Building a new system, need feedback, recommendations

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

jjphillips002

Honorable
Nov 20, 2013
51
0
10,630
Gonna build a new computer within the next month or so. I have a couple of parts picked out that I want. Really need some recommendations on a mobo below about 120-130 - don't really wanna spend a lot on one, but I will if it's gonna bottleneck my performance a lot.

Anyway, this is about what I've put together so far:

CPU: FX - 8350 (can't really justify 100 more dollars for a 3770k)
RAM: Need some suggestions (I have 8GB PNY DDR3 PC12800, I think it'd be okay for most gaming)
Mobo: need some suggestions under $120-130 (the 8350 comes bundled with a Sabertooth 990FX for about 180 more, not really wanting to pay that much more for one, also, I want SLI support)
GPU: Asus GTX 760 4GB (in case I decide I want to SLI and multi-monitor)
CPU Cooler: EVO 212 everyone loves
PSU: SolidGear 850W or an Ultra 750W (I have an Ultra 550W, but I wanna have some extra room for SLI and to power that AMD beast)
Case: don't have one picked out yet, although it's probably gonna have to be a large mid-tower or full tower

If you guys have any other suggestions, recommendations, input about what I need, don't really need, please let me know. This the first system I'm really gonna be building to be a decent performer, so I'm new to OC'ing and SLI support stuff. Any information or recommendations regarding power phasing and stuff would be appreciated.
 
Solution
Rammy
You can get an SLI capable motherboard for pretty cheap. It's not a standard 970 chipset feature but the MSI 970A-G46 and ASRock 970 Extreme4 both have it covered if you want to try and cut the costs down.
Something like the Asus M5A99X Evo/Pro are pretty reasonably priced though, and give pretty excellent value for money.

I'd question the merits of a 4Gb GTX760, even in an SLI setup as the extra cost tends to push it dangerously close to R9 280X and GTX770 territory and most benchmarks show it to be of minimal benefit relative to the 2Gb.

I have no idea how SolidGear are. I'd stick with a better known entity.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Rammy

Rammy

Honorable
Sep 3, 2012
2,492
0
12,960
You can get an SLI capable motherboard for pretty cheap. It's not a standard 970 chipset feature but the MSI 970A-G46 and ASRock 970 Extreme4 both have it covered if you want to try and cut the costs down.
Something like the Asus M5A99X Evo/Pro are pretty reasonably priced though, and give pretty excellent value for money.

I'd question the merits of a 4Gb GTX760, even in an SLI setup as the extra cost tends to push it dangerously close to R9 280X and GTX770 territory and most benchmarks show it to be of minimal benefit relative to the 2Gb.

I have no idea how SolidGear are. I'd stick with a better known entity.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
determinologyz

determinologyz

Honorable
Sep 21, 2012
1,436
0
11,460




Ima have to agree with rammy i think you should pick up the fastest gpu you can afford then going sli if you have to. I recently had a sli system my self and i had issues but you may/may not..If your gaming at 1080p honestly a gtx 770/R9 280x would be more then enough gpu power for that resolution and if sli doesnt work out atleast you will have a backbone to sit on with the single gpu..Just my two cents

Btw im not trying to thread jack so if he has the answer your looking for select his reply as best
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sportfreak23

sportfreak23

Honorable
Dec 4, 2013
376
0
10,860
+1 to going a single GPU first only. SLI should be use imo for when you need it. Maybe go with a R9 280x 3gb if your afraid you won't have enough vram. You can always invest in a 290 or 780 which ever you prefer and down the road you can sli them when you need more.

I would honestly save the $40 on the 8350 and buy a 8320 and a better cooler or mobo to get more overclocking.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jjphillips002

Honorable
Nov 20, 2013
51
0
10,630


Thanks, guys. I never thought about costs for doubling 760s. I'll check up on some card benchmarks against 760 sli. Rammy, I had my eyes on the MSI 970A-G46 for a while, still considering it too, but would like a reputable overclock board, so I'm still considering others. Nice suggestion on the M5A, actually even found an 8320 and the m5a on ebay for 300 bucks.

By the way, I'll be gaming on 1080p, would like to play on high/ultra, but for games like Skyrim and Minecraft, I love realism mods and would love to stay a bit future proof for 2 years, that's why I don't want to push 2GB far. Any comments on the new Radeons? I've been an nVidia fan for a while, really like PhysX too, but if it's smashing competition right now, I'd consider it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rammy

Rammy

Honorable
Sep 3, 2012
2,492
0
12,960
For the vast majority of applications, especially at 1080P, a 2Gb video card isn't a block at all. There are games which can begin to use more than this, but in something like BF4, a 2Gb still performs absolutely fine. By the time you scale to a point where more than 2Gb makes any sense, a GTX760 is unplayable. With SLI you run into a slightly separate set of issues, but as mentioned above, the 4Gb cards still struggle to make sense as they can't be considered in isolation given the other products on the market.

Modding is a pretty awkward thing to base system requirements around. It's kinda by definition amateurish, which can lead to some odd and spiralling requirements, Skyrim being a good example. Having said that, we are still talking about 1080P, a resolution which is still handled adequately by 1Gb cards in the most situations.

SLI can make sense, especially if you want to stagger purchase or want to run a particularly high resolution display but for most people it is inefficient as well as limiting towards future expansion (if you plan for SLI, that basically means that's as high as you can go). In general, it's best to purchase the best graphics card for your current needs and based on the average cost of an Asus GTX760 4Gb, that's far more likely to be a GTX770 or R9 280X, both of which are very comfortable at 1080P and have a pretty healthy performance buffer. If memory is a legitimate concern (I'd advise you to check benchmarks for any intended usage rather than hearsay and "futureproofing" comments) then the 3Gb 280X is definitely a better value solution.

As for performance, there isn't much between the GTX770 and R9 280X, as they are both last generations "kings" reworked a little (the GTX680 and HD7970) and priced at a much more affordable level. The AMD card is probably the better value (even ignoring the extra Vram) but in some Nvidia favoured games the GTX770 will have a healthy fps lead.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom