[redsniper]

mobo's most likely frakked

Going to need a new mobo/cpu combo, maybe GPU and RAM while I'm at it... I don't know.

Willing to spend about... ohhhh, $200 max on mobo/cpu, $400 if we're adding a GPU.
Actually nevermind the vid card, I'd better not spend too much until I secure a job for the summer.

I don't really care about AMD vs Intel, just whichever is best right now. I don't need the motherboard to do anything fancy, just have PCIe and SATA support really since I've got a sound card.

Thanks again, HLP.

[Dark RevenantX]

Intel CPU's are of higher quality but much more expensive.  If you're constrained to only $200 for both a motherboard and CPU, your ONLY option is AMD.  Try $300-$400 for a good Intel combo.

[redsniper]

You really don't think I can get a decent motherboard and CPU for about ~$100 each? It's been my experience so far that one can get pretty good stuff for those prices. $200 isn't a hard limit, just a suggestion since we have to start somewhere. I'd be willing to spend around $150 for a CPU if it's that good. Still I would think $100 is more than enough for a motherboard that does what I want unless prices have really gone up.

[Dark RevenantX]

Athlon 64 X2 6400+ (3.2ghz dual core): $100 or slightly under (you can get a black edition phenom II X3 for about $120, which is much better CPU)
Core 2 Duo E7400 (2.8ghz dual core): ~$120

AMD Motherboard: $110 (a good one at Newegg)
Intel Motherboard: $100 (best one I could find at Newegg (which has hundreds of intel boards) for your price range)

It comes down to personal preference, I guess, for this specific price range.  But similar items from both companies coming down to roughly the same price is very rare.  Just understand that the AMD CPU's (the one I listed and especially the Phenom II Black Editions) generally run cooler and are easier to overclock in my experience.

[redsniper]

I remember a few years ago AMD was basically wiping the floor with Intel. This was like back in the Athlon XP days. Lately, I was under the impression they were more evenly matched with all these Core Duos and whatnot. Is AMD starting to gain an edge again or what?

[Bob-san]

DDR2 I assume?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

You could even go higher end with the motherboard, but Biostar has had some really good products for really good prices for the last few months now.

Here's a little exploit for ya...
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218811

^^^Enabling the 4th core on most/all X3 710's. How's that for a $120 CPU and a $100-110 motherboard?

[Ghostavo]

I remember a few years ago AMD was basically wiping the floor with Intel. This was like back in the Athlon XP days. Lately, I was under the impression they were more evenly matched with all these Core Duos and whatnot. Is AMD starting to gain an edge again or what?

Since the implementation of multiple cores by Intel, they've gain a performance advantage over AMD. And with Core i7 without any comparable CPUs by AMD, the top CPU charts are crushingly dominated by Intel.

AMD has been forced to fight a price war ever since, and I assume they've got some CPUs with comparable performance (just not the top range) at similar if not lower prices.

[BloodEagle]

Benchmarks ≠ performace.  Hell, they don't even take power-usage and cooling into consideration.

[Bob-san]

Benchmarks ≠ performace.  Hell, they don't even take power-usage and cooling into consideration.

Actually AMD has a better standby draw than Intel--as in the difference being 8W v. 20W. Anyways--AMD's competitive gaming this generation, for the first time since 2006. Rejoice and be glad, for computer hardware prices will drop.

[BloodEagle]

Benchmarks ≠ performace.  Hell, they don't even take power-usage and cooling into consideration.

Actually AMD has a better standby draw than Intel--as in the difference being 8W v. 20W. Anyways--AMD's competitive gaming this generation, for the first time since 2006. Rejoice and be glad, for computer hardware prices will drop.

I probably should have been a little more clear in my post.  I was trying to say that AMD processors are more power efficient (not to mention safer. See: overheating) than Intel processors.

[Bob-san]

Benchmarks ≠ performace.  Hell, they don't even take power-usage and cooling into consideration.

Actually AMD has a better standby draw than Intel--as in the difference being 8W v. 20W. Anyways--AMD's competitive gaming this generation, for the first time since 2006. Rejoice and be glad, for computer hardware prices will drop.

I probably should have been a little more clear in my post.  I was trying to say that AMD processors are more power efficient (not to mention safer. See: overheating) than Intel processors.

Doesn't matter. The only issues with overheating now are with the user--if they installed the heatsink properly or not.

[BloodEagle]

Well, when an AMD processor reaches (or nears) the damage point, it stops.  When an Intel processor reaches (or nears) the damage point, it slows down and hopes for the best.  At least, that's how they used to work.

[redsniper]

DDR2 I assume?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

You could even go higher end with the motherboard, but Biostar has had some really good products for really good prices for the last few months now.

Here's a little exploit for ya...
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218811

^^^Enabling the 4th core on most/all X3 710's. How's that for a $120 CPU and a $100-110 motherboard?

This looks pretty good. My only concern is that it only has 2 PCI slots and I'm most likely going to need three unless either the onboard sound is good, or I can find some kind of external wireless adapter for cheap.

Actually, come to think of it, what the heck is PCIe x 1 for? Could I just get a PCIe network card?

[Bob-san]

DDR2 I assume?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

You could even go higher end with the motherboard, but Biostar has had some really good products for really good prices for the last few months now.

Here's a little exploit for ya...
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218811

^^^Enabling the 4th core on most/all X3 710's. How's that for a $120 CPU and a $100-110 motherboard?

This looks pretty good. My only concern is that it only has 2 PCI slots and I'm most likely going to need three unless either the onboard sound is good, or I can find some kind of external wireless adapter for cheap.

Actually, come to think of it, what the heck is PCIe x 1 for? Could I just get a PCIe network card?

What PCI cards do you need? I'm assuming TV tuner, WLAN, and audio? There are PCI Express versions of each now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127218
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116016

Those prices are... steep. Might as well look for a different motherboard. This DFI DK 790GX-M2RS should be good. You could also look at some of the high-end Asus boards, with the built-in wi-fi or the software X-Fi. There's also the AMD 780G chipset with many more 3-PCI boards, like the Asus M4A78 Pro. I don't think that the 4th-core enabling trick will work with all boards, but so far it has been confirmed to work on most/all 0904 Phenom II X3's on most 790GX motherboards (may apply to 790FX+SB7__), which happens to be what's currently at retail. For better chances grabbing one if you DO want that 4th core would be a brick & mortar with them in stock, like a Fry's, MicroCenter, CompUSA, or whatever. Beyond that, hope for the best.

Known facts:
Many batch 0904 X3's can have the 4th core enabled successfully and stably, but there are also many that will have a bad core.
AMD 790GX motherboards with SB700 or SB750 can enable the 4th core. Confirmed so far (that I heard) are the DFI and the Biostar 790GX, though odds are everything with the ACC setting available will work.

[redsniper]

And they're each $90... ugh. I suppose I can deal with onboard audio until I can be sure I have a source of income. Assuming I do get a job, I'm planning to get more RAM and a video card in the summer, adding a sound card to that won't be too big of a deal.

[Kosh]

I remember a few years ago AMD was basically wiping the floor with Intel. This was like back in the Athlon XP days. Lately, I was under the impression they were more evenly matched with all these Core Duos and whatnot. Is AMD starting to gain an edge again or what?

Intel has made a big come back with the core 2 and i7.

[Bob-san]

I remember a few years ago AMD was basically wiping the floor with Intel. This was like back in the Athlon XP days. Lately, I was under the impression they were more evenly matched with all these Core Duos and whatnot. Is AMD starting to gain an edge again or what?

Intel has made a big come back with the core 2 and i7.

You're a year behind. Intel made the comeback with Core 2 on everything but budget systems. AMD's domain was low-priced systems--since you could get fast dual-cores and decent boards for a good bit less than Intel's dual-cores and decent boards. Anyways--AMD made a comeback for gaming with Phenom II. It doesn't need to be #1, it just needs to be #1 in price/performance.

[redsniper]

Oh yeah, I guess I didn't mention that I went ahead and ordered what Bob suggested.

EDIT: and it arrived today.

[redsniper]

posting from 'new' comp. I guess it works.

[Bob-san]

posting from 'new' comp. I guess it works.

The Biostar 790GX and X3 710? Nice and fast? And for a third question: have you tried the 4th-core trick?