- 7 Apr 09 11:38 AM #1
My current rig :
X2 3600+ Brisbane
Biostar TA690G - Onboard DVI / HDMI / Tv-out
Dell 22" LCD
2 gb Corsair
Powersafe 500 PSU.
I am going for an upgrade.
Few things on mind:
Need an energy efficient machine. (Normally on 24x7)
Need it to handle 1080p without hiccups (will run my Dell 22")
Not into gaming. Occasional / casual.
Questions:
Which combo ?
E5200 + G31 (would onboard handle 1080p with Dell 22" ?)
E5200 + G31 + Gfx (Which gfx)
Or
Phenom II X3 720 Black + Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H 780G AMD Board
Which PSU ? (80+% effiecient ?)
Corsair 400/450 ?
Tagan TG500 / TG600 ?
Is E5200 a Dual core or C2D ?
The Intel way will get me a gfx in the same budget mostly.
Does it make sense to go for it or is the AMD Phenom better ?
All other suggestions are welcome
Last edited by rajshah; 7 Apr 09 at 08:01 PM.
- 7 Apr 09 11:00 PM #2
Want to buy tomorrow guys ! Please reply.
- 8 Apr 09 03:20 AM #3
E5200+ G31+ Corsair CX400/VX 450+HD 4670 will suit you well enough
- 8 Apr 09 10:01 AM #4
E5200
G31 S2L
Cx400
Any <3k graphics card .
E5200 is dual core , as far as i know dual core and core 2 duo are nothing but marketing strategy by Intel , the lower dual core models are named dual core and the upper core 2 duo .
As for AMD yes it will perform significantly better than this intel config . - 8 Apr 09 10:13 AM #5
if u r not tooo inclined towards upgrading the whole system then u may just wanna change the board to 780G or 790GX ...that will be enough to satisfy ur needs.
if u thnk ur cpu is consuming alot of power then 780G + 65W athlonX2 (or 45W ones if u can findd one) will do justice.
going for a discreet gfx card is not gonna make ur machine energy efficient. - 8 Apr 09 10:17 AM #6
Ok. Any ideas on How much for the HD4670 ?
Which gfx do you suggest for <3k ?
Also will that gfx support my 22" lcd @ 1080p ?
Would the AMD + onboard gfx combo be better than the mid-level discreet card you are suggesting ?
And doesn't Dual core mean the old P4 architecture ?
Lastly, what would consume more power at stock ?
Intel based or the AMD Phenom one ?Last edited by rajshah; 8 Apr 09 at 10:19 AM.
- 8 Apr 09 05:12 PM #7
how about this:
1) AMD Phenom X3 720
2) Biostar TA 790GX
780G+SB700 will not be able to utilize Advanced Clock Calibration overclocking capabilities of Phenom. For this you need a board with SB710 or SB750 southbridge.
And since 790GX comes with 3300 onboard, its lot better than Intel+G32+sub3k GPU IMO - 8 Apr 09 05:58 PM #8
- 8 Apr 09 08:36 PM #9
- 9 Apr 09 02:57 AM #10
There is lots of bullsh*t in this thread... mostly because of amazing support wave that 720 BE is enjoying. Now, don't get me wrong. Me too is a 720 BE fanboy. But one size does not fit all.
@ Rajshah: Given that your requirements/usage can be satisfied with modest power, it is better that you go with E5200. With G31 mobo, it will cost less, will run cooler and will draw a lot less power than 720 BE+780G/790GX mobo.
720BE could be an amazing CPU but it is important to have a balanced rig.
A dedicated gfx card is preferable because you also play *occasional* games as well as require flawless handling of 1080p HD content. HD 4670 @ 4.5K is a tailor-made card for your needs.
Let us see the price/performance of two systems (assuming you already have 4GB RAM)
720BE+Gigabyte 780G/Biostar 790GX = Around 12K
Will be fast enough to handle general computing (word/excel/firefox) easily. Will perform very well with archiving programs, multimedia work, photoshop etc. Will play (relatively older games like CoD4) games at low/medium settings @ 1024X768. Will not be able to cope with newer games. Will play 1080p content but with relatively high CPU usage.
5200+G31+4670 = Around 11K
Will be fast enough to handle general computing (word/excel/firefox) easily. Compared to the system with 720 BE, will be slightly slower with archiving programs, multimedia work, photoshop etc. Will play almost all games (barring Crysis and Stalker) at very high/high settings @ 1024X768. Will play almost all games at high/medium @ 1440X900 or even 1650X1080. Will play 1080p content with ease
Take your pick...
* E5200 is based on core microarchitecture and is a member of Penryn family CPUs built on 45nm process.
* AMD's Phenoms II are 45nm CPUsLast edited by hatter; 9 Apr 09 at 03:17 AM.
- 9 Apr 09 03:19 AM #11
- 9 Apr 09 01:34 PM #12
Just the kind of explanation / suggestion I was looking for !

Thanks a lot morgoth ! Awesomely put forth !
Yeps. Thanks. Seems like the way to go.
One last thing.. actually few things..
1. How about E7300 in place of E5200 ? Would it make more sense ?
2. PSU - Corsair 450 will be good enough ? or Tagan500 / 600 ?
3. Palit HD4670 best option or some other brand ?
4. HD4670 will handle the 22" for gaming.. but I will have to game @ low resolutions right ? (noob about this)Last edited by rajshah; 9 Apr 09 at 01:38 PM.
- 9 Apr 09 08:47 PM #13
1- E7300 will be definitely better than E5200. But it will also cost around 2K more. Better to spend 2K on a third-party CPU cooler and overclock E5200
2- Corsair VX 450 will be more than enough. In any case, this is a better PSU that Tagan 500W
3- Palit one is cheapest... you take whichever you can find in your place at the best prices as well as with the best aftersales support.
4- Yes, 4670 will not be able to drive new games at 1080p resolution @ high/very high settings. But I think games like Call of Duty 2 and older will run fine even on native res with most gfx options at high+some at medium. - 9 Apr 09 09:19 PM #14


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