• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Upgrading the kiddo's computer - need some advice please

DejaWiz

DejaWiz

Fully [H]
2FA
Joined
Apr 15, 2005
Messages
22,050
Hey [H]orde,
My kids computer is a leftover parts concoction with the following specs:
* X2 3800+
* 4GB DDR2
* Foxconn/Winfast 6150K8MA
* 8800GT
* 500GB 2.5" 5200rpm SATA
* 16x DVD-RW SATA
* Corsair CX600
* Rosewill M-Line uATX

Want to upgrade the MoBo, CPU, and get an SSD. Prefer an Intel processor (I'm thinking dual core Celeron/Pentium on the cheap), but AMD is perfectly acceptable.

NO MICROCENTER OR FRY'S NEAR ME.
(damn it)


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
* Gaming - and not cutting-edge stuff. Kids are young, so they get to stick with games like Sid Meier's Pirates, Ducktales remastered, and the like
* Media Streaming (Netfilx, AmzPrm, Hulu)


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
* <= $300 shipped, and the cheaper the better


3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
* USA, NE


4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
* CPU
* MoBo
* SSD with synchronous NAND - size over speed is better, but not slow and crappy like the asynchronous-equipped Kingston V300


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
* Chassis
* PSU
* ODD
* 8GB DDR3-1333 1.5V
* MSI GTX 570 TF-II 1.25GB
* Xigmatech Loki 92mm + Prolimatech PK-3
* 4x120mm AC PWM case fans


6) Will you be overclocking?
* No


7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
* 20" 1080p D-sub 15 only - already have DVI-D to VGA adapter


8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
* 5-10 days


9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
* uATX
* USB 3.0 header
* All fan headers must be 4-pin
* 2+ native SATA-III ports
* 8-pin CPU power header would be nice, but not mandatory


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
* Yes - Windows 7 Ultimate x86-64



 
Why uATX? I only found one Intel motherboard for uATX and it's only $62. Look for a descent i3 CPU and get the biggest hard drive you can with the money left over. You can either get a high end i3 or low end i3 which will leave more or less money for a smaller or larger SSD.

The motherboard is here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132083

edit
After a little research is seems that uATX is the same as mATX...
 
Here ya go:
$120 - Intel Core i3-4130 CPU
$51 - MSI H81M-P33 Intel H81 mATX Motherboard
$110 - Crucial MX100 256GB SSD
---
Total: $281 shipped
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
ONE IDEA
Crucial MX100 CT128MX100SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA III $78
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-148-819
GIGABYTE GA-H97-D3H $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...28712&cm_re=ga-h97-d3h-_-13-128-712-_-Product
Intel Core i3-4130 Haswell Dual-Core 3.4GHz $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116946
total: $303

ANOTHER IDEA
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...GIGABYTE_GA-78LMT-USB3-_-13-128-565-_-Product
Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 2.5" 256GB SATA III $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-148-820
AMD FX-6350 Vishera 6-Core 3.9GHz Socket AM3+ 125W $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113327
total: $309

(Or, the AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W is $120 which comes to $289.)

The difference between the two is one has a dual-core CPU with lower-capacity SSD and the other has a six-core CPU and a higher capacity SSD.

I've seen benchmarks where the FX-6300 and FX-6350 processors were about the same speed as the i3 in video games. But the difference would be where software can take advantage of six cores.
On the other hand, an Intel motherboard would allow you to put in an i5-4690 which is a real workhorse compared to AMD processors. That's why I included a mobo with Intel LAN and Realtek ALC1150 audio. It's upgradeable to a faster CPU and has a better mobo.
 
I would actually go with the Pentium Anniversary edition (G3258) over an i3. The only advantage a i3 has is hyper threading which doesn't really matter for what the kids are using the PC for. And, when it gets slow, OC it. Can't do that with a i3. For a board, go with a Z97 one so you can OC.

CPU- Pentium G3258
Motherboard- Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H
SSD- Not sure, I've never really looked into them, but the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB is fast and has good reviews
 
Last edited:
They say you can overclock with the AsRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance (although I wouldn't do it because of the extra amount of power required and CPU long term damage).
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions so far, everyone!

After giving it some thought and researching Intel dual core gaming performance, I don't feel the need to spend the extra money on the unlocked Pentium for approx 20-50% more cost than a locked Celeron or Pentium. My reasoning is this: since a lot of games are running fine on a 3800+ and 8800GT, then even the lowliest of the current LGA1150 offerings and a GTX 570 is going to be one hell of a boost. When the time comes that it is long in the tooth, then OC'ing isn't going to overcome bigger-picture limitations, and it will be time to upgrade the CPU, MoBo, and GPU again.

I'm leaning towards a 2.8 GHz Celeron ($50), at least a 120/128 GB SSD, and a MoBo that fills the criteria I stated. I'm thinking I can get away with everything for around the $210-250 mark, which is outstanding price : performance for a very basic upgrade. Further thoughts and advice?
 
AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
This inexpensive motherboard has over 75% positive rating on newegg
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...GIGABYTE_GA-78LMT-USB3-_-13-128-565-_-Product
Crucial MX100 CT128MX100SSD1 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...l_MX100_CT128MX100SSD1-_-20-148-819-_-Product
$120 + $59 + $75 = $254
You can save a further $20 by going with the FX-4350 (lower performance though) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113326
So total would be $234.
 
Thanks, CPF! Looks like we were doing the exact same thing...haha!

I'm a bit hesitant about that MoBo for these reasons:
* only 1 chassis fan header, so I'll have to buy a molex power-injected PWM splitter..a paltry expense
* PCIe 2.0 only (although I don't think that's going to be a issue since any GPU that substantially benefits from 3.0 would be bottlenecked to hell by any current CPU)
* no SATA-III

Hell of a nice price, but I think I would feel a bit shortchanged by the lack of more modern features...which I'm starting to wonder if MoBo makers are seemingly and sadly holding back features on their AMD compatible offerings purposefully.


Here's what I came up with as a comparison:

Celeron G1840
$50

Asus Vanguard B85
$100

PNY Optima 240GB
$110 ($90 after mir)

TOTAL:
$260 (240 after mir)
 
Got the parts ordered. SSD arrived, and the MoBo and CPU should be delivered this Fri or Sat.

PNY Optima 240GB
$75 (after $20 mir)

Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H
$74

Celeron G1840
$44


Grand Total:
$192 and some change...I just can't bitch. :cool:

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations, everyone! I'm looking forward to getting it all put together and giving the kids a much better PC gaming experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top