Work letting me build FX-8350... I want to jam a graphics card in it on my own dime

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professor professorson

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Jul 30, 2013
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Any suggestions on this build? I will not be overclocking due to this being in part a work computer. 8 cores is absolutely necessary. The 8 cores will be running for days at a time, will cooling be a problem? I would like this to also be good for gaming. I could spend an extra $150 or so upgrading any of the following:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 8 Core Processor Socket AM3+ 4.0GHZ 16MB 125W ($220)
Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 1366/1150/1155/1156/2011 120mm ($35)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory ($80)
Mobo: Gigabyte 970A-D3 AMD970 ATX AM3+ DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI RAID SATA3 USB3.0 CrossFi ($100)
PSU: Corsair CX Series CX600 600W ATX 12V 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply 120mm Fan ($70)
Storage: ADATA ASP900S3-64GM-C SP900 2.5in 64GB SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive SSD ($68)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM ($68)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS W/ Fan Controller & Temp Display ($70)

What would be an appropriate graphics card? I am willing to spend $200 - $400.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated from you guys.
 
Solution
Onus
I would not recommend a liquid cooler for that build, as it won't blow cooling air over the board's VRMs.
The Xigmatek Gaia cools within 1C of the Hyper212 EVO but is quieter and only $25, making the CM a bang/buck Loser.
Some programs can accelerate tasks using CUDA (nVidia), some can use AMD Stream (AMD), and some can use either, or OpenCL. Check this, and note that for many (but not all) GPGPU tasks, particularly OpenCL, AMD runs rings around nVidia. The HD7850 is comparable to the GTX650Ti for graphics, but is likely to be far superior for GPGPU tasks.
Switch the PSU to the MODULAR version of the CX. All of the CX units are made for Corsair by CWT, but the non-modular ones use some inferior Samxon 85C capacitors that do not like...
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SlitWeaver

SlitWeaver

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Mar 23, 2013
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Well, you could always buy a closed loop water cooler if heat is a worry. I know the air in my case just gets hotter and hotter the longer it is on. But I also haven't completed filling it with fans for optimum airflow. For $150 you could upgrade to 16GB of RAM if you need it, or boost up to a 990FX AMD board.
For that GPU price range, you could pick up a GTX 770 (just as good as a GTX 680 or better in some scenarios) for $400.
 
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chriss000

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I am aware amd has similar tech.
I just never had driver issues with either of the two nvidia cards I had, ever, and this amd card drives me round the bend!
OP will be using mostly for work..
But thats another post.
 
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Outlander_04

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And Ive never had an nVidia card I could sell when I was finished with it . Every single one died before I was due to retire it


 
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Onus

Onus

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I would not recommend a liquid cooler for that build, as it won't blow cooling air over the board's VRMs.
The Xigmatek Gaia cools within 1C of the Hyper212 EVO but is quieter and only $25, making the CM a bang/buck Loser.
Some programs can accelerate tasks using CUDA (nVidia), some can use AMD Stream (AMD), and some can use either, or OpenCL. Check this, and note that for many (but not all) GPGPU tasks, particularly OpenCL, AMD runs rings around nVidia. The HD7850 is comparable to the GTX650Ti for graphics, but is likely to be far superior for GPGPU tasks.
Switch the PSU to the MODULAR version of the CX. All of the CX units are made for Corsair by CWT, but the non-modular ones use some inferior Samxon 85C capacitors that do not like heat and are known for early failure. The modular ones use all Japanese 105C capacitors.
 
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professor professorson

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Jul 30, 2013
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Thanks to everyone, not just Onus, for their helpful responses. I am going to hope for a bit more advice however...

I am using R, and Opencl is a possibility that I will be exploring. So... If I wanted to do better than the 7850, what would you recommend for $300-$350?

I will be following your other advice on cooling and psu. Would you have any other suggestions for boosting performance (non-graphics card) for around $150?
 
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professor professorson

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Jul 30, 2013
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Ok nuts to FX-9370 as I'm already worried about heat. Thanks.
 
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chriss000

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Its no wonder there are so many arguments on here; I have a 6800gt (agp ) that works, ( i bought it 2nd hand in 06) i got a 7600 gt pcie that works ( i bought it from c.e.x. two, no . THREE yrs ago) and I am running a 3850 that gives me probs all the time. I think its just luck and buying one with a good cooler. I did once have a rage pro about 9 yrs ago, and that never gave any trouble but i didnt use it much. it was a loaner pc.
Also, over recent years nvidia have brought out some rediculously hot graphics cards in the 4 and 5 series, but we sort of assumed nobody in the know would count or buy those; they wer considered pants.
 
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