Build Advice HELP ME make the RIGHT Choice

Hi all,

I'm here because I need your advice and views.

I'm going to be ordering a Configure your own system base unit from cclonline.

The only thing I'm stuck on is what Motherboard & Graphics Card to pick.

My system is going to be this:

AMD Athlon II X2 Dual-Core (250) 3.0GHz Processor OR
AMD Athlon II X3 Triple-Core (450) 3.2GHz Processor

Their is only £12 difference so I might go for the faster triple core

Memory is going to be 2GB Corsair XMS3 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit.


This is the hard part, What Motherboard & Graphics Card do I pick in my budget??

This is what I can afford in my budget...





My hdd is going to be 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue 3.5" Hard Disk Drive.

The Sound card for now is going be on board.

The Optical Drive is going to be LG GH22NS50 22x DVDRW.

The case it comes in is going the be the cheapest ATX case I can have simply because when I have a bit extra cash I will be putting it all in a Antec 300.

I won't need a windows cd as I already have that.

So the BIG question is what would YOU Pick and why??

 

Pictures not showing mate, can you specify the models & what your actual budget is?

 

looking at the kit you posted i would pick none of it really.

whats your budget as thats the best starting point for people to suggest hardware.

also whats the PC for general ?, gaming ?, media ? etc

 

What do you want to use your new build for?

 

Hi

I don't know why you can't see my pictures because I can, anyway here is what I need help and views on.

What motherboard?

The top is the cheapest and going down to the most expensive:

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 Motherboard
Biostar A880G+ Socket AM3 Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3 Motherboard
Asus M4A77T Socket AM3 AMD 770 Motherboard

NEXT

I have quite a choice in the Graphics Card department
the top is the cheapest and going down to the most expensive

Asus Geforce 210 Passive 512MB
Zotac GF GT 210 512MB Synergy LP Silent Graphics Card
VTX3D ATI Radeon HD 5450 512MB
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4550 512MB
CCL Choice GeForce GT220 1GB
CCL Choice GeForce GT 240 512MB
Sparkle GeForce GT 430 1024MB
Sapphire ATI Radeon 5550 HD 1GB
Zotac GeForce GT 430 1024MB

So there it is. What should I go for, what do you think and why?

 

My pc build is going to be used for watching xvids, playing the odd game like starcraft andrainbow 6. Other than that I do a lot of web surfing.

I have picked the AMD rough because it's cheaper, the athlon x2 or x3 look like a good buy and future proof.

My budget, well as you look at the things I have listed above if I pick the most expensive it only takes me to around £250ish.

I only need a base unit as I have everything else.

Also as a quick note, nobody in the family has anything above a p4 3.2 so I'd like something with bragging rights. lol..

 

A Phenom 2 will give you much better performance that an Athlon 2

 

starcraft 1 or 2 ?

im guessing 1 ?

personally id grab the 240 then with the MSI C45 880G which is a lovely board.

and all the GPUs you have listed are pretty rubbish although if you only play games like starcraft 1 then it isnt really an issue which one you pick.

id your interested in playing more recent games then none of your selection is worth it.

how much RAM have you included in this build. you should be looking for 4GB of DDR1600 or 1333 at a push.

go for the samsung F3 500GB its faster than the blue and same price or maybe cheaper.

what PSU ? as for NEED a decent 400W model

 

AMD Phenom II X4 820 Deneb 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 4MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor HDX820WFK4FGI - OEM runs for $98.99 USD on Newegg versus cheapest Athlon II, AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX which goes for $59.99 USD.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor scored a 1706 on Passmark
AMD Phenom II X4 820 Deneb scored a 3517 on Passmark

Definitely worth the extra money IMO.

 

You'll need XP for starcraft 1 as you'll get graphical errors with Vista or 7

 

ok, first off can i ask what's the major difference between the Phenom II and my choice of Athlon II ??

also i will give you all a challenge as you all have different ideas. go to
http://http://www.cclonline.com/product-configure.asp?item=CCLDIYAMD2

and build a pc with in my budget and post a screen shot or link so i can see what you have picked and the total price.

remember its only a base unit i need, i dont need a windows cd and the case can be cheap and nasty because i will be moving it into a antec 300 in a few months.
YOU HAVE TO SPEND £300 OR LESS

i would like a good cpu thats fast and future proof
the motherboard is your choice

the ram is 2gig of corsair xms3 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit and when i can i will buy anouther 2gig

the hdd should be any 320 or 500 gig

the Graphics Card you pick ! just tell me why u picked it !

the sound card can be on board sound for now because when i get my antec case i will also get a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy

Optical Drive can be any make just as long as its black and is a dvdrw

thats it, just keep under budgetjust to recap on what games i play, starcraft1 and soon hopefully 2. diablo 1 & 2. Rainbow 6.swat 4. half life 2.

i watch a lot of xvid and mpeg films

also a lot of n64 and old school emulators lol (because im old)

 

also the PSU is going to be a 600W OCZ ModXStream Pro Modular Power Supply because its modular and the only other one in my budget from cclonline is a 550W Corsair VX550W Power Supply BUT NOT modular and i must have a nice tidy case.

 

I'd definately go for 4GB of RAM if at all possible.

Also, there are some quirky fixes for Starcraft on Windows 7 here

 

An Athlon 2 will be suitable for the games you want to play but in terms of future proofing for more modern games you'll want something like a Phenom 2, the biggest difference is the Athlon 2 has no level 3 cache which can significantly improve performance because the some data doesn't need to go back and forth from the main ram as often.

If you get an AM3 motherboard you could always upgrade to a Phenom 2 if you decide you need to at a later date.

 

http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=39524&category_id=742&manufacturer_id=0

500GB HDD = £30 http://www.cclonline.com/product-in...gory_id=112&manufacturer_id=0&tid=st3500418as

which leaves you £70 for the gfx: http://www.cclonline.com/product-in...ry_id=1134&manufacturer_id=0&tid=11168-02-20r


Total £300!

 

good choice bindi

if your wanting to play sarcraft 2 DO NOT scimp on the GPU and id really try to spend more than £70

hell if you up to £80ish you can grab a 1GB 5770 which is considerably faster than a 5670.

5670 is the best card though under the £70 mark so bindis choice is sound within budget.

 

do any of you guys know of were i can look at bench marks results, im not stuck between 3-4 cpus to buy.

i understand what you have said about the l3 cash but im thinking that if i did go for a athlon x3/x3/x4 cpu. i know the x2 cpus are ok but if i went to the x3 or x4 they should be realy good and keep up with the big boys yer ??

i will be going for 4gig of ram as you have advised me

its just down to what cpu and motherboard, this machine will have to last me3-5 years.

 

A HD5750 should be available for around £70-75 which will bridge the gap between the rather lacklustre HD5670 and the decent HD5770.

 

oh how wrong you are. more cores does not = more performance. The athlon X3 X4 range are rubbish they are slower than dual core Phenoms and easily beaten in to earth by any Phenom X4.

The L3 cache and various other specs make a massive difference.

if you cant afford either a AMDPIIX4 955BE or AMDPIIX2 550BE then grab a AMD Athlon X2 240/250

a fair point i forgot about the 5750 lol

 

just a quick update, ive found this http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ is it any good or should i take what they said with a pinch of salt. ??? the reason i ask is some of my cpus i have chosen are in the top value charts ect..