Building budget semi-future proofed box

romperstomper

hey guys, i'm upgrading from an opteron DC939 rig to:

intel 8400 cpu
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=344772
(not sure whether the 8500 is worth the extra 85 or so, anyone tell me??)

mobo asus ddr2
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=335581
OR
gigabyte combi ddr2/ ddr3
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=345783

then 4gb corsair ram:
(compatible with mobo, something value ish range)

not gonna voer clock, gonna put in a 1gb 4870 when they are out next month (hopefully mate in states should be able to get it for me)

what ye reckon? should i be going for DDR3? is that mobo OK? will socket 775 last for the next year or so (ie will i be able to upgrade cpu if needed)

this box is wanted to run cod4/bioshock and later games @ 1920 X 1200 with some AA


(don't care about crysis, not spending double my budget to get one game running smoothly)

thanks

conzy

Dont bother with DDR3, Consider a Quad Core if you want it to be more future proof

Nforce

DDR3 is expensive and not much better performance than DDR2......though if you want futureproofing then you've no option but to go for the DDR3.

romperstomper

in that case should i go for the gigabyte combi board, buy ddr2 now and then ddr3 if ever warranted???
whats the best cpu for a 775 for under 250?? quad core or dual core based? it seemed like it was only yesterday when i was reading that games were only being optimized for dual core, never mind quad core. or is it the case that games are optimized for multi core so the more core the better (ie better more cores than a 300mhz speed increase)??

really out of the prosumer PC parts loop since the days of 939 being the automatic choice ............

SolarNexus

Nforce wrote: »

DDR3 is expensive and not much better performance than DDR2......though if you want futureproofing then you've no option but to go for the DDR3.

I disagree completely. First off, you wont get a "value" mobo with DDR3. Add to that, DDR3 has a big premium right now - by the time the OP gets around to upgrading the RAM, he can buy a new mobo and still have saved quite a bit - while also increasing the future-proof quality.

My advice is get a Q6600, great cpu for a good price @ 174Eur. Then get any good value QuadCore mobo that suits. That Asus Mobo is FAR from 'value', I think its OTT, save your cash and get more ram. The combi board seems a fair bet though, but dont get DDR3 RAM just yet.

conzy

DDR3 is silly atm, It gives negligible performance increases and why even consider it when you can get 4GB of 1000mhz OCZ Platinium DDR2 for 70 euro

Also buy from Hardwareversand.de, Komplett are handy now and again and occasionaly they are competitive but HWV are so much cheaper

Even the Q6600 is €41 cheaper from HWV!!

I bought some parts from HWV last night

Radeon 4870___________Komplett: €230_______________HWV: €209

Corsair HX620__________Komplett: €123_______________HWV: €94

Samsung 750GB________Komplett: €83_______________HWV: €70

Card Reader___________Komplett: €12_______________HWV: €7

OCZ ATV______________Komplett: €19_______________HWV: €13

etc etc It all adds up and I saved almost €100 by uisng HWV instead of Komplett, HWV tend to have a better selection of coolers and fans and enthusiasts parts too

conzy

Just get

Asus P5Q-E

Q6600

Scythe Ninja Cooler

4GB 1000mhz G skill kit or 4GB cheapish 800mhz Mushkin kit

Im not sure when the 1GB 4870 will be out but the 512mb version handles 1920*1200 just fine

romperstomper

guys,

greawt responses and exactly what i needed. i'll check a few prices out tomorrow and update the thread but right now can anyone tell me for certain, is a Q6600 better than E8500????? thank a million

conzy

Ok

Q6600 is a 2.4ghz Quad Core
E8500 is a 3.16ghz Dual Core

In most current Games the E8500 will win, but in future Games the Q6600 should win easily... The Q6600 will also win in most multithreaded applications like video encoding, rendering, zipping and unzipping etc etc

But to really get the value from the Q6600 you should overclock it to 3ghz (very easy)

romperstomper

are hardwareversand.de a repuatable place to buy from?? their prices are certainly better than komplett but i'm wondering what their service is like. has anyone on here bought from them?

SolarNexus

romperstomper wrote: »

are hardwareversand.de a repuatable place to buy from?? their prices are certainly better than komplett but i'm wondering what their service is like. has anyone on here bought from them?

Seems to me like all the boardsies buy from there - I prefered to use komplette and dabs this time, but im sure someone will soon chime in with how much they love the place

PogMoThoin

17% Vat rate in Germany and only €30 shipping per order is why hdv.de gets promoted so much here on boards.ie. Komplett and Dabs are a bit expensive when ordering a few items

conzy

Papu has ordered from them several times without any hassle and they have a great RMA service

I ordered from them last Wednesday and I will let you know when my parts arrive safely