250$ CPU+RAM+Motherboard

[Ichifails]

So, long story short I have a friend that wants to get his PC in a better shape. He's poor-ish so he's got 200$ to get a CPU, motherboard and DDR3.
Now he also wants a 4core CPU so it will probably end up being an AMD one. If it's a CPU that could be OC'd a little for more juice, it's even better.

He went on and got a GT630 . PC parts in our coutry are ~15-25% more expensive than in US. If it's a HUGE difference between stuff, I'll try to chip in with like 50$ myself.

[stalkerzzzz]

He shouldn't have bought that GT 630. An AMD 5800K coupled with some high frequency RAM offers decent performance when it comes to a low budget build and the integrated GPU is better than the GT 630.

[inux94]

If all he's doing is playing games, I'd advise against an AMD CPU, rather an i3-3220.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.50 @ NCIX US)
Total: $230.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-27 06:17 EST-0500)

FYI: The GT630 is a very weak card, not designed for gaming, so don't expect anything amazing.

[Deleted]

If he really wants a quadcore, you could look at a 4300/6300 from AMD. But he needs to OC them to get the i3 performance, but if his chip can reach 5 GHz the 4300 will be on par with the i3, and the 6300 will be better

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...review-17.html

Pricewise, it might be a bit more expensive because you will need a proper cooler.

[Thes]

I'd take FX6300 over the i3.

[inux94]

And your reasoning is _______?

More cores doesn't equate to more performance.

[Asurakai]

There is nothing wrong with the FX-6300 over the i3. The only really good thing about the i3 is that you can upgrade to an i5 later which will also cost more money. Currently, the differences don't matter that much at all and it will likely only become less significant as time goes on. It's not like they are recommending the FX-8120, that mofo has some weak individual cores.

[DeltrusDisc]

And your reasoning is _______?

More cores doesn't equate to more performance.

Wait, I thought you liked your FX6300, no?

[inux94]

I do, but if all he does is gaming then the i3-3220 would be a better purchase.

[Ichifails]

I do, but if all he does is gaming then the i3-3220 would be a better purchase.

So, if he will use the PC for more (Like After Effects, Maya, Autodesk Inventor, etc) the FX6300 would be better? Would getting the 5800k and getting rid of the GT630 be a better choice?

And that 8GBs of Patriot RAM is around 90$ here \o/ so probably it will be 4GB of ram. (As a reference, the RAM, H77mobo and i3 are around 350$ here)

[stalkerzzzz]

So, if he will use the PC for more (Like After Effects, Maya, Autodesk Inventor, etc) the FX6300 would be better? Would getting the 5800k and getting rid of the GT630 be a better choice?

If he's buying the CPU to use those kind of programs than the FX-6300 would be better. If he's looking to play games and he only has a $250 budget which includes the graphics card, he should probably sell the GT630, if he can't return it to the store, and get a 5800K, 8GB of DDR3 at 2133Mhz and at least a motherboard with a A75 chipset (an A85x would be better if he wants to overclock the CPU but I don't know if he can fit a motherboard with that chipset in his budget).

For gaming, the other option would be to buy the i3-3220 now and use it with the integrated GPU, or the GT630, until he can buy a stronger dedicated one, at the very least an AMD 7750 or a GTX 650.

And that 8GBs of Patriot RAM is around 90$ here \o/ so probably it will be 4GB of ram. (As a reference, the RAM, H77mobo and i3 are around 350$ here)

You don't have to buy that specific model of RAM. Just look for Dual Channel DDR3 1600Mhz CAS 9 RAM.

[Ichifails]

You don't have to buy that specific model of RAM. Just look for Dual Channel DDR3 1600Mhz CAS 9 RAM.

The cheapest I can find is still over 70$. Is there a chance to find a single 4GB RAM for now and add another one later?

[n0cturnal]

The cheapest I can find is still over 70$. Is there a chance to find a single 4GB RAM for now and add another one later?

Where do you live with those prices?

[Ichifails]

Where do you live with those prices?

Romania \o/. There's the option of finding let's say RAM at a random shop and not a big retailer but that would save like 10$ and take a lot more time.

Hmmm I've managed to find Exceleram 8192 MB DDR3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24, Dual Channel @ 45$

[stalkerzzzz]

You can buy just a 4GB module now and add another one later.

[n0cturnal]

Romania \o/. There's the option of finding let's say RAM at a random shop and not a big retailer but that would save like 10$ and take a lot more time.

Hmmm I've managed to find Exceleram 8192 MB DDR3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24, Dual Channel @ 45$

Yeah you can't really build a computer around a US dollar budget if you don't plan to order from the US.

If you are having a hard time finding computer parts in Romania for decent prices you can always order from anywhere else inside of EU.
There are a bunch of sites that ship everywhere in EU and the shipping is €10-€20.

[stalkerzzzz]

It doesn't help that much, n0cturnal, since the euro dictates the prices in Europe. The hassle of resolving warranty issues would be greater as well.

[n0cturnal]

It doesn't help that much, n0cturnal, since the euro dictates the prices in Europe. The hassle of resolving warranty issues would be greater as well.

That isn't really true, while the Euro is worth the same everywhere the prices can differ a lot. Specially in countries that doesn't use Euro at all.
There are a lot of Swedes that order electronics from Germany since they are way cheaper.

Anyway this RAM is decently priced. http://www.caro.ro/memorie-corsair-8...1600c9--30379/

[Ichifails]

It doesn't help that much, n0cturnal, since the euro dictates the prices in Europe. The hassle of resolving warranty issues would be greater as well.

It has more to do with VAT. While the US has 9% sales tax in most of the places, EU has all sorts of VAT (19% in Germany and 24% in Romania).

And I used USD because it's faster to get stuff out of sites like newegg... and I'm pretty sure there's a higher chance to find more people from the EU that know the equivalent of Euro in USD then it is to find people for US that know the equivalent in Euros.