Which processor?

[crazyguy_60]

LGA775 is outdated..
LGA 1366 is too expensive (£650 budget)..
Phenom II don't perform as well as many others..

Which processor is the best for me? I want something that will be in date for a year, with awesome performance. I can't find anything for £650($950)

 

[Kraynor]

Phenom II is the best bang-for-buck chip going right now, wait a while until the 955 comes out and snatch one up.

Also, LGA775 is about as outdated as DVD at the moment - that is to say, it isn't, there's just a newer socket bouncing around for a premium price, it's still got some great chips and any system built around a C2Q or C2D chip that performs well will last for at least a year, a few years if it's overclocked.

 

[rags_20]

Ok, you mean $950 for the whole build? You can get an i7 build for $950. Why not extend it a little?

Here goes:
920 - $280
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R - $200 SLI version if you want to go SLI in the future (+$10)
Seagate 750GB - $80
3 GB RAM - $60
Corsair VX550- $75
Antec 300 - $60
DVD RW - $25
GTX 260 - $180

Total - $960/970 Get a CPU cooler if you want to OC.

You didn't say if gaming was the priority. If not, get a cheaper card - 4670 and better some other parts.

 

[Devastator_uk]

Unfortunatly some things cost more in the UK, i.e.

i7 920 ~$330
GTX 260 ~$220
EX58-UD3R ~$220
etc

Which would probably bring it to $1050-1100.

But depends what you do, a Phenom II can perform very well and do you need a good graphics card? large hard drive?...

 

[crazyguy_60]

Gaming will be my priority, and I'm looking at the HD 4870.
You said I could get a Core i7 computer for $950, but I don't have a retail version of windows, so that another £70/$100.
So if I bought an LGA775 PC, it wouldn't be outdated for a year?

 

[photonboy]

For you, I highly recommend something like this:

motherboard: asus M4A78T-E

Graphics: HD4890 1GB
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4890-review-test/

cpu: amd am3 Phenom II x4 940
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4330959

CPU HSF (spend about $40)

ram: 4GB DDR3, example->
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3956984&CatId=3433

case: ?

power supply:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
or
Corsair TX750W

hard drive: WD 1TB (depends on need)

dvd burner: LG GH22LS30 Black 22X SATA Lightscribe DVDRW OEM

software: possibly "borrow" Vista, get a free copy of Windows 7 RC when released in next couple months, then buy an OEM copy of Windows 7 later.

 

[Helloworld_98]

the 940 doesn't work with am3 boards

 

[The Third Level]

Yeah^^ Wait for the AM3 955. Looks beastly, i heard it goes to 4.0 on air.

 

[rags_20]

Oh, come on. LGA 775 is not going to be outdated for at least 1.5 yrs. I mean, when you have i7s now, peoply still use Pentium Ds. I'd say it is safe to get LGA 775.

E8400 - $165
EP45-UD3L - $100
Corsair 4 GB RAM - DDR2 1066 - C5 - $60
Hard Disk - 750 GB Sgt - $80
DVD RW - $25
Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM - $100
Antec 300 - $60
Corsair VX550 - $75
GTX 260 Core 216 - $180
Whichever CPU cooler you're comfortable with (OC to 3.8-4 GHz) - ~$40
2 120mm Scythes for front intake - Highest CFM you can find - also consider noise - ~ $15 x2
Total - $915 - Because prices are higher at where you live, it might come close to $1000, but $50 more isn't much.

 

[photonboy]

Oooops...

Thanks for correcting my CPU/Motherboard mismatch. I'd go with this one:

AMD Phenom II X4 810 (quad core)

Quad core may not be needed yet, but it will get supported and if you aren't careful you'll have to upgrade your entire system too early. With a good quad-core and 4GB of RAM you can upgrade your graphics again in two or three years.

No dual-core on the market today will keep up with graphics cards in two years. In fact, no dual-core can keep up with a good Crossfire or SLI even now.

 

[sighQ2]

For you, I highly recommend something like this:

motherboard: asus M4A78T-E

Graphics: HD4890 1GB
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4890-review-test/

cpu: amd am3 Phenom II x4 940
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4330959

CPU HSF (spend about $40)

ram: 4GB DDR3, example->
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3956984&CatId=3433

case: ?

power supply:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
or
Corsair TX750W

hard drive: WD 1TB (depends on need)

dvd burner: LG GH22LS30 Black 22X SATA Lightscribe DVDRW OEM

software: possibly "borrow" Vista, get a free copy of Windows 7 RC when released in next couple months, then buy an OEM copy of Windows 7 later.

This is good but raise the mobo to AM3 = M4A79T Deluxe + Phenom II 955 + ATI 4890 w OCZ ram - consider ATI 4770. 750watts=ok.

 

[sighQ2]

stay out of i7, it's not the best gamer.
Ph II runs so "smooth" in game. That's what people say repeatedly. It will save on electricity compare to i7 also. And asus has superior pow mgmt while oclox. Also ocz just released special AMD ram - press release.

 

[gkay09]

Oh, come on. LGA 775 is not going to be outdated for at least 1.5 yrs. I mean, when you have i7s now, peoply still use Pentium Ds. I'd say it is safe to get LGA 775.

Well outdated here doesn't means that he wont get a LGA 775 CPU then...It is just that he would be stuck with older CPU options as intel wont be launching new CPUs for the 775 mostly from this September...
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-logos-star-rating-cpu,7487.html
Check out the Valid upto part...

So when he upgrades say 1.5 years later like you say, he would have to hunt for the Q9X00 or EXX00 CPUs for his upgrade, which am sure would be hard to get...

So better off getting the AM3/1366 socket CPUs as both intel and AMD have just launched those sockets...

 

[rags_20]

^ Yeah, what?
Better to wait for LGA 1156 if you want future proofing. Quad core 8 thread processors are going to be released in that platform, so 1366 doesn't show a great future either. There have been other threads. Many people think 1366 is for servers - I really can't agree more. I mean, triple channel memory, motherboards that you can't get below $200, processors close to $300, that's real pricey. Core i5 is expected to be around $180 or so. Could be cheaper.

Oh, and the OP wants 'something that will be in date for a year', so LGA 775 should be just FINE. Get it? 1 year. And the You have to spend $500 out of your $950 for just the CPU and the mobo (i7). Great.

 

[Helloworld_98]

actually rags, i5 is expected to be over $200, and i7 is the best bang for your buck ever.

 

[rags_20]

The CPU, sure. Mobos are real expensive, though.

 

[sub mesa]

Don't look for upgrading. It won't work. Newer chipsets will be available, newer technology (USB3, SATA 6Gbps, etc) will be available. You don't want to upgrade. If you need to upgrade, you bought the wrong system in the first place.

You buy a computer system that lasts for 2-3 years, until it can be considered outdated. My experience tells me its far better to buy a relatively cheap system every year or 1,5 years instead of one expensive system with the purpose of 'upgrading' it in the future. You get more out of your money with the cheaper route.

A Phenom II is best bang for your buck, the idle power is lower so cooler system and motherboards are also cheaper. If you want to invest alot of money, you'd better do so for a monitor, audio equipment, SSD disk or efficient power supply. Other PC hardware doesn't really survive a second generation to warrant spending alot of money at it, IMO.

 

[Helloworld_98]

anyone who says phenom II is the best bang for your buck should really think about it.

£100 more for an i7 system over a phenom II system is worth it.

It gives you better everything for a fairly small amount extra.

 

[sub mesa]

Well you consider the extra savings on a cheaper motherboard, cheaper memory (if you pick DDR2) and also energy saving cost, a Phenom II system is definately cheaper, allowing you to spend money on a faster videocard for gaming or maybe an SSD for general fast responsive desktop tasks.