$650 to spend, already have Gcard

[soccerballtux]

Friend is building system...I'm not up on whether Intel or AMD is cheaper/performance at the moment.

I was thinking he could go E4300 + some mobo + PC2-1066 RAM (although I'm looking at newegg and don't see any 1066 hmm...) so that he could upgrade to a Quad when they become cheaper.

He's bought the BFG 7950 card that was going for $150 after rebates; he has $650 left for the case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, PSU, burner, etc. Here's what he's picked out so far.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wi...tNumber=6571848&WishListTitle=My+cComp

SO we need to get him as far as possible on his $650. How much would he have to sacrifice now for upgradability to the Quads with the mobo and RAM?

Edit: scratch the soundcard I told him he should just use the integrated stuff. He's just driving headphones for the most part.

 

[myocardia]

How about a good power supply, and either an Intel motherboard, or an AMD processor? I bet he'll want a hard drive, also, along with a good heatsink.

 

[jkresh]

if he is considering a core 2 quad then definitely get a high quality power supply (name brand 500+ watts, corsair, seasonic, enermax...). 1066 is not necessary pc 800 is fine (even for a reasonable overclock). Memory speed is not that important in most things (a couple of percentage points at most). The q6600 should be $260 or so this July so it might make sense for him to just wait as if he waits he should easily be able to fit within his budget but if he buys a lower core2 now that will be pushing it. Also as myocardia said that motherboard is for an AMD chip so it wont work with any of the core 2's, though an am2 board should be able to handle a barcelona quad core sometime near the end of this year early next year (doubtful that any will be < $300 at launch) so he could go am2 now with barcelona in q1/q2 next year when prices settle.

 

[WhatTheSchmidt]

yea...you might want the cpu/mobo to be compatible lol

 

[soccerballtux]

Lol. Odd, when I looked it was an Athlon X2 4400+.

Anyhow; about the PC2 1066, that's to ensure the bandwidth isn't a bottleneck when he upgrades to the Quad core. Will the 800 Gskill he has in there now be sufficient for quad core bandwidth use? It seems you just said the 800 is fine, but I want to make sure.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

On a budget of $650, I recommend sticking with an E4300 ($115). You can overclock it like mad if you need additional performance.

I'd highly suggest one of these two motherboards, depending on the features you need:
$85 Gigabyte GA-945P-S3
$100 Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
Both are highly overclockable, and are fairly reliable.

For memory, 2GB is within the budget. DDR2-800 should be fine; anything more and you'll be getting only a little bit of performance for a high cost. I recommend this:
$83 2GB (2x1GB) Wintec AMPO DDR2-800
The next step up is DDR2-1066 for $125 ($165 before rebate). The extra $42 ($82 if something goes wrong with the rebate) it would require can be better spent elsewhere.

For a PSU, you have a couple of options, but I would suggest this:
$44 FSP Group ATX400-PA
It's not too expensive, but should pack plenty of power for the rig.

For a DVD burner, I suggest Lite-on for the best price/performance ratio. And you might think about getting a retail drive so you can switch colors and get a legal copy of Nero.
$36 Lite-on LH-18A1P-186

For a case, I don't suggest that toolless thing. Try this:
$65 Raidmax Apex ATX-802BP
It also includes a 450W PSU you can keep as a spare.

 

[soccerballtux]

Thanks for the input.

I'm thinking if he's planning on upgrading to quad core whenever that comes out, that AMD + AM2 would be the better route to go. Here's what I wrote to him in the last IM:

~~~~~~~~~
However the AMD AM2 socket motherboards you buy now will be compatible with AMDs K10 Barcelona dual and quad core CPUs, which people are expecting to outperform the next generation of Intel chips significantly.

In in either situation the only thing you would have to upgrade is the processor.

So I'd say it's either 20% less speed now when you wouldn't notice the difference too much [in my opinion] (there aren't many games out now where you'd notice the difference)
Or it's, probably say 20% more speed later when you upgrade to a Quad Barcelona in perhaps 3 years. At this time you'd probably feel like upgrading the gcard to a DX10 card anyhow. At this point the 20% performance improvement over the equivalent Intel quad processor WOULD make a difference. With the games + DX10 being more demanding on processors out in the future, than the games + DX9 are on processors out now, the extra 20% performance you'd be getting now with the Intel overclocked wouldn't be as noticeable or useful as the 20% performance you'd get later with the AMD Barcelona upgrade.

Plus I'm hearing if you go Intel you need to invest in a better power supply.

So if I were in your shoes I'd go AMD. That would last you longer comfortably than going Intel.
~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for the case and PSU recommendations.

 

[soccerballtux]

Aside from the PSU, why do you like that Apex case more? I think the front 120mm fan is great; better for graphics card and especially harddrives than that extra spot for a 90mm on the side of the Apex case. I see a front spot for a mountable 120mm but do not see any intakes anywhere on the front of the case. The Rosewill would have supremely better airflow thanks to the front 120mm intake.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

I don't think Intel requires any more power than AMD at this point. That used to be true in the Northwood/Prescott days, but I think the current line of Core 2 Duos are actually less demanding than AMD X2s--though you'd have to check on that to be sure.

Now, you've got to remember that the X2s aren't quite as fast as Intel's Core 2 Duo, especially when overclocking is taken into account. There is no way to tell which will be most upgrade-friendly in the future (both support DDR2/PCIe/quadcore/etc.). So if you do choose that platform, it would be for reasons of price (AMD is a bit cheaper), not upgradability.

As for the case, it's a matter of personal preference. For instance, I absolutely cannot stand those ridiculous front doors which cover the optical drives. I would make sure your friend is aware of that, because I'm betting he won't like it. Also, if you go with a motherboard which has no firewire (which is probably best considering the options), the Rosewill will have a dead port. Speaking of which, the Rosewill has a flimsy plastic cover on top which covers the front ports; that seems both tacky-looking and impractical to me. I like my ports uncovered and on the front-center of the case. Again, this is a matter of preference, but it's something to think about. Finally, as for cooling, the Raidmax is indeed missing a front fan or a place for one. However, it does have a side air duct which hovers over the CPU fan, so it does have a sort of air intake mechanism. In any case (no pun intended), though an intake fan may keep the system cooler, I don't think it makes *that* big of a difference. Anandtech recommended that Raidmax case for this price range, and I have to agree. I highly suggest you consider it.

Good luck.

 

[soccerballtux]

I see. Well the Rosewill has the side air duct as well. As of now it really seems to come down to the plastic flaps and dead port as you say, neither of witch are a big deal in my opinion but it's up to him. Well, and the extra PSU I guess could be nice. Front intake is the biggest seller for me though; ensures simple airflow and helps reduce the vacuum effect you get when you have only out-fans and no in-fans.