Needing some guidance.

Tich

Tich

Tich

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Joined
10 Mar 2011
Posts
159
Location
Sunny Darlo
Decisions decisions.. I suck at them.

Ok, to start with heres my current spec:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
Asus M2N4-SLI mobo
Crucial 2GB kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory
BFG GTS250 OC Edition 512MB GDDR3
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1
Antec TruePower New 650W Modular PSU
Arctic cooling freezer 64

Also using:
Samsung SM2243BW 22" TFT Monitor (love it!)
Logitech G5 mouse
Logitech Z4 2.1 speakers
Logitech media keyboard
Antec 900 case

Oh and i'm using XP 32 as my os.

As you can see the motherboard and cpu are pretty old, everything else has been upgraded around it. I don't get a lot of spare money to upgrade, however I do get a bonus every half year, one being paid to me on Friday.
I'm not sure how much but I expect after other necessities I should have £200 - £250 to play with. I'm hoping for more, but want to plan around that as a baseline amount.

So anyway, I have a few options in mind. I would like to upgrade the cpu, mobo and ram. I also would like to move to windows 7 64, and at some point will want a better graphics card.

It seems to me:
Option 1: upgrade mobo, ram and cpu. Stick with XP for now and Do the os and gpu in September when I next get a bonus.

Option 2: Overclock the cpu, perhaps add in more ram (i think i have 2gb of slower ddr2 knocking about somewhere) Upgrade the os and graphics card.

Option 3: Sell the base unit, put the money in with my bonus and do a fresh build. I don't know how much I could get for this current one though.

Aside from web browsing, Spotify and iPlayer the main use is games. Fps and Rpg's, though not mmo's. Looking to purchase Crysis 2, Battlefield 3 and Diablo 3 this year if thats any help.

So what do you think guys?
 
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.40GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £117.98

MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £43.99

Sub Total : £195.80
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £40.96
Total : £245.76
 
I've used a MSI board before, had a pretty bad experience with it. I tend to use Asus, though have heard good things about Gigabyte so was looking at the GA-P55-USB3 Intel P55.

Would an AMD setup be better than a cheaper Intel setup? I was considering getting an i3 and maybe swapping to an i5 at a later date.

If i get a new motherboard though upgradability would be key. This current one has lasted me 3 years, and had the rest of the system upgraded around it. I would want the same length of service from the new board if i can get it.
 
Are i3 chips any good for gaming on a budget?

I was looking at this one > http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-312-IN

Do i really need more than 2 cores?
Compared to an AMD quad core of the same price which would allow better overclocking potential, and a longer lifespan?

I was kinda hoping to go Intel, but if it's really not worth it at this price range then fair enough.
 
Last edited:
slight bump, hope thats ok.

Extra question though. If I was to sell my base unit as it is what should I expect to get for it? £200 maybe?
 
Lemin said:
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.40GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £117.98

MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £72.98

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £43.99

Sub Total : £195.80
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £40.96
Total : £245.76
Click to expand...

+1 thats the best bang for the buck , you could also make the upgrade abit cheaper by selling your old mainboard and cpu .
 
It (Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 Black Edition) does look like a good chip for the money.

The Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX looks better for long term, allowing me to go for a second GPU (after switching to Ati later this year). It's more expensive but I think the crossfire support will allow a longer time between needing upgrades.

I can just do a little overtime to make up the difference :)

Any ideas how well this board/cpu/ram would overclock? It's not something I would likely do immediately but would be nice to have a basic idea of the potential before purchasing.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the link Lemin. Will give it a read.


Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £106.99
(£89.16)

AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail
£95.99
(£79.99)

Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)
£43.99
(£36.66)

Sub Total : £205.81
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.00
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £42.96
Total : £257.77

Actually roughly within budget. Will use the stock cooler for the time being I think.
Is there much difference with the different ram at this price level? I was looking at OCZ platinum or G-skill earlier. If theres little noticable difference i'd probably go for nicer looking ram.
 
Nah, no real difference.

I'd avoid the OCZ stuff however.

G.Skill is a good brand, but be wary of the heat-spreaders if you're going to be buying an after-market cooler - they have been known to foul each other ;)

I'm currently using the GeIL Value Plus, running perfectly at it's rated speed at lower volts :)
 
Yeah thats why I was looking at the OCZ Cookeh, similar size heatspreaders to my Ballistix.
Tbh, it's a real shame there's not a 1600mhz version of that out. This ram has served me well.
 
Ok. The Phenom 955 and the corsair ram are on special this weekend which is nice. Is the Gigabyte board gonna be my best option? I need to decide pretty quick. I've never had a board with onboard graphics cos it seems like a waste of board space, which in my mind would get used better for other things. I'm not sure it actually does though, certainly at this price range.

I definately want 8x/8x crossfire capability down the road. I don't care about the sound quality as I use a separate card. Maybe i'm just being fussy but seriously, a motherboard upgrade is an important decision and I only do it every 2-3 years.

Also my current bundle. A mate is interested in it. I know he's skint atm so i want to give him a good price, but I also don't want to do it too cheap and lose out too much myself if you know what i mean.

I was thinking £40 - £50. Sound about right?

Many thanks again.
 
Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £89.16
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £79.99
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £29.99

Sub Total: £199.14
Shipping: £15.25
Total Vat: £42.88
Total inc Vat: £257.27


Bought. Had to get Saturday delivery cos theres no one in all week and i don't trust my neighbours. Money well spent i think. Loving these pay day offers too :D

Many thanks for the help.
 
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