Need help to decide which is best

[bobbydrew]

Looking at a new motherboard, processor and memory bundle with a budget of about £120. Have seen two at this price mark but was just wondering if anyone knows of any better deals. I want the system for general internet browsing and occasional gaming. I have a nvidia 9800gt silent cell to add to the package to help boost the performance.

first option is :Biostar N68S3 motherboard with AMD Dual Core 260 3.2Ghz CPU and 4GB Ultra Fast DDR3 1333Mhz RAM

second is :Biostar G41D3 motherboard with Intel Pentium Dual Core E5500 2.7Ghz CPU and 4GB Ultra Fast DDR3 1333Mhz RAM.

If I can boost my budget to £140 there is a third option of :Biostar G41D3 motherboard with Intel Pentium Dual Core E6600 3.06Ghz CPU and 4GB Ultra Fast DDR3 1333Mhz RAM.

I understand these are all budget range, but I have very little funds and I believe either of these will be an inprovement on my current amd sempron 64 4200+ ecs 6100-m2 motherboard and 2gb ddr2 533 ram. Also IDE is a must as I have a sata drive and an old IDE for backup storage.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[MindoverMaster]

If you don't need DDR3, You could go with Intel 775 or AM2+. That would be a huge jump.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L iG31 Socket 775 onboard VGA 7.1.. | Ebuyer.com
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5500 2.8GHz Socket 775 800Mhz.. | Ebuyer.com
RAM: OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800Mhz/PC2-6400 Memory Unbuffered.. | Ebuyer.com

Trotter can help with the AMD side.

 

[bobbydrew]

Just thinking getting the ddr3 would keep it upto date a little while longer. The bundles seem reasonable value. It also comes ready setup, just install into my case.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Bundles/barebones usually come in separate parts, not put together. In the USa at least

 

[patonb]

Do yourself a favor, do not buy a 775 mobo. As youre limited in your funds get an AMD am3 capiable board. Even if your cpu is not the best, having a good modern mobo will allow you to upgrade in the future

Well, ebuyer has this AMD Athlon 630 Bundle Deal Including Athlon II X4 630.. | Ebuyer.com but its an older am3 board, a 760 chipset, but its solid for 130 with vat. it has a x4 630.

or a better board:

MSI 880GM-E41 880G Socket AM3 onboard graphics 8.. | Ebuyer.com MSI 880G Mobo
AMD Athlon X2 245 2.9GHZ Socket AM3 2MB Cache Retail.. | Ebuyer.com X2 245 @ 2.9Ghz
Crucial 2GB DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory CL9 1.5V | Ebuyer.com 2Gig Crucial ram
For 123 including vat

 

[bobbydrew]

The bundles state, fully tested and assembled. Just intall and as im not upto setting up a system would save me the hassle. If I get a quad it will be very low, wouldnt a better dual be more benificial to what I will use it for?

 

[patonb]

Sounds has no relation to the actual cpu. The sound comes from the fans and how fast they turn.

Quads are good for longevity, as they can run more at a time... 4 cores to wolrk instead of 2 or 3.

The parts i spec'd have a dual core... My only issue with the bundles is the crap motherboard.

 

[bobbydrew]

The cheaper quads have a lower cache, which I was lead to believe would mean a decent dual will out perform. I don't use many multicore applications to benefit from it.

 

[patonb]

Honestly, i spec'd the 245 x2 for a great build.... The benifit of a quad is multi tasking. Though it has lower cache, 4 512k vs the 2 1Mb of the x2 245, having the free cpu speeds things up.

I wouldn't go for the bundle i found personally, The parts I put together has a much better mobo, better for down the road sustainability.

 

[bobbydrew]

Well I just looked on ebay, which is not good itself. Just seems a good deal for the money, though its budget hardware. Im not up to setting up something myself. Im not expecting massive performance but its better than what I have. Im still only looking to run xp so one of those bundles is ideal. I only rarely game and as long as I can run dawn of war 2 ill be pleased. It ran really well before with my 9600 gso 768 but with this 9800gt it struggles big time.