Need best possible config for 30k(including monitor)

plasma

Disciple
1. Q: What is your budget?

30K

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

I have a really old P4 PC(or a fossil) that I will keep as a second PC for general use.
P4 2.26 Ghz
Intel 845G chipset motherboard
17" HCL Real Flat CRT color monitor HCM 770FH(this monitor is ok but dont think it will last long)
512 MB RAM
80GB Seagate HDD.


3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

None except Logitech Keyboard and mouse and Altec Lansing speakers.

4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

1. CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE/ 555 BE (Rs. 4900)
2. Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-MA785GT-UD3H (want cheapest DDR3 board that can unlock cores.)
3. GPU - Sapphire HD5750 1GB/HD5770 1GB (whichever fits in budget)
4. RAM - 2 GB Corsair/G.Skill 1333MHz DDR3 - (Rs. 2,700)
5. HDD - Seagate or WD 500 GB (Rs. 2000)
6. Cabinet - CM Elite 310 Rs.1800(including an extra 120mm fan for intake) Need cabby with good airflow.... specially a front intake fan.
7. PSU - Gigabyte Superb 460W SMPS GE-R460-V1 - (Rs. 2,200)
8. DVD Writer - (Rs. 1000)
9. Monitor - Samsung B2030 Monitor (Rs. 6.5K)

I think we are going overboard on budget due to monitor. Need to change something! Help!


5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

No. Final Config. May upgrade RAM to 4 GB when games demand it.


6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
1. Mumbai (Lamington Road) - Suggest a good shop. Never been to ABGB. Where is it?

7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No.

8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
1. Gaming
2. Browsing
5. Download rig.
6. Watching HD movies.


9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

No brand preference. AMD coz of price to performance magic, and ATI for the same reason. No fanboyism! :)

10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

Will tend to play latest FPS and racing games more(Crysis, GRID). Although I will play anything I can get my hands on. Remember I have not played games on my fossil for a long time... so need to catch up also. Half Life 2, NFS series, Bioshock 1,2, Assasin's Creed, FEAR, Dirt2, COD 4 are some of the games I would like to catch up on. But need a system that can play today's games at high settings.

11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
1. Gaming - However high my GPU+CPU will allow.
2. Desktop - 1280x1024

12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No. But will unlock cores. Not sure if we can overclock with stock cooling.

13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7/XP.

 
Plz avoid large font and bold as it just makes reading the post that much more harder. Highlight the stuff that is important and not everything.

Well no coming to the rig choice,

1. CPU - AMD AthlonII X3 435 ~ 3.5k (Unlocks to X4 635)

2. Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H ~ 4.1k (A member here called PBoy has successfully unlocked X3 to X4 using this combo)

4. RAM - 2 GB Corsair/G.Skill 1333MHz DDR3 ~ 2.2k

5. HDD - Seagate or WD 500 GB ~2k

6. Cabinet - CM Elite 310 ~ 1.8k(including an extra 120mm fan for intake) Need cabby with good airflow.... specially a front intake fan.

7. PSU - Gigabyte Superb 460W SMPS GE-R460-V1 ~ 2.2k

8. DVD Writer ~ 1k

9. Monitor - Samsung B2030 Monitor ~ 6.5k

Total: 23-24k

3. GPU - Even with this set up u will just be able to squeeze in a Power Color HD5750 1GB GDDR5 ~ 7.5k
 
Apologies for the large font used... corrected it!

Thanks DarkAngel for your reply.

A few questions:

Will the AMD AthlonII X3 435 lower gaming performance compared to the 550 BE? (Especially for the latest games at high settings)[Im not much of a tech guy so hoping unlocking the non BE CPU would be easy... also 550BE unlocking has 80% success rate!]

Doesnt the Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H support DDR2 memory only? I need a DDR3 supporting mobo.

Any alternate cost saving suggestions for the Monitor? Also is this the right GPU for the budget and requirements?
 
For ~ 30K the following configuration is the best one can get as per your requirements :

AMD Phenom II X2 555BE(3.2Ghz, 2 cores, 6MB L3 Cache) Rs.4.9K
Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-US2H Rs.4.6K(UPGRADE this to MSI 880GMA-E45~5.7K which has a better chipset + USB3 + SATA3)
4GB(2*2) G. Skill F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT DDRIII or Corsair 133Mhz DDR3 Rs.5200
Sapphire HD5670 512MB DDR5 Rs.5K
500 GB WD Blue Rs.2K
Dell S2009W or Samsung B2030 Rs.6.4K(don't go for anything higher as you need a better GFX for that)
Gigabyte Superb 460W Rs.2.2K
L.G. GH22NS50 DvDRW Rs.900
CMElite 310 (w/ 120mm extra intake) Rs.1800
Total = Rs.33000
 
Thanks aman, I'm still confused after reading through so much on the net... whether to opt for AMD AthlonII X3 435 or AMD Phenom II X2 555BE. Any advise on this, which is better for gaming, especially future multithreaded games?

Don't you think I should rather opt for a better GPU like the 5750 or 5770 and sacrifice 2 GB of RAM... which I can upgrade few months down the line?
 
5770 isnt needed unless ur gonna game at 1920*1080 so a 5750 or 5670 should do nicely... either 5750 and 2GB ram or 5670 and 4GB ram... also the athlon X3 should be more than enough to play everything with these cards... u can always oc later as well...
 
I am not upgrading for next 2 years at least so lets see if I can improve my budget and get the Phenom.

Also, both monitors (Dell S2009W or Samsung B2030) have 1600x900 native resolution, since I will be playing old titles as well, and I read that few games dont support this resolution. Can someone suggest a monitor with 16:10 aspect ratio? Can someone suggest a good monitor at 1680x1050 native??

Thanks!
 
plasma said:
Thanks aman, I'm still confused after reading through so much on the net... whether to opt for AMD AthlonII X3 435 or AMD Phenom II X2 555BE. Any advise on this, which is better for gaming, especially future multithreaded games?

Don't you think I should rather opt for a better GPU like the 5750 or 5770 and sacrifice 2 GB of RAM... which I can upgrade few months down the line?
It is better if you get the Phenom II processor as it has roughly the same performance as the Athlon II x3, and due to the fact it has an unlocked multiplier you can always use a compatible motherboard to try to crack open the other two cores which are disabled

good motherboards

Gigabyte 890 GX based chipset

ASUS 890/880 GX based motherboards

RAM try to get 1333MHz as AMD processors do not support any higher speed until you over clock

AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 BE review - CPUs and Memory reviews - TrustedReviews
 
ALPHA17 said:
It is better if you get the Phenom II processor as it has roughly the same performance as the Athlon II x3, and due to the fact it has an unlocked multiplier you can always use a compatible motherboard to try to crack open the other two cores which are disabled

good motherboards

Gigabyte 890 GX based chipset

ASUS 890/880 GX based motherboards

RAM try to get 1333MHz as AMD processors do not support any higher speed until you over clock

AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 BE review - CPUs and Memory reviews - TrustedReviews
Faster RAM work with tighter timings at lower speeds IINM. So its not a waste of money to invest in a 1600MHz 4GB kit even if someone doesnt O.C their proccy.
 
1. Q: What is your budget?

30K-31K

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

This is my first Desktop. I have used HP520 Notebook earlier

3. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

1. CPU - AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE/ 555 BE or Intel i3 540 ( or any other processor in this range)

2. Motherboard - Gigabyte..as it supports AMD processor

3. GPU - (whichever fits in budget)

4. RAM - looking for a 4GB RAM DDR3..i can cut back to 2GB if budget goes higher

5. HDD - Seagate or WD 500 GB (Rs. 2000)

6. Cabinet - any proper cabinet

7. PSU - any proper PSU within the budget range

8. DVD Writer - (Rs. 1000)

9. Monitor - am looking for a 22'' LCD but i can cut back to 20'' if it supports Full HD (Samsung or Viewsonic)

4. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

I might upgrade the RAM to 4GB if I had to buy a 2GB RAM initially.

5. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

Hyderabad- CTC,Parklane.

6. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

No.

7. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

1. Gaming

2. Browsing

5. Download rig.

6. Watching HD movies.

8. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

I dont have any preference for brands. i need reliable performance.

9. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

Will try to catch up with COD latest version, NFS Shift, FIFA 10 and upcoming versions, PES2010 and upcoming versions, FarCry.

10. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

I give preference to the compatibility,either it is 22'' or 20'' i should be able to watch HD movies and play the above mentioned games.

11. Q: Are you looking to overclock?

i neither look forward to overclock nor to unlock the disabled cores as it is a risky thing to do.

12. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

Windows 7/XP.
 
Ive heard older games are a pain to set up on 1600x900 res monitor(16:9 asp ratio). Hence need a suggestion from u guys... whether I need to stick to this resolution or go for a 16:10 which will scale older games better right out of the box?
 
be advised

unlocking cpu is not a path of roses

unlocking may lead to overheating, higher power consumption

not to mention voided warranty

go for athlon II x3 435 or 440 much faster than 555be (stock)

but if planning to unlock

get a well ventilated cabby and a beefier psu(cx400 or fsp 500)
 
funkysourav said:
be advised

unlocking cpu is not a path of roses

unlocking may lead to overheating, higher power consumption

not to mention voided warranty

go for athlon II x3 435 or 440 much faster than 555be (stock)

but if planning to unlock

get a well ventilated cabby and a beefier psu(cx400 or fsp 500)
I agree with you. I am looking to go with a Athlon II X3 435 or a Athlon II X4 630[under Rs. 5k approx, same price as 555BE]. Will miss the L3 cache of the 555BE but cant have everything!! Hopefully it will not be a huge performance hit on future games.

Another appeal to everyone, please suggest a monitor... I plan to play older games too which don't support 1600x900!! Whats the solution??
 
I have a Samsung 2033 monitor with the same resolution. Never had any problems with old games. Played Half Life,Max Payne,Splinter Cell. All look as normal on the screen as they did on my old 17'' CRT. :) So you need not worry about the resolution. Go for whichever you deem best.
 
funkysourav said:
be advised

unlocking cpu is not a path of roses

unlocking may lead to overheating, higher power consumption

not to mention voided warranty

go for athlon II x3 435 or 440 much faster than 555be (stock)

but if planning to unlock

get a well ventilated cabby and a beefier psu(cx400 or fsp 500)
Sure getting a standard dual core to work as a quad core will cause the warranty to go void, but most Techenclave members have managed to do so on compatible motherboards without a hitch and no issues of overheating have come through, Although extra power draw is encountered.

As well the L3 cache on the Phenom II cores is a value add on at the same price so I still would vouch for the 555 B.E. as a more future ready processor. This is seriously my take on the situ, final decision still rests with plasma.
 
since plasma is a newcomer to the performance gaming scene

the correct word is "NOOB" ,

sorry plasma no offence meant!

it is not safe to recommend him or anyone new to the scene to unlock cores or overclock

he needs the best stock and stable computer he can get at that price..

besides there isn't any discernible performance difference between Phenom II X4 955(B55) and athlon II X3 435 at

resolutions on or less than 1600x900(even after using 5870)source toms hardware

besides if his unlocking doesn't work he will be stuck with a dual core 555BE(slower than athlonIIX3 435)

so better go for the economical athlonIIx3

and invest the difference on better gpu
 
Guys.. I think Athlon II x3 435 or X4 630 are older versions and moreover come without L3 cache.. doesnt this effect the performance?
when a newer version like 555BE is available for almost the same price and having L3 cache but only 2 cores....i mean how often do we go upto using the third core??!!
and how does the gaming performance differ if i use HD 4670 512MB card GPU?
 
It seems u really wanna get the 555 BE... go ahead then... we're just suggesting but its u whos gotta be happy wit ur purchase at the end... unlocking is not that hard... plenty of people to help u with that on te :D
 
varunversion1 said:
It seems u really wanna get the 555 BE... go ahead then... we're just suggesting but its u whos gotta be happy wit ur purchase at the end... unlocking is not that hard... plenty of people to help u with that on te :D
Hey varun...its not like i want to get only 555BE.. i want to get more info abt the others.. :) and can u suggest me a proper motherboard+ Processor combo??... leaving aside the unlocking thing...coz i dont look forward to unlock :)
 
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