Building a gaming PC

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

Thepixel02

Reputable
May 1, 2014
120
0
4,690
So im building a gaming PC with... Well i have 2 options, the first one is AMD FX-8350 and ASUS Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II or Intel core i5 4690k and XFX AMD Radeon R9 280X Double Dissipation. So the question is which one ís better at 1080p (Maybe in the future for 1440p).
Other specs:

AMD
CPU: AMD FX-8350
Mobo: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
GPU: ASUS Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II

Specs for both platforms:

Ram: Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) Vengeance Dual Channel Kit
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R
HDD: Seagate 1TB Barracuda
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
PSU: Corsair CX750

Intel
CPU: Intel core i5 4690k
Mobo: Gigabyte Z97P-D3
GPU: XFX AMD Radeon R9 280X Double Dissipation

So which one system should i get?
I want to get the most performance out of new games, and if i get the fullout amd system im going to overclock.

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
jimthenagual
Yeah, it should be ok then. If you were looking at buying it I'd steer you away from it, but as you already have it, it will run your system. Like you said, when it's time to overclock, if it's unstable you know the reason why. Probably that PSU. Many will tell you not to use it, buck up and pay for a new one, and they'd be right ;)

And no, the FX8350 will not bottleneck that GPU.
CPU_01.png
Sort by date Sort by votes
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

Retired Mod
Jun 24, 2014
80,396
7,629
176,790
If gaming is your main goal then without doubt the 290x is the better option. Plus, the 8350 overclocks better. At stock configurations the i5 performs better but the 8350 is a better overclocker. Obviously, the i5 WITH the 290x would be a better solution but if that's not an option I'd go with the AMD rig.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Bluemoon_9

Bluemoon_9

Reputable
Jul 13, 2014
592
0
5,360
If it's only for gaming I will go with the FX processor and 290. However a 4690K is much newer processor, consumes a lot less power, and runs much cooler and if you consider only the CPU it has better performance than the FX. Both are good combination. Only for gaming go with the FX with the 290 and for a more balanced system go with the intel with the 280X.

Btw I suggest not to use the CX. Better use a EVGA B2 750 or XFX pro 650. Both much better than the CX for a gaming system.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
16
29,365


Theoretically it should be fine. It has more than enough watts/amps to power the system you describe with an overclock. The problem is the quality of the build of the CX lineup. They aren't designed for high end gaming systems especially if they will be overclocked. The CX is perfect for low-mid end builds, but not for the beast you are wanting to build. You need a PSU to match the level you are putting together. The CX has some cheaper capacitors in it to cut costs. When a cheap capactor gets hot (under load) it causes the PSU to put out unstable power which results in an unstable system.

If you are in the US, here are a few good deals on high end PSUs

Antec HCG750M $64.99
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg750m

XFX PRO750W Core Edition $69.99
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1750snlb9
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
16
29,365


FX8350 125W
R9 290X 290W
That's 415W. I like to go about 200W over the TDP. A 650W would be perfect. Most would say 750W is too much, and they'd be right, but that's what I'd personally do. Either way, you're fine.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
16
29,365
You already have the CX750? Theoretically it should be enough. It has the watts/amps to power your system with room to spare. As mentioned above it does have some low quality capacitors, and that PSU is not recommended in a system that will be overclocked. You need a very stable power supply for overclocks and when the CX gets hot it can put out some fluctuating power.

Will it work? Probably. I'm just saying I personally would not want that PSU, especially if I'm going to overclock.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
T

Thepixel02

Reputable
May 1, 2014
120
0
4,690
But im going overclock in the future, not when a get the pc so i going to get a new power supply in the future but if i don't overclock would the system be stable AND would the R9 290x bottleneck the FX-8350?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jimthenagual

jimthenagual

Splendid
Apr 8, 2012
4,005
16
29,365
Yeah, it should be ok then. If you were looking at buying it I'd steer you away from it, but as you already have it, it will run your system. Like you said, when it's time to overclock, if it's unstable you know the reason why. Probably that PSU. Many will tell you not to use it, buck up and pay for a new one, and they'd be right ;)

And no, the FX8350 will not bottleneck that GPU.
CPU_01.png
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

Retired Mod
Jun 24, 2014
80,396
7,629
176,790
Actually, if that PSU is being repurposed from another system I would not use it with that setup at all. Those components are high end and power hungry and if you take a PSU that's borderline when new and now add it used with possibly the better part of it's useful life behind it, it makes for a dangerous cocktail. It would be kind of like throwing a turbo charger on an engine that's running fine but already had 200,000 miles on it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

Retired Mod
Jun 24, 2014
80,396
7,629
176,790
You would be able to overclock with no problems and at least insofar as exluding the possibility of getting a bad unit, which can happen no matter how much you spend on any hardware component, for our purposes we'll assume you DO NOT get a bad unit, then no, you should not experience blue screens or shut downs due to the PSU. You might get them due to other factors, but it won't be due to the quality of the PSU.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

Retired Mod
Jun 24, 2014
80,396
7,629
176,790
4.2 no problem. 4.4 probably. As always there is no clear cut answer for what any particular chip may or may not be capable of. A lot depends on the board it's sitting on, the power supply and even the cooler you're using. If you get a good chip, and with that Sabertooth board and that XFX PSU I'd say you might go 4.6 or higher with the right cooler. Again, it depends on whether you have the luck of the draw and get at least an average if not good chip. Get a bad chip and it might get hot or be unstable at 4.4.

If you want to seriously go above 4.4 I would definitely get a higher end cpu fan and heatsink. If you will be happy with 4.2 to 4.4 then the 212 is probably perfectly fine although under high loads it will undoubtedly be louder than some higher end coolers. You also want to make sure you have plenty of case cooling and the bigger you can go with the fans the lower you can keep the noise level down so if your case will accept 140mm fans rather than 120mm ones, that's a good option. 200mm fans are even better but most cases don't allow using those.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

Retired Mod
Jun 24, 2014
80,396
7,629
176,790
I can't really tell you yes or no on that. I haven't personally used that particular board and I don't know the capabilities of your chip. In theory, it should be fine and others have done it but every case is different as I said before. One thing about that board is that if you use two GPU cards you'll only be able to use them at X8 speeds rather than dual X16 speeds on a lot of other motherboards.
 
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