Processor/etc. questions, please!

[nickelodeonn]

Hi!

I was looking at this:
AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor
for $33

and this:
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX245OCGQBOX
for $61

and this:
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCK23GQ - OEM
for $53

I have this motherboard:
Asus M4A785TD-M EVO

Should I get the $33 and unlock the 2nd core, saving myself $30? Would I even be able to unlock the 2nd core? People are saying that it's easy to unlock that one, but some say that they weren't able to. Do you think I will be able to?

And is it worth an extra $8 for a .1GHz speed?

THANKS!!!

P.S. do you think this RAM will go with my motherboard? I can get one of the sticks (2GB) for $40 on Craigslist.

 

[~Darkseeker~]

go with the fastest CPU you can afford. this is what i intend to do.

 

[foothead]

Tigerdirect has a phenom 9750 for $60.

Out of stock atm. Worth waiting for though.

EDIT: dont buy a single stick of RAM. Get two 1GB sticks for dual channel. Much better performance.

 

[nbrikha]

Problem with unlocking cores is you're never guaranteed stability after you unlock it.
Go with the 240, if the eight dollars means anything. You won't notice any real boost with 100mhz, plus Asus has an overclock profile that'll let you gain that very easily.
If you want a little more oomph, you could go as far as putting in a phenom 550 in there. It's all dependent on what you want to do with your rig. What exactly are you planning to do

 

[nickelodeonn]

go with the fastest CPU you can afford. this is what i intend to do.

All right... but I am trying to balance opportunity cost, as I only have $160 left and I only have the motherboard... this is how I intend to pull it off:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz - $60
Motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO - $75 (ALREADY BOUGHT!)
RAM: 2GB (1GBX2) Find on eBay - Brand Name - $40
PSU: DiabloTek 400 Watt until I have more $$ - $55 (Part of Bundle)
HDD: Free SATA Drive from my dad!
Case: Ultra X-Blaster ATX Mid-Tower Case - $55 (Part of Bundle)
Disk Drive: two free DVD drives!
Case Cooling: Masscool 120mm Ball bearing Case Fan - $6
TOTAL: $161 left!!(including rebates!)

EXTRAS (that I need):
Wireless Card: FREE
Keyboard and Mouse: FREE standard keyboard & mouse
Monitor: FREE 15" CRT monitor
Speakers: FREE Speakers

TOTAL: $0

COMPLETE TOTAL: $161 (including rebates!)

Tigerdirect has a phenom 9750 for $60.

Out of stock atm. Worth waiting for though.

EDIT: dont buy a single stick of RAM. Get two 1GB sticks for dual channel. Much better performance.

That EDIT just helped me a ton! I am really going to try to get 2 1GB sticks, and they're even cheaper on eBay! This will save me money & boost my performance!! Thanks! And I looked up the phenom 9750 on TigerDirect... $130 AM2+???? What do you think of this: http://cgi.ebay.com/HYNIX-HMT112U6B...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a5794f25a

Problem with unlocking cores is you're never guaranteed stability after you unlock it.
Go with the 240, if the eight dollars means anything. You won't notice any real boost with 100mhz, plus Asus has an overclock profile that'll let you gain that very easily.
If you want a little more oomph, you could go as far as putting in a phenom 550 in there. It's all dependent on what you want to do with your rig. What exactly are you planning to do

All right... I'll go with the 240, I guess. I will plan to upgrade later, though. I looked up the 550... a little out of my range. I did notice that the cache tripled. is the cache important?

What do you think of this RAM??
HYNIX HMT112U6BFR8C-H9 2GB (2X1GB) http://iphone.ebay.com/Pages/ViewItem.aspx?aid=250577482330&sv=2GB (2X1GB) DDR3 MEMORY&emvcc=0DDR3 1Rx8 MEMORY

 

[foothead]

The OEM 9750 is $60... retail one is $130.

IDK why theres such a huge difference.

Again, dont buy that RAM.

 

[nickelodeonn]

The OEM 9750 is $60... retail one is $130.

IDK why theres such a huge difference.

Again, dont buy that RAM.

Weird.

Anyways... is Kingston any good? Mushkin?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220555818792&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

or this one....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140383399263&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

or this one...haha

http://cgi.ebay.com/PQI-2gb-1x2-Dua...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef9b0cc10

 

[nbrikha]

All right... I'll go with the 240, I guess. I will plan to upgrade later, though. I looked up the 550... a little out of my range. I did notice that the cache tripled. is the cache important?

Cache is memory the CPU uses to temp hold important things it will need in the near future. All very technical, look it up in wikipedia. But L3 cache supports a more versatile CPU, and there's more memory period when you have L3. The 240 only has L2 cache. Again, all dependent on how much your expecting ur rig to do. If your rendering videos, playing high demand games, overclocking, etc...I'd put the extra thirty into it. If not, the 240 will be more than enough.

 

[nickelodeonn]

Cache is memory the CPU uses to temp hold important things it will need in the near future. All very technical, look it up in wikipedia. But L3 cache supports a more versatile CPU, and there's more memory period when you have L3. The 240 only has L2 cache. Again, all dependent on how much your expecting ur rig to do. If your rendering videos, playing high demand games, overclocking, etc...I'd put the extra thirty into it. If not, the 240 will be more than enough.

I'm going to stick sith the 240 for now.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS IF I CAN GET IT FOR $65 (AFTER MIR AND WILL I GET IT?) AND PUT IN AN EXTRA $10, BUT THEN NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR FANS?!?!