Input on low budget CPU

[wirm]

Hi folks,

my parent's computer stopped working, and I suspect it's the motherboard/CPU. I've been out of the loop for a couple years, so would like some advice on replacing those 2 parts.

Here are the current specs:

Cooler Master mid tower case
500 GB Seagate HDD
Kingston 1333 2x2 GB RAM
Onboard video
Biostar AM3 motherboard
450 Watt Corsair PSU
AMD Regor 250

As you can see, it's really low budget. My parents don't play games, edit video, or overclock. It's basically there for playing Freecell and watching Youtube clips.

When I put the computer together almost 2 years ago, AMD was the best price for performance. Is this still the case? I'd like to have a cheap, low energy-consumption computer that they can leave on all day.

Has Intel become the best low-end bang for your buck?

Thank you

 

[anikhtos]

Hi folks,

my parent's computer stopped working, and I suspect it's the motherboard/CPU. I've been out of the loop for a couple years, so would like some advice on replacing those 2 parts.

Here are the current specs:

Cooler Master mid tower case
500 GB Seagate HDD
Kingston 1333 2x2 GB RAM
Onboard video
Biostar AM3 motherboard
450 Watt Corsair PSU
AMD Regor 250

As you can see, it's really low budget. My parents don't play games, edit video, or overclock. It's basically there for playing Freecell and watching Youtube clips.

When I put the computer together almost 2 years ago, AMD was the best price for performance. Is this still the case? I'd like to have a cheap, low energy-consumption computer that they can leave on all day.

Has Intel become the best low-end bang for your buck?

Thank you

well a machine with an e-450 apu will be the lowest you can go with power consumption but it will have the weaker cpu and gpu available.
good for browsing and video playback
the liano series is better stronger cpu and gpu part from amd. while they consume 65 watt to 100 watt cpu+gpu with this you can do some light gaming

i think an e 450 is a good solution for you low power

 

[riva2model64]

It would probably be cheaper to fix current computer?

But the G630T looks good for low power, Celeron G530 costs less if you want that.

Another option is to getting laptop parts from ebay and put them in some kind of enclosure, you'd be running some sick idles and still have good speed. SB based laptop 17w CPUs would be sick, but arrandales work too.

I think my Core i3 2.27GHz (35w TDP) w/Radeon 5470 idles at around 17w from the wall, and it has great performance when you need it.

E-450 would make for sick power consumption levels, but you'd be sacrificing some performance.

Newegg is selling refurb 1.86 GHz Arrandales for $12.

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?Inv...&cm_cat=358129

Get them one of these. Then, optionally (especially if the PSU went south), get them a mini-ITX case+PSU off of Newegg.

With a newly-rebuilt case, you could convince them that you got them a whole new computer. And look, it's now tiny!

You could also get an E-350 mobo combo off of Newegg, that would be lower-power, but also slower. I think that you should just get another AM3 mobo like I linked. Chances are, the CPU is probably ok. (Pretty hard to damage a CPU, unless it has been subjected to excessive voltages and temps for a long time. The CPU heatsink has been cleaned from time to time, no?)

Cheap but good mini-ITX case w/250W PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147131

EDIT!
You could also get them one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138368
It's a Sandy Bridge Celeron 1.1Ghz dual-core, low-power, on a mini-ITX mobo. Has HDMI output, takes DDR3-1333 DIMMs, has one SATA6G I think.

If you buy it right away, it comes with FREE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 memory! That's enough to max out the board, I think.

And if you really want to speed up their computer, consider an SSD, any SSD. (But at least 60-64GB for Windows 7.)

 

[tweakboy]

Wow intel sure has soo many different chips. does that G630 have HT btw ?

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Intel Celeron g530 is a good minimal budget cpu for about $50 to just to get by. It's a dual core and has integrated graphics, so you will be fine for basic tasks such as office work and web browsing, but nothing much more intensive. If you are are willing to spend a bit more you can get the AMD Aseries APU for less than $100, which will get you a quad core and better graphics/

 

[frozentundra123456]

Intel Celeron g530 is a good minimal budget cpu for about $50 to just to get by. It's a dual core and has integrated graphics, so you will be fine for basic tasks such as office work and web browsing, but nothing much more intensive. If you are are willing to spend a bit more you can get the AMD Aseries APU for less than $100, which will get you a quad core and better graphics/

I would advise this celeron or a pentium, or a low end Llano/Trinity. I would stay away from the Brazos chips on the desktop. Since they ARE you parents, maybe you could contribute a bit and get them something nice like the i3 or A10. Should last them for many years for a minimal increase in cost now.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I would stay away from the Brazos chips on the desktop. Since they ARE you parents, maybe you could contribute a bit and get them something nice like the i3 or A10. Should last them for many years for a minimal increase in cost now.

This I agree with. I own two E-350 rigs (see the other thread in this forum about E-350 rigs), and they are a tad bit slow for some things. A decent-clocked "real" dual-core CPU (eg. not Atom, not Brazos), can make quite a bit of difference.

And by all means, get your parents an SSD too. Just not an OCZ one, unless it's a Vertex Plus R2 model. Those seem to be stable. (Been using one of those myself. It uses the Barefoot 2 controller, for SATA2.)

 

[Dark Shroud]

A10 would be better than an i3 since there would be no need for an video card.

 

[bononos]

A10 would be better than an i3 since there would be no need for an video card.

There is no need for a video card because the i3/celeron has integrated graphics.

 

[Roland00Address]

Do not get them brazos, the celeron g530 and similar cpus use similar amount of power. These processors are much faster (about 3 times faster) and you can still get cpu+motherboard for <$100.

See here
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2100t_11.html#sect0

And here
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1202-page6.html

All the 2nd and 3rd generation intel dual core systems use about 50 watts of power while idling and can go up to 80 to 100w in normal office and home use scenarios. Even when you run a cpu at 100% load you will only get up to the 120 to 130 watts.

A 4 core sandy bridge i7 uses 52.8 watts at idle
A 4 core ivy bridge i7 uses 54.3 watts

Loading a 4 core i7 at 100% gpu

Loading a 4 core i7 at 100% cpu+having a 5870 just idling. (Note the 5870 uses about 21watts itself even when idling.)

 

[pcsavvy]

The main difference between an i3 and A10, the i3 has a more efficient cpu, weak graphics than the A10, can not overclock while the A10 has a less efficient cpu (true quadcore), stronger graphics then Intel, and can be overclocked.
For mainstream use either one would be ok though if graphics/overclockability is important to you than A10 would be a good decision.
Also the m/b's for AMD are generally cheaper and offer more functionality than a comparable Intel board.
It is a matter of how much your budget is and where you want to compromise in putting a system together.
If you look at the charts the i3 excels over the A10 in some areas while the A10 excels in others. I believe in real world performance sitting side by side you would have no clue which is which.

Edit: Power consumption can be another factor in your decision but it should be a minor one, I don't believe that the difference in your power bill is going to be so great between the i3 and the A10, that it will counteract the cost of parts. I could understand it to be a major factor if it means your power bill will be $100's of dollars less each year. If the difference in your power bill is going to be only 20 bucks a year then WTH just go with whatever you decide you can afford and takes care of your needs as a whole system.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Torn Mind]

Celeron G540+ Radeon 7750 or equivalent(optional)+H61 mobo should suit them comfortably.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Celeron G540+ Radeon 7750 or equivalent(optional)+H61 mobo should suit them comfortably.

If the OP's parents don't game, then what is the point of the cost of a discrete card? An SSD would be a better place to spend any extra.

 

[philipma1957]

If the OP's parents don't game, then what is the point of the cost of a discrete card? An SSD would be a better place to spend any extra.

disagree they watch youtube and maybe netflix a low end hd6770 has a nicer picture then any integrated intel graphics.

http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Express-Pr...eywords=hd6770

65 bucks

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-G540-CAC...rds=intel+g530


45 bucks


http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GA-H6...words=h61+mobo

70 bucks


reuse the case and the psu under 180 nice improvement.

maybe get some better ram. and windows 7 on a sale 280 tops.

 

[Torn Mind]

If the OP's parents don't game, then what is the point of the cost of a discrete card? An SSD would be a better place to spend any extra.

I have a Celeron G550 and I cannot stand the miniscule "bars" that pops up in heavy motion scenes when I'm playing really heavy HD video. That's why I suggested a GPU. But my suggestion is overkill and they could use an entry-level card instead. If they don't even play 1080p content with fast motion, then the Intel iGPU is all they need and they can skimp on the card and get an SSD for a smooth ride.

My suggestion was also in part a response to the Trinity suggestion. For approximately the same dough, I can get a CPU that won't bottleneck my GPU and I don't need sexy high speed RAM to feed the needy APU.

 

[StinkyPinky]

My wife has a pentium G620 and used the integrated graphics. It's perfectly fine for general use, including HD video. Useless for gaming but that's not relevant for her.

 

[Bman123]

I have been using my current celeron G530 for a long time now and I have no complaints with it at all. It plays HD video on netflix and youtube just fine. It's a damn good dual core and it is super cheap. I think I paid like $35 for it. I got the cpu, mobo and ram for under $100 from microcenter.

 

[AtenRa]

ASRock FM2A75M-ITX FM2 mini-iTX

AMD A8-5500 (Quad Core + Radeon HD 7560D)


FM2 Mini-iTX board with USB3, SATA-6 etc and Quad core CPU with HD 7560D. Perfect for everything

 

[anikhtos]

guys the op said his parents will play freecell , surf the web and watch videos at youtube.

an e-450 can cut the job or not???
also asked for the solution with the less power
brazos fit that criteria also.

okey all of us would like to build a dual socket e7 xeon cpu system
but can we try to be relative and helpful to the specific need of the other?

op asked
lower power consumption
low budget
for the heaviest load to surf the net and watch youtube videos.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

guys the op said his parents will play freecell , surf the web and watch videos at youtube.

an e-450 can cut the job or not???

Frankly speaking, NO.

The only thing e-series is good for is a nas box imo.

 

[AtenRa]

Cheaper alternative

ASRock FM2A75M-DGS FM2

Micro ATX with A75 Chipset, USB3, 6x SATA-6 etc at $54,99

AMD A4-5300 Trinity

Dual core with HD 7480D for 1080p playback at $64,99

 

[Puppies04]

Celeron G530 (or any other SB/IB pentium at the right price) and a cheap mobo.

AMD excel at low end builds without discrete GPUs and mid range builds where their ability to overclock helps out. Neither of these scenarios apply here an AMD rig is going to "feel" slow a long time before an intel rig does and use more power at the same time. If your parents have been happy watching youtube with your existing setup then a 1155 pentium is going to be more than enough for what they need. We aren't talking about 3D 1080P playback here guys....

Edit. On a side note, OP you don't suggest why you think the mobo+CPU are broken. It would be unlikely that both parts broke at the same time and could be another component. What exactly are the symptoms because if it is just the mobo or PSU or RAM etc that is actually faulty then you may be better off replacing the faulty part and sticking with what you have.

 

[blastingcap]

I would try to figure out what broke and only replace that part. Based on your list I'm guessing the hard drive crashed, so just replace that part because the rest is still more than capable of doing what they need. If not the HDD, I'm guessing the mobo needs replacement; you can get a replacement for cheap these days, though if it used DDR2 you will have a harder time. (Example of a cheap replacement mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130652 after rebate) As for CPU, that CPU is good enough for gaming, let alone what they use it for. No need to change it. If it somehow broke, the cheapest option is a Sempron 140 that can hopefully be unlocked; but if you want guaranteed functionality then another Athlon II X2 will be fine... not much of a discount on those parts anymore, though, so expect to find deals for tri- and quad-cores that are better but cost the same as Athlon II X2 250's.

If you really want to build a new system from scratch, a Celeron G530 paired with the cheapest mobo you can find that supports it, will be fine. Put a decent PSU in it (Corsair 430W or something), plus a cheap HDD, and pretty much any DDR3-1333 1.5v RAM (at least 2GB worth of RAM, preferably 4GB just in case they multitask a lot). The G530's video is good enough for 1080p playback, though to be frank, even their old CPU (Athlon II X2 3GHz I think?) is fast enough to play back 1080p under most circumstances.

Hi folks,

my parent's computer stopped working, and I suspect it's the motherboard/CPU. I've been out of the loop for a couple years, so would like some advice on replacing those 2 parts.

Here are the current specs:

Cooler Master mid tower case
500 GB Seagate HDD
Kingston 1333 2x2 GB RAM
Onboard video
Biostar AM3 motherboard
450 Watt Corsair PSU
AMD Regor 250

As you can see, it's really low budget. My parents don't play games, edit video, or overclock. It's basically there for playing Freecell and watching Youtube clips.

When I put the computer together almost 2 years ago, AMD was the best price for performance. Is this still the case? I'd like to have a cheap, low energy-consumption computer that they can leave on all day.

Has Intel become the best low-end bang for your buck?

Thank you

 

[AtenRa]

Celeron G530 (or any other SB/IB pentium at the right price) and a cheap mobo.

AMD excel at low end builds without discrete GPUs and mid range builds where their ability to overclock helps out. Neither of these scenarios apply here an AMD rig is going to "feel" slow a long time before an intel rig does and use more power at the same time.

I dont want to start a war here but do you honestly believe that Intel G530(dual core 2.5GHz) will feel faster than AMD A4-5300 (Dual core 3.4GHz or 3.6GHz Turbo) ??? Not to mention the chaotic difference in the iGPU and better features in the FM2 platform (against H61/B75).