March 2009 PC Configuration Guide | Phenom II X3 to X4

Thanks to the competition between Intel and AMD, prices of Core 2 Quad and Phenom II have come down significantly over the month. What's more, there's a fact that Phenom II X3 can turn into a X4 simply by buying X3 cpu with Biostar 790GX+SB750 chipset motherboard, then set the ACC (Advance Clock Calibration) to auto. And BINGO, you get an X4 cpu for the price of a X3. Quote from the guru3d, "Only with the 904xxxx-stepping; this tweak seems to work, not with 0849xxxx". So good luck with your search :)

Now let's continue with this month's guide:

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 or 1680*1050 resolution with medium to high settings.
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 or 1920*1080 with medium to high settings
  

And here's the pc guide for 2k pc (Most items are based on C-zone pricelist as of 4/3/09):

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 210
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 160
• Motherboard: Albatron KM740G- RM 200
• Hard Drive: Seagate 500GB SATA2 16MB Cache - RM 195
• GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD4830 512MB - RM 380
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 75
• Monitor: Acer X203 with speaker (20" wide) - RM 380
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 160
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 1974

Note 1 : With monitor prices falling down, each penny can get you a bigger screen size. The Acer monitor incorporates the speaker, thus I removed last month's speaker. Having more budget to spend, thus I increased the HDD size.

And here's 3k pc guide:

• CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz - RM 465
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM160
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 230
• Motherboard: Asus M3A78-EM - RM 300
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM520
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM75
• Monitor: Acer X233 23" wide LCD - RM 560
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: OCZ Stealth X Stream- RM319
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2923

Note 2 : The Phenom II X3 720(2.8GHz) beats Phenom X4 9850(2.5GHz) hands down, so I presumed that X3 710 can beat X4 9650 since both are 200 MHz difference from the cpus mentioned above. Because the 710 is cheaper than 9650 and offer more performance than it, thus 710 is the wise choice.

Note 3 : Phenom II X3 710 is a new cpu, thus you must update the motherboard with the newest bios to support it.

How's my configuration? Do you have other opinions? Please kindly leave them here :)

February 2009 PC Configuration Guide

Chinese New Year have passed, the non-married people got more notes in their wallets while married couples get a bit lighter wallet. During the last month, Phenom II has been released and it's performance is almost equal or better than Intel Core 2 Quad of the same price. Couple with a cheap AM2+ motherboard, and you get yourself quite a good system. Let's continue to this month's configuration guide.

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 or 1680*1050 resolution with medium to high settings.
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 or 1920*1080 with medium to high settings

And here's the pc guide for 2k pc (Most items are based on C-zone pricelist as of 5/2/09):

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 215
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 160
• Motherboard: Albatron KM740G- RM 200
• Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB SATA2 16MB Cache - RM 155
• GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD4830 512MB - RM 380
  
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 75
• Monitor: Benq 18.5" G900HD - RM 389
  
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 160
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
• Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49

Total : RM 1997
Note 1 : Performance of 9800gt and HD4830 are almost the same, so I choose the cheaper of the 2, which is HD4830. The Palit motherboard has disappeared from the list, thus I choose the Albatron KM740G. Even though it has less features, the lower price tag make up for it. Sad news is that the RAM price has increase.

And here's 3k pc guide:

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9650 2.3GHz - RM 490
  
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM160
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 220
• Motherboard: Asus M3A78-EM - RM 300
  
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM530
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM75
• Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 545
  
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: OCZ Stealth X Stream- RM319
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2933
Note : I changed the motherboard for it's cheaper compared to last month's guide, and changed the PSU for more power.

Recession is still lingering around and we have to take every to reduce unnecessary money output, even on PC configuration. Hope this recession will be leaving us soon :)

Got any opinion about my configuration? Please kindly leave them here :)

January 2009 PC Configuration Guide

This year started off with a not so good economy in hand, and every 1 trying to cut costs in every way, including their PC configuration. The recent shut down of Western Digital hard drive factory in Sarawak (or Sabah?) cost many people their jobs, and I feel sorry for them. But feelings aside, here's this month's pc guide.

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 or 1680*1050 resolution with medium to high settings.
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 or 1920*1080 with medium to high settings

And here's the pc guide for 2k pc (Most items are based on C-zone pricelist as of 3/1/09):

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 215
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 120
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 220
• Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB SATA2 16MB Cache - RM 155
• GPU: Palit 9800GT 512MB - RM 430
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 75
• Monitor: Benq 18.5" G900HD - RM 389
  
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 160
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
• Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49

Total : RM 2027
Note 1 : Since the Forsa 9800gt disappear from the price list, therefore I choose the Palit 9800gt. There are not much changes compared to last month's 2k pc guide.

And here's 3k pc guide:

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9650 2.3GHz - RM 500
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM120
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 220
• Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H - RM 315
  
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM530
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM75
• Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 545
  
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2889
Note 2 : Not much changes compared to last month's pc guide. Except being cheaper.

It's quite a boring thing as there are no changes. I guess we will just have to wait till the Phenom II's release to shake things up a bit.

December PC Configuration

After a month, oil prices drop, technology become cheaper, and you can get more out of your money. So here are this month's pc guide.

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 or 1680*1050 resolution with medium to high settings.
  
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 or 1920*1080 with medium to high settings

And here's the pc guide for 2k pc:

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 220
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 150
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 225
• Hard Drive:Western Digital 320GB SATA - RM 165
• GPU: Forsa 9800GT 512MB - RM 400
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 70
• Monitor: Benq 18.5" G900HD - RM 390
  
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 170
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
• Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49

Total : RM 2053
Note 1: Compared to previous month's pc guide, you get a bigger monitor (17" vs 18.5")

And here's 3k pc guide:

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9650 2.3GHz - RM 510
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM150
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 235
• Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H - RM 300
  
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM550
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM70
• Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 560
  
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2959
Note 2: You get a faster processor (2.2GHz vs 2.3GHz), a more feature motherboard with HDMI and a cheaper monitor.

November PC Configuration

This time, I decided to make both RM 3k and RM 2k pc configuration. After configuring a pc for my friend, a revelation hit me that not all people can afford 3k also. With hardware prices down:

• 2k pc can play games at 1440*900 or 1280*1024 resolution with medium to high settings.
  
• 3k pc can play games at 1680*1050 with medium to high settings

So.......let's start with 2k pc :

• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5200+ (2.7GHz) - RM 225
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM DDR2 800MHz 2GB *2 - RM 170
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 225
• Hard Drive:Western Digital 320GB SATA - RM 165
• GPU: Forsa 9800GT 512MB - RM 410
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM 70
• Monitor: Benq 17" G700AD - RM 405
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340 - RM 125
• PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power 460W - RM 170
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89
• Speaker: Logitech R5 2.0 - RM 49

Total : RM 2103

Now, let's see the 3k pc configuration:

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2GHz - RM 490
• RAM: Kingston Value RAM 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM170
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 235
• Motherboard: Palit AA-780GA - RM 225
• Graphic Card: Palit HD4850 SUPER 512MB DDR3 - RM550
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW SATA - RM70
• Monitor: Benq 22" LCD (T221W) - RM 615
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Cooler Master Elite 340- RM 125
  
• Keyboard+Mouse: Logitech G1 Gaming Desktop - RM 89

Total : RM 2939

That's it. Hope the guide helps you make your pc.

October 3K PC configuration~

Yawn......time to make another 3k rig again......no new changes on the hardware news except for the introduction of AMD Radeon HD 4670 and 4550. But no more talking (typing i mean), let's see my choice for this month's 3k PC~~

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2GHz - RM 484
• RAM: Aeneon 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM178
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 239
• Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H - RM 309
• Graphic Card: SapphireHD4850 512MB DDR3 - RM574
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW 20X SATA (GH20) - RM74
• Monitor: LG 19" LCD (W1942T) - RM 529
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Lian-Li PC-7 - RM 220 (Get it from ATE)

Total : RM 2977

Well, it's RM97 more than the previous 3k PC, but you get a better graphic card that can beat 3870 by 40%++.

3k rig of the month

I decided to make a all-around rig that can do casual gaming (that means not really care about the graphic of the game), office work, web browsing and video conversion. Why I did not want to make a 4k rig? It's because i think that 4k is a bit too much for the standard of most family in Malaysia. Besides, getting a 4k rig doesn't mean that it's value never change....let's say 3k rig would not be so hurt in both your heart and pocket when you see the price drop on hardware.....

Well, here it is.....3k rig of the month (price list taken from pc-zone):

• CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9550 2.2GHz - RM 460
• RAM: 2GB DDR2 800MHz * 2 - RM 240
• HDD: Western Digital 640GB SATA - RM 255
• Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H - RM 310
• Graphic Card: Gainward HD3870 512MB DDR3 - RM350
• Optical Drive: LG DVDRW 20X SATA (H80N) - RM 90
• Monitor: Acer 19" LCD (X193W) - RM 585
• Speaker: Edifier M1350 2.1 - RM 80
• PSU: HEC Ace power 480W - RM290
• Casing: Lian-Li PC-7 - RM 220 (Get it from ATE)

Total Amount : RM 2880

And that leaves around RM 120 for your other accessories such as keyboard or webcam~~ But i doubt you can get both.

Anyway....Let me explain the reason I recommend the components :

1. I think the phenom x4 performs quite well for it's price compared to Intel C2Q Q6600 (last time i checked it's rm 620). Here it says that phenom 9600 would be about 14% slower than Q6600. 9600 and 9550 have difference of 100 MHz so let just assume it is 16% slower than Q6600. As of now Q6600 is priced 34% more than 9550. So which 1 do you think is more value for $$?
2. RAM prices are getting cheap so I think you should get the most out of 3k. I use Kingston because it's cheap...and RAM doesn't affect performance significantly as CPU.Since the RAM is 4gb I guess you would have to get vista 64 bit to use all the RAM.
3. HDD price are getting low and you can get more space out of your money. I choose that WD 640GB cause it offer the best price/space ratio (RM 0.39/1GB).
4. Most reviews says that it's a good mb and it's got onboard gc...quite useful when ur GC suddenly broke down, plus , it also saves electricity by powering down your gc and shift the load to the IGP (integrated graphic processor a.k.a. onboard gc) when your in the windows doing task that doesn't need gc (such as web browsing or office task).
5. You read it right.....it's DDR3 not DDR4....personally i don't think that's much of an impact on performance though (please correct me if i'm wrong~) and it's very cheap at rm 350 only.
6. With that GC I guess you can only play at that monitor resolution(1440*900) though......but with all the eye candys~
7. This psu should provide enough juice to power up your computer......it got 4 sata power port to boot also.
8. I recommend the Lian Li PC-7 cause it's made of aluminium. Yup...ALUMINIUM. Better heat dissipation, lighter compared to stainless steel. So you don't have to worry too much about the heat inside yout PC.

Hope you all like my recommendation. Please comment if your got diferrent view.

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