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[PC Builders] Good Value Bundles?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Nero, Sep 17, 2013.

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  1. Nero

    Nero Member

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    Hey guys,

    I have an old 3rd PC I am wanting to gut and rebuild. It has been that long since I built one (I used to build a lot of them, but have not done so in about 5-6 years now), and so I am now having to start looking for some good-value bundles.

    Like I say, it's only a 3rd computer, so it won't be the main machine, and therefore I am not looking for bleeding-edge expensive stuff.

    What I am wondering is, have you guys found any good mobo/processor/ram bundles, good value bundles I mean?

    I am thinking something in the range of a nice I5 (or a comparable AMD), along with a mb and at least 8gb RAM. I will probably go ahead and get a new HD with it, and likely a new video card, but I don't know if bundles containing those items ever amount to a really good value or not.

    And my problem is, with such a ridiculous number and variety of processors out there nowadays, I don't even know what is a good comparable AMD to a decent current I5..

    So, anyone come across any nice relatively cheap bundles like that?

    I am hoping to keep the bundle under $300 if I can...

    Thanks!
     
    #1 Nero, Sep 17, 2013
  2. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Member

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    You won't need a video card, CPU graphics are good. If you don't want the latest get an Ivy bridge i3 cpu with a MB for 140 or so.
     
    #2 Bandwagoner, Sep 17, 2013
  3. Space Ghost

    Space Ghost Member

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    I would certainly go with an i5. i7 is overkill and a waste if you have no plans on using its capability. You get a much better bang for your buck with an i5 over an i3. For $50 more, you go from a dual core to a quad core. I am not a fan of AMD desktop processors. Intels are much more efficient.
    You can find a mobo for about a $100.00 and memory for $45.
     
    #3 Space Ghost, Sep 17, 2013
  4. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Member

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    I would spend more on the memory and less on the MB. And this would blow your $300 budget. Microcenter has the i5 4670K for 199.
     
    #4 Bandwagoner, Sep 17, 2013
  5. Xenochimera

    Xenochimera Member

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    not sure how close you are to a microcenter but when i bought my cpu+mobo there they had a promotion for a i5+mobo and you get $50 off, so around $250 total for a decent mobo and $50 is more than enough for good ram.
     
    #5 Xenochimera, Sep 17, 2013
  6. morpheus133

    morpheus133 Member

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    If you are just looking for a 3rd computer for web browsing and other basic stuff then it's questionable if it is going to be worth building it yourself. I build mine when I want higher end parts and want to cusomize everything, but for a relatively low level set up its hard to beat something like this gateway with Intel Core i5-2300 Processor,6GB DDR3 Memory,1.5 SATA Hard Drive for $359:

    http://www.frys.com/product/6662004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

    The main negative being the intergrated graphics, which may not matter depending on what you are going to use the computer for.

    Otherwise Newegg has a bunch of motherboard/cpu bundles to check out:

    http://www.newegg.com/Store/ComboDeals.aspx?ComboStoreID=1&name=CPUs-Motherboards
     
    #6 morpheus133, Sep 17, 2013
  7. ChankMcStank

    ChankMcStank Member

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    For a third computer, I would suggest something with the new AMD APU's like the A10-6800K. Quad-core, overclockable, has a decent low-mid GPU built-in, and less than $150 (with coupon). Or go for a lesser model for even more cheaps. So, it pretty much takes care of the CPU and GPU portion of your build.

    I actually built an APU system for my nephew (A10-5700, last generation) and stuck some 1600MHz RAM and it runs Just Cause 2 beautifully on medium settings.
     
    #7 ChankMcStank, Sep 17, 2013
  8. Nero

    Nero Member

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    Looking like an AMD FX-8320 is going to offer a really great bang for the buck.. anyone use one of those?
     
    #8 Nero, Sep 18, 2013
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