Need New Platform

[flashstar]

I'm planning to upgrade my motherboard, cpu, and memory by the end of April. I don't want to spend more than $500 on the whole thing and I should be ok with 2gb of memory. I also am doing this mainly for gaming, so a fast dual core is ok. I'd love to get a Phenom 9850, but I'm not sure if they will be out in time...

As of now, in terms of cost to performance, what components should I get?

Please link actual products.

Thanks!

 

[nguyenpeter76]

Processor:
$255- Q6600 2.4 GHz (G0 SLACR Guarantee)
$190- E6750 2.66 GHz
I would recommend the E8400 but demand for those are very high so you can rarely find a retailer with it in stock. Plus its very overpriced right now.

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L -$90
MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 ATX Motherboard - $111
DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL Intel P35 ATX Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $122
ASUS P5K-E Intel P35 ATX Motherboard - $140
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $150
Choose one based on which features you feel that you need.

Ram:
$45-G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800MHz
$44 ($34 after MIR)-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800MHz

CPU Cooler for OC (Optional):
$46 ($36 after MIR)-ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm

the thing that helps gaming the most is graphics card. so maybe you should look into the 9600gt, 8800gt, or 8800gts G92

 

[flashstar]

Just curious, what do you think about the X3220 Xeon or the Q6700?

My video card should be fast enough for now. I'll look into upgrading to a R700 when it comes out.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[erocker]

According to this report, posted minutes ago, we should see the new Phenoms in 1-2 weeks. http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20080317PD209.html

 

[sladesurfer]

I have a Abit board for sale if you want, it supports Core 2 Duo... $45 shipped

 

[flashstar]

Erocker, this is exactly what I've been waiting for. I guess that I'll make my decision after the first benchmarks come out.

Thanks.

Btw Sladesurfer, what chipset does this board have? Do you have a link?

 

[nguyenpeter76]

be aware that abit boards is known to have issues with the new 45nm processors. so avoid abit if you want to get a 45nm processor like the e8400.

 

[nguyenpeter76]

Just curious, what do you think about the X3220 Xeon or the Q6700?

I'm sorry but I don't know enough about Xeon processors to answer your question but I do know that getting a Q6700 for twice the price of Q6600 is a waste of money. If theres another sale for the Q6700 like it did at clubit.com, which lasted like a few minutes, then go ahead and buy it.