Budget i3 system...

LiengLiengZA

LiengLiengZA

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I want to get myself an Intel i3 2.93ghz cpu,ASUS P755H-MPRO mobo and 4 gig ddr 3 1333mhz ram.I saw the prices on PCINT isn't bad.Want to do this for future proofing but only have R3500 budget.Any recommendations?
 
If you want to future proof, rather get an entry-quad than an i3.

Get the M4A77TD PRO motherboard, which is socket AM3 and already futureproof, 4GB RAM and the Phenom X4 965, all for about R3700.
That is SERIOUSLY better value for your money.
 
Frag said:
If you want to future proof, rather get an entry-quad than an i3.

Get the M4A77TD PRO motherboard, which is socket AM3 and already futureproof, 4GB RAM and the Phenom X4 965, all for about R3700.
That is SERIOUSLY better value for your money.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. Maybe get a 955 if you really need to get under R3500.

A dual core may bottleneck a 5850/5870, a quad core definately will not. Hope you will be replacing your screen though, no point in that much power on a 19" screen.
 
But a Core i3 motherboard is upgradeable to Quad core i5 and i7 so it's also quite future proof.

Try for an i5 750 or Phenom II 955 & 965
 
Refer here. My preference goes to the Samsung 2333, good screen, never had problems with it.
 
Amd dude, with all these console ports being released on pc they will use more than 2 cores of a cpu so if you want future proof you need a quadcore.
 
kelevra said:
Now I'm confused....don't know which way to go....Intel or AMD.....:confused:
Click to expand...
Doesn't really matter - they are both pretty much equally fast at equal prices.

What can I say? Read Anandtech.

The 965 is usually a bit more - just over R2000. The 955 is probably a better bet. The Core i5 750 is a great processor too - R1500-R1600
Esquire and PCInt have the Intel processors for good prices. Here is a good price on the Phenom II 965 for you:
http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?products_id=26934
 
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At Pcint it is around R1.7k, which, IMO, is a bargain.

The AMD motherboards comes with better features than similarly priced Intel boards too, that's why, for your budget this is best.

PS - If I had to build a full pc with a R8k-ish budget, I'd get the exact mentioned components with a 5850 and a 1080i screen... So your build will be great..
 
I think 965 = 965BE, I don't think there's a 965 that is not a black edition..
So PCINT has it for R1788, which is your cheapest bet.

You could also phone them to confirm stock of other AMD quads, they don't have ALL their components on their website.

While on the subject, if you buy an AM3 board, you'll most likely also be able to upgrade to their coming 6-core CPUs, how much more future-proofing do you want?
 
4gb is fine. Havent seen mine go over 3gb yet, and that was while gaming and some photoshop stuff in the background
 
What Frag said. - At PCInt the 965 is R1.7k. Not sure if it's BE but it doesn't make much difference. It probably is.
 
The AMD is definitely a good bet. I wouldn't bother with an i3.
If you're budget concious, the 955BE isn't a bad option. From what I understand, there's very little difference btwn the 955BE and 965BE.

One of the nice things about AMD is the backward compatibility so you can still get a DDR2 motherboard. But that wouldn't be too future-proof...
 
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