Needing a New rig soon!

[Mediarocker]

Well guys, You probably guessed it. My Pentium 4 is starting to show signs of age.. Its pulled well these 5-6 years.. It used to be the best of the best.

Now its time, to hand it over to a lesser fortunate individual (My dad) And let it do simple calculations (I.e. Web surfing, Picture duty, lots of word processing). Retirement if you will.

I'm looking at going QuadCore, Preferably i7.

I know the reviews are still out on QuadCore= Ultimate Gaming. But I read that it does really good with video editing and picture editing. (Which i do alot of)

I'm wondering, which processor would be up my alley without breaking the bank, I noticed that AMD has their new AM3 types out, and I totally think that would be a big increase over my single core.

I've been out of the loop for a while, and hope that a couple of you guys can get me going again :laugh:

So.. Heres what I need help with.

I need to build a system. (minimal.)
I will be keeping my 8800GTS for cost sake.

-Dont want to spend more than 500-600 bucks.
-Need a Quad Core Preferable Processor.
-Future Upgradeability is a MUST
-Just need a Mobo, CPU, and RAM.

Thanks for any help you can give! :thumbup:

 

[SMiles]

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

Memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104077


Total: 577.99

Even with shipping you should still be under 600. If you do decide to spend a little more money I would go for a p6t deluxe instead of the se version, but the final call is up to you. Read the specs and decide which one would work best for you...

Good Luck!

 

[Mediarocker]

Thanks for the help!

I was also wondering about a case. I forgot to mention a case.

I'm looking at getting the Coolermaster HAF. Heard anything good about it?

 

[2 F 4 B P]

AMD build. The AM3 Phenom II X2 can be unlocked to be a Phenom II X4

COOLER MASTER HAF Case
Western Digital Caviar 640Gb HDD
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333
AMD Phenom II X2 3.1Ghz <--- Can be unlocked to be a Quad-core
GIGABYTE 770X AMD motherboard <--- Can unlock the other 2 cores
OCZ StealthXStream 700W PSU

This build for around $570 [S&T included]

 

[Bravo Company]

or

CPU: Phenom II 940 black:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/AMD-HDZ940XCGIBOX-Phenom-3-0GHz-Processor/dp/B001NFT2RI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245645347&sr=8-1[/ame]

$190

I don't know much about mobos or RAM so.

 

[Mediarocker]

I copied and pasted this from my previous post to another thread

COOLER MASTER HAF Case
Western Digital Caviar 640Gb HDD
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333
AMD Phenom II X2 3.1Ghz <--- Can be unlocked to be a Quad-core
GIGABYTE 770X AMD motherboard <--- Can unlock the other 2 cores
OCZ StealthXStream 700W PSU

This build for around $570 [S&T included]

Now that is a sweet deal my friend! :O

I'll definately look at that too!

Anyone have an HAF? I really like the "Gears of War" kinda look to it.

 

[2 F 4 B P]

I've been planning on getting a HAF. I mean, 3 23cm fans and a 14cm fan?! Can't go wrong with that! That's a lot of air that's being pushed through, which means ultimate cooling.

This case knocks over Antec's 900/1200 cases and kicks them while on the ground

 

[Ryken]

I have heard nothing but glowing reviews form the HAF. I like coolermaster cases, and wouldn't hesitate to build your rig in that case.

The BIG, and I mean HUGE question is: Do you live near a microcenter? They are selling i7 920's for a mere $199 right now. You have to pick it up at a store though.

If you go i7, the motherboard and RAM will cost you more. The other choice would be the previously mentioned AMD Phenom II 940. It performs slightly below the i7 on almost all tasks, but the difference is normally 180fps v. 160fps, which you will never be able to notice anyway. If you want to save money, the AMD 940 is the way to go.

If you want a quad core, I would highly suggest not purchasing a dual core proc with the hopes of unlocking it. Unlocking the other two cores is not a for sure thing, and you might end up with a dual core that you didn't want. Just plunk down the money for the quad, and know that you'll be happy.

AMD Rig:
Gigabye GA-MA790X $110
Can handle AM2/AM2+/AM3 processors for upgradability.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 $175
G.Skill DDR2 4GB 1066$51

Total: $336


Intel Build:

Intel i7 920 $200 (at microcenter, $280 off newegg)
No Clue on Motherboard, I'm an AMD guy! (~150-250)
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 $100

Total: $450-630 depending on location and MB

 

[Mediarocker]

Sweet!

I have heard nothing but glowing reviews form the HAF. I like coolermaster cases, and wouldn't hesitate to build your rig in that case.

The BIG, and I mean HUGE question is: Do you live near a microcenter? They are selling i7 920's for a mere $199 right now. You have to pick it up at a store though.

If you go i7, the motherboard and RAM will cost you more. The other choice would be the previously mentioned AMD Phenom II 940. It performs slightly below the i7 on almost all tasks, but the difference is normally 180fps v. 160fps, which you will never be able to notice anyway. If you want to save money, the AMD 940 is the way to go.

If you want a quad core, I would highly suggest not purchasing a dual core proc with the hopes of unlocking it. Unlocking the other two cores is not a for sure thing, and you might end up with a dual core that you didn't want. Just plunk down the money for the quad, and know that you'll be happy.

AMD Rig:
Gigabye GA-MA790X $110
Can handle AM2/AM2+/AM3 processors for upgradability.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 $175
G.Skill DDR2 4GB 1066$51

Total: $336


Intel Build:

Intel i7 920 $200 (at microcenter, $280 off newegg)
No Clue on Motherboard, I'm an AMD guy! (~150-250)
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 $100

Total: $450-630 depending on location and MB

Thanks for the Tip! I'm really appreciating all of the help!