PC Build/Repair: Fixing up my old rig

Alright folks, I need some expert advice here....

I’m looking to breathe some new life into an old PC, so please weigh in!🙏>
Here’s the deal: I have a monitor that I absolutely love, a Samsung T220
running at a resolution of 1600X1050.
My hard drive is a 320GB SATA model—it's getting a bit old, so I’ll probably swap that out later. I could also repurpose my old mouse and keyboard to squeeze a little more value out of my current setup, but let's focus on the heavy hitters....
Basically, I need: - A CPU
- A motherboard
- RAM
- A graphics card
And maybe a case too, if necessary.
I’d love to find everything in one place to keep things simple and, most importantly, budget-friendly.
My budget is a modest $200 to $300. $0.00 My plan is to upgrade certain parts in a second phase—for example, starting with a single 2GB stick of RAM now, then adding more down the road.

I’ve heard some chatter about a new AMD processor dropping in early September. A lot of people are telling me that Intel is much better right now... blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, that’s why I’m posting here—to get some real guidance.

I don't want to fall into the trap of paying $30 extra for a chip that’s only 0.2 GHz faster, giving me a measly 2% boost in performance when the price tag jumps. $133 I want my money to actually count.

Just as a heads-up, I use my computer for everything: gaming, browsing, multimedia—basically your standard all-arounder. ☕

Right now, I'm running an Athona64 at 1.8GHz, 1.5GB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon X1300 with 256MB of VRAM.
The main reason I'm asking for help is to avoid paying 30% more for just a 5% improvement in gaming. I want to maximize this modest budget because I need this machine to last me at least the next three or four years.

So, I think I followed all the forum rules for starting a new thread.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

Cheers!

1 x ASRock 970 Extreme4, AM3+, AMD 970 + SB950 - 4 x DDR3 2100(OC)
1 x AMD Athlon II X3 450 processor, AM3 socket, BOX, 1.5MB cache
1 x XFX Core edition 80+ 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x XFX HD6850 775M 1GB DDR5, DisplayPort x2 v1.2, DVI x2, HDMI 1.4a
1 x 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax DDR3, 1333MHz

$990

The AM3+ motherboard offers some decent room for future upgrades, and you've got 4GB of RAM. I suppose if this rig is as old as it looks, getting a fresh power supply is probably a smart move. It’s a pretty capable CPU too—you could always swap it out for a Bulldozer later on 😉

MSI 870-C45, AM3, DDR3, SB710, ATX
AMD Phenom II X4 955
Kingmax 4GB, 1x4GB module, DDRIII 1333
XFX HD 6850 820M 1GB DDR5, XFX Core edition
Corsair CX Series, 500 Watt, 80 PLUS certified

$2,988.66 - Best Buy

You didn't list your power supply. If yours isn't up to the task, you can grab one here. That graphics card comes factory overclocked and features dual fans for better cooling. It’s more than enough for your resolution. Given how cheap memory is right now (4GB for $57), there's no point in settling for just 2GB.

If you already have a solid PSU, the price drops to $133.

Timothy Johnson31 said:...and if you end up needing a new case...

Look, if you're working with some ancient, relic-tier case from the early 2000s, just do yourself a favor and grab a tape measure—seriously, measure it. The card those guys suggested is about 8.6 inches long, and you really don't want to find out the hard way that it’s going to slam right into the hard drive cage.

Thanks so much! If you could, I'd love a link or even just a quick breakdown regarding those upcoming AMD processors—you know, stuff like pricing, performance gains, and all that good info
. From what I can gather, everyone is buzzing about them, so maybe it’s smarter to hold off for another month or so...?

Timothy Johnson31 said:Thanks a lot. Any chance someone could drop a link or explain those new AMD processors coming out soon? Looking for info on pricing, performance, etc.
From what I can tell, everyone is talking about them. Might be smarter to just wait another month...?

They should hit the same level as the current Intel Ivy Bridge platform, but there isn't much concrete info out yet.
Honestly, waiting probably isn't worth it. Prices likely won't drop enough to fit into that $1000 😁 budget of yours.

Go with $1000 this setup instead:

1 x MSI 870-C45, AMD 770 + SB710, S. AM3, 6xSATA 3 RAID, DDR3 800/10
1 x AMD Phenom ii x4 955 Black Editon, socket AM3, BOX, C3
2 x DDR3 2048MB ( 2GB ) Kingmax, 1333MHz, CL9, FLFE85F-B8EE9
1 x XFX Core edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x Sapphire HD 6850, 1GB GDDR5 256bit, Dual Link DVI + HDMI + DP
$1004
Check your current power supply and case; you might be able to reuse some of that stuff. 😁

An 8-core FX be beast should run you about $320—roughly what you'd pay for an Intel i7-2600K—which puts it way outside your budget range. Besides, even if you did shell out the cash, you probably wouldn't even tap into 10% of its actual horsepower, so honestly, don't even waste your breath thinking about it.

So, a buddy of mine just told me he could hook me up with an i7 for about $900-$333 used. If I'm reading this right, that thing should be an absolute beast....
Basically, would that be like trying to race a Ferrari against a bulldozer?

Look, all this hype about the Bulldozer is basically just noise—nobody actually knows what the real-world performance looks like until it hits the shelves. And honestly? An 8-core processor isn't going to be your magic bullet anyway, since most of those cores will just be sitting there idling most of the time... so, while we're at it, tell me what kind of power supply you're running right now.

If you decide to pull the trigger on that 2600, here is what you’re looking at:

Asrock P67 Pro - $230
2x2 GB Kingmax, 1333MHz - $70
Sapphire HD 6850 - $393

Plus, you might need a new PSU if your current one is a total lightweight:
XFX Core edition 80 - $122

Don't bother trying to skimp on the RAM since it's dirt cheap—you might save a couple of bucks, but it's hardly worth the headache.$33

I've got this random power supply cable I pulled from a Chieftec case I picked up about four years ago—pretty sure it’s a 400W unit.
I paid roughly $100
for the whole enclosure.

Alright then, looks like that XFX 450 is your best bet.

What kind of motherboards or sockets should I actually look out for when shopping—like how you have to watch for AM3—and what’s the deal with the Intel side of things?
In my experience, it feels a bit like a losing game. If I drop a ton of cash on a high-end processor now and then sink even more money into a premium motherboard just so I can upgrade easily later, it often feels wasted. Usually, by the time I'm ready for that big jump, a new generation of chips and sockets has already hit the market, making my "future-proof" board obsolete anyway. $333

The AM3+ boards actually support those Bulldozer chips, while Intel's next move—that Ivy Bridge lineup—is just going to stick with the current 1155 socket. As for what happens after that... honestly, who knows? It's anyone's guess at this point. 😁
Either go with what Smartic suggested back in post #2, or see if that friend of yours can snag you some decent i5 processors for a bit less cash—maybe then you could actually swing the whole setup within your budget using the plan I laid out in post #9.

Asrock 970 Extreme4 Motherboard, AM3, AMD 970 SB950 - 4 x DDR3 2100(OC)
$244
AMD Athlon ii X3 455 Processor (3.3GHz, 1.5MB, 95W) Retail Box
$175
Corsair 4GB Memory, 1x4GB module, DDR3, 1333MHz, 240 DIMM, Unbuffered
$68
XFX Core edition 80 450W Power Supply
$119
Sapphire HD 6850
$393

Does it make sense to build a rig like this now, with the plan to just toss in another 4GB of RAM and upgrade to a Bulldozer chip in a year or so? I'm hoping that little extra investment would keep me relevant for a while longer...

On another note, how much does that L3 cache actually matter on a processor? What kind of real-world speed or productivity difference are we talking about when comparing a chip with 2MB versus one with 8MB?
I mean, obviously 8MB sounds better than 2MB, but if there's a 30-40% price jump just to get an extra 6MB and a tiny 0.2 GHz bump, I could use a little explanation from the experts here!

Hey 🙏
Could someone please give me a quick breakdown of how this processor cache actually works? I could really use an explanation...

The main thing is the L3 cache—the Athlon doesn't have it, whereas the Phenom does. But honestly? That’s just the biggest, slowest chunk of cache you've got. You probably won't even notice a difference because, for a standard home PC setup, that much cache is basically useless—it might actually matter if you were running some massive server environment, but not here. If you want to nerd out on how cache actually works, check out this deep dive: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ache,2416.html

Hey, thanks so much, man! I really appreciate all the great advice you shared...👍

I need some serious help here, everyone...🙏

So, I finally pulled the trigger on a new CPU and motherboard based on your suggestions! My plan was to grab a beefy new power supply and more RAM once I picked up a graphics card later down the line. But here’s the catch: 😲no matter where I look, this specific motherboard is completely sold out everywhere, and I was really set on it...
I was planning to head over to Micro Center or Best Buy to pick up these parts:
- ASUS ROG Extreme motherboard, LGA 1151, Intel X58, supports 4 x DDR3 2100(OC) --- $243
- Corsair DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) 1600MHz 9-9-9-24 Vengeance Blue Heatspreader, CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B ------ $79
- Phenom II X4 955 Processor (3.2GHz, 8MB, 125W) box----$262
Totaling about $583 dollars...

Does anyone have an alternative? Honestly, my dream would be to track down that exact motherboard if possible...

Well, if you're going to insist, just grab this one then: