These are some numbers for the cpu/mb/ram/video assuming all else will be equal. The AMD Phenom II X4 945 is available again. It’s a great CPU that allows for ECC RAM, if one is willing to spend 2x as much for ECC RAM these days. Intel Sandy Bridge system will be much quicker, though I am considering waiting for Z68 motherboards to become available as that is only a month or so away.
- AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz (Deneb) 95W
- ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3
- 4x4GB Crucial DDR3 1333 ECC Unbuffered
- $554.96
- Intel i5-2500K 3.3GHz (Sandy Bridge) 95W
- ASUS P8H67-M EVO (REV 3.0)
- 4x4GB DDR3 1333 (G.Skill but others are comparable)
- $532.29