Time to upgrade my old system on a tight budget. Is this a decent combo for handling Video and Graphics files?: CPU + MB + RAM
That cpu is a great buy for a budget system without sacrificing quality in the least. I know several people who run it and it overclocks well -- if you are into ocing. I agree with sammorris concerning the mobo. You might want to consider this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398 Oh, one other thing, make sure you have a decent graphics card.
Oh bugger!! I didn't get any emails that there were replies to this thread. Just noticed them now. I decided to go one better with the CPU and went with the X3 instead of the X2 since it's only a few bucks more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...e=AMD_PHenom_II_X3_720-_-19-103-649-_-Product I guess I'll return the ASRock MB to newegg and get the ASUS. Is there any particular reason why the ASUS MB is better than the ASRock? I will be doing a small amount of Video processing using progs like TMPGEnc and WinDVD Creator 3, and graphics files using Corel Photopaint/Draw. I no longer do gaming so I figure the onboard graphics should suffice, unless you guys think otherwise.
I'd advise against the Asus as well, for much the same reason - quality. You're better off with this: I will make it quite plain - the CPU you bought is slower than the X2 550, but it has an extra core - whether you will notice the extra difference is personal, but per core, that's a slower CPU by about 10-12%. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128395 You will need DDR2 RAM for this board, however, for which I recommend: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145256
ASUS makes ASrock. ASrock is simply there cheapo brand line. Most here are not fans of ASUS but I personally have an ASUS and see no problem with them, and based on reviews they certainly seem reliable enough.
As stated. ASRock is a cheap brand line that Asus took over, though it originally started off as a separate brand, and not a very good one. While Asus are generally better perceived, in the last year or so especially, the build quality of their products is more in line with the 'budget basic' companies than what it should be. With so many other brands out there that aren't cutting corners, it doesn't really make sense to take the risk.
Gigabyte have always made really good motherboards, Foxconn make good ones as well, I've used a couple. It should handle everything you need, video and graphics, I'm using a Core 2 Duo @ 3GHz and 2GB 800MHz Ram and I work with Maya, Gimp, Photoshop, Flash, Sony Vegas and I always have Steam + MSN and Firefox open and I have never had any trouble. .
