Help in making a wise decision

[0tz]

Ok ive got a friend here who is in a little bit of confusion in choosing his pc. Due to a recent power failure and sudden rush of electricity, his pc got broken and is not booting up anymore.

After conducting troubleshooting, i found out that the memory is not functioning anymore. Sad thing is same fate happened to the motherboard. The only thing survived is his hard disk, Pentium 4 LGA CPU and the PSU.

Now he is deciding to set up a new computer with a tight budget. Now im confused which among these 3 choices should I recommend to him.

1. Core 2 Duo Setup

ASUS P5VD2-MX - Php 4200
Corsair 512MB DDR2 776 - Phjp 3450
PSU Unit 500W - Php 1250
Casing - Php 1350

In this setup, ive found out that the motherboard I chosen is backward compatible with previous LGA775. Like what Ive stated above that my friends P4 2.66Ghz LGA775 is still alive and can be compatible to the motherboard. Then he can save up for a cheap E6300 Core 2 Duo processor

2. AMD Athlon 64 Socket 939 Setup

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8Ghz - Php 4200
MSI K8NGM2-IL - Php 3950
Corsair DDR400 512MB - Php 3250
Dynamo 500W PSU - Php 1450
Casing - Php 1350

or

3. An Am2 Setup

I want to know which among these 3 plans will make a wise decision. I know Core 2 Duo leaps ahead of AMD but because of budget drawbacks, he cant maximize throughly his system..In the AMD system, he have a complete setup and knowing from the previous feedbacks that AMD do also well....want to know from you guys...thanks

 

[Nitestick]

Core 2 Duo is definitely the best option. as you already pointed out he can re-use his current processor in the mean time. over all it is not only probably cheaper but definitely more powerful.

 

[Nukem]

Agreed... The Conroe setup is the best resource bet right now. you might even be able to reuse the case (casing?) to save a few extra buck. Maybe get a 1GB stick, for upgrade to 2GB later...

 

[0tz]

Yeah I know the Core 2 Duo setup would be the best choice because of the latest technology that chip has. But he said to be that hes not quite sure whether he could buy a Core 2 Duo in the future. But you're right... prices of cpus go down a little bit every month right? So may i know youre feedbacks with the motherboard? DOes it have an onboard video?

What makes me think of getting towards the AMD system is that he can get an instant computer for himself. He wants to use it immediately as soon as he bought one. When he consider in the Core 2 Duo, he still have to wait to be able get a "fast pc". So what do you think? The 939 setup is the setup of most people here and it have good reputation and feedbacks while on the Conroe, yeah its faster and far greater that current AMDs but time doesnt prove it to me yet how reliable nor great it is..

 

[Nitestick]

i don't think a 3000+ is enough of a boost over 2.66GHz to justify missing out on Core 2.