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Athlon II family/light gaming build

S

sgordon777

Junior Member
Intended usage: Light gaming, movie watching, video encoding, internet, music, kids games, flash, etc.

1- cpu: AthlonII, 240, 2.8 Ghz, 65w ADX240OCK23GQ $53.00

2- motherboard: foxconn A74MX-K (740G based) $50.00

3- ram: 2gb, ddr800 VS2GB800D2 G $40.99

4- video: Hd 5670 100287VGAL $94.99

5- hdd 1TB Samsung spinpoint HD103SJ $89.00

6- dvd dvdrw, samsung SH-S223C $19.99

7- case: Antec NSK3480 $83.00

8- OS win7 home premium $100 (is there any way to get this cheaper?)

Total $540


I have a 22" 1600x1200 monitor which I intend to keep and I'll also be driving a 720p LCD TV via HDMI.

Thanks for any comment/advise.

Steve
 
Well, I'm no expert but if I wanted a light gaming rig and also wanted to do video encoding, I would choose a four core AMD over a two core. Try taking a look at the 620,630,635 propus chips.

I think I would also rather have a 785g based motherboard, I'm not familiar with 740g.

And if dx11 and audio bitstreaming isn't important, you can get a 4850 for about the same price of a 5670, which should still perform better in games. And a 4850 will still do 7.1 lpcm over hdmi, unless your are an audiophile it should suffice.

Is there a pricepoint you are trying to come under?

Do you have an AVR with 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup?
 
Malfeas said:
Well, I'm no expert but if I wanted a light gaming rig and also wanted to do video encoding, I would choose a four core AMD over a two core. Try taking a look at the 620,630,635 propus chips.

I think I would also rather have a 785g based motherboard, I'm not familiar with 740g.

And if dx11 and audio bitstreaming isn't important, you can get a 4850 for about the same price of a 5670, which should still perform better in games. And a 4850 will still do 7.1 lpcm over hdmi, unless your are an audiophile it should suffice.

Is there a pricepoint you are trying to come under?

Do you have an AVR with 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup?
Click to expand...


Thanks for the input,

1- Video encoding is done very rarely, and I will batch it for overnight when I do it, so I dont think Its worth the expense/power of an extra 1-2 cores.

2- I dont think 785G vs. 740G mattered unless I was actually using the integrated graphics (which I'm not). I also think 785G has more RAID modes, which I dont use. The reason I went with 740G was it saves ~$40.00. Am I missing anything else?

3- Video card: I chose the 5670 for dx11/cool/quiet/low power. I'm debating whether to go up to the 5750 for another ~$30-$40. I dont use any digital audio connection currently (but I may use it when hooked up to the TV)


Steve
 
Looks like a winner. I'm with you (the OP) on using the newer card that draws less power. Do consider the upgrade to a 5750 or even 5770 (if you catch one on sale or with rebate). Also, I personally would double the RAM. You may also consider an aftermarket CPU fan/heatsink. The Cooler Master TX3 is on sale at Newegg and SVC for $15, and it uses a 92mm PWM fan and should be quieter than the stock cooler under load.
 
sgordon777 said:
Thanks for the input,

1- Video encoding is done very rarely, and I will batch it for overnight when I do it, so I dont think Its worth the expense/power of an extra 1-2 cores.

2- I dont think 785G vs. 740G mattered unless I was actually using the integrated graphics (which I'm not). I also think 785G has more RAID modes, which I dont use. The reason I went with 740G was it saves ~$40.00. Am I missing anything else?

3- Video card: I chose the 5670 for dx11/cool/quiet/low power. I'm debating whether to go up to the 5750 for another ~$30-$40. I dont use any digital audio connection currently (but I may use it when hooked up to the TV)


Steve
Click to expand...

It's like ~$50 more for an Athlon II quad-core like the 620. +10% to total system expense for almost twice the performance in video encoding? Yes please You'll probably also experience a better overall system experience. I think it's worth it since the cost/performance is significant in this case.

Pair that with a 5750 and it's a pretty nice system for ~$600.
 
sgordon777 said:
Guys, how about windows 7? Do I really need to pay 100 bucks for this? I've heard things about student discounts, trials, etc. I have kids in high school/elementry school. Anything apply?
Click to expand...

if i recall, student discounts generally pertain to college students.
 
Zap said:
Looks like a winner. I'm with you (the OP) on using the newer card that draws less power. Do consider the upgrade to a 5750 or even 5770 (if you catch one on sale or with rebate). Also, I personally would double the RAM. You may also consider an aftermarket CPU fan/heatsink. The Cooler Master TX3 is on sale at Newegg and SVC for $15, and it uses a 92mm PWM fan and should be quieter than the stock cooler under load.
Click to expand...

I doubt he is over clocking and since he said he went the way he did with the CPU due to a $40 savings...I would guess the stock heatsink should work just fine. Unless as you said he might be looking for a quiter and cooler set up.

Peace
 
I just bought that processor for my HTPC.. don't listen to these guys, its a great chip, even at stock settings Windows 7 will fly.

Honestly I can't tell a difference (in normal use) between it and my e6750 overclocked to 3.4 Ghz

I bought it in that bundle suggested above "extra $20 well spent: Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H / Regor 240" Although the jury is still out for me on the combo because of some infrequent instability (haven't tracked down the cause yet) the motherboard's features are really, really nice and if you are using it for light gaming you probably wouldn't need a video card and it has on-board hdmi.
 
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