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Whats the best bang for the buck cpu/mobo these days?

T

Toro 45

Diamond Member
Looking to upgrade from an intel E7200@3.0ghz. 4GB DDR2. This is my sons computer, he's uses Abelton/Reason and other music programs dealing with large music files. This comp seems to be draggin it's heels lately, so I'm looking for something newer/faster.

I haven't been following all the new cpu's, just curious whats a good cpu/mobo combo for about $250-$275.00? overclocking is fine with me to get the speed I need. I know I'll need DDR3 ram as well just need some ideas on the cpu/mobo and we'll go from there.
 
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I've been seeing the 2500K go on sale in some nice combo deals lately for around $250. It's the best deal on the market in terms of CPUs IMO. You could get a cheap AMD combo as well but you'll wind up with 1/2 the performance of the 2500K in many cases.
 
Chiropteran said:
2500k combo deal at Microcenter is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Pretty much done, not advertised currently. You can get lucky w/board combos still working online and then using online checkout/pickup.

I would think they'll come back considering the supposed mounting on SB inventory Intel has.

If you don't have access to a MC for that type of deal, I'd recommend looking for a decent i5-2400 and H67 motherboard, maybe even a Z68 motherboard. You should be able to squeeze that out of $250-$275. This especially makes sense if you have only a passing interest in OC'ing.

That plus a decent ~128GB SSD and your sons PC will fly.
 
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Are you sure it's the CPU that's the problem?
If his usage hasn't changed and the computer has slowed down, it may just be loaded with crapware. If he's working with large files it could also be a fragmented hard drive.
 
DominionSeraph said:
Are you sure it's the CPU that's the problem?
If his usage hasn't changed and the computer has slowed down, it may just be loaded with crapware. If he's working with large files it could also be a fragmented hard drive.
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Bah, that's a boring answer.

Next thing we know you'll just be recommending fresh windows install and an SSD boot drive and keeping his admittedly very adequate CPU and RAM. Sheesh, buzzkill 😛
 
MC deals are the way to go. Also, you shouldn't have a problem getting 8GB of DDR3 from the sale of your 4GB DDR2.
 
blckgrffn said:
Pretty much done, not advertised currently. You can get lucky w/board combos still working online and then using online checkout/pickup.
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Hmm, yeah.

I was going to say this-

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/750770a3#/750770a3/27

The page isn't completely clear, but the asterisk next to processor seems to indicate the deal only applies when you buy a 2600k now. Sucks if you can't get the discount with a 2500k anymore.
 
We just did a fresh install last week, didn't help much. The 2500k at MC says in-store pickup only, did I miss something? I don't think there is one in my area anyways (Washington).

They seem to be running around $200 at newegg, not leaving much for a mobo. Are any of the slower i5 or i3's an option? I enjoy a good overclock if it can save a few $$
 
Toro 45 said:
We just did a fresh install last week, didn't help much. The 2500k at MC says in-store pickup only, did I miss something? I don't think there is one in my area anyways (Washington).

They seem to be running around $200 at newegg, not leaving much for a mobo. Are any of the slower i5 or i3's an option? I enjoy a good overclock if it can save a few $$
Click to expand...

The good news first. Yes, there are slower i5's and i3's,a nd honestly, your son will probably not notice the differenc ebetwee them and the i5-2500k.

The bad news: you can only overclock sandy bridge by buying a processor with the k variant next to it. I.e. you can overclock an i5-2500K, not an i5-2500.
 
Intel has effectively taken away overclocking completely unless you buy the 'k' designation chips (2500k/2600k/2700k). The others are all multiplier locked and you cannot adjust fsb/bclk anymore (they integrated the northbridge into the cpu and now increasing that speed messes up PCIe/SATA speed, etc).

My $0.02: get a 2500k and the cheapest Z68 board you can find.
 
^ no offense but wth!! did you even read op before recommending what would've been a bit too much even in general/common scenarios with budget more than what we have in this particular situation.
 
yeah you can get by on a cheaper LX motherboard ($70 with the combo) for a smaller overclock of 4-4.2ghz but you still need an aftermarket cooler and the Hyper 212 Evo is the bang for the buck cooler...
 
LagunaX said:
yeah you can get by on a cheaper LX motherboard ($70 with the combo) for a smaller overclock of 4-4.2ghz but you still need an aftermarket cooler and the Hyper 212 Evo is the bang for the buck cooler...
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I've successfully built 3 i5-2500k systems and got all 3 to 4.5GHz using cheaper motherboards, all prime overnight and gaming stable. All 3 runs 24/7, 2 using MSI P67 boards, and one using the Asus LX board mentioned. No problems yet, 1 is even the original P67 (non B3 stepping)
 
LagunaX said:
There you go, thanks Adam the Giant.

2500k/Asus z68 LX/Hyper 212 Evo.
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Wasn't trying to prove anything, just telling my facts.

On launch, I built a 2500k system using an Intel p67 Motherboard. It had numerous problems, but hitting 4.4 GHz was not one. (this was topped out at 4.4GHz with decent voltage tho)

Cheap motherboards will O/C 2500k's fine, almost all to 4.4GHz. Who knows how long they will last, but no issues here so far.
 
I agree, AMD should be considered.

The 1035T/1045T/1055T and Cheap motherboard is more in line with the Budget, and offer excellent value.
 
This is what i would get if your only choice is Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995&Tpk=960t

AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HD96ZTWFGRBOX

$125 w/free $15 gift card (so $110 essentially)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128535

GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3L AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

$69 (nice board with OC options)

Pickup a nice 8GB kit of DDR3 for about $39

So you have a grand total of: $218 for a very overclockable fast Quad-Core with a nice motherboard and 8GB of ram.
 
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