New PC specs,
Intel E5200 Processor dual core 2.5GHz
Gigabyte Motherboard G31M-ES2L
Sapphire ATI 4650 512MHzDDR3
Corsair 800MHz DDR2 CGM2X2G800 G 2GB * 2
PowerLogic Futura 250 Casing
My old PC specs,
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 939 1.8GHz
MSI K8NGM2-FID 6150
Kingston DDR400 2G RAM
XFX Nvidia 7300GS
I am using back my old Liteon DVD writer and 2 * 250G Seagate Hard disk.
For Intel E5200, you can easily overclock to 3GHz without a need to increase core voltage. So we can consider it as 'FREE' overclock.
Gigabyte Motherboard G31M-ES2L, always choose Intel G31 chipsets for best value.
GIGABYTE's Dynamic Energy Saver technology also delivers additional power savings with its Dynamic CPU Voltage Control. Adjust the CPU voltage according to power saving needs; Level 1 for Normal Power Savings, Level 2 for Advanced Power Savings, and Level 3 for Extreme Power Savings.
You can choose to go for Asrock G31 or Biostar G31 motherboard for only RM138, but in long term, Gigabyte G31M-ES2L will give you more cash back in return for your electric bills.
From target CPU, the CPU is underclock to 1207.92MHz from default speed 2500MHz when you were not in heavy load, total save is about 2.336 Watts in this case.Sapphire ATI 4650 512MHzDDR3
You can go for ATI 4670 for better performance, or go for ATI4550/ATI4350 for silent and lower power consumption graphic card. I bought ATI 4650 because it is about RM70 different compare with ATI 4670. Personally, I have tried ATI 4650 and ATI 4550, both are silent in operation, you will probably hear the noise from the power supply which is much more louder than the GPU's noise. Among 4 of them, ATI 4350 is the best value for HDCP, but I am using it for Dual Monitor display, so I aim for a GPU with DDR3 for better performance. And for power consumption, I see no different in idle mode or low load, but for sure when in full load, ATI 4650 will need more power than ATI 4350, it is just because ATI 4350 has reached it's limit and cannot perform any further. So i choose to buy ATI 4650 in case I were need more GPU performance in future. And for gaming, if you are not so choosy, ATI 4650 will allow you to play any recent games with 1024 * 768 resolution. (For GPU, please go for DDR3, I can feel the different personally compare with DDR2)
Corsair 800MHz DDR2 CGM2X2G800 G 2GB
The performance for DDR2 VS DDR3 is negligible, but, if comparing the price for DDR2 vs DDR3, DDR2 is much better for price/performance ratio.
You don't need to have 4G ram in your system, but since the RAM now is so cheap, and my new motherboard only has 2 RAM slots, so i decided to buy 2* 2G of DDR2 (total of 4G RAM)to maximize it. (n.b. if you were running window 32 bits, maximum RAM can use by your applications are 3.25G)
PowerLogic Futura 250 Casing
Not important, because I am not going to upgrade this PC in future, the recent casing with built in power supply is more than enough for normal spec. But you do need to get a good power supply if you are aiming for High End PC.
I will upgrade my PC every 3 years. Some people might use RM3000 to buy a new PC and hope to use it for 6 years. For me, I would rather buy a PC that cost RM1500 and upgrade it every 3 years, you can always sell your old PC to fund your new PC. For example, sell your old PC for RM500 after 3 years, then you will only need additional 1000K for your new PC.
Advantages of best value PC compare to high end PC.
Low end PC
1st Year Performance comparing to market highest spec
Speed -> 640 points (Assuming every year drop 20% market value)
2nd Year
Speed -> 512
3rd Year
Speed -> 409
4th Year
Speed -> 640
5th Year
Speed -> 512
6th Year
Speed -> 409
Total money spend: RM1500 - RM500 + RM1500 = RM2500
High end PC
1st Year Performance comparing to market highest spec
Speed -> 1000 Points
2nd Year
Speed -> 800
3rd Year
Speed -> 640
4th Year
Speed -> 512
5th Year
Speed -> 409
6th Year
Speed -> 327
Total money spend: RM3000
Most of the PC part come with 3 year warranty, Processor E5200, Gigabyte motherboard, Sapphire Graphic card, Hard disk etc. So, I will get 3 years full protection for my PC hardware. (Make sure you have surge protection system) For high end PC, unfortunately, you will have to bare the cost for repairing or changing your PC hardware after 3 years time.
(n.b. after 3 years, maybe we will have direct-X 12 in future, but for sure your 3 years old high end PC will still only supporting direct-X 10.)
Lastly, the best part is, as a Malaysian, I am entitle to deduct my income tax every 3 years for new PC. =)
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