Cheap Seconday PC - Quad.

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shadow_man

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Im trying to build a budget quad core system for studies / second pc (currently have a q6600).

How does AMD compare to Intel in the Quad core market - are they still priced favourably?

Also which suppliers stock AMD nowdays - the only one I know of is Esquire and they are out of stock of AMD Quad's...

Any ideas?

Thanks
J
 
Why? If the primary rig can do it, why waste cash on a newer, lesser machine? If you're worried about power consumption- think how long you'll need to run the current rig to consume Rxxx.00 for the new computer.

If you want a work/study only pc- try a R2k netbook. Will be more fun/versatile.
 
Frontosa is a distributor. I think they don't have the 955BE and 965BE right now. Stock coming in Feb.

They're priced well and compare well to the other manufacturer's offerings despite what people might say. For a second PC though you don't need to look that high up the range.

It kind of all really depends on what you want to spend and what you want the machine to do. Decide on that first. Is it going to be a constant 100% CPU workhorse or just going to be for reading/writing docs and internet?
 
Budza said:
Why? If the primary rig can do it, why waste cash on a newer, lesser machine? If you're worried about power consumption- think how long you'll need to run the current rig to consume Rxxx.00 for the new computer.

If you want a work/study only pc- try a R2k netbook. Will be more fun/versatile.
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Want one box to run other os's e.g. Unix, Linux etc. More of a test / study machine. Sick of using VM's on my current rig...

I do admit I however have a fear or non want of buying low end systems. Perhaps someone could recommend a decent core2duo that would work for my purposes.

Pc would be used as a spare machine. It would be used as a lab type pc for test Unix / Linux / Cisco simulation enviroments. Basically I'm sick of VM's and I want an alternate machine to do my studying on. That way I can have 1 client, 1 server type of thing if need be.

Thanks.

J
 
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If you really need a quad core, then a Phenom 620 is probably the cheapest you'll find. But you need to make sure you're not going to need the L3 cache, cause this CPU doesnt have. And I have no idea what tasks would benefit from L3 cache, but I'm sure there is a good reason why the higher priced CPU's have them.
This could be a dual core option - Core2 Duo E7500. Though its very possible you can find a similar AMD. But I have a suspicion that at the lower end of the scale both companies will have similar prices on their chips so it'll be up to what brand you prefer.
 
jsheed_sa said:
Im trying to build a budget quad core system for studies / second pc (currently have a q6600).

How does AMD compare to Intel in the Quad core market - are they still priced favourably?

Also which suppliers stock AMD nowdays - the only one I know of is Esquire and they are out of stock of AMD Quad's...

Any ideas?

Thanks
J
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Asbis do AMD. I got my 955 and my brother's 965 from them. There's little to no applications that you'll see a big difference with L3. I think it's the perfect chip for your needs.
 
Would you recommend intel qwik? I mean would you ever even if it was the better product?

I doubt it so you should not comment i reckon as your bias is not lekka in my opinion :D

He is asking for advice not who has brand loyalty issues.
 
killadoob said:
Would you recommend intel qwik? I mean would you ever even if it was the better product?

I doubt it so you should not comment i reckon as your bias is not lekka in my opinion :D

He is asking for advice not who has brand loyalty issues.
Click to expand...

LOL

The 620 is the cheapest quad on the market.
 
Ok, if you want an AM3 chip, you must have either a AM3 mobo (duh) or AM2+. With AM2+ you will most likely need a BIOS update to get it to work. Check out the manufacturers website and check the supported CPU list to be 100% sure
 
Hmmm, post the model number here if you like. But yes I agree with killadoob, at that price point the motherboard is going to be seriously lacking in features. Didnt even register the price you mentioned in my previous post
 
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