Okay all you AMD guru's, I need a little help configuring a new PC for my brother. He currently has an intel Pent. 2.4 w/256MB ram(OUCH) and would like something a bit quicker than that. I decided AMD would be best as thier stuff is equally as good and better in some cases but with a much better price. He mainly uses the web, but occasionally plays some older games like CS:CZ, and tribes 1 and 2. So, it doesn't have to be graphics card heavy, but a nice processor and decent card should do the trick. Also looking to keep the cost rather reasonable. Less than $500.00 okay? (difficult parameters, I know.) Any build ideas?
Is the case, hard drives, or disk drives being reused? Power supply?
Despite the possible 754 platform savings, I would invest in 939. For CPU, either get the 3200+ on the low end ($173 at NewEgg), or at your relative high end, the 3700+ ($215 at ZipZoomFly).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16819103535 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...uctCode=80719-5 (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80719-5)
Potential budget plan:
$175 CPU
$75 mobo
$75 RAM
$175 video card
= $500 (without case, power supply, drives)
If you need to cram in the extras, some of the Sempron CPUs are pretty much faster Barton cores. I highly recommend getting 1GB of RAM for any kind of gaming these days. Corsair Value pair should do it.
If you're only looking to spend minimally, the P4 2.4 is a good enough processor to hold performance for another year or two.
All you really need is a 1 or 2 GB Low-Latency DDR kit (Corsair) and another video card.
If you're going to change your platform now, you might as well go big and get an AMD64.
By changing the platform now, you're like being a bride to be buying a dress a year before the ceremony. You don't know how fat you're going to be a year from now, so just pick out the design, color and accessories now and wait for the dress purchase like 2 months before.
Once again I'd suggest just upgrading the memory and Video card now and waiting for the platform change for a year or two. I know that's what I'm doing, and I currently have a 2800+ Barton, 1 GIG PC-2700 DDR LL kit, and a BFG Geforce 5950 FX. I can run almost any game on high at 1024x768. I run WOW on full at 1152x864 as it is and I raid MC and ZG with 35-40 ppl.