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Please critique this Phenom II 720 Build

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Please critique this Phenom II 720 Build

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Longtime lurker posting for the first time. I'm looking to purchase the components to put together my first build in several years. Outside of basic everyday office use I also work within Photoshop and Dreamweaver and do the occasional video ripping and processing audio and will also fire up Civ 4 or similar games - albeit rarely. I'll be using dual monitors if that matters.

All advice appreciated - I would love to be able to reduce the overall cost if there is anywhere I can scale back or where there is an obvious choice for a better component.

I chose to work from the Phenom II 720 because I would like to overclock the processor conservatively.

Price in cart $561.91

Axed from build

Thank you in advance - I'll update this post as choices change.

Message edited by randrp on 02-25-2009 at 07:03:06 AM

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Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185125
As for the MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131366
i think that would be a little better IMO.
As for the video card, I think you would want something a little higher end. Not sure what your budget is, but especially for dual monitors and some video work you might want something with a little more horsepower behind it. I would like to say a 4850, but i recently saw a 4870 on newegg for 145 after MIR.

EDIT: here it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121288

Woops, didnt see your power supply choice, NVM about the 4870. Would need something with like 550W for the 4870.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by the last resort on 02-23-2009 at 05:25:00 AM

------------------------------ I couldn't overclock my 6000+ so I undervolted it. Stable at 3.0 GHz and 1.05V
Reply to the last resort

the last resort wrote :

As for the MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131366
i think that would be a little better IMO.

Thank you for the reply.

I ask this question because I genuinely don't know the answer - would I still be able to use DDR2 ram with that motherboard? From what I've read I won't get any bang for my buck with DDR3 ram and so I'd like to save money there - unless that motherboard can handle both.

In regards to the video card - I don't consider myself a power user (photoshop work is frequent but not heavy production and the video work is about the same) but I will up the components if necessary. Ideally I'd like to keep the cost of the build around where it is ($500) which does not include the OS or a couple of hard drives which I already have. I also want something that will last though.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to randrp

you have a very good point: the DDR3 board will not run DDR2, making it more expensive. You might see a slight increase in performance by going to DDR3, but not much, if any.

As for the video card, the 4650 should do OK, although dont expect insane performance. Since you have a slightly tighter budget than i thought, you really cant change a whole lot.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ I couldn't overclock my 6000+ so I undervolted it. Stable at 3.0 GHz and 1.05V
Reply to the last resort

the last resort wrote :

As for the video card, the 4650 should do OK, although dont expect insane performance. Since you have a slightly tighter budget than i thought, you really cant change a whole lot.

What if I moved somewhere closer to the middle like a 4830 for around $100? Would that move make any sense?

My budget is somewhat tight as I'm still adding the second monitor into this purchase but even if its just a product swap at the same price point - I want to make sure I'm not missing a better choice.

Reply to randrp

You said you would only be gaming rarely, does that include more recent games as well?

If you're not going to be doing gaming, especially if you're not playing more recent games, I would recommend going with a 4830 and the 940 X4 BE.

The 940 overclocks pretty well and you would see more performance for the money going w/ a quad core over the tricore which will help with your editing, ripping etc...

------------------------------ This planet will burn good. It has lots of critters on it. Critters burn good...

http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/552078.png

Reply to bonanzaguy

you dont need the 790 series board for your usage and you dont need a 4870 . gaming power just adds heat and noise and power consumption .

None of which are desirable fore your intended usage .
Your original build is fine .

The 780 g will have the exact same performance but you cant install two gfx cards [ which you dont want anyway ] , and has the huge advantage of the integrated gfx . I would consider building without any gfx card at first and seeing if it will handle the games you wish to play .
if not, then add a card later .

Reply to Outlander_04

Well since u stated you would like to scale back and i agree with Outlander: think stick to the IGP 1st hehe So my suggested config:

Checked the Foxconn 780G 2.0 - it has been tested and passed with even the 125W TDP 940be ^^ If you need a discrete go for the HD4670 rather than 4650

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Message edited by batuchka on 02-23-2009 at 10:06:34 AM

Reply to batuchka

batuchka wrote :

Well since u stated you would like to scale back and i agree with Outlander: think stick to the IGP 1st hehe So my suggested config:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums [...] 43P2X3.jpg
Checked the Foxconn 780G 2.0 - it has been tested and passed with even the 125W TDP 940be ^^ If you need a discrete go for the HD4670 rather than 4650

does it have a pci-e x16 slot that runs at x16?
many of the HDMI equipped boards have the x 16 slot limited to x4 because they are only intended for home theater use

Reply to Outlander_04

Haha i know what u mean - to date none of the 780G mobos in rigs i do up for peeps have less than x16 but yes the G45 Gigabyte is one such example of x4 actually

Reply to batuchka

randrp wrote :

In regards to the video card - I don't consider myself a power user (photoshop work is frequent but not heavy production and the video work is about the same) but I will up the components if necessary. Ideally I'd like to keep the cost of the build around where it is ($500) which does not include the OS or a couple of hard drives which I already have. I also want something that will last though.

If you want to keep the Earthwatts 430, I recommend a 4830 for your graphics card. If you aren't mainly playing newer games then either will be fine for Photoshop, video editing, Blu-ray playback and light gaming.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161260

That's quite a step up from a 4670 for not much more money. I would not upgrade higher than a 4850 for your purposes.

If you followed other people's advice and went up to a 4870, then you'll need a much better PSU. I have an Antec Neo 650 and I just got a Corsair TX650W for my wife's new build. With a 4870, you should have at least a 550 watt PSU, and don't skimp on an off brand. PSU's are very important to stability. When a cheap one goes, it can take components out with it.

Edited to add; I originally thought he got a 790 board, but misread the model name. Phenom II's are best with SB750 because of overclockability, but he's obviously not considering that.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by yipsl on 02-23-2009 at 04:36:05 PM

------------------------------ Phenom 8750, ASUS M3A78T
4 gigs Kingston DDR2 800 two 1T SAMSUNG HD103UI
Sapphire 4870x2, Sony BDU-X10S BD-ROM
Antec Neo 650 PSU Antec Nine Hundred, Acer H213H 1080p LCD
Reply to yipsl

Thank you all for the replies.

To the suggestion of integrated graphics - I am certainly not opposed to the idea except that going to dual 22" LCDs at 1680x1050 is the biggest reason I've decided to upgrade. Obviously I want both using a digital connection - would it be wise to use an HDMI to DVI conversion and run two monitors off integrated graphics? I was mainly looking at add-on graphics because of the dual monitors.

yipsl wrote :

Edited to add; I originally thought he got a 790 board, but misread the model name. Phenom II's are best with SB750 because of overclockability, but he's obviously not considering that.

I do want to do light overclocking with this processor and mainly picked the 780g board because of the combo pricing deal on newegg. With that in mind it sounds like I should swap out the mobo - yes? Otherwise I'd probably step down to the Phenom II 710 if I skip the overclocking.

Reply to randrp

I have updated the original post to reflect changes to my cart based on existing feedback.

Please critique with the following questions in mind...

Is this overkill for my needs? I will rarely ever use this for gaming and when I do it will be for something like Civ 4
I've added this motherboard and aftermarket cooling with moderate overclocking in mind. Is this wise for my needs?
Could I run dual monitors at 1680x1050 on a board with integrated graphics using the onboard DVI and HDMI ports?
Did I make any poor choices in components?

Thanks all!

Reply to randrp

Integrated gfx give you options that a mb without them doesnt have . Like when you gfx card burns out unexpectedly ....

You will have to read the manual of any mb you are considering to see if dual monitor support is possible via dvi and hdmi . I have a feeling its one or the other on most mb's .
The 4830 is the answer , since it will have two dvi outputs

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Outlander_04

Outlander_04 wrote :

Integrated gfx give you options that a mb without them doesnt have . Like when you gfx card burns out unexpectedly ....

hmm excellent point that I was clearly overlooking with the mobo I swapped in here.

Is it that the 780 chipset should not be overclocked with? Or that the 790 chipset is just significantly better if I want to overclock?

I don't foresee myself ever using crossfire obviously.

Reply to randrp

The main difference between the two is the number of Pci-e lanes they can address .

a 780 can only supply enough pci-e x1 lanes for a single gfx slot , and the 790 can supply enough for a second gfx slot which gives you the option of crossfire .
Im not a big fan of either sli or crossfire . Two cards never equals twice the performance and by the time most people would add a second card its usually cheaper to buy a new single card from the newer generation which would give better performance anyway .
There are exceptions , but that seems to be usually true.

AMD motherboards with 750 series South Bridge chips overclock much better than 700 series chips .

Reply to Outlander_04

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