Fine, I'm staying far away from those guys. Honestly, I have to wonder if there is actually a meaningful difference when comparing the FX-6300 to the FX-8320, or even looking at the jump from an Asus M5A97 R2 to the Asus M5A97 R2 EVO. I find myself constantly weighing these options, wondering if the performance boost will be palpable when I'm trying to run Ghost or getting ready for the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto V and other similar titles. Or am I just overthinking things, and this lower-end setup is perfectly adequate for what I need?
I suppose it is time to breathe some life back into this thread. At eDigital, they’ve slashed the price on the Intel Core i5-4430 3.00GHz CPU down to just $416, though one really ought to get the order in immediately before it vanishes. Sadly, they don't even have the MSI Motherboard that Timothy60 suggested earlier. Does anyone have a recommendation for a suitable alternative? I find myself circling the drain here, hesitating, but seeing as eDigital has dropped their prices so significantly—and given that the gap between Intel and AMD is now a mere $67—everything in my gut is pulling me toward Intel. My only lingering hesitation stems from certain reports I've read suggesting they can be quite unreliable when it comes to shipping times for ordered goods. Furthermore, everyone here has been insisting that Intel is the superior choice for gaming. I am also wondering which processor would serve me better for video editing; I'm talking very amateur stuff in Movie Maker, you know, converting formats or prepping clips to upload to YouTube and that sort of nonsense. I realize how absolutely absurd this might sound, but right now, looking at the specs, this i5 feels like a total underdog compared to the AMD, so I am genuinely curious to hear your thoughts.
I was wondering if you might consider breaking down the price by individual component, just in case I find myself needing to offload everything piece by piece later on.
I find myself pondering whether this particular hardware configuration still holds any practical value: an AsRock 970 Extreme3 paired with a Phenom II X4 965 $333. If we are being honest—and I suspect we must be—is such a setup even remotely viable in today's landscape? Furthermore, if one were to actually attempt a sale, what kind of figure would be considered realistic to offer for such a collection? Oh, and I should mention it includes an Nvidia gtx650 . Much appreciated,
Do you folks honestly believe this setup justifies the asking price, or better yet, what would you actually be willing to pay for it? I am particularly curious to see what kind of offers might come in if I were to part with the processor on its own.
ASUS ROG Maximus . AM3+ , + Intel Core i7-10700K
price: $0.43 listing ID: 9718917
Intel Core i7-10700K Thuban 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core including the original cooler
ASRock dur Cap (2.5 x longer life time), 100% Japan-made high-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors Digi Power, Supports AM3+ Processor, 8-Core CPU Supports dual Channel DDR4 3200(OC) Supports NVIDIA quad SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX™ and CrossFireX™ Supports NVIDIA® SLI™ 4 x USB 3.0, 5 x SATA3, 2 x IEEE 1394, Dr. Debug, Power/Reset/Clear CMOS Switch with LED 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec) Supports ASRock XFast RAM, XFast lan, XFast USB Technologies supports Graphical UEFI, OFF Play, instant boot, instant Flash, App Charger, Turbo UCC
The motherboard is brand new, never even touched, and comes with a receipt and warranty... If you have any questions, please reach out via EMAIL or PHONE... I don't respond to SMS... Price is firm.
Intel Core i5 (Black edition) B93 Socket AM3 😉
price: $183 listing ID: 8583841
Intel Core i5 (Black edition) B93 (2.8GHzX4 cores) Cache L3; 6MB Total Cache 8MB ,95w Socket AM3 and it also fits in an AM2+ socket
I'll throw in some fresh thermal paste with the processor 😉 one of the absolute latest Intel platforms from the Phenom series!
Regarding the Phenom II X4, my thought process is more or less this: ever since Call of Duty: Black Ops hit the shelves, I’ve been feeling this constant pressure to upgrade the rig just so my "heir apparent" can actually run his games without a meltdown. Honestly, for what my wife and I needed back in the day, that initial setup was perfectly adequate, but since we never quite had the extra cash lying around for a major overhaul, we fall into this predictable, weary cycle where technical headaches start surfacing every November right when the big, demanding titles drop. I have this nagging suspicion that because I didn't know much better, I was essentially a walking ATM for my local computer shop guy, who always had a way of looking me in the eye and insisting everything was perfectly fine when it clearly wasn't. If I were to just grab this processor, I feel like I'd be making the exact same mistake all over again. This time, I genuinely want to shell out a bit more, do it properly, and actually resolve the issue once and for all. I am well aware that in the realm of technology, everything is relative and hardware becomes obsolete before you can even blink, but still. On a purely technical note—and I hope this isn't too granular—is it absolutely necessary to swap out every single component at once (meaning, dropping all the cash right now), or could I perhaps pull a move like upgrading the power supply today and then tackling the motherboard and processor down the road?
Ha, I suppose ignorance always comes with a price tag, doesn't it? It’s a bitter pill to swallow, really. I recall being quite convinced by some smooth-talking fellow last year who swore up and down that this motherboard was a rock-solid investment, essentially leading me right into a trap. Thanks for the assist!
My mistake. I was actually referring to this specific setup: MSI MSI Main board desktop iH81 (S1150, DDR3, SATA II,SATA III,PS/2,USB2.0,USB3.0,LAN,Audio Line-In,Audio Line-Out,Microphone-In,DVI,VGA) mATX Retail #130991 when compared against ASUS Matična ploča Asus M5A97 R2.0, 90-MIBJK0-G0EAY0MZ M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, Broj utora 4, 1866 MHz, PCI 2, PCIe x16 2, PCIe x1 2, SATA3 6, RAID 0,1,1+0,5, 8-kanalni audio, 1x 10/100/1000 Ethernet, eSATA 2, US #116878
Personally, I find myself leaning much more toward this second option featuring the i5. It just feels right. That being said, does that cheaper graphics card actually hold its own against the one in the first build? Does it even stand a chance in terms of performance?
I was actually just about to reach out and pick your brain regarding the motherboard choice. See, since we’re primarily beefing up this rig to handle some heavy gaming sessions, I'm perfectly fine with running an Intel's processor if that's what it takes. Anyway, thanks again for all the help.
Much appreciated. At this point, my primary objective is simply accumulating enough capital to make this happen! I find myself wondering, however, if there's any actual wisdom in planning for an additional RAM upgrade down the road? It seems to me that modern titles are becoming increasingly voracious; every single year, once those big November releases hit the shelves, my current rig starts to groan under the pressure, struggling just to maintain a decent frame rate. I have a nagging suspicion that future software will only demand even more from our hardware. My regards to everyone here, and if anyone happens to have further suggestions regarding the configuration, please don't hesitate to reach out—I wouldn't mind if you pushed the boundaries of my budget by a few hundred bucks or so, maybe up to 200-$100.
Thanks for getting back to me; that seems like a perfectly reasonable path forward. I suppose one has to wonder, though—would you classify this particular setup as mid-range? And if I may be so bold as to ask another question—is there actually any tangible improvement in overall quality if I decide to pivot from the 95W option to the 125W version instead?
Looking at the whole situation, I’ve come to the weary conclusion that trying to breathe any life into my current "junk heap" would be nothing more than throwing good money after bad. I was just reading up on the system requirements for Grand Theft Auto, and frankly, it looks like that game won't be running smoothly on my setup anytime soon, if ever. So, let's flip the script entirely. Instead of wasting breath on a lost cause, how can I put together a somewhat sensible combination around my existing power supply to get things running better while I slowly scrape together enough cash for the high-end gear I actually want? I suppose I could shell out roughly $667 to get the ball rolling, keeping an eye toward potential upgrades down the road, so please, I beg you, hit me with some concrete component recommendations.
Look, please, feel free to just tell me straight if it’s garbage, because I can take it. If that's the case, would it actually be a smart move to swap out the motherboard as well? And honestly, if I decide to go the route of an Intel Core i5, what kind of setup would you actually recommend picking up? Furthermore, does it even make sense to bother with that processor if I'm pairing it with, say, 8 GB of RAM?
That was precisely my own line of reasoning. I must confess, I am hardly an expert in these matters, so if I happen to pose a question that strikes anyone as "foolish," I kindly ask for your patience and forbearance. It has quite simply escaped my understanding why one would bother hunting down used processors when certain retail outlets are still peddling Intel Core i7 chips as if they were brand new. Perhaps I have somehow miscalculated the logic here, but I find myself staring at this particular listing and feeling utterly perplexed: Intel Core i7 processor, LGA 1366, 3.2GHz, quad-core architecture.
I am currently contemplating an upgrade for a computer that will primarily serve my son’s gaming needs—he tends to gravitate toward titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts, Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry, and things of that nature—so I find myself in need of some expert guidance.
The current setup consists of the following:
Motherboard: AsRock N68C-S UCC Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor BE 1.91 GHz RAM: 4GB DDR2 Power Supply: EVC ML 500W Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 My intention is to transition to 8GB of DDR3, which leads me to request your advice regarding a compatible processor. According to the motherboard specifications, it supports up to 95W socket LGA 1366 processors: Intel Core i7/X4/X3/X2 Intel Core 2 Duo / Pentium Sempron processors
There is one particular point that has left me feeling quite perplexed; a gentleman at the local electronics store suggested that the Intel Core i7 would be the optimal solution, yet I am deeply uncertain whether this can actually be installed on my board given that those are AM3+ sockets. It is my sincere desire to assemble the most balanced and effective combination possible, so I humbly ask for your recommendations. Thank you.