Computer Geeks

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by t-rock

I went back through and switched some things out to see what prices would be for a set up according to some recommendations from here. Price Came out to a little above 1100 dollars.

Switched out the monitor for this one. Acer 21.5" 1920x1080

AMD Phenom II X3 2.8 GHz

Asus 790GX AM3 MoBo

Corsair 2x2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Antec 650W PSU

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=3512&p=8

[pauldun170]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...deon,2151.html

http://anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus...spx?i=3516&p=1

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=3413



http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3498&p=2

[t-homo]

Wow man thanks for those links. I spent most of my morning at work reading through that first website.

What do you think about going with the AM3 motherboard and DDR3 1600 RAM, as opposed to getting an AM2+ with DDR2 1066? I know they said right now, its not really worth it, but I figured if I want to up the processor in the future I wont have to get a whole new motherboard and ram. Keep in mind that this wont go through till may or early june so prices on them will probably fall down a little bit by then.

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by t-rock

Wow man thanks for those links. I spent most of my morning at work reading through that first website.

What do you think about going with the AM3 motherboard and DDR3 1600 RAM, as opposed to getting an AM2+ with DDR2 1066? I know they said right now, its not really worth it, but I figured if I want to up the processor in the future I wont have to get a whole new motherboard and ram. Keep in mind that this wont go through till may or early june so prices on them will probably fall down a little bit by then.

Your about to spend 1g on a new computer.
You gonna upgrade the processor anytime soon?

The problem is that CPU makers do not stand still. Chipsets & Socket change on a regular enough basis where sometimes it's better treating the CPU and Motherboard as one unit.

It's cheaper in the long run (and also better value for the money) to buy higher end processor (not saying top of the line...just higher end) now. Run with it for at least 2-3 years and then swap out for new Mobo and CPU.

The AM2+, Intel 775 platforms are going away as well as DDR2 memory.
The current I7 1366 is high end only and will be joined by a mainstream chipset and socket later this year (LGA-1156).

The 1366 socket (and pricey motherboards)will likely become marginalized in the market place by the 1156 when it comes on line. Committing to the 1366 and means chasing an upgrade path of high Intel chips (will suck when more affordable 1156 chips are out that offer 96% of the performance at 1/2 the price)

The AM3+ chipset will begin to retire in 2010-2011 when AMD introduces their new fancy pants chips next year (new socket).

Even IF you decide to stick with a CPU upgrade path, do you really want to stick a shiny new processor in what will be an old motherboard with an old chipset?

Might be better off buying a quality board from a good manufacturer for 90-140 and, combine that with a chip that is maybe 2-3 places away from top of the line and milking it for a few years.

I say this assuming that you would rather spend money elsewhere than on a computer every year.

As for Memory.
Buying a board with DDR3 is obviously a safe bet.
However, keep in mind that if you buy DDR3 rated at say 1066. You decide to upgrade your processor and that processor is designed (along with whatever new chipset that happens to be available) to work at 2000mhz.....how do you feel about moving that slower older memory over? Just something to consider.

DDR2 will be on the market for another 2 years, DDR3 for longer obviously. As DDR3 use become more widespread, price will come down and DDR2 prices will rise as production ramps down. Find a motherboard, cpu and mobo optimized for the best performance when all is put together.


Basically what I'm getting at is to not worry so much about upgrade paths unless you plan on upgrading next year.

Higher end CPU.
Bunch of memory.
Solid GPU that matches up the resolutions you will be playing at. (The video card is always a candidate for upgrades)

Some might say grab a lower end CPU and overclock it. I say unless you are EXTREMELY diligent about temperatures and voltages all you will end up with is a shortlived CPU and motherboard, unless you spend extra on cooling. The issue here is that the money you spent on cooling could have gone to a higher end processor that would have given you the same performance on stock cooling and resulted in a longer lifespan with less fuss.

[pauldun170]

since you are considering it
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==