Please rate my $350 build for grad school!

[dave_the_nerd]

Negative. Even if you assume you backup nightly, lose 1 day of work should be worth the <$100 premium of an more expensive drive. Consider it a weak insurance policy.

Better off with a crap ssd and backup vs. good ssd and no backup.

Sure, a good ssd and a backup is ideal, and I'd prefer he go that route. But that wasn't the question.

Given the build price, use of recycled parts, and the rarity of desktop computers in colleges now, the cynic in me is suspicious that op will cheap out, not back up, and later wish he hadn't.

Don't mean to knock the op, I've just seen it happen too many times.

 

[infoiltrator]

A10-5800 is the lowest price solution with the best graphics.
I3 3220 is a better CPU but needs an HD6670 to compete.
I3 3225 has graphics equal to A8-3870.

It is a balance, all will work well.
Just know what you are buying.

From what has been said the A10 will work well for you.
An I3 3220 with an HD6670 is a better computer if the budget allows

I3 3220 is HD2500 iGPU, I3 3225 is HD4000 iGPU.

Since you have no plans for an SSD and are using older HDD the Trinity solution should meet requirements.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

It is a balance, all will work well.
Just know what you are buying.

Isn't everything. You can't get -everything- on a budget, some trade-offs has to be made...

Know the limitations and you will be fine.

 

[college_student]

I guess I don't really understand which tasks are inherently CPU and which tasks are inherently GPU, so its hard to strike this 'balance' -_-

I won't be purchasing a GPU at this time. I won't be over-clocking anything (if that matters).

Ok, here goes:
1. Won't play modern 3D games (will play stuff that comes with Windows 7--solitaire, chess, and maybe titles like Zuma's Revenge and Bejeweled),
2. Will use the computer for programming.
3. Occasional audio/video/picture encoding and LIGHT editing (CS4, photoshop, but nothing major).

Is the A10 the better deal or the i3 3220? I keep hearing conflicting opinions (and reviews and benchmarks online) and therefore its hard to decide.

Thanks,
-DV

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I guess I don't really understand which tasks are inherently CPU and which tasks are inherently GPU, so its hard to strike this 'balance' -_-

I won't be purchasing a GPU at this time. I won't be over-clocking anything (if that matters).

Ok, here goes:
1. Won't play modern 3D games (will play stuff that comes with Windows 7--solitaire, chess, and maybe titles like Zuma's Revenge and Bejeweled),
2. Will use the computer for programming.
3. Occasional audio/video/picture encoding and LIGHT editing (CS4, photoshop, but nothing major).

Is the A10 the better deal or the i3 3220? I keep hearing conflicting opinions (and reviews and benchmarks online) and therefore its hard to decide.

Thanks,
-DV

For that, the i3 will be better.

None of what you mentioned doing will specifically benefit from the better graphics in the A10. The i3 has more raw single-threaded CPU grunt, which will help with programming/compiling, etc. A/V editing will favor the i3 a tad too. Encoding will be a wash. (The A10 has a better onboard GPU, which can accelerate video encoding tasks, but the video quality suffers. Since we're all buying pre-encoded media now, or subscribing to a streaming service, instead of ripping our DVD collections, it's kind of a moot point imho.)

To get a rough idea of general performance, look at the Vishera review anandtech posted the other day:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested

The A10 should be noticeable but not drastically slower than the FX-4300 (both are quad core parts, but the A10 has lower clocks and less cache to meet its power envelope.) The i3 beat the FX-4300 in both the photoshop and compiler tests.

Unfortunately, no CPU will help you actually write the code faster. :biggrin:

And honestly, if you get the HD4000-equipped i3 instead of the HD2500-equipped i3, you will be able to do some gaming. (I manage to waste plenty of time with my GeForce 9400M-powered laptop, after all.) You just won't be able to play newer titles at maximum resolutions. (Anything on the Crysis Engine is a no-go, but older games like Oblivion, or light-on-the-GPU games like StarCraft II or WoW, should work alright. And the world of classic/retro gaming is wide open.)

 

[Insert_Nickname]

None of what you mentioned doing will specifically benefit from the better graphics in the A10. The i3 has more raw single-threaded CPU grunt, which will help with programming/compiling, etc. A/V editing will favor the i3 a tad too. Encoding will be a wash. (The A10 has a better onboard GPU, which can accelerate video encoding tasks, but the video quality suffers. Since we're all buying pre-encoded media now, or subscribing to a streaming service, instead of ripping our DVD collections, it's kind of a moot point imho.)

Agreed. I would just like to point out that you get quicksync with the i3 and that's really icing on the cake, for video encoding...

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Agreed. I would just like to point out that you get quicksync with the i3 and that's really icing on the cake, for video encoding...

My understanding is that QuickSync suffers from the same performance boost / quality reduction as CUDA/OpenCL. It's just not as fast as the other two, and not as big a quality hit either. (An in-between kinda thing.)

 

[mfenn]

My understanding is that QuickSync suffers from the same performance boost / quality reduction as CUDA/OpenCL. It's just not as fast as the other two, and not as big a quality hit either. (An in-between kinda thing.)

Other way around. QuickSync is way faster than CUDA/OpenCL but has worse quality.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Other way around. QuickSync is way faster than CUDA/OpenCL but has worse quality.

Yep, but its really not -that- bad in a pinch...

I sometimes have to do some encoding on my laptop, and quicksync is perfect for that...

 

[mfenn]

Yep, but its really not -that- bad in a pinch...

I sometimes have to do some encoding on my laptop, and quicksync is perfect for that...

Yeah there is definitely no problem in using it for something that need to quickly upload to the web or shove onto a mobile device. You wouldn't want to use it for any sort of archival where you're going to get rid of the original source though.

 

[infoiltrator]

The I3 3225 HD4000 $144
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116774
is the best performance choice

The I3 3220 + HD 6670 see Superbiiz (15% off till 10/29 find coupon)
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I3-3220BOX
http://www.techbargains.com/vendor_detail.cfm/728/SuperBiiz-com-(eWiz-com)-coupon-code
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-6670_D3

The lowest cost option is
Trinity A10-5800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113280
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-A10-5800K-.../dp/B0095VP8D4

As a personal balancing act
Pentium G850 $70 + HD 6670

It is as much a personality problem as hardware. Are you a half empty OR half full sort of guy?

My feeling is you do not know.
My experience is cheap motherboards, ram and good cheap power supplies work well with Intel.
Not at all as certain about Trinity.

So place your bet, none of these are "losers" at the price. Some fit some applications better.
Again, personally I have found HD2000 graphics adequate to fine.
Though I tend to throw a video card in my personal computers.
Just because..

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Yeah there is definitely no problem in using it for something that need to quickly upload to the web or shove onto a mobile device. You wouldn't want to use it for any sort of archival where you're going to get rid of the original source though.

Of course not... but the problem is negligible when I have an i7 @ 4.3 under my desk...

The gold standard is still CPU-based encoding.

 

[infoiltrator]

Todays eblast:

Patriot Viper 3 RAM 1600 2X 4GB $25.99 EMCJNHD22

A8-5600 $99.99 EMCJNHD36

i3 3220 $119.99 EMCJNHD38
MSI Z77A-G41 $79.99 before $10 MIR
Asrock Z77Pro4 $94.99

 

[college_student]

Todays eblast:

Patriot Viper 3 RAM 1600 2X 4GB $25.99 EMCJNHD22

A8-5600 $99.99 EMCJNHD36

i3 3220 $119.99 EMCJNHD38
MSI Z77A-G41 $79.99 before $10 MIR
Asrock Z77Pro4 $94.99

What does "eblast" mean?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

What does "eblast" mean?

In this context, he's referring to a ad he got in his email.

I've heard the term used to refer to listservs, distribution lists, the emails sent by those, to those, about those, and any email with more than one recipient.

Because apparently actually calling things what they're called isn't "hip."

 

[cnjmorris]

I have read the entire thread and found it very helpful. My father is looking to upgrade his computer and keep his budget low. He said his AMD Athlon 64 x2 5600+ was doing just fine but it died and decided to upgrade rather than replace parts. He wants to use his old HD for storage and put in a 128GB SSD.

I have decided upon the recommended below since he needs more power than cores.
i3 3220 $130
ASrock B75M-DGS $55
Crucial M4 128GB $100 ($110 now)

The price on the original memory, case and power supply has changed, including a $15 shipping charge for the case.

I switched the memory which was no longer on sale to the Patriot Vier 3 8GB for $25.99 at NewEgg.

Are the above choices good and what would a good case/power supply be for the above components. He may use an old DVD drive or might just rely on an external for occasional use. He does watch television on his computer and will install an already owned tuner card but other than that doesn't have any special requirements.

 

[techpun]

i like the idea of having a ssd and back up then a ssd and no back up.

 

[infoiltrator]

Crucial M4 has been a very good choice,
At the moment the Samsung 830 is a better performer and usually a better buy,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147163

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-2-5-In...ds=samsung+830

I3 3225 not needed but $15 goes from HD2500 to HD4000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116774
i3 3220 or save $10 $120 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-3220-...words=INTEL+I3

Note recent motherboards by Intel no longer natively support IDE devices.

newegg
Is one of the largest electronic etailers in USA.
eBlast is a subscription email daily email of discounts and discount codes on some items. Often codes are limited to 24 or 48 hours or 1 week. [or while supplies last]
shellshocker is a daily items limited at special prices. Similar to above.
Both are intended to attract impulse purchases "beyond" "needed" items.
Recent was Samsung 1600 RAM down from $45-$47 2x4 GB kit to $37, single 4 GB $17
These are low profile, 1.35 volt 30 nm memory chips, great overclockers despite "official" CAS 11

Amazon (especially with "prime' [free shipping and video service, 30 day free trial, be sure to turn off if used for shipping but unwanted, $80 a year otherwise]
Today's Deal and Daily Deals can be enticing or useful
Recent "Deals" [one day]
Kingston HyperX K3 128 GB SSDs $60 each
Samsung 830 SSDs $70 each

Tiger Direct has adopted daily deals [mostly meh, I3 2100 at $80 was exception]

Usually I watch newegg deals (which do cost me impulse buys) and Amazon
Use foum "Hot Deals" member posts to avoid ad watching, be prepared to find items Out of Stock

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Note recent motherboards by Intel no longer natively support IDE devices.

Not to nitpick, but that's easily handled with a PCI/PCIe adaptor if you -need- IDE... :biggrin:

 

[mfenn]

In this context, he's referring to a ad he got in his email.

I've heard the term used to refer to listservs, distribution lists, the emails sent by those, to those, about those, and any email with more than one recipient.

Because apparently actually calling things what they're called isn't "hip."

Huh? Newegg brands its deal/coupon emails "eBlasts". In this case, the infoiltrator is calling something what its called.