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Budget build AMD cpu

D

dryfly

Member
Need a machine for light use. No gaming, just web surfing, MS Office, etc. Was going to use Phenom II X2 but Newegg out of stock. What would I give up going with an Athlon II X2?

Will be using with Win 7 Pro 64 bit.

Please help.
 
You won't lose much going from a PII X2 to a AII X2. I suggest putting the E-350/E-450 into consideration as well although it does not have better per core performance as the PII/AII. Great for low power consumption though. Else, you could do with a Pentium or Celeron Sandy Bridge.
 
Get a cheapo dualcore Llano and cheapo mobo. DX11 graphics built-in for accelerating hd videos and what-not and very low power consumptuion.

Actually, you may just need a single core Sempron. They have the oem 130 for $30 shipped (you will need your own cooler) and you can get an fully integrated mobo for $40-ish. Or get the retail Sempron 145 which includes a cpu cooler. I would get this mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157204 . It supports using DDR2 or DDR3 and if you get the Sempron you may be able to unlock to a dualcore as well. I've used 3 of those boards and they oc and perform great.

Either way, if you want a straight up dualcore then just get the cheapest Athlon II dualcore. 😎
 
For what you want to do any dual core processor in the world coupled with a graphics card like a 6600GT or higher or AMD equivlant will do the job flawlessly...... I think you should be good with a 400w PSU, grab 4GB ram for like 30 bucks, later on you can upgrade to 8GB ram.... and for mobo what do you all suggest for him.... thx gl
 
Thanks for the input. Should have mentioned I want to use the Biostar A880G+. It has onboard graphics and I've had good results with several Biostar AMD builds.

Cost is really not an issue here, just hate to overbuild for the applications I use it for. Might be best to go ahead and spend another $60 for a Phenom X4 for future upgrade, but I sure don't need that much power now.

Will the Athlon support DDR3 1333 ram?

 
I'm all for the X6 line, a 1055T will set you for a few years for ANYTHING you might do; for a very low price.
 
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dryfly said:
Will the Athlon support DDR3 1333 ram?
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Yea, the Athlon II can use DDR3 1333.

I have an Athlon II 3.1 GHz box and it runs all apps I want it to do. New gaming titles might be a different story, but I don't play them.

If you want, you could get some DDR3 1600 RAM and set the FSB at 240 (I think) and run an Athlon II at 3.6 GHz should you feel like it. That's what I've done with the box for half a year or so.
 
fourdegrees11 said:
Might as well grab an Athlon II 270, its only $8 more then the 250 for a 400mhz increase.
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OK, the Athlon dual core is sounding good, but if we are going in that direction would I see any benefit for $10 more to go with the X3 455 triple core?

Guess my problem is I just don't understand where multicore processors provide an advantage.

thanks for all your input. I know this is not as exciting as bleeding edge components.
 
I have two machines, one with an overclocked athlon II x2 (back when it was new and the price gap between it and the x3 was higher), and one that used to be with a phenom II x3 720, which was replaced with a phenom II x2 that I've unlocked to 4 cores. From my experience with these setups and several other machines, I heartily recommend that you get a 3 core athlon II even for basic use, as long as the difference is no more than 20$.
 
dryfly said:
OK, the Athlon dual core is sounding good, but if we are going in that direction would I see any benefit for $10 more to go with the X3 455 triple core?

Guess my problem is I just don't understand where multicore processors provide an advantage.

thanks for all your input. I know this is not as exciting as bleeding edge components.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you'll see much benefit, but if you got the extra $$ it's not going to hurt anything. The motherboard you're wanting will also give you the chance to unlock the X3 to an X4, so it could be a very good deal.
 
I just put together a system for grandma with a sempron 145 that I got for $24.99, plenty fast and I'm sure u could pick one up for around $30 bucks if you're just looking to cheap out.
 
I think the best bang for buck cpu is the x4 620 which is like $65 on ebay. But if you buy new 925 is pretty good for 90 w/ extra 6mb cache.
 
nyker96 said:
I think the best bang for buck cpu is the x4 620 which is like $65 on ebay. But if you buy new 925 is pretty good for 90 w/ extra 6mb cache.
Click to expand...

Strange you mention the 925. Just noticed it's on sale at Newegg for $80. Only problem is short warranty for OEM CPU's. I've never had an AMD go bad but nice to have the 3 year warranty with the boxed version. Also found a nice CoolerMaster fan for $15. Would make nice combo.
 
dryfly said:
Strange you mention the 925. Just noticed it's on sale at Newegg for $80. Only problem is short warranty for OEM CPU's. I've never had an AMD go bad but nice to have the 3 year warranty with the boxed version. Also found a nice CoolerMaster fan for $15. Would make nice combo.
Click to expand...
CPUs don't normally "go bad", either they are DOA or people kill them by overvolting the crap out of them, smudging the pins on thermal paste or bending a pin.
 
I bought myself a Sempron 145 last year and paired it with a 785G mobo. Since it was actually a half-disabled Regor core, it essentially unlocked to an Athlon II X2 240. That would be a good choice for basic web-surfing/MS Office duties.
 
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