Building Gaming Rig...What AMD Proc Should I Buy?

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GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
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Ok, I am building a new gaming rig from scratch, and was thinking about going with the AM2 socket. If I want to spend less than $250, what AMD proc should I buy?

I will be using an eVGA 7900GT KO video card, and plan to have 2GB of DDR2 memory.

TIA!
 
Lyfer

Lyfer

Diamond Member
May 28, 2003
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You can fit a 4600 AM2 for that price, but you can also fit in a Core Duo 2.1ghz.
 
S

StevenNevets

Senior member
Jul 7, 2006
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Originally posted by: GamingDaemon
Originally posted by: Lonyo
Whatever fits in your budget as an X2. 3800+ or 4200+ most likely.
Click to expand...


I just did a search on newegg, and the 3800+ dual core AM2 is $295. What am I missing?

AMD AM2 3800+

hmmm....
Click to expand...
not for long...

just wait a week and it'll drop tremendously (look around the forums)

 
GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
474
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Looking back, I think I neglected to mention that I wanted a dual core AM2. So does $295 sound right, or should I still wait a week to see the prices drop?
 
GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
474
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Let me ask you guys...should I even bother with the AM2? I am hearing some bad reports about AM2 motherboards and memory.

Myth #1: I should buy DDR2 800 to get benefits from it, or else it doesn't make sense to invest in AM2. Is this true?

Myth #2: Most AM2 motherboards won't support the 2.0v for DDR2 memory? True?

TIA again!
 
S

Skott

Diamond Member
Oct 4, 2005
5,730
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Well, as of tomorrow (the 23rd) the Conroes simply outperform AMD in raw cpu power when they hit the market full force. So if thats all you care about a Conroe is the better choice. Now, if on Monday as expected AMD drops their chip prices 50%, then the AMD may be a better choice in the value price category. Its all dependent on how much AMD cuts prices. Right now AMD cant beat Intel in performance so they intend to hold onto the value title by having serious price cuts. So says the AMD president in his latest interview that I read. This is AMD's answer to Intel's Conroe until AMD can roll their 4x4 chips out later this year. So are you looking for low cost or raw cpu power?

 
GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
474
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Originally posted by: Skott
Well, as of tomorrow (the 23rd) the Conroes simply outperform AMD in raw cpu power when they hit the market full force. So if thats all you care about a Conroe is the better choice. Now, if on Monday as expected AMD drops their chip prices 50%, then the AMD may be a better choice in the value price category. Its all dependent on how much AMD cuts prices. Right now AMD cant beat Intel in performance so they intend to hold onto the value title by having serious price cuts. So says the AMD president in his latest interview that I read. This is AMD's answer to Intel's Conroe until AMD can roll their 4x4 chips out later this year. So are you looking for low cost or raw cpu power?
Click to expand...


I want as much raw CPU power I can get for around $250 or so. I'm out of the loop on the conroe. I didn't realize it was coming out tomorrow. What is the socket/processor number? How much will they be?
 
M

Maethor

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Aug 18, 2005
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You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
 
O

OcHungry

Banned
Jun 14, 2006
197
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Originally posted by: Maethor
You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
Click to expand...
there is no conroe for $153, and a good video card will take care of gaming.
Also on Intel's side, there are not many reasonably priced motherboards w/ all the gaming and overclocking amenities; and there are not too many options available (not to mention price gouging). A good 570 AM2 board will cost ~ $120 and you are good to go till K8L. sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
 
L

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
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Originally posted by: OcHungry
Originally posted by: Maethor
You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
Click to expand...
there is no conroe for $153, and a good video card will take care of gaming.
Also on Intel's side, there are not many reasonably priced motherboards w/ all the gaming and overclocking amenities; and there are not too many options available (not to mention price gouging). A good 570 AM2 board will cost ~ $120 and you are good to go till K8L. sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

Why buy AM2 when in like 6 months you can upgrade to quad core with a Conroe supporting board?
AMD won't show off K8L until later this year, and that's when you might finally see how it performs. And it might not be out for another 12 months.

But if you want a budget rig, an X2 3800+ is a good bet.
If you want something a bit faster, but also more expensive, a Conroe might be good, but both the CPU AND motherboard might be more expensive (if you overclock).
 
O

OcHungry

Banned
Jun 14, 2006
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Originally posted by: Lonyo
Originally posted by: OcHungry
Originally posted by: Maethor
You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
Click to expand...
there is no conroe for $153, and a good video card will take care of gaming.
Also on Intel's side, there are not many reasonably priced motherboards w/ all the gaming and overclocking amenities; and there are not too many options available (not to mention price gouging). A good 570 AM2 board will cost ~ $120 and you are good to go till K8L. sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

Why buy AM2 when in like 6 months you can upgrade to quad core with a Conroe supporting board?
AMD won't show off K8L until later this year, and that's when you might finally see how it performs. And it might not be out for another 12 months.

But if you want a budget rig, an X2 3800+ is a good bet.
If you want something a bit faster, but also more expensive, a Conroe might be good, but both the CPU AND motherboard might be more expensive (if you overclock).
Click to expand...
why, because AM2 will support K8L and quad core. That is true quad core, unlike Intel's glued.
BTW, I found another website doing the review that also confirms GPU is deciding factor in gaming. So buying a 3800 x2 for $154 is the smart way of going about it.
http://firingsquad.com/hardware/intel_core_2_performance/page8.asp
 
GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
474
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Originally posted by: OcHungry

why, because AM2 will support K8L and quad core. That is true quad core, unlike Intel's glued.
BTW, I found another website doing the review that also confirms GPU is deciding factor in gaming. So buying a 3800 x2 for $154 is the smart way of going about it.
http://firingsquad.com/hardware/intel_core_2_performance/page8.asp
Click to expand...

Thanks Lonyo, OcHungry and Maethor. Good stuff! And OcHungry, that article does, as you said, show that GPU is more important when you get down to it.

Well, since I am building this new gaming rig around an existing eVGA 7900GT KO video card, and run with a ViewSonic VP2030b LCD monitor at 1600x1200 res, I think it is probably a safe bet to go cheaper for now on the proc.

According to OcHungry's article, I would have to wait until the end of August to get the Core 2 Duo procs, and the mobo's may not have the OC features that AMD boards have. Right now I can get an AMD mobo and AMD 939 X2 4200+ for $300. Thus my investment will have been less when I have to build a new rig in a year or two :)

Does this seem to make sense? Or am I still stark, raving mad? LOL
 
zsdersw

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
10,505
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0
Originally posted by: OcHungry
sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

>40% faster than Conroe? Oh please... Neither you nor anyone else knows how K8L will perform against the Conroe/Kentsfield chips available when it launches.

Conroe isn't a "bubble".. and it's not a waste of money either.

 
Keysplayr

Keysplayr

Elite Member
Jan 16, 2003
21,219
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Originally posted by: OcHungry
Originally posted by: Maethor
You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
Click to expand...
there is no conroe for $153, and a good video card will take care of gaming.
Also on Intel's side, there are not many reasonably priced motherboards w/ all the gaming and overclocking amenities; and there are not too many options available (not to mention price gouging). A good 570 AM2 board will cost ~ $120 and you are good to go till K8L. sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

So 120.00 for a 570 AM2 board. I guess that means that this isn't such a bad deal then. Reports show this board reaching a nice 430 MHz fsb and stable.
There is no Conroe for 153.00 slated. For good reason. The cheapest Conroe, E6300 is slated for 189.00. Performance is comparable to X2 4400 to 4600 or better in many cases. That Gigabyte board is setup to receive Kentsfield. We know this becasue it has been used with Kentsfield. (Refer to XS.). So for about a 50 to 60 dollar premium over that 120.00 AM2 570 board + X2 3800, you get something that lays waste to it. K8L does not exist yet (not even engineering samples in the wild) And by the time it does get here (mid 2007 I heard) Do you think Intel will only be offering what they are launching tomorrow, in mid 2007?

IMHO, a 60.00 premium over that system you suggested would be WELL spent money.
If you are GPU limited, of course gaming performance will be damn similar to any AMD 2.4Ghz CPU and above, but what about everything else under the sun that Conroe is faster at? Out of your mind NOT to spend 60.00 more for a Conroe setup that you can drop a Kentsfield into by the end of 2006/beginning of 2007.

OChungry, this is all common sense. The ONLY reason to get buy an AMD chip right now is because of the beautiful price drops on 939 X2's and already have a 939 system. A CPU upgrade would be very practical for those guys. Not upgrading to an AM2 platform.

I am beginning to see what that guy was talking about in your other thread. The comment about the "tinted AMD bias". If you cannot keep it real without misguiding (or trying to) other members here, please do not post again. I am not angry, or anything like that, so don't think that from this post. I want you to keep it real. Real is Conroe over AM2 for a new build. Real is X2 939 CPU upgrade for current 939 platforms. Real is X2 3800 should not be compared with E6300. Real is X2 4400 to 4600 should be compared to E6300 along with their pricing.

Is it gonna kill you to try to do the right thing? It really can't man.

 
V

Viditor

Diamond Member
Oct 25, 1999
3,290
0
0
Originally posted by: zsdersw
Originally posted by: OcHungry
sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

>40% faster than Conroe? Oh please... Neither you nor anyone else knows how K8L will perform against the Conroe/Kentsfield chips available when it launches.

Conroe isn't a "bubble".. and it's not a waste of money either.
Click to expand...

Agree completely...I expect K8L to be closer to 15-20% faster, but that's just a guess! Conroe is an excellent choice for a platform (as is X2 or even Sempron)...it all depends on what you want or need. At this point, unless you are looking for a bargain system, Conroe looks like it will be the best all-around choice (though I would like to see what platform choices there will be and their performance/cost before I make that unequivocal...)
 
GamingDaemon

GamingDaemon

Senior member
Apr 28, 2006
474
7
76
Now, I'm really confused.

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
Originally posted by: OcHungry
Originally posted by: Maethor
You are planning on a new rig from scratch I would say go conroe. You can get a conroe that performs at fx62 level for 316$ and for less you can get something that outperforms all but the best x2's I figure for a full rig with video card if buying half decent quality you can get the entire thing for about 1100 if watching for deals not counting the monitor.

My figure included the video card and Ram
Click to expand...
there is no conroe for $153, and a good video card will take care of gaming.
Also on Intel's side, there are not many reasonably priced motherboards w/ all the gaming and overclocking amenities; and there are not too many options available (not to mention price gouging). A good 570 AM2 board will cost ~ $120 and you are good to go till K8L. sAM2 will support K8L which is >40% faster than conroe(according to consensus).
AMD will show off K8L by this year end and conroe bubble will burst. So why buy conroe when less than a year you can upgrade your AM2 mobo to K8L cpu. IMO conroe is a waste of money, unless you are a diehard Intel user who upgrades every 6 months.
Click to expand...

So 120.00 for a 570 AM2 board. I guess that means that this isn't such a bad deal then. Reports show this board reaching a nice 430 MHz fsb and stable.
There is no Conroe for 153.00 slated. For good reason. The cheapest Conroe, E6300 is slated for 189.00. Performance is comparable to X2 4400 to 4600 or better in many cases. That Gigabyte board is setup to receive Kentsfield. We know this becasue it has been used with Kentsfield. (Refer to XS.). So for about a 50 to 60 dollar premium over that 120.00 AM2 570 board + X2 3800, you get something that lays waste to it. K8L does not exist yet (not even engineering samples in the wild) And by the time it does get here (mid 2007 I heard) Do you think Intel will only be offering what they are launching tomorrow, in mid 2007?

IMHO, a 60.00 premium over that system you suggested would be WELL spent money.
If you are GPU limited, of course gaming performance will be damn similar to any AMD 2.4Ghz CPU and above, but what about everything else under the sun that Conroe is faster at? Out of your mind NOT to spend 60.00 more for a Conroe setup that you can drop a Kentsfield into by the end of 2006/beginning of 2007.

OChungry, this is all common sense. The ONLY reason to get buy an AMD chip right now is because of the beautiful price drops on 939 X2's and already have a 939 system. A CPU upgrade would be very practical for those guys. Not upgrading to an AM2 platform.

I am beginning to see what that guy was talking about in your other thread. The comment about the "tinted AMD bias". If you cannot keep it real without misguiding (or trying to) other members here, please do not post again. I am not angry, or anything like that, so don't think that from this post. I want you to keep it real. Real is Conroe over AM2 for a new build. Real is X2 939 CPU upgrade for current 939 platforms. Real is X2 3800 should not be compared with E6300. Real is X2 4400 to 4600 should be compared to E6300 along with their pricing.

Is it gonna kill you to try to do the right thing? It really can't man.
Click to expand...


Ok, as the OP, help me out keysplayr2003. I am building a new rig around a eVGA 7900GT KO and a ViewSonic 1600x1200. Given those items, I am trying to keep my costs down and am looking for the best bang for the buck that will last me playing games for the next year or two.

That's why I am looking at the AMD X2 4200+ for < $200 from monarchcomputers.com. Does this make sense to you?

Also, what mobo would you reccomend? Memory?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!
 
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