SOLVED General purpose rig for my wife (no fancy oc)

[Qlix]

So I'm feeling generous and have decided its time to get my wife off of her e8400 and into something a little more stylish.

Im looking for a mobo/CPU combo under $250, brand does not matter, dual core is more than adequate for her use, unless the price is te same. I don't know jack about amd anymore but I am open to suggestions. Also, how do the i3's improve over old c2d's.

Thanks in advance

 

[ASUS ROG]

My suggestion for a $250 mobo and cpu
GIGABYTE GA 970A UD3
http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GA-9...62866130&sr=8-1&keywords=gigabyte+ga+970a+ud3
AMD Phenom II X6 2.7ghz
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-Phenom-10...d=1362866188&sr=1-1&keywords=amd+phenom+ii+x6

This's a pretty good combo, free shipping from Amazon and the bonus is you can actualy oc the cpu too.
If you feel gemerous, you can add a ssd to your wife pc too
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ Technolog...UTF8&qid=1362866358&sr=1-9&keywords=120gb+ssd

 

[Boulard83]

i'd go with and AMD APU.

AMD A4-5300 ~55$
MSI FM2-A85XMA-E35 ~90$
2x2gb of 1333-1600mhz ram ~30$

total : ~170$
Add more ram or better CPU if you feel the need. The 4 core A6-3650 is ~80$.

** A85, mostly for more features like more USB/Sata 3, can be usefull **


I built an AMD APU rig for my mother about 1yr ago and she really enjoy it.

 

[kyfire]

i'd go with and AMD APU.

AMD A4-5300 ~55$
MSI FM2-A85XMA-E35 ~90$
2x2gb of 1333-1600mhz ram ~30$

total : ~170$
Add more ram or better CPU if you feel the need. The 4 core A6-3650 is ~80$.

** A85, mostly for more features like more USB/Sata 3, can be usefull **


I built an AMD APU rig for my mother about 1yr ago and she really enjoy it.

+1 but add at least 8 gig since the graphics share system memory. Also go with at least 1600mhz or better, the AMD APUs love lots of ram and fast ram.

 

[Boulard83]

^^ agree for the memory sharing but i dont think she play games. So in the end, its pretty useless. But ram is cheap !

 

[Qlix]

She's got a gtx560ti, 16 gigs of crucial 1333 already. I shouldn't say 100% general use, WoW (shes a top 50 world hunter lol) and sims 3 are pretty much always on lol. Also, I will have an 1155 mobo I can take advantage of if its beneficial (which is why I asked about i3s)

 

[Boulard83]

Well then, if she play games, this is a diferent "game" ! Maybe an I3 and decent z77 board. mATX ? or ATX ?

I3 + Asrock Z77 Xtreme4 or Xtreme6 are cheap and good. Keep the ram you already have.

 

[Qlix]

I've heard a lot of talk about the extreme4/6 boards lately... Are they really that good for their price? I may pickup one for myself

I'm concerned because I've read a lot about misread voltages or something?

 

[Boulard83]

I am personnally a big Asus fan when it comes to motherboard. But price from asrock are strong and for a casual user, you wont alwais need to pay extra coin to get an asus board.

Asus P8Z77-V LE : ~160$
Asus P8Z77-V : ~190$
Asrock Xtreme4 : ~150$
Asrock Xtreme6 : ~175$

The Xtrm4 dont really lack any important feature and is still a strong board. Mostly for the price !

 

[Qlix]

The extreme6 is only $119 open box from new egg $159 new

 

[ASUS ROG]

I am personnally a big Asus fan when it comes to motherboard. But price from asrock are strong and for a casual user, you wont alwais need to pay extra coin to get an asus board.

Asus P8Z77-V LE : ~160$
Asus P8Z77-V : ~190$
Asrock Xtreme4 : ~150$
Asrock Xtreme6 : ~175$

But buying one of those mobo mean the op won't have money left for cpu, read his first post, he's only want a $250 mobo and cpu combo, that are the reason i recommend a AMD Phenom 2 X6 and the Gigabyte GA 970A UD3.

 

[Qlix]

Right... But the 250 limit only applied if I was buying a whole new combo. Edit: as in I still needed to budget a board for myself afterwards

As I said I need to upgrade my board as well, if I do that then she could be getting my current board, in which case I just buy me a board and her a processor. I can do the extreme 6 and an i3 and still be under budget

 

[Boulard83]

The extreme6 is only $119 open box from new egg $159 new

Im looking at newegg.ca Our price are alwais a bit higher


An I3 is a very good chip for casual gaming and dayli usage. You wont need big cooler and the chip wont pull too much watts on the PSU. I have a friend you dont have much money to spend on computers but like gaming and i run an I3 with a 550ti, he is VERY happy with the setup.

 

[Qlix]

Ok so I think that would be the best way to go to not be buying 2 boards.. Now... An i3 sandy or ivy

 

[Boulard83]

Wont change that much between an SB or IB. If you can find a SB for cheaper cause they are "old"... go for it !

 

[Qlix]

And the board shell be getting is a p67. Which will play nicely with sandy.

 

[Boulard83]

Yup.

 

[Qlix]

So heres the wishlist that I chose, not sure if this is private or not, I selected share but who the hell knows


Wife:
i3 2105 w/ H90 combo 186.00
Corsair Carbide 300R 70.00
Cougar 120mm fans x2 for side panel 10.00 ea
P8P67-Pro Hand-me-down

Me:
The H90 from the above combo
Cougar 140mm fans x2 for H90 push/pull 20.00 ea
AsRock Extreme6 160.00


also... how do i get sleeving like this:

 

[Boulard83]

Just link item here, only the name and price.

 

[ASUS ROG]

also... how do i get sleeving like this:

You can buy them here
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_1lcxugfb4q_b
Note:this's an extention cable, you can not connect then straight from your psu to your mobo

Also try this if you have Corsair AX..... psu
http://www.corsair.com/en/power-supply-units/psu-accessories-1.html