- AMD or Intel?
- AMD is the cheap option, Intel the expensive. So, as it's a budget PC then AMD is first choice. If I had more money I'd go Intel.
- AMD just released FM2 socket A series, with APU (on chip graphics). After reading a few reviews this seemed the obvious choice.
- Go with cheap A4 chip or expensive A8 chip?
- basically I could buy a cheap A4 chip with good motherboard and good RAM or
- expensive A8 chip with cheap motherboard and cheap RAM
- I choose expensive chip. The only real benifit of an expensive motherboard is an extra 2 slots for RAM. But I think I'll only need a max of 32GB RAM for the near future.
- Chipset - A75 or A85X?
- I think the A85X is newer, but I like the fact that the A75 is cheaper and also has USB 3 native controller to make it more future proof
- both have SATA III support for fast SSD action
- graphics card or APU?
- after reading this nice review from Anandtech I wanted to go for the higher priced A8 chip, and when I get more cash, get a graphics card which uses crossfire.
- SSD or HDD?
- HDD are cheap and BIG! £40 for 1TB!
- I can't believe the price of an SSD (about £40 for 64GB). I can always plug an external one in for more storage, which isn't a priority. I want SPEED!
- Also SATA III is a must!
- 2 sticks of 4GB RAM, or 1 stick of 8GB?
- reading up on it, because the new motherboards support "Dual Channel" RAM thought it best to get two. Apparently works out at 1/3 quicker.
- Windows 7 or Windows 8?
- Windows 8 is the future. Also reviews say it's a little quicker.
So after scouting about in ebuyer.com I found:
£35 - 2 x 4GB DDR3 1866MHz RAM
£12 - Liteon DVD RW Drive SATA
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£222 - total!!!
So, when I get more money I can always:
- Buy AMD 6670 graphics card
- cheapest at the moment is £52
- replace 8GB (2 x 4GB) with 32GB (2 x 16GB)
- Buy an AMD A10 5800K processor
And these will be cheaper in the future.
I predict without the upgrades it'll last me 2 to 3 years (£220 / 3 = £73 per year), with the upgrades it'll last up to 5 years (hard to say what things will cost in 3 years time).
Just putting it together at the moment, will send some pictures and do some benchmark testing for games!
I predict without the upgrades it'll last me 2 to 3 years (£220 / 3 = £73 per year), with the upgrades it'll last up to 5 years (hard to say what things will cost in 3 years time).
Just putting it together at the moment, will send some pictures and do some benchmark testing for games!
If anyone has any other recommendations, or perhaps what I should have done with the £250 then comment below.
