Help me get back 'in the loop'

[JamesXP]

Been 'out of the loop' for a long time now, and I figure it's time for a new computer, I don't like the sound of a cheap deadend solution(e.g 775) or a more expensive curren solution(1156).

I figure AM2+/AM3 is a much more future proof system, which is also cheaper than other particular manafacturers.

I just have a few questions;

I'm thinking about getting the;

Athlon 240 II, which is fairly cheap at £40
Athlon X4 620, which is more expensive at £75
Phenom X2 550, which is the same price at £75
Phenom X3 710, which is the same price at £75

Is there a massive difference in perfomance vs price within in all these models, considering that my main uses are general web browsing, and light gaming (TF2, CSS, generally source related games, and possibly i'd like to play GRiD, and other similiar racing games) (1680x1050 ofcourse)

I also might aswell put a small question in about GPU's since I don't think it's worth a full thread, but. I was thinking of getting the ATi 4850, but I was wondering if there is anything new coming at a similiar price point but more performance, or if there is a faster nVidia card at the same price...

And ANOTHER question, about: DDR2 vs DDR3, the price difference here between 4GB of 1333 DDR3 and 4GB of DDR1066, isn't that much different, is it worth it going to DDR3 and is there also a noticable difference in perfomance.

I might have more questions, so don't take your thinking caps off just yet...

(Reccomend good sets of rams, I've been looking at OCZ/Corsair which seem to be the cheapest (the reaper and xms series)


Thankies

 

[Marshmallow64]

I reccommend the 550 for light gaming at that resolution. I notice you do not have the 720 listed in your parts but it is a good idea to take a look. It is a better buy over the 710 that you listed.

As for Gpus, I recommend waiting just a tad bit longer. Some new radeon cards are coming out in a few days that will decrease the costs of everything. I recommend the 4870 or 4890 once price drops occur. It all depends on your budget though.

As for ram those two companies are a great choice and I would go with AM3 socket for future upgrades since I think you are coming from an old 939 socket.

 

[Dolk]

Is there a massive difference in perfomance vs price within in all these models, considering that my main uses are general web browsing, and light gaming (TF2, CSS, generally source related games, and possibly i'd like to play GRiD, and other similiar racing games) (1680x1050 ofcourse)

When it comes to gaming none of these CPUs will show a huge difference. I would however suggest the Phenom II X3 since it has the largest of the Cache and the higher chance to be unlocked. I'm not 100% sure about the 620 though, I would talk to some of the guys here that have one. I know Archer just got his.

I also might aswell put a small question in about GPU's since I don't think it's worth a full thread, but. I was thinking of getting the ATi 4850, but I was wondering if there is anything new coming at a similiar price point but more performance, or if there is a faster nVidia card at the same price...

The new 5800 series just came out today but for a much higher price than you may be looking for. If you are looking for a computer to play games at 1680x1024 than I suggest grabbing the 4870 once the rebates start flying (they will due to the 5870). All in All, its a waiting game to see what will happen with price atm.

And ANOTHER question, about: DDR2 vs DDR3, the price difference here between 4GB of 1333 DDR3 and 4GB of DDR1066, isn't that much different, is it worth it going to DDR3 and is there also a noticable difference in perfomance.

If you are going Phenom II than go DDR3 and grab a nice UD4P or UD3P from Gigabyte or M4A form ASUS. DDR3 shows great results with the new AM3, the price difference is not much.

For more info on the Phenom IIs just check out my sig

 

[JamesXP]

Thanks, unfortunately here in the UK we don't really have rebates unfortunately, I'll just wait around while I save up to see if theres any sales

So the X3 720 is a good solid choice? what kind of clocks can I expect with a stock cooler (also reccomend a cheap cooler?)

 

[Dolk]

Stock, easy 3.2-3.4, Good cooling 3.6 extreme cooling / WC 3.8

 

[JamesXP]

3.6, sounds like fun compared to my lowly single core 2GHz, I guess this would be a pretty damn huge jump in perfomance, just gotta save up my pennies haha :I

 

[Porvalsh]

I agree with going for the Phenom ii X3 720. Its unlocked so you can overclock if you want. For 120 bucks its an awesome chip, can't go wrong.

I'd go with AM3 platform. 790x is a decent chipset, and is nicely priced if you get a no frills board. Maybe GA-MA790XT-UD4P? Not sure, I am more familiar with the 790fx boards. Ram is cheap either way, unless you're looking for really fast, low CAS modules.

A price drop on the 4870/4890's is going to be nice. I a 4890 for 179 after rebate. (I understand you can't get rebates there) For 200 bucks though its a sweet card. IMO better than a GTX 280.

I think at the price range you're looking at you should be conscious that an extra 10-20 bucks per component might get you a considerable increase in performance.