New cpu and motherboard on a budget

[Mlacom]

Hello Anandites!
The other day my motherboard finally decided to fry, and I now need a new one as well as a CPU to rebuild my pc with what's left functioning, which is:
- 700 W psu
- 2gb x4 ddr2 hyperx ram
- sapphire HD 7850 2gb

I have a budget limited to around 300 Euro (Europe's market would also be where I need to get it from for warranty shipping etc).

What cpu and mobo would you suggest , within said budget, for a decent gaming rig? Thanks for your time!

 

[denis280]

Welcome to the forums Mlacom.you should ask a mod.to move your post to General Hardware.

 

[Seba]

Sell that DDR2. It is not used on new motherboards.

You could go for a Pentium Haswell + B85 chipset motherboard + 8 GB DDR3-1600 1.5V.

Add a HDD or a SSD.

Test that power supply before using it on a new build.

 

[Mlacom]

Hi again and thanks for the welcome! Yes I'm sorry could please some mod move this?

Thanks seba for the tip, I looked it up and a pentium haswell, although cheap, seems really underwhelming, especially for gaming. I understand now I have to get new ram no matter what, so I'll end up rising the budget to 300 most likely.
The psu is ok, already tested it

 

[Seba]

I don't think that you can fit a Core i5 in your budget. But if you can, it is the better choice.

A Core i3 is a poor choice (to expensive compared to Pentium). You pay almost double for at most 30% increase (usually less) in performance over Pentium and a Core i3 will still not be good enough where 4 cores are needed.

Also with Core i3 you pay for the better integrated graphics, which you will not use (the same applies with Core i5's integrated graphics, but at least you also get 4 Haswell cores).

If you choose any Haswell Refresh CPU and a 8-series motherboard, you will probably need a BIOS/UEFI update and to do that, you also need a non-Refresh Haswell CPU. You can only use the Haswell Refresh CPU after the BIOS update.

A 9-series motherboard supports Haswell Refresh CPUs from the release.

 

[Mlacom]

Thanks Seba for the insight, i would thank you if there was a button Not sure where you got the i3 from though, i have no intention of downgrading to a 2 core.
While I make up my mind, i found a guy who's selling these parts nearby, good conditions, 1.5 years old system, at the price shown:


i7 3770k 200 euro
p8z77-v 90 euro
4x4gb (16) ddr3 ram corsair vengeance 100 euro

is there anything worth getting or haggling for?

 

[Seba]

Compare with the prices for similar new components, from your country.

And keep in mind that in games, a i5 is comparable to a i7 (so no need to choose a more expensive i7 over an i5).

Also, that kit was probably overclocked and it is the older LGA 1155. If your motherboard dies, you will find LGA 1150 motherboards for a longer time.

Not sure where you got the i3 from though, i have no intention of downgrading to a 2 core.

From your initial budget and assuming new parts, not second hand.

 

[Mlacom]

Yes you're right, it was a sillily limited budget. I had really no clue of how much i would end up spending since my purchases in the last 3-4 years have been solely spares. I edited and upped the ante a bit. The i7 sells for 290 on amazon.it, but if there's not that much of a difference i don't see a reason to get an i7, and used at that.
As for the mobo, i don't understand if that's an endorsement or a thumbs down

 

[Seba]

Recent Intel CPUs that have unlocked multiplier (and because of that can be easily overclocked) are denoted with the "K" suffix (with the exception of Pentium Haswell G3258). Such CPUs should be paired with motherboards that allow overclocking (with Zx7 chipsets) and with better coolers.

A motherboard and a CPU that was/is overclocked could fail sooner. On the other hand, Zx7 boards are made with better components (better VRM and so on).

Unless you need more performance than that provided by the best CPU available, I see no point in overclocking. You have to spend more on that "K" CPU, more on the motherboard and more on a better cooler.

Search the second hand market for a i5 Haswell CPU (LGA 1150) or buy a new one.

For the motherboard, I would preffer a new one, especially if I intend to keep it for a longer time.

 

[Mlacom]

Ok then! Thanks a lot Seba, you helped me understand quite a lot! Now I'm off to look for what to buy, I'm still trying to snatch a deal on that used i7, if all else fails I'll refer to amazon/newegg. I'll keep you posted here!

 

[Cerb]

I'll have to disagree: an i3 is very much worth it over the Pentium. You only have to look at benchmarks with the overclocked Pentium Anniversary model to see that. Or use Pentiums and i3s. The difference is one you can feel.

Setting PCPP to Deutschland, I get about 265 EUR for an ASRock H97 Anniversary, Core i3-4150, and 8GB 1866MHz DDR3.

A slow i5, like an i5-4460, goes only just a hair over 300 EUR. If going a bit over budget is OK, an i5-4590 brings it to about 325 EUR i5-4670 brings it to about 340 EUR.

If possible, try to squeeze an i5 in there, unless the 300 has to include shipping and taxes, too.

 

[Seba]

Yes, you can see the difference between a Core i3 and a Pentium. I even wrote that.

But that difference is not proportional with the price increase. That is my point.

The same is valid with Core i5, but for some games (like BF4 multiplayer and probably for a lot of games that will be released in the near future) 4 cores are a must and if you want to play such a game, you have to accept the increased cost. Unlike Core i5, a Core i3 will not be enough in this situations so you would have paid the premium (over a Pentium) for nothing in these cases.

 

[Kenmitch]

In today's spam from tigerdirect they have the 4690k for 209.99 shipped after coupon. The also have the MSI z97 G55 SLI for 109.99 shipped.

 

[Mlacom]

Here I am, back from my search! I have to say...I'm leaning toward the pre-owned market, specifically on that same configuration I wrote early about, with another mobo:

i7 3770k 200 euro
asrock z77 extreme 4 70 euro (5 months old still under guarantee)
4x4gb (16) ddr3 ram corsair vengeance 100 euro

CONS
-It's pre-owned.
-Socket 1155.
-It's 350-370 euro, way over my initial budget (but i was totally uninformed)
PROS
-16gb ram for at least 50 euros less than the cheapest online equal offer
-2 PCIe x16, which would allow me to slap on another 7850 for crossfire
-I've read that the 3770k oc's stably at 4.3 and can go as high as 4.8 (?!?!)
-I already have a 700W psu

What do you say?

 

[Seba]

8GB would be enough and you can save 50 euro that way (if the seller agrees). You can always add more RAM later, when/if the memory prices return to sane levels.

 

[Mlacom]

Unfortunately he's selling them as a bundle, as they were originally sold. I prefer to buy 16, I almost went mental to find 2x2gb sticks of ddr2 hyperx to add to the other 2x2 I already owned. Apart from that, is my reasoning solid?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

i5-4670 brings it to about 340 EUR.

This

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I try and look at these decisions as a matter of "stocks and flows."

If I can't spend the money this month, maybe I can spend it next month or four months from now. This means that a "fixed budget" for the computer can be a "more flexible budget."

All of us here on the forums are obsessive-compulsive about the latest Intel "tick-tock." Ivy Bridge is "last-gen," but it's also a matter of whether your "needs" for future-proofing are more urgent. One can have a target for building a "newest-tech" computer, a "simply great" PC -- any number of things.

If it were me, I'd buy "new" instead of "pre-owned." But if I encourage everyone across the board to do that, there won't be a market for my "pre-owned Sandy-Bridge." Fact is, though, I'd rather "reallocate" it than sell it.

AFTERTHOUGHT: It would be nice if you could test the (used) parts before you buy them, or at least require the seller to provide screen-shots of recent tests. Of course, you'd test them yourself afterward, but there's always the chance you have some defect, bad memory module -- something. You get that with new parts, though. It's just easier to correct the problem with no extra expense. . .

 

[aznb0b]

300 euros is around $475 right? You shouldnt have much problems finding a decent intel cpu and mobo with that kind of budget. I bought my entire build with a budget of less than that