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Computer Build Dilema

J

jfdaigle

n00b
Joined
Apr 24, 2011
Messages
22
Hi,

I have a huge dilema that I've been thinking of for a while now. I have a couple different computer parts, but not enough to completely build 2. The thing is, I will move soon and I must leave a running computer here, and I want one to come with me.

Here are the parts I have:

Intel Pentium D 820 (not installed)
Diamond Radeon X1650 Pro AGP 8x (Not Installed)
Samsung DDR-400 RAM 2x512mb (Not Installed)
These were originally in the build and I upgraded to try and keep up...

ASRock 775i65G
Intel Core2Quad Q6600
Sapphire Radeon HD3850 512mb AGP 8x
OCZ Platinum DDR-400 2x1gb

So as you can see, I'm stuck. I have old components that are very hard to find these days. Motherboards with DDR1 and AGP are expensive do to rarety. So I then thought of only keeping the CPU. 775 boards with X38/X48 or P45 are also pretty hard to find these days, and at around 150$+ on ebay. Still, I'll need a new video card and RAM.

So now, I'm wondering if it would be better to simply throw everything out and buy a completely new system. The thing is, I don't have 800$ to put on a system, and I do like to game.

Anyhow, if you have an idea, or come across a great deal that could help me, feel free...!!

Thanks for your time
Jeff
 
i would use this

ASRock 775i65G
Intel Core2Quad Q6600
Sapphire Radeon HD3850 512mb AGP 8x
OCZ Platinum DDR-400 2x1gb

it would be your best bet until you can get the funds to build a new one. your gaming wont be the best in the world. but it will do what you want it to do.
 
jfdaigle said:
So as you can see, I'm stuck. I have old components that are very hard to find these days. Motherboards with DDR1 and AGP are expensive do to rarety. So I then thought of only keeping the CPU. 775 boards with X38/X48 or P45 are also pretty hard to find these days, and at around 150$+ on ebay. Still, I'll need a new video card and RAM.

So now, I'm wondering if it would be better to simply throw everything out and buy a completely new system. The thing is, I don't have 800$ to put on a system, and I do like to game.
Jeff
Click to expand...

I am not sure I understand your dilemma but if I am reading you correctly, why don't you turn your disadvantage into your advantage? Why not research the parts you currently have, see what they would sell for and then sell what would produce the most funds for you while still keeping enough to assemble one machine that you can leave behind? I am assuming that you do not really care about the capabilities of the rig you leave behind, just that it runs correct? You said yourself that the older components were hard to find and expensive to buy - so, be the seller and not the buyer.

What is your budget? Do you have $400? Or even $300? Because that plus what you might make on selling the older parts could buy you something decent for the time being. What is your budget do you think?
 
Last edited:
You're pretty much looking at a new PC altogether. While the Q6600 is a good CPU when OC'd to 3Ghz, the fact that current socket 775 related hardware prices are still relatively high make further investments in that platform cost-prohibitive short of buying old and used hardware.

Now does the PC that's being left home: Does that need to game? In other words, what's the exact usage scenarios for the left behind PC?
 
What games are you trying to play? What other parts do you have? Case, PSU, HDD, etc.

What kind of budget do you have to spend on new parts, whether it's one part or a bunch? Answering some of the questions from The Sticky will help us help you. For the budget just explain your situation (the parts you have available to sell, plus the cash on hand. You can also give us a range to spend.)

Be sure to tell us if there's a Microcenter or Frys nearby.

I think it's entirely possible to get a decent new CPU, motherboard, RAM, and GPU for around $350 depending on your needs and what other parts you have (you may need a new PSU as well.)

But yeah, fill out the sticky so we can help you maximize your budget's potential.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the really fast responses...

So for games, I pretty much like to play every new game that comes out. As you can imagine, I have to lower the settings on all of the to about medium for the time being to get decent fps. As for my other parts

A second case I'll have to buy. Currently have a Logisys CS-51WBK Black. Added a 120mm exhaust fan at the back.
PSU: OCZ ModXtreme 700W Modular (I fried the 350W that came with the case)
160gb Samsung HDD that will stay with the this build.
WD 1TB Black Sata3 (I know I only have sata 1 but it came with it for cheaper than the sata2)
Acer X223w 22" flat screen (1680x1050)
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler

So, the build I'm leaving behind pretty much only needs to go on the internet. My dilema wasn't really there. I'll put back all the components that came with it.
Pentium D (with stock heatsink), 1gb ram, Radeon X1650, 160gb drive, some 350-400W PSU I can find

For budget now... I can probably pull a 400$ bucks out of my pockets. But I have no idea how much I can get out of my parts.

I live in Quebec, Canada, so I don't really have any cheap wholesale stores for computer parts, not that I know of at least.

I hope this will help you.
Thank you again for your quick reply
 
Sorry, forgot to mention that I am currently running Windows 7 32bit since I only have 2gb of RAM (Max of my darn old motherboard!!) I'll probably have to move to 64bit regardless...
 
Found an OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W PSU for only 29.99$ on ++++.com. Its way over what the old rig needs but for the price... Ends tomorow, If quantities last...
 
jfdaigle said:
Found an OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W PSU for only 29.99$ on ++++.com. Its way over what the old rig needs but for the price... Ends tomorow, If quantities last...
Click to expand...

Don't get it. It's of not so good quality. Nor would I bother reusing that OCZ ModXStream PSU due to, again, relatively low quality.

Hit up our FAQ: We have a ton of links to Canadian online stores there. So with that in mind, quick and dirty build list:
AMD Athon II X4 640 CPU
Cheapest AMD chipset socket AM3 motherboard you can find
2GB of DDR3 1333 RAM at least. Do not go for 2x1GB sets. Find a single 2GB RAM stick If you can afford 4GB of DDR3 1333 RAM, get it. Do not go for a 2x2GB set. Find a single 4GB RAM stick
HD 5770
Corsair Gaming Series 500W PSU

All of that should be under $400 CAD easily.
 
Danny Bui said:
Cheapest AMD chipset socket AM3 motherboard you can find
Click to expand...

Hey Danny, when I saw your build list here it made me wonder about those new "black socket" AM3 boards. I haven't researched the prices at all but would you ever recommend any of those simply for the upgrading to Bulldozer capabilities in mind or no?

I know they have to be more money but unless they are exorbitantly so and/or a sham wouldn't it be worth buying one of those since the rest of the AM3 boards are a total dead end?
 
There are a few companies who have already released BIOS updates for specific boards to enable AM3+ so getting a "black socket" isn't necessary, espeially if there's a big price premium. Note that so far they've only said it makes the boards AM3+ capable. There have been no references to Bulldozer capable, but that may be do to various marketing embargos.

I'm on my phone right now otherwise I would provide links to AM3+ motherboard lists. I know Asus announced theirs. MSI, Gigabyte, and maybe Biostar released something too. And I can't remember who came up with The Black socket or whatever. Long story short for the OP, consider getting a motherboard that is AM3+ capable. It shouldn't cost much more than the cheapest AMD chipset boards. I'll try to be more specific later when I get to a computer if no one else has posted the lists yet.
 
beto said:
Hey Danny, when I saw your build list here it made me wonder about those new "black socket" AM3 boards. I haven't researched the prices at all but would you ever recommend any of those simply for the upgrading to Bulldozer capabilities in mind or no?

I know they have to be more money but unless they are exorbitantly so and/or a sham wouldn't it be worth buying one of those since the rest of the AM3 boards are a total dead end?
Click to expand...
It's probably worth it. But considering the OP's budget, I was thinking that cost of the mobo would be around $50 to $65. I don't think the AM3+ mobos will be that cheaper or near that cheaper (i/e within $10 to maybe $15). With that said, I could be wrong about that.
 
Here's Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte's AM3+ lists. Oh and ASRock's too, which also provides a quick explanation of AM3+'s benefits over AM3 (even if it is pretty heavy marketing speak.)

Notice that Gigabyte and ASRock are not doing it through a bios update but rather through a hardware revision and addition of a black socket.

Asus is only supporting bios updates to AM3+ on the 890FX and GX chipsets which will likely price this build out.

But MSI says they'll be providing a bios update to even some of their 760G boards. However, I'm leerly of guaranteeing that those motherboards that haven't seen the bios released definitely will get the upgrade. I'm hopeful that MSI will do what they say on that webpage, but I've been teased by things like this too many times in the past to say it's a sure thing.

However, if MSI were to release an AM3+ bios update for all those boards, then this one (MSI 760GM-P33) is $55 and should work with AM3+ cpus (if they release the new bios.)

If you want a true AM3+ socket (a black socket) Newegg finally has two models on their list, but they're both at or above $100.
 
Ok, so what do you think of the Intel solutions. I simply hate the way Intel plays with their sockets. I was thinking at first (last year) to maybe buying a i7 960 when the prices went down. But now that I know that the 1366 platform is pretty much going to die on its own, not sure to go with it. Is the tripple channel memory really that much of an advantage? The added PCI-E lanes?

So then I'm left with the more mainstream solutions. I'm pretty sure you'll tell me to forget the 1156 (something else I can't understand form Intel) since it was also only good for 1 generation of cpu. I saw many things about the new Sandy Bridge 1155 platform. But is it going to last or is it going to die like its brothers in the next year?

As you can see, I'm pretty mixed up right now....
 
Update on budget....

I've looked at the average price on ebay for the parts I have:

Pentium D 820: 20-25$ (without heatsink so maybe an extra 5$)
Q6600: 105$ (no heatsink)
Radeon X1650: 40-50$ (no accessories, no original box in most case so maybe an extra 10$ since I included all original parts)
Radeon HD3850: 40-119$??? (weird but what do you know)
2x512mb PC-3200: ~20$
 
jfdaigle said:
Update on budget....

I've looked at the average price on ebay for the parts I have:

Pentium D 820: 20-25$ (without heatsink so maybe an extra 5$)
Q6600: 105$ (no heatsink)
Radeon X1650: 40-50$ (no accessories, no original box in most case so maybe an extra 10$ since I included all original parts)
Radeon HD3850: 40-119$??? (weird but what do you know)
2x512mb PC-3200: ~20$
Click to expand...

So $225+ from that plus your original $400ish. You might be in business here, though I think it'll be cheaper to keep the Pentium D and associated parts to make your internet box. Can you afford to spend $550ish up front while waiting for the parts to sell or would you prefer to sell the parts, see what you get for them, and then buy?
 
tonytnnt said:
However, if MSI were to release an AM3+ bios update for all those boards, then this one (MSI 760GM-P33) is $55 and should work with AM3+ cpus (if they release the new bios.)
Click to expand...
Do note that the OP is from Canada.
jfdaigle said:
I was thinking at first (last year) to maybe buying a i7 960 when the prices went down. But now that I know that the 1366 platform is pretty much going to die on its own, not sure to go with it. Is the tripple channel memory really that much of an advantage? The added PCI-E lanes?
Click to expand...
Triple channel RAM really wasn't an advantage. That added PCI-E lanes are an advantage if you plan on using PCI-E cards, whether they be video cards or hardware RAID cards. With that said, there are plenty of socket LGA 1155 motherboard out there that comes with enough PCI-E lanes for that kind of usage. And they're priced around the same price as current LGA 1366 motherboards. However the one key advantage the socket LGA 1366 route still has is the greater RAM availability.
tonytnnt said:
So then I'm left with the more mainstream solutions. I'm pretty sure you'll tell me to forget the 1156 (something else I can't understand form Intel) since it was also only good for 1 generation of cpu. I saw many things about the new Sandy Bridge 1155 platform. But is it going to last or is it going to die like its brothers in the next year?
Click to expand...
Yeah LGA 1156 is not a good choice these days in light of the release of the LGA 1155 CPUs. However it may have a slightly longer life than LGA 1156 as the Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge replacement and therefore sockat LGA 1155 replacement isn't due till early 2013. However do note that Intel is releasing their high-end socket LGA 2011 later this year.
 
Thoughts:
Ok. Leave that system (because it will do fine for surfing.)

Lets look at new for you.

Assumptions: You have Win 7. You have a monitor.

Prices from Canada Computers http://www.canadacomputers.com/

Phenom II X4 840 (3.2ghz) $109.99
ASuS M4A78LT-M LE motherboard $52.99
GSkill Ripjaw DDR3 -1333 2x2GB $34.88
WD 500gb SATA Hard Drive $29.88
Antec EA-650 650watt PSU $68.88
Coolermaster Elite 342 Case $39.99

The motherboard has a built in graphics card. So, you can wait or get graphics card.
Radeon HD 5670 -ASuS EAH5670/DI/512MD $49.88
Radeon HD 5770 -ASuS EAH5770 $124.88

SYSTEM: $336.61
With HD 5670: $386.49
With HD 5770: $461.49
Plus taxes, and /or shipping - depending on going into the store, or too far away...
 
I can spare the extra cash...I have enough money to pay probably 2 systems but I don't want to spend it all on a PC. To put it simple, I want a rig for the best price, that will alow me to play all the latest titles, that will last for a couple of years, AND that will be upgradable as new products will come out and will still be compatible. I don't want to be stuck like I am right now.

I also have to say that I pretty much chose my case. Since it came out, I really looked out for the HAF 932. I think its a great looking case with excellent features. I figure buying a good quality case will last me pretty much forever... I found one just now on ++++ at 124.99$ - 20$ MIR = 104.99$ (Black Edition case) The hick... sale ends today!
 
Like I previously said, I have a Acer X223w flat screen that perfect for me. I also have 17" flat screen to leave behind so thats that. For Windows, I currently have Windows 7 32bit. I guess I can work with that for the time being and upgrade to 64bit. I won't die from limiting my system RAM for a couple of weeks...
 
Ok. Something I have found true for computers. In many cases,"buying for the future" is not that simple. Just ask the people who have AM2 based motherboards. Or DDR2 memory. Fine and dandy not very long ago.
Basically, your case, psu, keyboard, mouse, monitor, hard drive, dvd/cdrom will be useful. But I doubt any boards with AM3/AM3+ will be fully nextgen ready. And the DDR3 speeds will be much higher. And the graphics cards refresh every 6 months or so...
So, go for best bang for buck, instead of "future proof."
 
Ok, so I forget the upgradable side of things... I'm left with good gamer, hopefully for some time.
I also don't need any HDD. I already have a WD CaviarBlack 1TB Sata3 and some radom 500mb HDD that used to be an external HDD but the enclosure died...
 
What if I say... F*** it... I'm going for it.

I get like a Core i7 960 (339$) with something like a Asus P6X58D Premium (276$) with some Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 12GB (104$) and a Sapphire 6950 2GB (298$) ---- ~1000$

--or--

Core i7 2600k (336$) with a MSI P67A-GD80 (B3) (200$), Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 8GB (103$ --- 4gb less for the same price???) and the same Sapphire 6950 2GB (298$) ---- ~950$

Would I be better of with that. It will of course work way better... But worth it?
 
jfdaigle said:
What if I say... F*** it... I'm going for it.

I get like a Core i7 960 (339$) with something like a Asus P6X58D Premium (276$) with some Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 12GB (104$) and a Sapphire 6950 2GB (298$) ---- ~1000$

--or--

Core i7 2600k (336$) with a MSI P67A-GD80 (B3) (200$), Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 8GB (103$ --- 4gb less for the same price???) and the same Sapphire 6950 2GB (298$) ---- ~950$

Would I be better of with that. It will of course work way better... But worth it?
Click to expand...

The 2600K would be a lot better than that i7 960 route but that 2600K build list isn't a good buy at all.

If you want better recommendations, please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you btter
 
jfdaigle said:
Like I previously said, I have a Acer X223w flat screen that perfect for me. I also have 17" flat screen to leave behind so thats that. For Windows, I currently have Windows 7 32bit. I guess I can work with that for the time being and upgrade to 64bit. I won't die from limiting my system RAM for a couple of weeks...
Click to expand...

You can contact Microsoft about getting a Windows 7 64-bit disk and using the same license/key for it IIRC.

If you're buying somewhere between now and a month from now, consider something like this:

Intel i5-2500k (non-k if you don't want to overclock)
MSI-P67A-G43 (or equivalent. an H67 motherboard if you don't want to overclock)
1x4 GB stick of RAM
HAF932, HAF922, or HAF912
Radeon 6850 or 6870 (expect to upgrade this first)
Good PSU (to be determined, not familiar with Canada)

And step back, think for a bit about how much you want to spend. Because you can get a pretty good setup going with the above parts, which should come out to about $550 US dollars (I know you're in Canada but I'm going from memory right now.) I have to run but once you post the sticky you'll get a lot of responses (probably just edit your first thread and put it at the end of that so it's in the OP for all the new people who look at the thread to get an idea of what's going on.)
 
So here is another look at my situation following your Sticky (based on earlier posts)


The Use: GAMING: So for games, I pretty much like to play every new game that comes out. As you can imagine, I have to lower the settings on all of the to about medium for the time being to get decent fps.

Budget: Not yet exactly figured out. 500$...maybe a bit more

Location: I live in Quebec, Canada

Parts I need: CPU, Motherboard, Video Card, RAM, Case, maybe PSU, DVD writer

Parts I wish to reuse: PSU: OCZ ModXtreme 700W Modular
WD 1TB CaviarBlack Sata3
Some other 500mb Drive
Acer X223w 22" flat screen (1680x1050)
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler

Overclocking: I will try to pull the maximum out of my parts, but I have to say that I'm a newbie in that world. I did do some research on the net though...

Monitor:Acer X223w 22" flat screen (1680x1050)

Building/buying: Yes, I have no problem with building the PC myself.

Features: I would like eSata, CrossfireX (for future), Sata3 and USB3. No particular need for RAID even though it comes with the boards now.


I hope this will help you.
Thank you again for your quick reply
 
So now I think I don't really have the choice but to put 800$.

Here is what I found based on tonytnnt's recommendations:

Motherboard MSI-P67A-GD65 166,99 $
CPU i5 2500k 206,54 $
Video Card XFX HD6870 Black Edition 236,62 $
Memory G Skill F3 Sniper 8GB 90,15 $
Case HAF 932 Black Edition 104,99 $

Total 805,29 $

All I would need is a good PSU. suggestions...

I don't know what you think of it
 
First off, let me start by saying I like that build, I think it's pretty good. There's a few areas to tweak.

Is the non-black edition available? That could save you a bit. Same with going for only 4GB of RAM instead of 8. If the budget is tight, you can always get a single, 4 GB stick now and upgrade later.

Here's a rough alternative build, from Newegg.ca (which doesn't look like the best place to shop in Canada -- shipping is crazy!) There are probably other websites in Canada that are cheaper, but you'll have to do the legwork there.

$335 - Intel Core i5-2500k + Asus P8P67 - LE
$80 - SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W
$90 (before $10 MIR) - Cooler Master HAF 922 Case
$185 (before $20 MIR) - GIGABYTE GV-R585OC-1GD Radeon HD 5850 1GB + Free Shogun 2: Total War
$38 - Rendition by Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Total (including shipping to H2Y 1C6, HST/GST): $797

Key differences from your build:
  • The Asus P8P67-LE isn't as good as the MSI-P67A GD-65 but it's a fair bit cheaper.
  • Mine only has 4GB of RAM. Also, all you need for Sandy Bridge is DDR3 1333 MHz CL9 1.5V RAM and you'll be set. So unless the G.Skill Snipers are on sale for less than the cost of plain RAM, get the plain stuff.
  • I didn't get a black edition 6870. I got the 5850 instead. Cheaper while offering similar gaming performance, especially for a 1680x1050 resolution.
  • The HAF922 is a similar case to the 932, but if your heart is set on the 932 spend the extra $15 and get it -- you'll be happier every time you look at the case. Hell with Newegg.ca's shipping rates the 932 could be cheaper.
  • Mine includes a power suppy!

That PSU would be cutting it close if you wanted to use two cards in Crossfire. For something a little more heavy duty if you know Crossfire is in your future, get:

$125 - Seasonic SS-850HT 850W

You can mix and match most of the parts from your build and mine. I think the most overpriced parts in your build are the graphics card (way overpriced) and the RAM (slightly overpriced.
 
So for the RAM, will it beharder to find the exact same stick down the line to get the advantages of dual channel? Is dual channel necessary?

Yes there is a non-black edition graphics card but that one was on sale for like 10$ more than the stock card.

I usualy shop of ++++ .com.The shipping is fair, they have good customer support and they offer price match. I get the best price off shopbot .ca and get a price match.
 
jfdaigle said:
So for the RAM, will it beharder to find the exact same stick down the line to get the advantages of dual channel? Is dual channel necessary?
Click to expand...
It might be harder to find the exact same stick. Dual Channel isn't necessary
jfdaigle said:
++++. I dont know why I get**. N c i x
Click to expand...
Because NC IX has been blacklisted for not being cooperative with HardOCP..
 
So final choice, unless someone has reserves on it and better recommendations.

Motherboard MSI-P67A-GD65 163,00 $
CPU i5 2500k 206,54 $
Video Card XFX HD6870 Black Edition 236,62 $
Memory Corsair 4gb 1333 CL9 37,23 $
Case HAF 932 Black Edition 124,99 $
PSU Antec Truepower New 650W 89,99 $

Total 858,37 $

Following your recommendations tonytnnt, I replaced the 8gb kit with a lower value 4gb stick. I also found a pretty good PSU. This one was 10$ more than the Seasonic you suggested and seems superior. The graphics card is still a black edition. Its clocked 940mhz and 4.6ghz instead of 900mhz and 4.2ghz. I know I can probably overclock the card my self to those specs but at least I'll be sure it will work in thoses settings. It's also only 16$ more...XFX because of their amazing support and double lifetime warranty.

If I wrap it up. With shipping, insurance and taxes, 952.76$. Minus the 200$ I can get from parts. 752.76$... A bit over what I had predicted, but I think its a good price for what I'm getting.
 
Those parts will work well. $16 more for the black edition isn't too bad for the performance and peace of mind. Good luck with the build!
 
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