CPU & motherboard recommendation needed

[gba888]

Hi Everyone,
I've been building since the k6-2 days, but the last system I built was in 06 with an Opteron 144. Due to work/life I haven't had or made the opportunity to upgrade since then.

I will use the system for graphic design, photo editing and occasional video encoding. No gaming interests really since I rely on consoles for gaming.

Anyway, I've been scouring the net for about 2 weeks trying to figure out the best bet for a processor/motherboard combo to meet my needs and retain a fair amount of upgrade ability life.

I'd like to stay under 120 for the processor. I've been looking at core 2 duo, and the phenom families. Any suggestions for processors or motherboards are welcome. Thanks

 

[yh125d]

At that price range I'd go for the PHII X3 720. It's definitely better than its competitors at that range (e7400), plus, most can be unlocked to a quad core. Pick up a gigabyte/asus 780g/790x/790gx/790fx and some ram and you're good to go

 

[alyarb]

if you're doing any kind of design or encoding, the triple-core phenom is the least you can do, and a good buy. definitely get a SB750/ACC-enabled motherboard and go for the unlock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128378
this is a good board. may as well put AM2 behind you and go for the AM3 while you have the chance. you'll need new RAM anyhow.

 

[brblx]

the 945's are back in stock at newegg with all the combo deals. should be able to get one with a decent mobo (with integrated video, if desired) for around $200.

 

[gba888]

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies I posted at work a while ago, and didn't think anyone would have responded yet.

Yeah, I'm getting pretty much everything else new too (ram, hd, optical), so the platform change is a non issue. I'm going to take some time to investigate the info so far. I could prob go to 150 on the processor if need be, but since I've been out of the loop for quite a while it's hard to know what the best values are based on overclockability and price combined.
Most likely, I'll be looking to overclock.

I've been using passmark as a rough guide for figuring out where I'd like to be.

 

[yh125d]

The PHII X3 720 is really a great value. Most can be unlocked to X4 as well as OC'd well (3.7gHz is common from what I hear) from a $120 processor, is great

 

[alyarb]

Kind of lucky that you're also looking for a new HDD on top of your CPU/mobo/RAM. Check out this combo on the 945's front page:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...03675&Tpk=phenom%20945

That's a pretty decent combo considering it saves $125. The RAM is overpriced and spoils it a tad, though. Other great combos would be the 945 + ASUS M4A78T-E for $238 (saves $80) and the 945 + Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 for $223 (saves $70).

Both of these are 100% AM3 so you'll have a totally new system with a fresh upgrade path to follow, not to mention a 3 GHz quad-core instead of a 2.80 GHz tri-core. With a good heatsink you're in for at least 3.7 GHz, a pretty good overclock. Any 120mm heat tower between $30 and $40 will do the job, but there are some other higher-end parts as well.

 

[gba888]

Originally posted by: alyarb
Kind of lucky that you're also looking for a new HDD on top of your CPU/mobo/RAM. Check out this combo on the 945's front page:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...03675&Tpk=phenom%20945

That's a pretty decent combo considering it saves $125. The RAM is overpriced and spoils it a tad, though. Other great combos would be the 945 + ASUS M4A78T-E for $238 (saves $80) and the 945 + Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 for $223 (saves $70).

Both of these are 100% AM3 so you'll have a totally new system with a fresh upgrade path to follow, not to mention a 3 GHz quad-core instead of a 2.80 GHz tri-core. With a good heatsink you're in for at least 3.7 GHz, a pretty good overclock. Any 120mm heat tower between $30 and $40 will do the job, but there are some other higher-end parts as well.

Yeah, I was checking some of those deals out I was reading a little about unlocking the x3 720, but it seemed that people were having luck with early runs from around march. Not sure if current runs would still be "as" unlockable.

The only issue I have with the combos is like you mentioned...sometimes I think they throw a certain component in just to get rid of it or to push an otherwise low seller.

Well, I've always built AMD systems, but thought I might be seeing some intel recommendations. It seems that maybe things have changed back to AMD being the better value again. I seem to recall about a year or so ago that intel was definitely the preference for system builders. I guess that's what happens when you're out of the game for 3 years! I'll be doing a lot of research tonight and tomorrow. I'm probably going to order over the weekend so that the parts come in next week sometime. Thanks again for the posts!

 

[alyarb]

intel doesn't provide the same price competitiveness among the low-end quad-core CPUs, and the common platform is on its last legs and will not be refreshed. It would be foolish to dump $300 into a socket-775 system with no hope of any kind of upgrade. Intel's X58 platform is great (superior), but about $150 beyond the price range you appear to be looking for.

I can definitely see what you mean about the combos. The corsair DHX memory is a bit gimmicky, but by no means low-quality. Just a little overpriced. Samsung F1 disks are top notch as well, and you also can't go wrong with any ASUS or Foxconn boards. If you look at the 945 combo's, you'll see some cheap jetway and asrock boards, and those are the ones I would avoid (not that they won't run; they will. i just can't guarantee an enjoyable overclock).

 

[yh125d]

Intels niche now is entry level cpus from 50-75 (ala e5200) and top end with i7. Midrange is owned by ATI from 100-250, with cheap PHII X2's and X3's, and $200 quads, all of which can be paired with $50 of DDR2 and a $100 mobo and have a great system

 

[alyarb]

who the hell is ATI?

 

[yh125d]

Originally posted by: alyarb
who the hell is ATI?

har har har

 

[gba888]

Originally posted by: alyarb
intel doesn't provide the same price competitiveness among the low-end quad-core CPUs, and the common platform is on its last legs and will not be refreshed. It would be foolish to dump $300 into a socket-775 system with no hope of any kind of upgrade. Intel's X58 platform is great (superior), but about $150 beyond the price range you appear to be looking for.

I can definitely see what you mean about the combos. The corsair DHX memory is a bit gimmicky, but by no means low-quality. Just a little overpriced. Samsung F1 disks are top notch as well, and you also can't go wrong with any ASUS or Foxconn boards. If you look at the 945 combo's, you'll see some cheap jetway and asrock boards, and those are the ones I would avoid (not that they won't run; they will. i just can't guarantee an enjoyable overclock).

"ATI" LOL

yeah, I have no problem with anything in that particular combo.... I boot from a 40GB raptor, have a 250GB samsung spinpoint for storage and run on an asus A8N premium sli board. It's been great, but yeah, 3 years is a long span between upgrades! I'm prob gonna demote this system to my secondary, then play around with parts to upgrade my mom's system ( I hate it when I'm at my mom's and you can't even browse websites without lag [1ghz celeron!])...

Anyway, the 945 is looking pretty good...I was leery of that jetway board, I got burnt on an ECS (elite) motherboard some years ago and the lower no name boards have never been well received after that. I also had a couple epox boards that were afflicted with the dreaded "bulging capacitor" issue, so like everything else, luck and fate will always play a role! I actually replaced the capacitors on one of the boards with caps from an old PII stock intel board and the thing was still running when I got rid of it about 2 years ago

 

[gba888]

Hey guys.... ok it's the end of the weekend, and I'm just about ready to order. I'm going to go with an x4 955 and help "boost" the economy in my own way LOL... The original plan was budgeting about 3-400 for an upgrade, but I'm going to go to about 7 and just be done with it.

I need onboard video, and I want to overclock. What is the best sub 150 board that meets that criteria? Micro atx would be nice (I thought it would always be cool to build in a smaller tower vs full size cases that I've always had), but it's not necessary.

Also, are there any "cheap" heatsinks that would be better than the stock that comes with the 955? Thanks for any further help!

 

[Spikesoldier]

the X3 720 black edition is a great value processor.

you get two cores for games/multithreaded apps, and the third core can run windows and background stuff.

the jump from tri to quad core isnt as great as from dual to tri in terms of end user experience. applications that can take advantage of four (or more) cores, then youre in a completely different hardware league anyway.

i personally would get the 720 if i was going to build an amd rig right now. i wouldnt even worry about the fourth core, as it probably would yield a lower overclock than running the three 'good' cores.

 

[gba888]

Originally posted by: Spikesoldier
the X3 720 black edition is a great value processor.

you get two cores for games/multithreaded apps, and the third core can run windows and background stuff.

the jump from tri to quad core isnt as great as from dual to tri in terms of end user experience. applications that can take advantage of four (or more) cores, then youre in a completely different hardware league anyway.

i personally would get the 720 if i was going to build an amd rig right now. i wouldnt even worry about the fourth core, as it probably would yield a lower overclock than running the three 'good' cores.

Yeah, I've been playing with the idea of the x3 720 vs the x4 955, but there are 2 things that I'm thinking about: 1. unlocking the fourth "defective" core seems to be hit or miss and may or may not work....(I'd DEFINITELY be trying If I'd go with the 720!).... and 2. there is only a $100 price difference between the 2 processors. Yeah, it's "kind of" a big deal, but not really to me because I have not upgraded my system since 2006!!! So, I've really gotten my value out of my opteron If I go with the 955, I'll prob be good (personally) for at LEAST a year or 2.

EDIT: I see a combo with the: BIOSTAR TForce TA790GX A3+ AM3 AMD 790GX. Anyone have experience with this board?

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: gba888
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EDIT: I see a combo with the: BIOSTAR TForce TA790GX A3+ AM3 AMD 790GX. Anyone have experience with this board?

The AM2+ version of that mobo can pretty much be credited with the 720BE unlocking 'phenomena' - not sure about the AM3 version ...

Should be some threads about it.