Approximate Purchase Date: This week.
Budget Range: $160 to $180.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: PC games + console game emulation.
Parts Needed: Motherboard, CPU + Cooler, 4 GB RAM, Thermal Paste.
Parts Not Required: Cooler Master Centurion 532 Mid-Tower, Antec True Power 2.0 550W, 2x 250 GB SATA HDDs, XFX GeForce 8800 GTX, Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Windows 7 64-bit install.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: microcenter.com, newegg.com.
Country of Origin: USA.
Overclocking: Yes, CPU + RAM.
SLI or Crossfire: No.
Monitor Resolution: 1600 x 900.
Additional Comments: My setup has performed well in the past, but it's showing its age due to a heavily outdated board (Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR) and processor (Opteron 165, Socket 939). I'll upgrade both the mobo and CPU since I'd be mad to buy a slightly better Socket 939 CPU.
I've done my research and AMD is my best option for a budget upgrade. Specifically, the Phenom II X4 830 is being sold for $49.99 at Microcenter. Compared to the 840, it's 400 MHz slower, but the L3 Cache is just too good to pass up from what I've read. I'll try overclocking this CPU from 2.8 to 3.6 GHz and higher.
An AM3+ board would be nice for future CPU upgrading. SLI/Crossfire is not important to me. The best option I've found is the ASRock 970 Extreme3 for $84.99. I've read how someone successfully overclocked their quad-core CPU to 4GHz although this board only has a 4+1 VRM phase. The 830 is not on the supported CPUs list for this board, but I've read that it's simply a renamed 925.
For the CPU cooler, I plan on getting the Hyper 212 Plus. It's a bit smaller, cheaper, and quieter than the V6GT. I have a Thermaltake Big Typhoon that I was thinking of reusing, but the mounting bracket needed for AM3 compatibility isn't sold anymore. The Hyper should be able to fit in my case with a bit of room to spare, and I've heard that it clears G.SKILL Ripjaw-size RAM overhead, which the mobo will likely avoid anyway. I plan on pointing the cooler toward my back case fan in a push-pull system.
Lastly, I'm pretty sure my Antec TruePower 2.0 550W will be able to power this rebuild, although I need to use a 4-pin to 8-pin power adapter.
All in all:
ASRock 970 Extreme3 - $84.99 ($7.56 Shipping)
AMD Phenom II X4 830 - $49.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 2x 2GB DDR3 1600 - $29.99
Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler - $25.99
Rosewill 9.5" EPS 8-Pin Male to ATX 4-Pin - $5.98
Total: $203.66~
There's not much I can do to lower the total unless I forego AM3+. If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to reply.
Budget Range: $160 to $180.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: PC games + console game emulation.
Parts Needed: Motherboard, CPU + Cooler, 4 GB RAM, Thermal Paste.
Parts Not Required: Cooler Master Centurion 532 Mid-Tower, Antec True Power 2.0 550W, 2x 250 GB SATA HDDs, XFX GeForce 8800 GTX, Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Windows 7 64-bit install.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: microcenter.com, newegg.com.
Country of Origin: USA.
Overclocking: Yes, CPU + RAM.
SLI or Crossfire: No.
Monitor Resolution: 1600 x 900.
Additional Comments: My setup has performed well in the past, but it's showing its age due to a heavily outdated board (Lanparty nF4 SLI-DR) and processor (Opteron 165, Socket 939). I'll upgrade both the mobo and CPU since I'd be mad to buy a slightly better Socket 939 CPU.
I've done my research and AMD is my best option for a budget upgrade. Specifically, the Phenom II X4 830 is being sold for $49.99 at Microcenter. Compared to the 840, it's 400 MHz slower, but the L3 Cache is just too good to pass up from what I've read. I'll try overclocking this CPU from 2.8 to 3.6 GHz and higher.
An AM3+ board would be nice for future CPU upgrading. SLI/Crossfire is not important to me. The best option I've found is the ASRock 970 Extreme3 for $84.99. I've read how someone successfully overclocked their quad-core CPU to 4GHz although this board only has a 4+1 VRM phase. The 830 is not on the supported CPUs list for this board, but I've read that it's simply a renamed 925.
For the CPU cooler, I plan on getting the Hyper 212 Plus. It's a bit smaller, cheaper, and quieter than the V6GT. I have a Thermaltake Big Typhoon that I was thinking of reusing, but the mounting bracket needed for AM3 compatibility isn't sold anymore. The Hyper should be able to fit in my case with a bit of room to spare, and I've heard that it clears G.SKILL Ripjaw-size RAM overhead, which the mobo will likely avoid anyway. I plan on pointing the cooler toward my back case fan in a push-pull system.
Lastly, I'm pretty sure my Antec TruePower 2.0 550W will be able to power this rebuild, although I need to use a 4-pin to 8-pin power adapter.
All in all:
ASRock 970 Extreme3 - $84.99 ($7.56 Shipping)
AMD Phenom II X4 830 - $49.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 2x 2GB DDR3 1600 - $29.99
Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler - $25.99
Rosewill 9.5" EPS 8-Pin Male to ATX 4-Pin - $5.98
Total: $203.66~
There's not much I can do to lower the total unless I forego AM3+. If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to reply.