Micro Center is dangling some dirt, dirt cheap AMD CPUs these days, which has me thinking. I have a couple of pokey machines hanging around that I don’t use very much, so what if I modernized one of them? The current-generation FX processors are cheap, but previous-generation Phenom CPUs are even cheaper. What to do?
All posts tagged phenom
The tradeoffs between AMD’s Phenom and FX CPUs
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 26, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/08/the-tradeoffs-between-amds-phenom-and-fx-cpus/
Is that price a good deal or not?
So you’re shopping online, and want to know if you’re getting a good deal on something. It’s pretty easy to shop around, and check multiple web sites to see how they’re pricing an item. But sometimes prices change over time, and wouldn’t it be nice to know if pricing on the item is relatively stable, [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 17, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/09/is-that-price-a-good-deal-or-not/
PC Magazine’s sub-$200 PC
PC Magazine has reprised its sub-$200 PC. I think it’s a good guide, and a savvy shopper can potentially do a little bit better with some care and some luck. At that price, it’s running Linux, but it also serves as a good guide for upgraders looking to upgrade an existing PC inexpensively. If you [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 5, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/09/pc-magazines-sub-200-pc/
64 bits or bust
I’ve resisted the pull to 64 bits, for a variety of reasons. I’ve had other priorities, like lowering debt, fixing up a house, kids in diapers… But eventually the limitations of living with 2003-era technology caught up with me. Last week I broke down and bought an AMD Phenom II 560 and an Asus M4N68T-M [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 14, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/08/64-bits-or-bust/
Tradeoffs at the low end: Cores or Cache?
I’m looking at building myself a new PC for the first time in years. That’s a little bit of a misnomer though. Today, building a PC can mean bolting as few as two components into a case and connecting four cables. Building PCs in the 1990s was a lot more difficult. I remember in 1994, [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 4, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/08/tradeoffs-at-the-low-end-cores-or-cache/
Be careful when buying previous-generation hardware
So I was hoping I could score a bargain on some older Socket 775 hardware, being previous generation and all. And sometimes you can. But sometimes you can just think you’re getting a bargain. Here’s an example.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on July 25, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/07/be-careful-when-buying-previous-generation-hardware/
How to decide if a computer upgrade will pay for itself in power savings
I occasionally read an offhand comment where someone says he or she just bought a new computer, and the new computer is so much more power efficient than the old one, it’s going to pay for itself. I wonder if they did the math, or if that’s what the salesperson told them. Because while I [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on June 15, 2011
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2011/06/how-to-decide-if-a-computer-upgrade-will-pay-for-itself-in-power-savings/