Computers & Electronics

Mobo + CPU + RAM upgrade suggestions

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  • Feb 17th, 2011 10:03 am
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Sr. Member
User avatar
Jun 6, 2005
873 posts
11 upvotes

Mobo + CPU + RAM upgrade suggestions

I'm looking to upgrade my AMD64 3000+/Asus A8N-E/1GB RAM to something new, like a dual or quad core. My budget is somewhat limited (~300$) and I haven't been in the computer scene for a while now, so I'm not sure what mobo/cpu/ram combination is best.

Here's what I quickly found @ CC.
Intel i3 CPU
Asus P7H55 Motherboard
Corsair Value 4GB RAM

My case is an Antec Super Lanboy (image and specs)

Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Outdoor social geek game developer.
5 replies
Sr. Member
Feb 10, 2005
785 posts
126 upvotes
Richmond Hill
I think you should only consider a mother board / chipset that supports RAID.

Unless you want to go for the SSD drive route, using a single SATA hdd will be a bottle neck.

I think an i3 is more than good enough for web surfing and general use as long as you don't expect it to run like a real i7. either way, I am happy with my i3 540 running on RAID 0.
Newbie
Feb 11, 2011
21 posts
1 upvote
Northern BC
This help?

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?minorcatid=1265

Personally I think you should stick with AMD on your budget. If you get a reasonably good AM3 mainboard, you will have a better chance of an upgrade path later on since lately AMD has been better than Intel in that regard.

Keep in mind for almost $300 you can get a whole new computer.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundl ... mbo.591510
(note: No idea how long the above url will work for)

There are more combos like that here.

http://www.newegg.ca/Store/MasterComboS ... st_diy.png

midnightskulker wrote: I'm looking to upgrade my AMD64 3000+/Asus A8N-E/1GB RAM to something new, like a dual or quad core. My budget is somewhat limited (~300$) and I haven't been in the computer scene for a while now, so I'm not sure what mobo/cpu/ram combination is best.

Here's what I quickly found @ CC.
Intel i3 CPU
Asus P7H55 Motherboard
Corsair Value 4GB RAM

My case is an Antec Super Lanboy (image and specs)

Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jun 27, 2004
15218 posts
4405 upvotes
Vancouver.bc.ca
> I think an i3 is more than good enough for web surfing and general use ...

Are we stuck in 1995? Even the bottom end of modern processors can do a lot, these days.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Jun 6, 2005
873 posts
11 upvotes
Thanks for the info guys.

AMD seems very budget friendly and should handle my needs (occasional gaming, mostly Flash development and web surfing). I'd prefer to stick to what I need (CPU/Mobo/RAM) so I can spend every penny wisely and also considering I already have everything else (case, hd, monitor, psu, etc...)

Still not sure about Motherboards/RAM. What should I look for (I like the idea of upgradability in terms of RAM and CPU, but don't see the need for SLI/XFire). I'm also confused about all the DDR3 RAM (1066/8500, 1800/14400, etc...). Lastly, I'm seeing some motherboards with HDMI but I already have a video card, so how does that work exactly?

Thanks again for the info!
Outdoor social geek game developer.
Deal Guru
May 29, 2006
10930 posts
3663 upvotes
i would get an i5 personally, my laptop with i5 is awesome.

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