Mobo + CPU deals

[DisposableHero]

Heres my situation, 600 dollars, in college, looking to build a cpu that will be used for mostly games but i would like it to be able to handle basic word/excel ect... I've been looking at Cpu's and Mobos and wanted to know A. What mobo and cpu specifications are the most important to consider, and B. Any points in the right direction would be really appreciated.

My main problem is knowing whether I am going overkill or not on buying things that are too powerfull for my needs.

Thanks, Dan

P.S. are Mobo + cpu deals worth it??

 

[Didou]

If you are looking to "build a CPU", you'll need a bit more then $600.

Is the $600 your budget for the whole system as in case, motherboard, CPU (+cooling), memory, hard-drive(s), optical-drive(s), etc. ?

PS. Welcome to TechSpot. Hope you enjoy your stay.:wave:

 

[DisposableHero]

Well I do have a Dell Dimension 4550 currently which I was hoping to scavenge the case and mobo from. By the way how do you find out what kind of mobo your pc has without opening it up?

 

[vegasgmc]

How about some system specs? Thats a fairly new machine so you could probably do some good upgrades instead of building a new one.