anything else.

BTW part 2: I'm actually kind of ****ed at myself for spending this much, and it's all because I wanted to treat myself to a new computer ASAP, so I bought all the parts within a week of each other. If you can wait a month or so, you pick up some really good deals and probably save another $75-$150.

bLack0ut said:

BTW part 2: I'm actually kind of ****ed at myself for spending this much, and it's all because I wanted to treat myself to a new computer ASAP, so I bought all the parts within a week of each other. If you can wait a month or so, you pick up some really good deals and probably save another $75-$150.

Click to expand...

What makes you say that things are going to be cheaper in a month? I really don't want to wait any longer, but I do have a functional computer. If there was something very compelling coming down the pipeline I might wait, but prices will always be coming down and I'd rather not wait for that natural progression (because it will always happpen ).

It's not that waiting a month will result in lower prices, it's that if you have a month to search out lower prices and take advantage of one-day-deals, the total will be lower.

At least that's how i read it.

In gaming with a single GPU the Phenom II quads hold up to i7 920's remarkably well, they even beat them in some games/benchmarks. No clue why, but it's undeniable.
They aren't better, but are pretty close to even at stock clocks. As you OC and both cpus reach 4ghzish, the 920 wins out by a few frames per second.

+1 on bobnova.. and the build that blackout put up is pretty solid and as he said.. you dont need the SSD and could easily shave off nearly 100 bucks or more going with a traditional hard drive. the extra 100 could be put towards a better gfx card like a 5850! though id stick with a corsair psu over his antec..not that its a bad psu, but if you're going to use advice from these boards.. lots of folks opt for corsair units.

So I just got back from Microcenter.

The i7 920 is going for $230, which really puts it out of my reach. $199 would have been pushing it, but the salesguy said the promotion ended last month. The price for the 920 is still fantastic, but I can get a 955 Deneb for $175 (minus 25 if I get that combo from newegg), and for me, value is much more important than bleeding edge. The quad core 955 is still going to be a tremendous step up from my old 3200+.

Now the i5 750 is only $189 at MC, which is much more in line with what I'm willing to spend, but is still more expensive than the $163 a lot of people got it for last month. The salesguy at MC also said that the i5 doesn't have the same multithreading benefits that the i7 has.

Anyone care to weight in? At this point it looks like either the i5 750 for $189, or the 955 Deneb for $175. This will be 60% gaming, 40% virtualization, I'd say.

Edit: Also, if I go i5, is the 1156 socket an evolutionary dead at this point? Any more or less so than the AM3 socket for the Deneb?