Looking for a cpu/mobo/ram under 300? AMD please.

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xunleashed

xunleashed

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Jan 8, 2010
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I am looking for a new CPU/Mobo/RAM. I have XP right now so I don't have to go overboard with the RAM. Here are the combos that I am looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCombos.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&SubCategory=343&SortField=0&PageSize=100&Page=2

I could always get one of these combos and then buy the RAM or Mobo separate depending on what comes with the combo. What do you guys think is the best deal for under 300$? I was looking at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.352647

And then buy a stick of 2gb ram, eventually I will upgrade to Windows 7, then buy another stick. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Let me just add that I have an Intel Dual Core 2.0 ghz, P5N SLI Mobo and 2GB of Ram now.
 
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Your choice is the best for a build under $300.

However, I would pay $50 more towards a better MB which is the most important part of PC IMO.

I suggest:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.345250
 
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Just smoked my motherboard this weekend. I am looking at doing the same thing you are. From my reading I suggest an ASUS motherboard currently they have the best USB 3.0 implementation as it actually gives enough PCI lanes for U3 to run at full speed. For a proc I choose the Phenom II x2 555 for the high clock rate and potential to unlock all 4 cores. For RAM I am going with standard no frills stuff. Reports from Anandtech and Tom's is the fancy heatspreader versions really are not any better than the standard pieces. Here at the links:

ASUS Mobo
AMD Proc
Basic RAM

Total without tax or shipping is $315.97. So a little above your target. You can always step down in the motherboard area to knock price down a bit.
 
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Your combo of Phenom II x4 and AMD motherboard is the best option so far.

As for DDR2 RAM, I actually suggest buying used DDR2 RAM from ebay or from the numerous members selling it here in the classifieds section. New DDR2 RAM is war overpriced at more than $20 per gig. You can buy them used for about $10-$15 per gig.
 
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Is there a huge difference from DDR2 and DDR3? I could get a combo for 20$ more with a motherboard that has DDR3 slots for RAM. I know that I am going with that processor as I want to stick with AMD.
 
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Sorry for the double post, but I am thinking of going with this setup as a finalized purchase.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.353083
(Combo)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231252
(DDR3 1333 RAM)

Is this a huge jump and will I see a difference in gaming mostly from a dual core 2.0 ghz Intel and 2GB of PC6400 RAM)

* I am only going with 2GB because I am not upgrading to Windows 7 until the summer, then I will buy another stick of 2GB RAM.
 
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Yes DDR3 is faster and you should probably make the jump.

But, why not just get another 2 GB of DDR2 and a E5xxx and overclock the heck out of it or buy the RAM and overclock the heck out of your current CPU. That should cost you $100 and wait until Thuban comes out before getting an entirely new setup.

Or get the new setup, but cheap out on the CPU and get a A2 X3 435.

 
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Thuban Hexa-cores will probably shake up the market a bit and if you don't need a new system right now you should wait until the next AMD releases.

You said you have a Intel (E4400??) running at 2.0Ghz. You might with only a little effort get that to close to 3 Ghz, just tweaking your bios and with a cheap cooling solution.

A newer Wolfdale Pentium (E5xxx, E6xxx) running at 2.5-3.0 Ghz should be appreciatively faster + an even faster overclocker for a modest amount of cash. Your motherboard won't accept a new Intel quad-core.

Even if you are running XP fine with 2 GB of RAM another GB of RAM or two probably will help with performance in some cases.

Seeing how Thuban is coming out and the great value right now in the Rana Triple (Athlon II X3) cores, it might make more sense to spend good money on good DDR3 RAM and a good AM3 motherboard while buying a cheaper CPU.
 
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This is what would I suggested for a CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724

The 720 recommended would need a heatsink which would add another ~$20-40 but is a faster CPU in most situations.

This guy here would probably get you the best bang for your buck until you are ready to migrate to Win 7:

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=E5400&title=Intel-Pentium-Dual-Core-Processor-E5400-2-7GHz-800MHz-2MB-LGA775-CPU-OEM

Otherwise, they system you suggested is great.
 
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It really doesn't get any easier than this...lol

CPU: Phenom II X4 955BE - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Mobo: ASRock M3A770DE - $60 (dual-slot crossfire board)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176
RAM: RAM: 2GB G.SKILL DDR3-1333 - $53
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231252

Total: $273, shipping to the Continental USA is included. None of those "combos" gives you the features that this setup does. Hope you like it! 🙂

Note: The motherboard is a dual-slot Crossfire board and ASRock used to be the OEM division of ASUS. Even their corporate logos are almost identical along with the "AS" in the name. You can trust ASRock's quality just as much as you can trust the quality of ASUS.
 
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Umm, it does say 2GB G.Skill DDR3-1333. I don't know what you mean. The 2GB I chose are on one stick so you don't waste RAM slots. :sol:
 
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