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[Solved] Any bottlenecks? Looking for a good upgrade path.

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - [Solved] Any bottlenecks? Looking for a good upgrade path.

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Best answer from Proximon.

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starunj   10-18-2009 at 07:28:57 AM

Hello,

I am considering the following system (prices from ZipZoomFly.com). Primary usage will be gaming.

CPU: AMD HDZ955FBGIBOX Phenom II x4, Black Edition 3.2Ghz,8MB Cache,125W,45nm 3.20 GHz AM3 4 x 512KB Desktop Processor Retail - $169.99

Motherboard: MSI 790FX-GD70 AMD 790FX AM3 Phenom II/Athlon X4/Athlon X3/Athlon X2 Socket AM3 5200 MT/s PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail - $149.99

Graphics card: HIS H585F1GDG Radeon HD 5850 5800 Series 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail - $267.99

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX TX 750W Power Supply Retail - $108.99

Primary hard drive: INTEL SSDSA2MH080G2C1 X25M 2.5in 80GB SATA II 9.5mm Solid State Drive (SSD) Solid State Drive Bulk - $272.99

Component not yet finalized:

Memory: considering 4GB, but not sure which brand or what speed

Case: Will be carrying the components back to India, so will choose a case in India.

Components I am reusing:

Monitor: LG L245WP 24" 1920x1200 8ms response time with component input (which I want for my Wii)

Speakers: Logitech Z-2300 2.1 200 W RMS

My questions are:

- What RAM should I purchase?

- Is this a good build for a future proof system, i.e., can I look forward to a CPU or a graphics card 2 years down the line to significantly up the system's performance?

- Are there any weak links in the build? What component should I change for the maximum bang for the buck?

Thank you very much, in advance, for your inputs! This will be my first custom built PC since 2002 (for a bit of history, it had an AMD Athlon 1600+, MSI GeForce Ti 4200, 80 GB Western Digital 7200 RPM with 8MB cache hard drive and 1 GB RAM (don't remember which one) - I am sure that this PC will be a solid jump up :) ) and I am very excited :bounce:

Regards,
Tarun

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Best answer from Proximon
Looks like you have found some very good deals.

It's very hard to order parts in India isn't it? Some poor fellow has been after me to ship him parts but your postal regulations make me nervous.

Ideally you would get an i7 920 and an X58 motherboard, but these would cost you more. Your AM3 solution is a sound budget choice... but then there is the SSD.

Really, you could have better performance by taking the money from the SSD and putting it into the CPU. An SSD is not great bang for the buck just yet. An X58 board would get you the option of full crossfire or SLI while also getting you into the faster i7 920.

All three platforms should have the same longevity.

-An i7 860 build on a P55 board would be my idea of good bang for the buck and enough CPU to handle anything for the next 4 years.

-an i7 920 build on an X58 board would give you the option to CF or SLI and again would be all the CPU you will need for a long time.

- The AM3 route you have chosen is a bit weaker to start and will only do CF, but will probably see some CPU upgrades that are worthwhile as well.

To answer your RAM question, this is nice DDR3 that will work in your AMD build as well as i5/i7.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231279

And finally, I own a 750TX and it's a great PSU. I probably wouldn't choose one today. There are newer more efficient models out that are quieter now.

850TX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] &Tpk=850TX

TP-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371022

One of those would be my pick.
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Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   10-18-2009 at 09:48:18 AM
Best answer

Looks like you have found some very good deals.

It's very hard to order parts in India isn't it? Some poor fellow has been after me to ship him parts but your postal regulations make me nervous.

Ideally you would get an i7 920 and an X58 motherboard, but these would cost you more. Your AM3 solution is a sound budget choice... but then there is the SSD.

Really, you could have better performance by taking the money from the SSD and putting it into the CPU. An SSD is not great bang for the buck just yet. An X58 board would get you the option of full crossfire or SLI while also getting you into the faster i7 920.

All three platforms should have the same longevity.

-An i7 860 build on a P55 board would be my idea of good bang for the buck and enough CPU to handle anything for the next 4 years.

-an i7 920 build on an X58 board would give you the option to CF or SLI and again would be all the CPU you will need for a long time.

- The AM3 route you have chosen is a bit weaker to start and will only do CF, but will probably see some CPU upgrades that are worthwhile as well.

To answer your RAM question, this is nice DDR3 that will work in your AMD build as well as i5/i7.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231279

And finally, I own a 750TX and it's a great PSU. I probably wouldn't choose one today. There are newer more efficient models out that are quieter now.

850TX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] &Tpk=850TX

TP-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371022

One of those would be my pick.

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
 Reply to Proximon
starunj   10-18-2009 at 01:49:14 PM

Thank you very much for the information! Very helpful. I have put off the SSD purchase for now - will consider it in the future.

I have also chosen the RAM and TP-750 PSU you have suggested.

I am sticking to the AM3 solution - once the SSD is gone, I feel even more budget conscious :)

The thing that almost got me to shift to an Intel platform is the SLI support, I didn't know that AMD chipsets support only CrossFire. But in the end, I stuck the the budget friendly AM3 solution since I am not a frequent upgrader and in all likelihood, since my current card will be an HD 5850, the next will be one too.

Once again, thank you very much for your input! You made me cancel and reorder stuff!

- Tarun

Reply to starunj
Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   10-18-2009 at 06:15:22 PM

You're welcome. Those are great deals you got on the CPU and board.

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
 Reply to Proximon
starunj   10-18-2009 at 08:11:40 PM

Hey Proximon,

I guess you're the only one looking at this thread :)

I have been browsing many forums that seem to recommend the Corsair 750TX and wanted to ask you about your Antec recommendation. Is 80 plus Bronze better than just 80 plus?

Thanks!
Tarun

Reply to starunj
AlphaCluster   10-19-2009 at 12:53:45 AM

Bronze should be more efficient as the rating work like this:

Based on loads of 20%/50%/100% the efficiencies are

80 PLUS 80%/80%/80%

80 PLUS Bronze 82%/85%/82%

80 PLUS Silver 85%/88%/85%

80 PLUS Gold 87%/90%/87%

So for bronze it should be working 2-5% more efficient. Hopefully that helps.

Reply to AlphaCluster
Bronze Home Brew badge Proximon   10-19-2009 at 07:30:36 AM

The efficiency rating is not the only thing to look at. I read a great many reviews and know a bit more than the average enthusiast about PSUs. The 750TX was a great deal for a long time, and I own one, but the newer Antecs are even better.

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
 Reply to Proximon
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