Best upgrade bang for my buck $300

[chevmaro]

Hey guys, been a while since I upgraded my computer. I only game and browse the net. I need the best upgrades I can get for around $300 bucks. I'm thinking I should start with Board/CPU/Ram but would like to hear your suggestions.

Current Rig:
Q6600 @ 3.0ghz
4GB Ram
PNY 470 GTX
Antec Nine Hundred Case
Antec Quattro 1000w PSU
WD Black 1TB
Intel 80GB SSD

My Computer runs games pretty good. I do see my ram being tapped out more then anything else. I want to upgrade the ram because I only have 4gb but currently have a DDR2 board. So thats why I was thinking to upgrade CPU/Board and Ram. I dont have a million dollars but I got $300 and can do another $300 next month for a decent video card or something. Your advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jaqie]

I had a q6600@3ghz and 8gb, I wanted to upgrade to an SSD and the mobo only had pcie v1.x x1 slots and sata2. that was why I upgraded. I found a deal on a phenom II x6 thuban for $120 new, a gigabyte ga-990fxa-ud3 for $135 and 4x 4gb ddr3-1600 kingston pack for $85. honestly, I suggest you go a very similar route because I couldn't be happier with what I wound up with. You can find a good thuban x6 for $90 used if you look, the mobo is incredible value and way good, and you can get the ram in 2 sets of 2 pairs of 4gb sticks, one this month the other next month.

 

[beginner99]

For gaming a thuban seems more like a side-grade.

I would wait till haswell comes out and then profit from lower IVB or FX prices.

Do you have a 64-bit copy of windows? Because if not, more than 4 GB is useless.

Also it depends what games you play. If blizzard games like SC2, etc I would go with intel.

Else AMD FX-6300 probably best budget gaming cpu if you don't care about power consumption. Else intel 3570k

 

[Homeles]

I would wait till haswell comes out and then profit from lower IVB or FX prices.

Pretty sure Intel CPUs rarely get marked down once they're obsoleted, if ever.
Might be able to catch one used, though.

 

[jaqie]

For gaming a thuban seems more like a side-grade.

The performance of a thuban x6 compared to a q6600@3ghz for gaming is not really equal. I have both (obviously overclocked) and the thuban has given me more headroom in games mainly because of the ddr3 and additional mobo bandwidth.

The thuban x6 when lightly OCed seems to be plenty to fuel even a gtx670. (Anyone reading this) Tell me if I am wrong, honestly, because I am looking at a gtx660 sometime soon if I can afford one, and may win that GTX670 from the awesome guy in the vidcard forum.

 

[SammichPG]

Sell CPU+motherboard+ram, welcome to i5 or 4 modules FX land.

Even a trinity apu is faster than your q6600, I'm in a similar situation with my q9550@3.6ghz.

 

[24601]

If you plan on gaming then anything other than at least a 2500k or 3570k should be avoided.

I had a e4400 2.0 ghz @ 3.3 ghz and the bottleneck was clearly still at the cpu side even with just a 460 @ 560 speeds.

Overclocked 2500k or 3570k or its not worth upgrading your computer in any way is my 2 cents.

AMD solutions are only competitive at stock clocks, when overclocked (which you SHOULD be doing if you want gaming performance) 2500k or 3570k is absolutely unbeatable value for money gaming-wise.

 

[jaqie]

If you plan on gaming then anything other than at least a 2500k or 3570k should be avoided.

I had a e4400 2.0 ghz @ 3.3 ghz and the bottleneck was clearly still at the cpu side even with just a 460 @ 560 speeds.

Overclocked 2500k or 3570k or its not worth upgrading your computer in any way is my 2 cents.

AMD solutions are only competitive at stock clocks, when overclocked (which you SHOULD be doing if you want gaming performance) 2500k or 3570k is absolutely unbeatable value for money gaming-wise.

Lemme get this straight: you had an lga775 dual core 2GHz with 2MB L2 cache and 800 FSB and are trying to compare that to an AMD phenom II 6 core or FX am3+ cpu.... no wonder you think they are so slow. Please do not speak about processors you do not have personal experience with. These also are DDR3 cpus, not DDR2. Almost all core2 cpus were put into a motherboard with DDR2 and even if you had one of the few motherboards that were lga775 ddr3, the cpus were limited and could not access the full performance of the RAM.

I have many core 2 duo and several core 2 quad systems here, hell I just built another one a week ago - I love them, but they just can't be compared to the phenom II and am3+ FX cpus, they are far more like the athlon II cpus when put onto a ddr2 motherboard. I know, I have a propus 640 here myself and it is far more similar to a core 2 quad at 3ghz especially when in a ddr2 motherboard.

As for the i5 and such - yes, those are very good, but they are also more expensive. This person has a budget of $300 for cpu, mobo, and ram and you have not specified any parts. I have. Would you put your money where your mouth is and specify some good gamer parts for the nice guy?

 

[24601]

Lemme get this straight: you had an lga775 dual core 2GHz with 2MB L2 cache and 800 FSB and are trying to compare that to an AMD phenom II 6 core or FX am3+ cpu.... no wonder you think they are so slow. Please do not speak about processors you do not have personal experience with. These also are DDR3 cpus, not DDR2. Almost all core2 cpus were put into a motherboard with DDR2 and even if you had one of the few motherboards that were lga775 ddr3, the cpus were limited and could not access the full performance of the RAM.

I have many core 2 duo and several core 2 quad systems here, hell I just built another one a week ago - I love them, but they just can't be compared to the phenom II and am3+ FX cpus, they are far more like the athlon II cpus when put onto a ddr2 motherboard. I know, I have a propus 640 here myself and it is far more similar to a core 2 quad at 3ghz especially when in a ddr2 motherboard.

As for the i5 and such - yes, those are very good, but they are also more expensive. This person has a budget of $300 for cpu, mobo, and ram and you have not specified any parts. I have. Would you put your money where your mouth is and specify some good gamer parts for the nice guy?

2500k and 3570k are not components?

Get a 3570k for $219
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

Get a ASRock Z75 Pro3 for 3570k $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157304

Get a Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM For $28 and OC it to 1600 or 1866
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148346

$332 shipped.

Ivy Bridge 3570k overclocks to 4.0 ghz easy on stock clocks with stock cooler.

Going AMD would only be useful if your budget was $200-

BTW, e4400 2.0ghz@3.3 ghz and is STILL faster than bulldozer per clock per core.
Only reason it didn't OC higher is because of the same TIM reason Ivy Bridge doesn't OC higher. I may get adventurous and delid my e4400 now that I have a new system and see how high i can get it .

Remember that if you want to OC with AMD processors you have to make SURE you mobo is up to the task, since the power usage is pretty extreme.
And don't be stuck with a 65w-95w max Mobo for your 125w processor.
Good AMD 125w mobos that allow overclocking without destroying themselves are pretty hard to find cheaper than $85.

AMD's IMC is also extremely bad (hopefully something this new generation of AMD APU/CPUs revise) owing to its mostly DDR2 design heritage, getting absolutely stomped by the sandy bridge and ivy bridge IMC by a huge margin with the same ram.

 

[jaqie]

over budget, single stick of ram instead of dual channel, and you think that will perform better? I'm sorry, but you are not correct.

You are also not correct that a core 2 duo with 2MB L2 running at 1333/3.333 is faster than a bulldozer or phenom II or vishera in gaming, especially when it is hobbled with ddr2 ram.

I would love to see a single benchmark where you show that any of your information is true... because it totally contradicts all the benchmarks I have seen, along with my personal experience.

I mean it, seriously. I am on cellphone net temporarily, at 10KB/s limited. I cannot get better until we move because my roommate is crazy and vindictive and really screwed up in the head. Browsing like this is painful to say the least.

 

[AtenRa]

Hey guys, been a while since I upgraded my computer. I only game and browse the net. I need the best upgrades I can get for around $300 bucks. I'm thinking I should start with Board/CPU/Ram but would like to hear your suggestions.

Current Rig:
Q6600 @ 3.0ghz
4GB Ram
PNY 470 GTX
Antec Nine Hundred Case
Antec Quattro 1000w PSU
WD Black 1TB
Intel 80GB SSD

My Computer runs games pretty good. I do see my ram being tapped out more then anything else. I want to upgrade the ram because I only have 4gb but currently have a DDR2 board. So thats why I was thinking to upgrade CPU/Board and Ram. I dont have a million dollars but I got $300 and can do another $300 next month for a decent video card or something. Your advice is appreciated. Thanks.

What games do you play or plan to play ??

 

[24601]

over budget, single stick of ram instead of dual channel, and you think that will perform better? I'm sorry, but you are not correct.

You are also not correct that a core 2 duo with 2MB L2 running at 1333/3.333 is faster than a bulldozer or phenom II or vishera in gaming, especially when it is hobbled with ddr2 ram.

I would love to see a single benchmark where you show that any of your information is true... because it totally contradicts all the benchmarks I have seen, along with my personal experience.

I mean it, seriously. I am on cellphone net temporarily, at 10KB/s limited. I cannot get better until we move because my roommate is crazy and vindictive and really screwed up in the head. Browsing like this is painful to say the least.

Try reading more and assuming less.

He clearly said "About 300 USD"

He even said he had 300 more USD to spend the month after for presumably upgrades.

By any linguist's definition 332 USD falls well within the limit of "about" as it is 10% variation.

I'm done talking to trolls.

 

[AtenRa]

I'm done talking to trolls.

So because she has a different opinion than you she is a troll ???

 

[24601]

So because she has a different opinion than you she is a troll ???

She's deliberately misrepresenting what I clearly typed.

There is no getting me wrong with what I type.

I deliberately type in this manner so people cannot twist my words without they themselves being obviously wrong.

A string of posts filled with nothing but rhetorical questions means they are insecure about their position and demanding the opponent to correct their mistakes for them.

I will do no such thing.


For future reference:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1280491/...rences-why-is-intel-so-much-faster-in-maxxmem

 

[jaqie]

No, I am not. You are the one having issues with what I am saying. I see the op saying "300 this month 300 next month", and you are going over that amount. And then calling me a troll when I ask for any sort of proof of your claims of a core 2 duo or an i5 with a single stick of ram being faster than a vishera, phenom ii, or such with dual channel.

I also thought you said you were done.

I made my point, and reported the offensive post as well.

and as for internet speed:

gawd this is painful... I think anyone reasonable would see why I don't want to hunt down benchmarks right now.

 

[MeldarthX]

Well if he's got a microcenter near him he can get an awesome deal......if not

And seriously a single stick 4 gig Com? No one does that for an upgrade you want dual channel.....you need to be realistic on there and and at least another 28 - so you're total isn't 332 its 360......

AMD's side

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157280
84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113286
139.99
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113285
179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231468
59.99

With the 6300 - total is 284.99 - will it be as fast in lightly threaded stuff as Intel? No; will he see a major difference? No; will it be nice upgrade from what he has? Specially if he decides to overclock Yep and under budget with possible room for SSD.....

If he went with 8320 - its 324.97 Which is slightly over like yours; dual channel and will give him a nice boost to gaming......

Is the 3570k better chip? Some ways yes; some ways no - better in lightly threaded stuff; in heavery and mutlithreaded.....its Not; and many times falls behind.....

Will either be a damn good upgrade for him? Yes......now if he lives by micrcenter best bet is to go into there and find the best deal for himself....if he can get a 6300 with MB for 120 deals that are going on......Awesome..

There are some deals for on 3570k and 3770k there to but they are more.....with that 120 deal he could get ram ssd along with the upgrade....

 

[24601]

Well if he's got a microcenter near him he can get an awesome deal......if not

And seriously a single stick 4 gig Com? No one does that for an upgrade you want dual channel.....you need to be realistic on there and and at least another 28 - so you're total isn't 332 its 360......

AMD's side

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157280
84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113286
139.99
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113285
179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231468
59.99

With the 6300 - total is 284.99 - will it be as fast in lightly threaded stuff as Intel? No; will he see a major difference? No; will it be nice upgrade from what he has? Specially if he decides to overclock Yep and under budget with possible room for SSD.....

If he went with 8320 - its 324.97 Which is slightly over like yours; dual channel and will give him a nice boost to gaming......

Is the 3570k better chip? Some ways yes; some ways no - better in lightly threaded stuff; in heavery and mutlithreaded.....its Not; and many times falls behind.....

Will either be a damn good upgrade for him? Yes......now if he lives by micrcenter best bet is to go into there and find the best deal for himself....if he can get a 6300 with MB for 120 deals that are going on......Awesome..

There are some deals for on 3570k and 3770k there to but they are more.....with that 120 deal he could get ram ssd along with the upgrade....

http://www.overclock.net/t/1280491/...rences-why-is-intel-so-much-faster-in-maxxmem

Single Channel SB ~= Dual channel AMD Bulldozer

Single Channel IVB >= Dual channel AMD Bulldozer

3570k overclocked to 4.4-4.8ghz is 100% chance faster than FX-6xxx overclocked to whatever you manage on that.

"I only game and browse the net." just seals the deal.

 

[MeldarthX]

WOW in synthetic benches.....its not 100% faster either; as there is no idea what OC you will get on the 3570k......same with the 6300 but the 6300 normally OC to that level also......please stop spreading fud...

3570k is a great chip......but its also a lot more.......

I stuck within his budget you're a good 60 dollars over......80 dollars Less on the 6300 would get him a ssd....which in the end would help him over the 3570k or are you going to say ssds don't help?

Now before you again jump all over me; might want to reread what I said. His best bet for a great priced upgrade is microcenter if he's got one near him......If not -

More options the better.......now 6300 will be a great upgrade compaired to what he has now for game and browseing the net......It won't be as fast comparable to 3570k........but its not as much.

And I'm not using bulldozer buddy; its Piledriver cores - why do you think I SAID 6300 and 8320......

Right now he can get 6300 with MB for 120 at a microcenter.......there isn't Intel deal right now that can beat that....if he doesn't have one near him then look at what he wants to spend.....either one will be a damn nice upgrade for him.....

 

[24601]

WOW in synthetic benches.....its not 100% faster either; as there is no idea what OC you will get on the 3570k......same with the 6300 but the 6300 normally OC to that level also......please stop spreading fud...

3570k is a great chip......but its also a lot more.......

I stuck within his budget you're a good 60 dollars over......80 dollars Less on the 6300 would get him a ssd....which in the end would help him over the 3570k or are you going to say ssds don't help?

Now before you again jump all over me; might want to reread what I said. His best bet for a great priced upgrade is microcenter if he's got one near him......If not -

More options the better.......now 6300 will be a great upgrade compaired to what he has now for game and browseing the net......It won't be as fast comparable to 3570k........but its not as much.

And I'm not using bulldozer buddy; its Piledriver cores - why do you think I SAID 6300 and 8320......

Right now he can get 6300 with MB for 120 at a microcenter.......there isn't Intel deal right now that can beat that....if he doesn't have one near him then look at what he wants to spend.....either one will be a damn nice upgrade for him.....

They ask for benchmarks.

Benchmarks given.

"WAH BENCHMARKS MEAN NOTHING. AMD IS GOOD NUF!"

I'm done here.

 

[MeldarthX]

You linked Bulldozer bub; I didn't use Bulldozer now did I??

You stated 3570k would be 100% faster than 6*** whatever speed; again fud...

I'm trying to give him a realistic look at his upgrades; you give him a half assed upgrade with single channel that's over budget........Sorry if I'm being harsh but seriously.......

He asked for help; and you've turned into a pissing match because others disagree with you......can we get back to helping the guy now?

 

[chevmaro]

What games do you play or plan to play ??

Guild Wars 3 mostly. League of Legends. Nothing else right now. Occasionally i'll pickup a shooter.

 

[crashtech]

Please tell me you have a brand preference for this upgrade. Either way, $300 is a bit short if you want to experience a difference that will make you feel like the money was well spent.

 

[MeldarthX]

Not true he would notice a difference with 6300 or 3570k as an upgrade.....

Chev do you know if you have a microcenter near you? How much from your old system are you going to recycle?

 

[AnonymouseUser]

The FX 6300 is a great chip at a great price. Get a good overclocking motherboard and you can OC the 6300 to ~4GHz with stock cooler. Grab a Hyper 212 Plus or EVO for 4.5GHz or higher. Add the savings from this $300 to next month's $300 to step up your graphics card to the next tier.

 

[MeldarthX]

Thank you Anony The EVO is a great cooler 6300 Would be a very nice set up for him.....