A few questions....

[15357]

Ok, this is going to be a couple of months from now, but I've been thinking of building a new computer (finally, one of my own!), but I'm not sure what to use.

First of all, I was thinking for the CPU, a quad-core AMD PhenomII X4 955 Black Edition ($290).

Is this a good CPU? I've never used a computer with an AMD in it, so I'm a bit worried. It seems quite cheap compared to Intel, but I've heard that the performance is awesome.

Secondly, I'm thinking of a GTX260 or 280 for the graphics card. Any major differences between the two? The price difference is about $80. ($290 for the GTX260)

Finally, a good reliable motherboard to go with them would be good. Something reliable and cheap (I don't get any allowance money, and this is my (short) life's savings that I'm using, so I don't want to waste money).


Thanks in advance.

 

[bryanf445]

Cpus this day aren't like they used to be. And by that I mean that pretty much everything out there by amd and intel are good processors. The one you posted is really good, however I'd suggest one of intels new i7 cores. As for the video card, people say theres a difference, but the only way you can tell is with larger resolutions above 1600x1200 and higher. So if you're using a smaller monitor and not using that type of resolution I'd just save the money. Let me know what processor you're thinking of goin with and I'll get you a good idea of what motherboard you should pick up.


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Intel-Core-i7-Nehalem,2057-25.html|
check out the rest of the benchmarks on this site to get an idea

 

[15357]

Oh thanks a lot.

The i7s seem about twice the cost, so I think I'll stick with the AMD. I don't have a lot of money, and I do need to buy a monitor (which will prolly be a 22-inch LG) and et cetera.


btw, your link doesn't seem to go to the place where you meant, but still great site. Thanks.

 

[bryanf445]

Oh thanks a lot.

The i7s seem about twice the cost, so I think I'll stick with the AMD. I don't have a lot of money, and I do need to buy a monitor (which will prolly be a 22-inch LG) and et cetera.


btw, your link doesn't seem to go to the place where you meant, but still great site. Thanks.

Oooops, sorry you're right...I'm sure you've found your way to some benchmarks so I won't bother. Well since thats out of your price range, I'd suggest the Q6600 by intel. I have one and I have it easily and safely clocked at 3.0ghz and I assure you that this processor can handle any game. It's gotten down in price too...should be able to pick one up for around $200 I'd say.

 

[15357]

Well, thanks for the suggestion, but the but the Phenom 955 seems to come with several items (gaming mouse, coupon for speaker set, coupon for 30% off for monitor, etc) for free, so....

Heh. And the charts seem to indicate that the 955 is better than the Q6600. Although I prolly won't notice the difference.

 

[bryanf445]

Well, thanks for the suggestion, but the but the Phenom 955 seems to come with several items (gaming mouse, coupon for speaker set, coupon for 30% off for monitor, etc) for free, so....

Heh. And the charts seem to indicate that the 955 is better than the Q6600. Although I prolly won't notice the difference.

Haha do it for sure then!

But yea I knew that the 955 will beat the Q6600, I was just saying it's like 80 or so dollars cheaper. But for sure thats a great processor that you'll surely love. What are your current specs your upgrading from?

 

[Dinnesch]

On the graphics part: Get a GTX 275. It's only 5-10% slower than the GTX 285, but about $100 cheaper. Newegg currently has the MSI GTX 275 Twinfrozr for $200, which also is the best GTX 275 in realibility. It has 2 years of warranty, and pretty good temps:

 

[Sedako]

Both the Phenom 2 and Core i7 are pretty comparable, with the i7 being a bit faster for certain tasks. The other advantage with the i7 is being able to use DDR3 in tri-channel. It probably isn't worth the extra cost of the processor and RAM though, and the Phenom 2 definitely performs very well. If you can find a 1gb Radeon 4890 for cheaper than the GTX 260, I would say go with that.

 

[15357]

Haha do it for sure then!

But yea I knew that the 955 will beat the Q6600, I was just saying it's like 80 or so dollars cheaper. But for sure thats a great processor that you'll surely love. What are your current specs your upgrading from?

Heh. Pentium 4 3.0ghz and a Geforce 6600. It's quite old, like 4~5 years or so.

Oh yeah, the motherboard needs to be selected.

On the graphics part: Get a GTX 275. It's only 5-10% slower than the GTX 285, but about $100 cheaper. Newegg currently has the MSI GTX 275 Twinfrozr for $200, which also is the best GTX 275 in realibility. It has 2 years of warranty, and pretty good temps:

Ok, I have to look into that. But the prices here might be a lot different.

Both the Phenom 2 and Core i7 are pretty comparable, with the i7 being a bit faster for certain tasks. The other advantage with the i7 is being able to use DDR3 in tri-channel. It probably isn't worth the extra cost of the processor and RAM though, and the Phenom 2 definitely performs very well. If you can find a 1gb Radeon 4890 for cheaper than the GTX 260, I would say go with that.

Ok, but I think the GTXs are cheaper than the radeons on the same scale over here. I'll have to cheack.

 

[15357]

Ok, if someone would tell me what mainboard to use for the AMD PhenomII X4 955 and the GTX 260, I'd appreciate it.


(the 275 is about a hundred dollars more than the 260)

 

[Dinnesch]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157161 ?

Just wondering, at which shop was you looking for the graphics cards, and what were the prices of the GTX 260 and 275? The gap should only be around $50

EDIT: oh, the MSI one got more expensive, I swear it was $200 a few days ago :/

 

[15357]

Well, a Korean internet PC site, "danawa.com".

It had the 260 at $260 minimum, and the 275 at $350 minimum.


Thx, btw.