[DEAD] A6-5400k $29.99 free shipping

[cbn]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...04&CatId=11530

 

[cbn]

If anyone wants to build a cheap system and combine orders (in order to use the following $10 off $100 coupon--> http://www.tigerdirect.com/sectors/c...O3TsyMASGRv6eA I think the following deal for $44.99 AR, free shipping is a good one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...537&CatId=6828

Overall, that would be $64.99 AR free shipping for A6-5400K, 4GB ADATA XPG DDR3 1600 RAM, Cougar Spike Mini Tower (5 egg rating at Newegg--> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811553011), Compusecase/HEC "400 watt" PSU, two Kingwin 120mm case fans. (All that is needed to complete build is FM2/FM2+ motherboard and a hard drive/SSD)

P.S. Keep in mind the "400 watt" HEC PSU included in the bundle only has 15 amps on the single 12V rail. But for a lower power build this should still be fine.

EDIT: I couldn't find any reviews on the HEC HP400DB power supply included in this bundle. However, I did read some of the reviews of other HEC PSUs (that look similar and also have a single 12V rail rated at 15 amps, namely the 485/585 models) at Newegg ---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...446&IsNodeId=1. In these other HEC reviews, I did notice several mentioning sparks, smoke, etc in the one egg category. Comparing to the one egg Newegg reviews of Corsair CX430, I also noticed sparks, smoke terminology at times but it appeared to be at a lower frequency compared to the one egg 485/585 HEC reviews. Overall though, the HEC 485/585 reviews did have a good percentage of four and five egg ratings (comparable to the CX430's distribution of four and five egg reviews) and actually the percentage of one egg reviews was lower for HEC 485D, 485D (no power cord) and 585DB PSUs (10%,11%,13% respectively) compared to the Corsair CX430 (18%).

 

[ibex333]

Keep in mind these CPUs are SLOOOOWWW. We are talking so slow, it's slower than a core2duo! I cant even understand what was the point for AMD to make something that's slower than a 8 year old CPU! Sure, these take less power and run cooler maybe, but such slow speed is just embarrassing... Still they run Diablo 3 just fine, thanks to the built in graphics. But, forget 1920x1080. You'll have to dial the resolution and setting WAYYY down, if you want something above 30fps.

 

[Madpacket]

wow crazy deal...

 

[cbn]

Keep in mind these CPUs are SLOOOOWWW. We are talking so slow, it's slower than a core2duo!

Here are some passmark scores:

E8400: 2164 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E8400+@+3.00GHz

E7500: 1881 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E7500+@+2.93GHz

E6600: 1552 http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E6600+@+2.40GHz

E2180: 1067 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+E2180+@+2.00GHz

A6-5400K: 2143 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A6-5400K+APU

So A6-5400K is indeed slower than a stock speed E8400, but faster than stock speed E7500, E6600 and E2180 (using Passmark as a yard stick).

 

[ibex333]

Here are some passmark scores:

E8400: 2164 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E8400+@+3.00GHz

E7500: 1881 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E7500+@+2.93GHz

E6600: 1552 http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E6600+@+2.40GHz

E2180: 1067 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+E2180+@+2.00GHz

A6-5400K: 2143 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A6-5400K+APU

So A6-5400K is indeed slower than a stock speed E8400, but faster than stock speed E7500, E6600 and E2180 (using Passmark as a yard stick).

Yes, but the e7500, e6600 and e2180 can all be had now used for $20 or less.... So that's something to consider... I suppose at $30 this is obviously still a very good deal... If the motherboard can be had for $60 or less that is.

 

[cbn]

Yes, but the e7500, e6600 and e2180 can all be had now used for $20 or less.... So that's something to consider.

There are also refurbished Core 2 duo prebuilts to consider:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...bop=And&page=1

Apparently ones with a expansion slot (for video card) can go for $90 or lower. Being former business machines they also come with a Windows 7 license.

 

[cbn]

I suppose at $30 this is obviously still a very good deal... If the motherboard can be had for $60 or less that is.

We've seen FM2+ motherboards for as low as $25 free shipping listed:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=36653934

Here is the lowest price I can find at the moment for FM2+, $34.69 AR free shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128699

 

[ibex333]

Thanks cbn. I never actually seen them for this low. That's pretty good...

 

[cbn]

Thanks cbn. I never actually seen them for this low. That's pretty good...

It does make an interesting comparison to Core 2 duo on the CPU side, with the added iGPU as a bonus.

At some point I would like to run some gaming benchmarks using my E2180 and E6600 (possible with a OC as well) and a small video card as a reference point.

 

[SimMike2]

I have an older A4 APU with an FM1 motherboard and it has worked wonderfully for over two years as my primary HTCP computer with a Silicone Dust HD Prime and cable card. Doesn't seem slow to me, at least in this application, and it has been rock steady and reliable, using barely any energy when it sleeps, and always waking up to record stuff just fine. They make great HTCP chips.

 

[Samus]

Here are some passmark scores:

E8400: 2164 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E8400+@+3.00GHz

E7500: 1881 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E7500+@+2.93GHz

E6600: 1552 http://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Duo+E6600+@+2.40GHz

E2180: 1067 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+E2180+@+2.00GHz

A6-5400K: 2143 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A6-5400K+APU

So A6-5400K is indeed slower than a stock speed E8400, but faster than stock speed E7500, E6600 and E2180 (using Passmark as a yard stick).

Wow....those CPU's are from 2007-2008 based on a decade old architecture. Does the K in this CPU at least mean it can be overclocked?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wow....those CPU's are from 2007-2008 based on a decade old architecture. Does the K in this CPU at least mean it can be overclocked?

AMD... delivering Core2-class performance... ten years late!

BTW, yes, the K means an unlocked multi.

 

[infoiltrator]

HEC 485/585 are crap in a can, group regulate poor Chinese caps, lying about power, lousy fan.
Tiger did sell some passable 350 watt HEC power supplies.
What the 400 is I do not know.

 

[cbn]

HEC 485/585 are crap in a can, group regulate poor Chinese caps, lying about power, lousy fan.

I noticed the 485/585 units (and the "400 watt" included in the Tiger Direct Bundle) at Newegg have two 8cm fans.

So maybe these are different variants?

 

[cbn]

Tiger did sell some passable 350 watt HEC power supplies.

EVGA also uses HEC for their 430, 500, 500B, 600B watt models ---> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-psu-brands,3762-6.html

JonnyGuru.com gave the HEC produced 500 watt version a good review ---> http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=384

With that said, those EVGA models mentioned above are clearly more modern designs with a much higher amount of amps on the 12V rail.

This "400 watt" model bundled by Tiger Direct only has 15 amps on the 12v rail. That is only 180 watts for the processor, video card and any hard drives added, etc.

 

[ControlD]

I have an older A4 APU with an FM1 motherboard and it has worked wonderfully for over two years as my primary HTCP computer with a Silicone Dust HD Prime and cable card. Doesn't seem slow to me, at least in this application, and it has been rock steady and reliable, using barely any energy when it sleeps, and always waking up to record stuff just fine. They make great HTCP chips.

Yep. I have a A4/FM2 setup running my MAME machine and it works great. Not every system needs Haswell levels of performance.

 

[Homerboy]

Almost bit... but I need something for a Plex server. Not quite powerful enough.

 

[Madpacket]

Same 5400K chip here runs $39 CAD and no free shipping, also not really any good mobo deals to be had

I would totally buy one of these combos if I was in the US. Also for the HEC power supply and this combo you shouldn't come anywhere near 180W on the +12v rail unless you add in a mid range GPU. I doubt the PS will cause problems due to load issues anyway.

I'm holding out for an A8-7600 deal..

 

[Madpacket]

Hmm, I'm pretty sure these 5400K's will outperform G3258 for gaming. You should test that out CBN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id03ARI8hxc

 

[Replay]

G3258 you'd want to be using a video card for gaming, but the cpu is much much stronger than the AMD APU

G3258 is ~1/2 of an i5 quad (2 cores, 3M cache). Overclock G3258 to 4.6 4.8 GHz and you've got some of the the strongest single thread cores around.

FM2 board here that needs a chip, but I'm going to wait for a deal on a quad core apu (suitable for budget gaming).

 

[J-Acito]

With the originally posted CPU, I believe you would end up upgrading it within a year. So don't waste you money. Just my opinion.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Every e8400 I have owned has easily OC'ed to 3.6 Ghz.
How much do these go for now? @20 for the first one in the for sale forum (gone now!) I am firmly in the Intel camp now (alhough I have an HTPC with a AMD 4850e.)

 

[cbn]

Every e8400 I have owned has easily OC'ed to 3.6 Ghz.
How much do these go for now? @20 for the first one in the for sale forum (gone now!)

When we make these comparisons to E8400, I think it is important to also realize the A6-5400K comes with a decent iGPU. (Where the E8400 must rely on a video card or the integrated graphics of whatever motherboard it is using).

A6-5400K also uses DDR3 which is much cheaper than DDR2. In fact, high DDR2 prices are what kept me from upgrading past 2GB RAM on my E6600.

Also, FM2 or FM2+ means the person is using new parts. Whereas when using LGA 775 some care must be taken that components are not too worn.

With that mentioned, I still think the Core 2 duo refurbs are rather interesting and I will continue to follow their pricing in the future. (re: The Windows 7 license they come with is definitely valuable and the cpu performance is decent enough). I also think their are better modern platform value processors than A6-5400K for folks wanting to build their primary desktop PC (Pentium G3258 comes to mind for that role). However, for a Linux gaming HTPC (ie, secondary desktop PC) this pile of parts is probably decent enough, and an even better deal if a $25 motherboard could be found. (The only concern I really have would be AMD's Linux OPEN GL driver performance.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

The E8400 is still a pretty powerful chip, especially with 6MB L2 cache, and even moreso when overclocked to 3.6Ghz.

But to keep things in perspective, at least at stock speeds, the $40-50 Ivy Bridge Celeron G1610 is equivalent to the E8400, even running at just 2.6Ghz instead of 3.0.

I think that FM2 has it's place, if you want both "cheap" and "new", at least speaking of their single-module dual-cores. I was a bit surprised how slow a non-overclocked A6-5400K is though. I built a friend a system around that CPU, and watching 1080P twitch.tv streams, it used up 60-70% CPU. I presume that's with hardware acceleration enabled.

Edit: I do think that "where it's at" for cheap dual-core desktop CPUs for normal desktop tasks, is the Pentium G3258 with a cheap mobo combo. That's really hard to beat. (I'm on one now.) Don't forget the SSD either. (Using a SATA2 X25-M G2, still a very good SSD, and they last pretty-much forever.)