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CPU (Should I go with the AMD A4 or AMD A6?)

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CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor $89.99

Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard $44.99

Video Card: XFX GeForce GT 620 2GB Video Card $69.99

Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer $14.99

Total: $219.96
 
Go with an A8/A10 if you don't need storage. A FM2 board should support Kaveri if you want to upgrade later, otherwise the Pentium G2020 build I posted.

$29.99 Antec VSK-4000 Case
$109.99 A8-5600K Trinity FM2 Quad CPU
$54.99 - $5.50 10% off promo code FM2MB10 - ASRock FM2A75M-DGS FM2 Motherboard
$17.99 - $3 off promo code EMCXRXT25 - LG 24X DVD Burner Model GH24NS95

$204.46 - Total

If you don't need a case nor DVD Burner you can probably squeeze in a 64GB SSD.
 
P1NKY said:
CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor $89.99

Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard $44.99

Video Card: XFX GeForce GT 620 2GB Video Card $69.99

Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer $14.99

Total: $219.96
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The Phenom II 965 BE is only about $84.99 on Newegg right now (true quad core). And it puts the FX-4100 to shame (Bulldozer is terrible).

Phenom II 965 BE - EMCXSTX36
LG GH24NS95 - EMCXRXT25
BIOSTAR A960D+
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6670 - $20 Rebate

Subtotal: $227.96
Subtotal w/ Codes: $214.96
Subtotal w/ Codes + Rebate: $194.96

There's plenty of build options to approach.
 
I am going AMD any way I go so I don't care how old the CPU is as long as it works and will work well doing computery type stuff
 
Cerb said:
Were I in the same situation, I would get this PC, replace the RAM (supports 4 sticks, up to 4GB each) and HDD, and use my gaming PC for gaming.
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This. Drop in your RAM/HDD/PSU and get a copy of Win7 or Win8 (if you're a student, you can get one really cheap). Later add a discrete GPU and you'll be set for a while. That's about the best you can do for $170.
 
GT 620 is a sad little card, try at least the GT 430, it has twice the resources, for the same money.

and low end AMD cards are normally better,
 
SPEND YOUR BUDGET ON A FAST PROCESSOR AND NOT ON A FAST GPU if you are NOT going to game. Fast GPU will make NO difference in the things you've said you want to do and a FAST CPU WILL.

If you get a crappy CPU, VMs will get slow very quickly. Trust me, my old work computer was an Athlon X2 5400+ and loading too many VMs on that was a huge pain
 
Kaveri (steamroller cores + graphics) is announced and expected in Q4/13 or Q1/14. Information on Steamroller stand alone is fuzzier, it should be drop in for AM3+ but no telling when it will show up retail. Plus being a secondary system the lower TDP + integrated graphics are better suited for the task imo.

I'd personally go for the B75+Pentium G2020 but he's apparently settled on AMD.

Additional note: A solid AM3+ motherboard that will be fit for high end Steamroller is probably a too pricey at a total budget of $230.
 
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Vesku said:
Kaveri (steamroller cores + graphics) is announced and expected in Q4/13 or Q1/14. Information on Steamroller stand alone is fuzzier, it should be drop in for AM3+ but no telling when it will show up retail.
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I guess that's a reasonable concern. AMD could delay for quite a while if we're unlucky.

Vesku said:
Plus being a secondary system the lower TDP + integrated graphics are better suited for the task imo.
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The TDP doesn't really impact him enough to make it a factor. I mean, he's either still with his parents (likely at a community college), in a dorm (no power costs there) or renting an apartment (maybe then it would matter). I also fail to see why the graphics would matter if all he's doing is powering a monitor, and as I said, reducing the temptation to game is probably a good thing.

Vesku said:
Additional note: A solid AM3+ motherboard that will be fit for high end Steamroller is probably a too pricey at a total budget of $230.
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That is a good point... but honestly, how will a higher end motherboard really benefit him? Overclocking is probably not a main concern, and things like USB ports don't matter so much.

It baffles me why people want to get expensive motherboards unless they're going for a record overclock or NEED the PCIe lanes/slots.
 
thinking about the PSU .. reading between the lines its old, not very efficient and in worst case allready walking on death row... i dunno.
 
Sleepingforest said:
I was actually just shot down for proposing the Phenom because it's evidently too old, despite the fact that it is more or less tied with the FX 4300.
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The price difference is what kills that deal. The phenom II 965 still holds its own when it comes to desktop software. For $84.99 you really can't beat price/performance ratio. It still maxes out games available on today's market, and it certainly can crunch numbers fine when it comes to compiling software. It should have more than enough horses under the hood for what he needs. In fact even a triple core Athlon II x3 450 would suit his needs, and play WoW perfectly fine.

Warmonger said:
The Phenom II 965 BE is only about $84.99 on Newegg right now (true quad core). And it puts the FX-4100 to shame (Bulldozer is terrible).

Phenom II 965 BE - EMCXSTX36
LG GH24NS95 - EMCXRXT25
BIOSTAR A960D+
GIGABYTE Radeon HD 6670 - $20 Rebate

Subtotal: $227.96
Subtotal w/ Codes: $214.96
Subtotal w/ Codes + Rebate: $194.96

There's plenty of build options to approach.
Click to expand...

Phenom II 965 BE - EMCXSTX36
LG GH24NS95 - EMCXRXT25
BIOSTAR A880GZ
Rosewill FBM-01

Subtotal: $202.96
Subtotal w/ Codes: $189.96

The onboard video for the A880GZ is HD 4250 that has 40 SPU's. It is more than enough for compiling software, and even HD video playback (the board has VGA, DVI, and even HDMI out on the rear I/O). If gaming is done on your main rig, I would go this route. It will give you the biggest performance bang for your budget. Plus be cheap enough to cover shipping expenses without breaking $200 (if you buy it before 5/6). I own the A880GZ and am typing this on it right now, it's a pretty nice board (best AM3+ board you can find sub $60) with SATA3.

Tho one thing you need to make clear, is what exactly you are doing with this machine. If school work, coding software, and other tasks is its only purpose. I would go with what I have listed above, you won't find a much better deal for such a low budget. If you plan on gaming at all on this build, you have to sacrifice computing power to invest towards a GPU. Tho if you do go this route, you can always add a video card in later and have a powerful enough CPU for moderately good gaming (the 965 can max BF3 and other CPU heavy games).
 
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Well the Phenom II 965 + GPU is roughly the same cost as A8-5600K. Any ~$50 AM3+ motherboard you get is unlikely to be able to support a FX 83xx nor it's successors. Where as the FM2 board for the A8 has a very high probability of supporting Kaveri.

If you have narrowed the field to AMD, I see the A8 as the best pick. You have the option to undervolt or overclock, since it's not your main PC you can even lower the iGPU settings to give the CPU more leeway.
 
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