discussion Family PC. < $300 budget

[Avenger212]

G530 may be newer, but It is a dual core with hyper threading. Phenom X4 955 is older but has 4 physical cores. I would consider physical cores better than a dual core with hyper threading. Only if you need true processing performance for video, photo editing and media converting. But (correct me if I am wrong) I am assuming that the PC will be for general family purposes, the A8-3850 will suite your needs better and its a slightly slower processor but its a quad core with a good quality integrated graphics. I have played some games on mine can't play high or mid though, but I did not expect it too anyway.

 

[frontier204]

the G530 and the upgrade path or this older Phenom II X6 955 being faster at most tasks?
Buy the ECS A880LM-M1 DiabloTek Barebones Kit at TigerDirect.ca

Diablotek RPM-1050 1050W Review
When I see the DiabloTek name I think exploding PSU...
Back to the choice between Phenom and Pentium/Celeron, I doubt you'll notice for general tasks especially if you're using a conventional hard disk (as that will be the source of most of your loading times). You are correct that the 1155 platform would offer a better upgrade path, since in that case you can upgrade either GPU or CPU performance without swapping the motherboard. The rumour mill still isn't clear on whether you'd be able to upgrade a Socket FM1 / AM3 to Llano's / Bulldozer's successor.

For stuff that actually uses a quad core, then yes the Phenom II (x4 or x6) will come out ahead of a 1155 Pentium or Celeron. Things get a little more interesting if you're thinking of an i3 however.

 

[otaconn23]

PM sent

 

[Blue]

Thanks Avenger, that clarifies things however, I was intending to go with the a 6-3500 for budget reasons. If I went with the a8-3850, the CPU and motherboard would be about $200 alone. And I would blow my $300 budget.
So I decided to go with a Celeron G530 because it offers a better upgrade path. If the Intel GMA is too weak, then I'll just buy a discrete passive cooled GPU. Thank you frontier for your Celeron build.

I'd like to thank everyone for responding to my questions and my thread. You've all been a lot of help ;]
I left out a harddrive, but will pickup at a shop in person.

1 x ($54.99) BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

$54.99​

1 x ($51.99) Intel Celeron G530 Sandy Bridge 2.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G530

$51.99​

1 x ($40.99) SeaSonic SS-300ES Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM

$40.99​

1 x ($35.49) G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

$35.49​

1 x ($25.99) GIGABYTE GZ-KF03B Black SGCC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

$25.99​

1 x ($18.99) LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - OEM

$18.99​

Subtotal:$228.44

 

[grinder]

better bang for your buck if you buy a prebuild at that price point... (a la Futureshop, Bestbuy, WalMart)

 

[Canker]

Are you limiting this to what you can build? Is your budget before taxes or after?

You don't say if you're planning on buying Windows or running Linux, but you will get a legal copy of your OS with a premade.

If you're under $300 before taxes.

Acer Aspire AMD E-350 Computer (AX1430-EF20P) : Desktop Computers - Future Shop

$299, comes with 3gb, 500gb HDD, AMD E-350, HSF, case, dvd-rw, keyboard, mouse, card reader, free shipping and one (rather unpleasant) place to deal with for warranty issues.

I know this isn't in the spirit of doing it yourself, but sometimes people overlook the merits in going pre-built on a budget. There will probably be something equivalent or better than this in a week or so, if you're not in a hurry to buy it's worth waiting.

If your budget is $300 after shipping and taxes, you're firmly in refurb territory.

Hey fellow Canucks,
I've lurked for a few years now, reading video card reviews and like or looking for answers etc.

For the first time though I have to build from scratch, I could use some opinions. The current computer no longer boots and it virtually ran 24/7 for most of the last 6 years.
It was a Socket 754 Semptron and got by with 512mb ram running Win 7. It did good and thus my family does not require a lot- just general computing, with HD video for home movies, youtube.

Budget is < $300


So to begin I've found the following combos, but I realize they aren't the greatest, please help out :


i3 2100/gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 (only two sata), 4gb ram (i'd add another stick of ram)
Buy the GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-S2 Thermaltake Barebones Kit at TigerDirect.ca

I like this, small case, low power, but wary of newegg shipping,
AMD A4-3400 apu/ Biostar A55MH /4GB (I'd buy another stick of ram )
Newegg.ca - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

:| old gpu; Biostar N68S3B, AMD Athlon II X3 445, 8GB, onboard geForce 7025...
Buy the Biostar N68S3B DiabloTek Barebones Kit at TigerDirect.ca


Will update with a non combo, personal parts list. Looking forward to this.
Thank you in advance :]