Upgrade plans · DIGIT-ARC

B

I have to upgrade my motherboard and processor within Rs. 10000.
I've shortlisted the following processors:
1) Core i3 530 Rs. 5850
2) Athlon II X3 425 Rs. 3700
3) Phenom II X2 555 Black edition Rs.5300

Which is better among 2) and 3) ? And is 1) better than both?
Will there be any problem with the Core i3 considering that it is relatively new? Can DDR2 be used with the Core i3 ? The processor needs to be reasonably future-proof.

Also, my current SMPS and UPS are 350W and 600VA(Numeric) respectively. Will they be enough for these processors?

Also, please suggest motherboards for the corresponding processor. My only constraints are that it should fit in my budget and I would prefer a DDR3 board. Features like solid state capacitors and E-SATA will of course be plus points but its not absolutely necessary.

I had once read in Digit about motherboards with onboard graphics which had its own discrete RAM but I can't remember which issue or the motherboard name.

I don't know what form factor my cabinet is so I'm posting its size.
l x b x h == 43 x 20 x 34 cm

Buzz said:
I have to upgrade my motherboard and processor within Rs. 10000.
I've shortlisted the following processors:
1) Core i3 530 Rs. 5850
2) Athlon II X3 425 Rs. 3700
3) Phenom II X2 555 Black edition Rs.5300

Which is better among 2) and 3) ? And is 1) better than both?
Will there be any problem with the Core i3 considering that it is relatively new? Can DDR2 be used with the Core i3 ? The processor needs to be reasonably future-proof.

Also, my current SMPS and UPS are 350W and 600VA(Numeric) respectively. Will they be enough for these processors?

Also, please suggest motherboards for the corresponding processor. My only constraints are that it should fit in my budget and I would prefer a DDR3 board. Features like solid state capacitors and E-SATA will of course be plus points but its not absolutely necessary.

I had once read in Digit about motherboards with onboard graphics which had its own discrete RAM but I can't remember which issue or the motherboard name.

I don't know what form factor my cabinet is so I'm posting its size.
l x b x h == 43 x 20 x 34 cm

i3 futureproof for just 6months, maybe less.

go with X4 630 + Biostar TA785G3 HD (it got onboard graphics & 128Mb DDR3 memory). total will cost you ~9k.

A

*www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-phenom-ii-corei-i5,2647.html

heres an article that wil inform u about processors.

read it completely its good knowledge.

in the end there is comparision chart which helps in making the desicion.

B

Will the Biostar TA785G3 HD fit in my cabinet?

Also, won't the extra 6 MB cache of the Phenom X2 555 make it better than the Athlon X4 630?

Buzz said:
Will the Biostar TA785G3 HD fit in my cabinet?

Also, won't the extra 6 MB cache of the Phenom X2 555 make it better than the Athlon X4 630?

there is no drastic performance increase due to the 6mb l3 cache.... you wouldn't even notice it.... also, now more and more apps(both softwares as well as games) are become multithreaded.... so a quad core will surely benefit you.... if you go with phenom II*2 550 or 555, there is no sure chance that you will unlock any more core.... also if you are lucky enough to unlock any hidden cores, then it will generate a lot of heat.... so its better if you stick to athlon II*4 630 and bio* ta785g3 hd.... sam has given you the correct market prices of both the products and they are easily coming in your budget....

B

Thanks a lot, Sam Aby & Rahul.
Can you tell what form factor my cabinet supports from the dimensions I posted in my first post?

at most mATX. you may get a new cabinet with the extra cash. a Zebronics bijli (without psu), X4 630, Bio* TA785G3HD. if bargained, should b available for exactly 10k.

B

And I suppose I'll have to get a new PSU as well, atleast 450W?

Buzz said:
And I suppose I'll have to get a new PSU as well, atleast 450W?

a 350W PSU from FSP or a 400W from Gigabyte will b enough, provided you won't include a graphics card in future.

B

Is Biostar a good company? I've read some reviews that showed Biostar in poor light with regard to the quality of their products and after-sales service.

Buzz said:
Is Biostar a good company? I've read some reviews that showed Biostar in poor light with regard to the quality of their products and after-sales service.

well aftersale service is not good of any company. you need to put pressure to get it done. Rashi peripherals sucks (distributor of Asus, XFX, Sony, etc).

Biostar makes a wide range of graphics card & motherboards but not all are good. you need to know what products good & ignore the rest. TA785G3 HD is a very good one. a few members have bought it. & are....... satisfied to say the least.

we all recommend bio* ta785g3 hd cauz its good.... no idea about aftersale service though....

Athlon II X4 630 & biostar TA 785G3 HD is recommended. L3 cache does not improve performance much, 4 cores of Athlon II X4 will give much better performance than Phenom II X2.

You need after sales service for Mobo & proccy only if you are extremely unlucky, so keep your fingers crossed.

If you buy a motherboard supporting DDR3 RAM and have no money left, what RAM are you going to use with it?

Which brand SMPS do you have currently? Athlon II X4 is a bit power hungry, so a generic 350W PSU may be a bit risky.

B

Thanks, everyone, for the quick replies.
The only dealer in my city told me that biostar boards are good but after sales service is poor and he won't be able to help me if something goes wrong. So I'm going with an ASUS board that stretches my budget a little but should in turn last a little longer. I'm also buying the Athlon 630 along with a 500 W PSU so power supply shouldn't be a problem.

which 500w psu???? not cm extreme series, rite????

and don't go with asus.... many people on tdf have criticized their sub-7k boards to be buggy and full of faults.... better get msi or gigabyte....

The only dealer in my city told me that biostar boards are good but after sales service is poor and he won't be able to help me if something goes wrong.

wats your location?

I'm also buying the Athlon 630 along with a 500 W PSU so power supply shouldn't be a problem.

which brand & model?