Upgrade bundles...

LithiumKid1976

hi im thinking of upgrading, and am looking at this option

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=228209&source=1
(will add another 2gb ram here)

with this graphics card

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9600gt_us.html?startgom=1


any comments, recomendations etc.
would i be better getting an intel quad core chip over the amd quad core chip?

Thanks

Solitaire

The price is fair but the CPU is outdated and very weak for a quad, and I'm guessing the board and RAM supplied with it suck the big one. As for graphics card the 9600GT is far from the best and can only be recommended if you manage to pick it up for under €70; even though its pretty weak it needs supplementary PCIe power connectors. By comparison it can rarely be found for much under €90 which makes it look very bad value compared to the HD4830, which is usually under €10 more expensive but destroys it performance-wise.

If you want this for gaming then I can't recommend any Phenom 1 (Phenom 2 is a different story) or Intel quad under 2.4GHz - you'd be better off with a faster dual-core (or with Phenom 2 tri-core).

LithiumKid1976

Hi
Thanks for the reply on that, ill avoid that so, and keep on looking.

if you had a budeget of about 600 for a moterboard and processor, what would you recommend?

thanks
Damien

RoyalMarine

cpu =
http://www.dabs.ie/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4YCZ&CategorySelectedId=11022&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11022&InMerch=1

amazing performer and 3.0ghz off the shelf. as most people will say forget a quad unless you have some very heavy intensive programs running at the same time.

as for the mobo, i use this and love it. very stable for OC.
http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=54HX&CategorySelectedId=11143&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11143

ram, i use this stuff and have 8gb of it. amazing for the price of it.
http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=4RPG&CategorySelectedId=11150&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11150,4294952408,4294953829

gpu, then something like this will throw you for a long time without upgrading.
http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=55PF&CategorySelectedId=11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,50780000,43990000,4294963789

Solitaire

What are you looking for? Gaming, multimedia, applications? Do you want to overclock?

- RMC's suggestion works well for gaming (unless you want to play GTA IV).
- Basic applications would work well on most things that aren't an Atom and don't need expensive parts wasted on them.
- Hardcore applications would be better with a quad CPU such as a Q6600 + RMC's suggested mobo or AMD X4-810 and a basic AM3 mobo+ DDR3 RAM if you want to save money, or a i7-920, basic LGA1366 mobo (still €180+!) and DDR3 RAM if you need raw power. All three OC well but you'll need a decent cooler to go with it then. You'll only need a decent graphics card if you need it for CUDA/workstation processing, design/graphics/CAD or want to play games on the same rig
- Multimedia likes quad-cores. Even a Phenom will work but again the above suggestions are better value-for-money. The big difference is that if you want HD video you'll want at least a basic video card with HD acceleration, or a motherboard with basic video including HDMI (AM3 are usually good for this) if you're not gaming on it. The bigger issue with multimedia is odd peripherals so describe your needs regarding amplifiers, TV cards etc.
- AMD X3-720BE + AM3 mobo + DDR3 + HD4830 (or better) is a happy medium/jack-of-all-trades.

TerrorFirmer

Don't forget to include the size of your monitor, if its under 19" personally I'd use that 600 budget to include a bigger monitor. You'd get a decent board, cpu, gpu and monitor for 600 easily...something like this.

LithiumKid1976

Hi Guys
i want to build it mainly for gaming (having recently got involved in TF2, and dont like the slow down experienced when there are lots going on around you!) & Multimedia, there wont be any specialised programs installed on it. i want to future proof it as much as possible.

thanks for all your help so far..

Sqaull20

I would go with Terror's build LithiumKid.You wont get better value than that, well you can if you shop around and go for a more modest cpu that can be overclocked.

E5200 which can be clocked well over 3.4ghz would be a good choice for €70.

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=57Y4&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=e5200&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

Solitaire

... but E5200 suffers horribly against massively-multithreaded apps due to the lack of L2 and zero L3 cache (as well as having only two cores). Mine is OCd to E8600 speed (3.33GHz, not going higher for everyday use until I get that cooler lapped a bit!) and is CPU-bound around 39FPS in GTA IV. That game more than anything else has taught me to point at the X3-720BE the instant "value for money" and "future-proofing" have the bad grace to be mentioned in the same sentence :rolleyes: If you are an Intel fanboi then stick to the E8400 or better, but get ready for a-whippin' when more games that rely on 3+ cores come out

RoyalMarine

Solitaire wrote: »

but get ready for a-whippin' when more games that rely on 3+ cores come out

i think you just answered my question of wether to sell my qx6700 and buy a high dual core like the E8500....