Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Help! Builiding a new gaming rig thinking of AMD Phenom II X4 940

Help! Builiding a new gaming rig thinking of AMD Phenom II X4 940

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Help! Builiding a new gaming rig thinking of AMD Phenom II X4 940

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blujayson   06-13-2009 at 06:40:02 PM

Hello,

I am building a new system for the first time in a long time and would like some input on any glaring problems / sanity check. This will be used for some gaming. Does anyone see some compatiblity issues or components that might be better swapped out? Any idea if that video card will fit the case properly? The reviews I have read say that card is huge. I already have Vista Ultimate 64. Thank you in advance!



Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5 $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136320


SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L $23.99

2 sets of G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-2GBPI $69.98 for the 4 gig total
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231172

SAPPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102809

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103471

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128387

$923.91

edit had to remove to mobo combo as it was a micro atx mobo


Message edited by blujayson on 06-13-2009 at 07:23:58 PM
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blujayson   06-14-2009 at 06:36:52 AM
- 0 +

/bump any thoughts on what I could do better?

Reply to blujayson
Silver Home Brew badge hunter315   06-14-2009 at 06:55:08 AM
- 0 +

What resolution is your monitor? You will likely be better off crossfiring two 4850's and it will come up $50 cheaper. Also if you want a motherboard that will last you longer you might want to look into an AM3 motherboard and a P2 720 x3 unless you are doing transcoding work, most games only benefit from 2 cores so the third runs your background tasks.

Reply to hunter315
the last resort   06-14-2009 at 06:58:53 AM
- 0 +

rather than a 4850X2 pick up a 4890 since the price dropped to $199. Cheaper, faster core/memory/etc. Also, the 750W PSU might be a little overkill, but a very good choice none the less. MOBO looks good. As for the ram, I think that it would be beneficial to go 2x2GB, so you could add another 4GB later. a little cheaper too. As for suggestions, OCZ's are nice, I currently run 6GB of Corsairs, Dominator series, and they rock, timings are way past stock. G.SKILL can be good. Most importantly check the qualified vendors list for your motherboard. These look pretty nice:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231192


EDIT:
qualified vendors list:

http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/FileLi [...] x-ud4p.pdf

these have been tested for operation, but similar ones should work also.


Message edited by the last resort on 06-14-2009 at 07:00:23 AM
------------------------------ I couldn't overclock my 6000+ so I undervolted it. Stable at 3.0 GHz and 1.05V
 Reply to the last resort
blujayson   06-14-2009 at 07:40:01 AM
- 0 +

Thanks for the suggestions Hunter and The Last Resort, I think I am leaning towards the 4890 since its cheaper and then I could get another one later and run them crossfire. Also the ram makes sense. Hunter isn't the board I have listed a AM3 compatible board?

Reply to blujayson
Bronze Home Brew badge Outlander_04   06-14-2009 at 08:59:52 AM
- 0 +

If its in your budget pay the extra for a 945 and an AM3 mb/ ddr3 combo .

Its a few dollars more but is also a little more future proof .

Definitely go 2 x 2 gig of ram instead of 4 x1 .

Reply to Outlander_04
Silver Home Brew badge hunter315   06-14-2009 at 07:23:27 PM
- 0 +

Yes the board is AM3 compatible, but it is an AM2+ socket which while it will run an AM3 processor an AM3 board supports DDR3 memory and will allow you more upgrades down the road, future AM3 processors might not come with a DDR2 memory controller.

Reply to hunter315
K1ash3r   06-15-2009 at 07:14:15 PM
- 0 +

AMD 940 BE (more future games will use multiple cores so its better to get a quad especially if you play games like GTA 4 and Empire Total War)
ASUS M4A78T-E
ASUS 4850 1Gb (OC'es to 800mhz) you can crossfire later it will give you a significant performance boost
Antec 900 £
PCP&C 610w
OCZ platinum AM3 1333mhz 2x2GB

edit:(more future games will use multiple cores so its better to get a quad especially if you play games like GTA 4 and Empire Total War)


Message edited by K1ash3r on 06-15-2009 at 07:16:44 PM
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