So...my computer's 6 years old, and....well yeah. I've decided to try my hand at building one becuae I've heard it was cheaper and you can tweak more things. Problem is, I'm clueless as to what I should be using to get the most out of the system. I've got a rough budget of about $600, which isn't much, but I hope will suffice. I can probably salvage some things like the case and monitor from my current computer. So, any thoughts?
Advice building a computer.
- Thread starter Se7en
- Start date
What are your current systems specs?
HardOCP and Anandtech have some decent guides for different budgets for computers. You may want to check the price of some computers at stores though. I know you can usually get an HP A810n for about $630 and it has an Athlon 64, 512 mb ram, 160 GB hard drive, and a DVD writer. The only thing it doesn't have is a graphics card though. So if you wanted a decent one it would definately put you over budget. Good luck though!
Ok, so basically a whole new system. 
digitalwanderer said:Ok, so basically a whole new system.
Yeah, I wasn't joking when I said it was old. I'm not even sure I know what an AMD K7 is, and apparently it's in my computer.
I wonder however, if it's feasible to run two CPUs snychronized together, I though I heard that it was possible, and I wonder if it would be with something this old...
Not worth it. Your best bet right now is actually probably a (ick!) socket939 AMD motherboard for one of their 64-bit lower-end CPUs, 512MB of memory, 200GB HD, some viddy card and some sound card.
I'm not the best person to give advice on this right now, I'm just heading for bed and a bit muddled.
I'm not the best person to give advice on this right now, I'm just heading for bed and a bit muddled.
$600 is a decent budget if you can reuse a monitor and case, keyboard, and mouse, but you may still need a new power supply to cope with modern CPU and GPU power draw.
If you won't want to OC at all, the $92 MSI s939 PCIe MB (NewEgg) looks very interesting. You can add a ~$150 A64 s939 CPU, ~$100 1GB PC3200+ stick, ~$60AR 160GB HD (I'm thinking of the Seagate at Outpost with the recurring rebate and a 5-yr. warranty), and ~$90 copy of WinXP Home. (If you qualify for an academic discount, see if your school sells MS software for really cheap prices. Otherwise, the OEM versions of WinXP Home and Pro are probably as cheap as you can get.) That leaves you ~$200 for a video card and maybe a new PSU. If you can afford the full $200, I'd either wait for ATi to release the 12-pipe X800 or just get a 6600GT. Otherwise, buy a quality PSU and spend the rest on a 6600 to OC the heck out of.
Obviously you OC at your own risk, and even a regular 6600 will be a huge improvement over your current setup, but OCing the 6600 to GT core speeds should offer a noticable improvement in newer games.
You can save more money by just going with s754 A64, as the CPUs are cheaper and you can also opt for a s754 Sempron (which apparently OCs like the dickens). s754 may limit you to AGP rather than PCIe, but that's not entirely horrible, as you might be able to find a (fast and power-frugal) used 6800 for a good price.
You can save $50 by going for only a single 512MB stick, but new games can easily use 1GB. I suggested a single GB DIMM so that you can add another later on, when you have the money. If you start out with 512MB in anticipation of adding another 512MB stick later on, you're going to see more game-loading pauses right from the start. OTOH, the $50 you save may be better used on a new case or better video card. Heck, you may even be able to find used 512MB DIMMs for less money.
Anyway, some random thoughts. I haven't really looked into new PCs, but that MSI MB looks like a nice long-range platform, as long as you're OK with no OCing whatsoever. Actually, the MSI is dual-channel, and I doubt you'll be moving to 2GB with your budget, so buying a matched 2x512MB kit (here's a set for ~$90AR from NewEgg) right off the bat may be the smartest move. The MSI MB is pretty cheap for its featureset (s939, PCIe, firewire, microATX, etc.), but that savings is offset by the higher price of s939 CPUs and the current lack of used PCIe video cards. Still, you might take your chances with a refurb PCIe card from NewEgg. Rollo at Anandtech picked up two refurb Leadtek PCIe 256MB 6800s for $235 each. The extra RAM over a ~$190 6600GT is pretty tempting at that price, IMO.
Edit: A further note on memory. IIRC, lower memory timings means higher performance, so aim for fast memory for an A64 system. This means shoot for CAS2 over CAS2.5 and CAS3. Obviously, you'll pay more for higher-specced memory. The KingMax pair I linked is "only" CAS2.5, so you can do better if you spend more. I think there's even more to memory timing, like T1 vs. T2, but I'm not the best source for that. I think Anandtech published some numbers on how memory latency affected Half-Life 2 scores, so you might search that site for recent HL2 or memory articles.
If you won't want to OC at all, the $92 MSI s939 PCIe MB (NewEgg) looks very interesting. You can add a ~$150 A64 s939 CPU, ~$100 1GB PC3200+ stick, ~$60AR 160GB HD (I'm thinking of the Seagate at Outpost with the recurring rebate and a 5-yr. warranty), and ~$90 copy of WinXP Home. (If you qualify for an academic discount, see if your school sells MS software for really cheap prices. Otherwise, the OEM versions of WinXP Home and Pro are probably as cheap as you can get.) That leaves you ~$200 for a video card and maybe a new PSU. If you can afford the full $200, I'd either wait for ATi to release the 12-pipe X800 or just get a 6600GT. Otherwise, buy a quality PSU and spend the rest on a 6600 to OC the heck out of.
Obviously you OC at your own risk, and even a regular 6600 will be a huge improvement over your current setup, but OCing the 6600 to GT core speeds should offer a noticable improvement in newer games.
You can save more money by just going with s754 A64, as the CPUs are cheaper and you can also opt for a s754 Sempron (which apparently OCs like the dickens). s754 may limit you to AGP rather than PCIe, but that's not entirely horrible, as you might be able to find a (fast and power-frugal) used 6800 for a good price.
You can save $50 by going for only a single 512MB stick, but new games can easily use 1GB. I suggested a single GB DIMM so that you can add another later on, when you have the money. If you start out with 512MB in anticipation of adding another 512MB stick later on, you're going to see more game-loading pauses right from the start. OTOH, the $50 you save may be better used on a new case or better video card. Heck, you may even be able to find used 512MB DIMMs for less money.
Anyway, some random thoughts. I haven't really looked into new PCs, but that MSI MB looks like a nice long-range platform, as long as you're OK with no OCing whatsoever. Actually, the MSI is dual-channel, and I doubt you'll be moving to 2GB with your budget, so buying a matched 2x512MB kit (here's a set for ~$90AR from NewEgg) right off the bat may be the smartest move. The MSI MB is pretty cheap for its featureset (s939, PCIe, firewire, microATX, etc.), but that savings is offset by the higher price of s939 CPUs and the current lack of used PCIe video cards. Still, you might take your chances with a refurb PCIe card from NewEgg. Rollo at Anandtech picked up two refurb Leadtek PCIe 256MB 6800s for $235 each. The extra RAM over a ~$190 6600GT is pretty tempting at that price, IMO.
Edit: A further note on memory. IIRC, lower memory timings means higher performance, so aim for fast memory for an A64 system. This means shoot for CAS2 over CAS2.5 and CAS3. Obviously, you'll pay more for higher-specced memory. The KingMax pair I linked is "only" CAS2.5, so you can do better if you spend more. I think there's even more to memory timing, like T1 vs. T2, but I'm not the best source for that. I think Anandtech published some numbers on how memory latency affected Half-Life 2 scores, so you might search that site for recent HL2 or memory articles.
MasterBaiter
Regular
Pete seems to be pretty dialed in on this one. I think you should wait and save up a few more bucks before taking the plunge, but that's just my $.02.
I recently built me a new system and this is what I used:
CASE ANTEC PLUSVIEW 1000AMG
LG GSA4082BI DVD+/-/RW/CDRW
ROSEWILL RV450 Power Supply
SAPHIRE RADEON9550 256M DDR TV
2x DRAM 512MB PC3200 WTEC
AOPEN DVD-1648 DVD-ROM 16X
ASROCK P4V88
WIN XP PRO w/SP2
CPU FAN MASSCOOL 9U291B1M3G INTEL
CPU P4/3.0EGHz 800M 478P/1MB HT
2x Western Digital 160GB HD
Got it all for $919 and I'm loving it.
CASE ANTEC PLUSVIEW 1000AMG
LG GSA4082BI DVD+/-/RW/CDRW
ROSEWILL RV450 Power Supply
SAPHIRE RADEON9550 256M DDR TV
2x DRAM 512MB PC3200 WTEC
AOPEN DVD-1648 DVD-ROM 16X
ASROCK P4V88
WIN XP PRO w/SP2
CPU FAN MASSCOOL 9U291B1M3G INTEL
CPU P4/3.0EGHz 800M 478P/1MB HT
2x Western Digital 160GB HD
Got it all for $919 and I'm loving it.
overclocked_enthusiasm
Regular
I know most posters here hate Dell, but this seemed like a good deal to me without a monitor. Say what you will about Dell, they are stable and easy to deal with and decent for budget systems. Check their "Deals of the Week" as sometimes you can save 20-25% on selected systems they are trying to blow out. The below system for $699 is 800 MHz FSB PCIe stuff so it is all current gen stuff. Just upgrade the Integrated graphics with something for under $200 (6600 GT) and your budget will be about $890. Anything less than that and you are going to be skimping IMHO. If you can spend $300 instead of $200 on the video card, then get an x800 XL.
Dimension 4700
Date & Time: March 15, 2005 10:54:05 AM
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimension 4700 Qty 1
Pentium® 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $899.00
Dell Home Customers: Save $200 off the Dell Dimension 4700!
Offer Ends Soon! View Details
- $200.00
Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Dell Dimension 4700 Series Pentium® 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB) CP308H [221-5230] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [412-0721][412-0688][463-2282][420-4834][420-4927][412-0749][420-5101] 11
Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M) 512M4 [311-3621] 3
Keyboard Dell Quietkey® Keyboard QK [310-1582] 4
Monitor No Monitor N [320-3000] 5
Video Cards Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 IV [320-3872] 6
Hard Drive 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) 80S [341-0883] 8
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices No Floppy Drive Included NFD [340-8688] 10
Mouse Dell 2-button scroll mouse SM [310-1871] 12
Network Interface Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0412] 13
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem DFAX [313-2279] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15
CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 48x CD-RW Drive DVDCDRP [463-1548][420-5079] 16
Sound Card Sound Blaster Audigyâ„¢2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394 SBA2 [313-3039][313-6010] 17
Speakers No Speaker Option N [313-2198] 18
Productivity Software WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing CORELM [412-0701] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 27
Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Trial plus Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 28
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-1260][950-3337][950-9797][412-0360][960-2800] 29
Internet Access Services 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support D47MCL1 [463-7428] 82
Financial Software QuickBooks® Simple Start Special Edition (limited to 50 contacts) QBSSP [420-5139] 83
TOTAL: $699.00
Good luck with your decision.
*EDIT* You can upgrade to a 160 GB HD for $40 more and the mobo can take up to 4 GB of RAM to upgrade down the road.
Dimension 4700
Date & Time: March 15, 2005 10:54:05 AM
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimension 4700 Qty 1
Pentium® 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Unit Price $899.00
Dell Home Customers: Save $200 off the Dell Dimension 4700!
Offer Ends Soon! View Details
- $200.00
Catalog Number: 29
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Dell Dimension 4700 Series Pentium® 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB) CP308H [221-5230] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [412-0721][412-0688][463-2282][420-4834][420-4927][412-0749][420-5101] 11
Memory 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M) 512M4 [311-3621] 3
Keyboard Dell Quietkey® Keyboard QK [310-1582] 4
Monitor No Monitor N [320-3000] 5
Video Cards Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 IV [320-3872] 6
Hard Drive 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) 80S [341-0883] 8
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices No Floppy Drive Included NFD [340-8688] 10
Mouse Dell 2-button scroll mouse SM [310-1871] 12
Network Interface Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet IN [430-0412] 13
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem DFAX [313-2279] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 AAREAD [412-0705] 15
CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 48x CD-RW Drive DVDCDRP [463-1548][420-5079] 16
Sound Card Sound Blaster Audigyâ„¢2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394 SBA2 [313-3039][313-6010] 17
Speakers No Speaker Option N [313-2198] 18
Productivity Software WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing CORELM [412-0701] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS2 [412-0754] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0741] 27
Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Trial plus Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 28
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support S111OS [950-1260][950-3337][950-9797][412-0360][960-2800] 29
Internet Access Services 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support D47MCL1 [463-7428] 82
Financial Software QuickBooks® Simple Start Special Edition (limited to 50 contacts) QBSSP [420-5139] 83
TOTAL: $699.00
Good luck with your decision.
*EDIT* You can upgrade to a 160 GB HD for $40 more and the mobo can take up to 4 GB of RAM to upgrade down the road.
I hate Dell's motherboards though, absolutely no fun overclocking options and they're proprietary as hell. :?
The last PC I actually bought and didn't make was back in '99 or so, and I got that one from Cyberpower.
I liked it, and loved how Cyberpower let you configure EVERYTHING on your PC. You can mix and match mobos, memory, CPUs, viddy cards, soundcards , etc and they are all name brands like Asus and Abit and such.
They basically built me a PC that I would have built myself if I had known just a bit more at the time.
(BTW-That was my wife's PC Blue who is still going strong...then again the only original parts on the PC are the case and even that has been pretty heavily modified. )
The last PC I actually bought and didn't make was back in '99 or so, and I got that one from Cyberpower.
I liked it, and loved how Cyberpower let you configure EVERYTHING on your PC. You can mix and match mobos, memory, CPUs, viddy cards, soundcards , etc and they are all name brands like Asus and Abit and such.
They basically built me a PC that I would have built myself if I had known just a bit more at the time.
(BTW-That was my wife's PC Blue who is still going strong...then again the only original parts on the PC are the case and even that has been pretty heavily modified.
)overclocked_enthusiasm
Regular
I agree that Dell motherborads are the WORST to overclock (most times you can't) but they are rock stable. For a budget system it seems that overclocking is not always the thing to do anyways.
On a side note, I had to RMA my ASUS P4T533-C mobo as the primary IDE port would not recognize my optical drive...or any other for that matter. My secondary did recognize another device but still not my Plextor optical drive. I called ASUS and they are 'repairing" mine which scares me. I would have loved a brand new one but I doubt they make them anymore anyways. Anything I should be concerned about with a repaired mobo besides the obvious? i just had to RMA and replace my 560W Thermaltake Purepower PSU as well on the same system. I have the FSB and GPU overclocked to the bleeding edge but I have enough fans to take flight and a killer heatsink...frustrating.
I have currently using my son's comp (my old one) and I must say that my x800 XT PE with 1.5 GB RAM and 3.4 GHz P4 crushes my son's 9700 Pro with 512 MB RAM and 2.4 GHz P4. The difference is amazing especially while playing WoW.
On a side note, I had to RMA my ASUS P4T533-C mobo as the primary IDE port would not recognize my optical drive...or any other for that matter. My secondary did recognize another device but still not my Plextor optical drive. I called ASUS and they are 'repairing" mine which scares me. I would have loved a brand new one but I doubt they make them anymore anyways. Anything I should be concerned about with a repaired mobo besides the obvious? i just had to RMA and replace my 560W Thermaltake Purepower PSU as well on the same system. I have the FSB and GPU overclocked to the bleeding edge but I have enough fans to take flight and a killer heatsink...frustrating.
I have currently using my son's comp (my old one) and I must say that my x800 XT PE with 1.5 GB RAM and 3.4 GHz P4 crushes my son's 9700 Pro with 512 MB RAM and 2.4 GHz P4. The difference is amazing especially while playing WoW.
Dells are nice in that they offer centralized warranty service, good prices with their regular coupons, and are generally quiet PCs (tho a friend recently bought a Dimension 2300 [or whatever IGP line is a step below the 4700] and it wasn't as quiet as I expected). For a gamer, I see two problems with a Dell:
1. proprietary PSU means difficult upgrading for power-hungry upcoming CPUs and GPUs (the R520 is rumored to be 300+M transistors!).
2. P4s are slower than A64s.
For a gamer on a budget, though, those two limitations may be beyond their horizon. In that case, I guess the ease of buying a Dell, and the good deals you can find on Dell systems (check BensBargains.net, Slickdeals.net, gotApex.com, and AnandTech's Hot Deals forum) may make it worth your while. I'd still prefer an A64 for gaming, tho, considering all of the benchmarks I've seen.
You might also want to consider front firewire and audio ports and whatnot, which you can always add to any PC with a 3.5" memory card reader + USB + 1394 + audio unit (like InWin's 530), but which Dell probably doesn't include (both in terms of firewire and audio connectors on the case, but also on the MB), which means another $30 for a combo PCI card. I know the MSI includes a rear firewire connector, and I think it also includes a firewire header. That saves you a bit of money if you do want firewire in the front, say for an iPod or external drive.
oc_enthusiasm, that Dell sounds overpriced compared to the deals I remember. I think a P4 3GHz with 512MB RAM can be closer to $400-500. I also would avoid 2x256MB, as 512MB is really the min spec for modern games. Upgrading that would require you sell both 256MB sticks. It'd be easier to start with a single 512MB stick.
Se7en, I'm a little nervous that you're already buying off of my recommendations. I haven't really been keeping up with new system components as I have with new video cards, so I strongly suggest you check some video forums to see what new systems the gamers there are building. The MSI, despite GamePC's review as less than completely stable, does look incredibly tempting for what it offers. I was considering it to put in an Antec Aria along with the "slowest" A64 I could find and a passively-cooled video card as a /very/ upgradable office PC. Considering the Aria does have airflow problems, tho, I'd need to ensure that the MSI allows for undervolting, or at least that Cool n Quiet will work flawlessly. I'm more concerned with noise and heat (read: silence) than OCing now, so I consider core undervolting options more important than FSB/PCI multipliers and memory timing configs.
OC'ing is important for a budget build, tho. I'm running an Asus nForce1 MB that can't OC, which I bought for the same reason I'm considering the MSI: price/performance. Now that it's a couple years old, though, I was looking to upgrade it. It's lack of OCing options really limited the erformance I could extract out of it. I ended up buying a used XP 2400+ and a stick of 512MB PC2700 to respectively replace and complement my 1700+ and 512MB PC2100 stick. This is somewhat sad b/c this 2400+, according to its previous owner, is a wicked OCer. It's stuck at a mere 2GHz in this A7N266-VM, tho. I really could use the extra speed of an OC'ed CPU with a higher FSB for games like HL2.
So, think of the (near) future when you're saving money now. An extra $20-40 on a MB now may pay off with a much more flexible system a couple years from now. Keep in mind that CPU advances have been relatively slow for the past couple years. I expect dual-cores to speed things up again soon.
BTW, if you're interested in a quiet computer, definitely give SilentPCReview and its forums a look.
1. proprietary PSU means difficult upgrading for power-hungry upcoming CPUs and GPUs (the R520 is rumored to be 300+M transistors!).
2. P4s are slower than A64s.
For a gamer on a budget, though, those two limitations may be beyond their horizon. In that case, I guess the ease of buying a Dell, and the good deals you can find on Dell systems (check BensBargains.net, Slickdeals.net, gotApex.com, and AnandTech's Hot Deals forum) may make it worth your while. I'd still prefer an A64 for gaming, tho, considering all of the benchmarks I've seen.
You might also want to consider front firewire and audio ports and whatnot, which you can always add to any PC with a 3.5" memory card reader + USB + 1394 + audio unit (like InWin's 530), but which Dell probably doesn't include (both in terms of firewire and audio connectors on the case, but also on the MB), which means another $30 for a combo PCI card. I know the MSI includes a rear firewire connector, and I think it also includes a firewire header. That saves you a bit of money if you do want firewire in the front, say for an iPod or external drive.
oc_enthusiasm, that Dell sounds overpriced compared to the deals I remember. I think a P4 3GHz with 512MB RAM can be closer to $400-500. I also would avoid 2x256MB, as 512MB is really the min spec for modern games. Upgrading that would require you sell both 256MB sticks. It'd be easier to start with a single 512MB stick.
Se7en, I'm a little nervous that you're already buying off of my recommendations.
I haven't really been keeping up with new system components as I have with new video cards, so I strongly suggest you check some video forums to see what new systems the gamers there are building. The MSI, despite GamePC's review as less than completely stable, does look incredibly tempting for what it offers. I was considering it to put in an Antec Aria along with the "slowest" A64 I could find and a passively-cooled video card as a /very/ upgradable office PC. Considering the Aria does have airflow problems, tho, I'd need to ensure that the MSI allows for undervolting, or at least that Cool n Quiet will work flawlessly. I'm more concerned with noise and heat (read: silence) than OCing now, so I consider core undervolting options more important than FSB/PCI multipliers and memory timing configs.OC'ing is important for a budget build, tho. I'm running an Asus nForce1 MB that can't OC, which I bought for the same reason I'm considering the MSI: price/performance. Now that it's a couple years old, though, I was looking to upgrade it. It's lack of OCing options really limited the erformance I could extract out of it. I ended up buying a used XP 2400+ and a stick of 512MB PC2700 to respectively replace and complement my 1700+ and 512MB PC2100 stick. This is somewhat sad b/c this 2400+, according to its previous owner, is a wicked OCer. It's stuck at a mere 2GHz in this A7N266-VM, tho. I really could use the extra speed of an OC'ed CPU with a higher FSB for games like HL2.
So, think of the (near) future when you're saving money now. An extra $20-40 on a MB now may pay off with a much more flexible system a couple years from now. Keep in mind that CPU advances have been relatively slow for the past couple years. I expect dual-cores to speed things up again soon.
BTW, if you're interested in a quiet computer, definitely give SilentPCReview and its forums a look.
Yup. With AMD right now 939 is the ONLY way you should go!Sxotty said:
35w 2400+ here at 12x200 and I lovers it to pieces still, but I'm starting to think it's time to upgrade too. :?I still have an XP-Mobile though
Sxotty said:
Heh. I know.
Still, alot is to be said for the 754. It's definitely more bang per buck right now to go that route.
Cheapest mobos. Cheap memory for single channel and cheaper cpus that are actually faster than the rating would suggest (AMD rates 200mhz for DC).
If you look at the current line-up of AMD cpus there's no obvious upgrade: there are no A64 "durons" and the only A64 sempron is for s754 and is actually quite fast.
So if you buy a s939 system with upgrading in mind, you'll be hoping for that dual-core AMD to make it for s939 and your mobo supports it and that the dual-core will in practise about twice as fast as your current cpu. Hardly a foolproof investment.
Choosing socket754 is far from "stupid".
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