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Want to build a cheap AMD Quad-Core System

ComputerWizKid

ComputerWizKid

Golden Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Internet browsing, HTPC Duty (HD/SD Video encoding HD/Blu-Ray Playback) Music Listing, Light Gaming (Emulators and older games)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $350 Max

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA, Connecticut (from Newegg & ZZF)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Gigabyte Motherboards, Western Digital Hard Drives

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Power Supply (Antec Earth Watts EA-430) , Case (Sugo SG01 MATX ) , HDD (1x 160GB/500GB SATA) Ram (A*Data PC2-6400) DVD-RW Drive (SATA)


7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
This is for my HTPC and I don't plan on OCing it

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with. 1024 x 768

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? June-July 2010

I want to build a cheap AMD Quad-Core system and I will be reusing most of my old parts (Until I can get more money to buy more parts)

I have picked out a couple parts already and I want to know if I can find better parts for about $300-$350 (I already have a Windows 7 Home Premium Retail License)

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-U2SH

CPU
AMD Athlon II 630

Hard Drive
WD Black 750GB

I already have a Hauppauge HVR-1800

I have a couple of questions about AMD though as I have not had a AMD System since the Socket 939 Days

Sideport memory what is it and do I need it?
ACC what is it and do I need it?

if there is any other things I should be aware of let me know
Thanks in advance for the help on my quest of cheap quad-Core
 
ComputerWizKid said:
Sideport memory what is it and do I need it?
ACC what is it and do I need it?

if there is any other things I should be aware of let me know
Thanks in advance for the help on my quest of cheap quad-Core
Click to expand...

You've basically made the cheapest quad-core around unless you go in for a Biostar motherboard or something. Microcenter also has a combo deal that provides, essentially, a free motherboard, so you could get an x4 630 and a board for $100 plus tax.

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...0427_AMDbundle

SIdeport memory means the motherboard has its own memory for the onboard video instead of using it from the DDR. It sucks as far as I can recall.

ACC is advanced core calibration - it allows you to unlock an extra core on AMD chips that have an additional, but locked, core on the CPU die. The X2 555, for example, can essentially unlock to a X4 955. It's a crapshoot - not all chips unlock, and even if they do unlock an additional core, that core may not be stable.
 
I don't know of any emulators that can take advantage of a quad-core. Very few take advantage of a dual-core. Most are single-threaded (MAME, etc.).

You might be better off considering a very fast dual-core (i3-530 clocked to the moon?)
 
he does video encoding.
i3 is good for single tasks, but i have doubts about such synthetic single task benchmark results as compared to real world use.
 
anyone know of a good MATX board with more then one PCI-Express x1-x4
it seems the slot config is always PCI X 2 PCI-E 1x PCI-E 16x 1
 
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