Looking to upgrade comp.

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torzak

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Ok so my B-day is coming up at the beginning of April and my parents are wanting me to start picking out what i want. They said my budget was $400 so I decided to upgrade my computer. I want to upgrade my CPU, Motherboard, and RAM. Ive already done some research and picked out 3 possible upgrade choices.
1. AMD Phenom II 955 BE 3.2GHz+ ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD+ CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
2. Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz+ MSI P55-CD53 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX+ CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
3. Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66GHz+ MSI P43-C51 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX+ CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

I know the first two are newer then the Core 2 Quad but it is the cheapest of the 3 and any money I don't spend on that I can put toward a new case. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
You could also go with G Skill RAM. For my dad's new computer, that's what I would be going with. And you can try eVGA mobos.
 
Well the first 2 would be the best performing options, the second one being better clock for clock and when overclocked.
The first choice isn't bad though and AMD is certainly better for budget setups, they will get similar game benchmarks due to games being heavily reliant on GPU's and not CPU's

The intel will be better tho in CPU intensive things, don't go for the outdated core 2 quad tho, that one isn't good either and is not worth it.

Go with AMD setup if you want to save money for your case, leaves you like $40 and i guess you could chip in ur own money.

The i5-750 if you want better performance though it is a bit more expensive.
 
Yeah the 1st one is $380 2nd is $408 and 3rd is $350 so i wouldn't be able to upgrade the I5 one any because it already maxes out my budget. I'm wanting to save as much money as possible because I am wanting to get a Coolermaster HAF 932 case and I want to pitch in as little of my money as possible.

Current system specs: (forgot to include them) only gonna include what i wont be upgrading.
PSU: 600W
GPU: PNY Nvidia 9800gt 512mb EE
Case: Some old HP case, 5 fans
CPU Cooler: A $15 Rocketfish one I got at Bestbuy. This (I may upgrade this too depending on how much B-day money i get) I know this isn't a great cooler but it keeps my AMD Phenom 8650 tri core. Overclocked from 2.3 to 2.7GHz Idle at 38C and 50C at load.
 
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1st choice.

Here's why:

1) For price to performance, that 955BE is a great CPU (father has a 965BE and works great) you'll be able to easily OC it and use the stock HS to push it to 3.6 - 3.8Ghz.

2) ASUS motherboards, built rock solid. Always have gone with them, and never been disappointed. (Have had both AMD and Intel builds, very reliable boards.)

3) Corsair, also very reliable. Them (Corsair, for desktop) and Kingston (Mainly laptop RAM) have been on my top list for RAM.
 
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PewPewBangBang said:
Go with the AMD one then, also save some money and get the 940 instead of the 955......940 is a black edition also, just older but essentially the same as that 955 which is the older revision

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...71&cm_re=phenom_ii_940-_-19-103-471-_-Product

$10 saved may not seem a lot but for you it will come in handy, makes a difference in smaller things like CPU coolers and cases
Click to expand...

he has a AM2+ CPU so if he got the 940 he could reuse his mobo and put that money towards a case!


I like gigabyte mobos just an FYI


EDIT: i did some research and the rocketfish Heat-sink you have is just a rebranded coolermaster TX3

The TX3 isn't bad at all so I would not bother to replace it.
 
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Is it even worth it to upgrade to AM3 from AM2+ now? And to upgrade to DDR3 from DDR2 6400?
 
torzak said:
Is it even worth it to upgrade to AM3 from AM2+ now? And to upgrade to DDR3 from DDR2 6400?
Click to expand...

naw dont do it........your performance increase wont be huge and you will just spend uneeded money

get the Phenom II x4 940 and save yourself hundreds of dollars??? get a nice case i recommend the Cooler Master HAF 932, and you will be set with money left over
 
Just make sure your motherboard supports 125 watt CPUs.


Regardless of what you might hear, every AM2+ motherboard works with AM3. In some cases it might show the processor type is unknown, but it will have the right clocks and cache.

Edit:

just realized the CPU you recommended was a 940.

I was referring to the 955BE.
 
get an AMD phenom II x4 940 to hold you off for now........when something good comes out in the future that necessitates upgrading, go for it.

you could be a bit more specific on what you want though.

If you need a GPU right now, get an ATI 5800 series GPU. If you can wait, take a look at the Nvidia Fermi or wait for price drop on ATI 5800 series.
 
I just searched around Google and saw it worked with 125 watt Phenom I's, so shouldn't have a problem there.

GF100 will be out very soon, benchmarks are already up.
 
I like the idea of getting the 940. Its plenty enough power for whatever ill be doing, even 3D modeling. And with the extra money Ill be able to get that Coolermaster HAF 932 I want, more ram and maybe a new graphic card.

I have a Nvidia 9800gt right now that runs any game but Crysis at maxed settings so I dont need to upgrade it yet but I might when the new Fermi cards come out. Hopefully the price on the Nvidia GTX 260 and 275 will drop by then. I prefer Nvidia over ATI but I havnt looked to see how the GTX 260 compares to the ATI 5770 because there in the same price range.
 
GTX 260 is slightly better than a 5770 if I'm not mistaking.

Because, a 4870 is around equal to a GTX260 but is still better than a 5770 (bigger memory bus with the 4870)
 
shadows5631 said:
GTX 260 is slightly better than a 5770 if I'm not mistaking.

Because, a 4870 is around equal to a GTX260 but is still better than a 5770 (bigger memory bus with the 4870)
Click to expand...

not completely true........the 5770 is actuall on par to a 4870 if not better than it by a little

Yes the main problem on the 5770 is the bus but its clock speeds and such make up for it.

An overclocked 5770 to high speeds is only a little bit behind an ATI 4890.

I would personally get a 5770 because it is newer and an Xfire 5770 is amazing because of how well it scales.
 
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