Opinions on 2 new AMD builds

[dadandhisgirls]

Hey guys, looking to build the wife a new home PC. She does all the video and photo stuff and is a light gamer. Also lookin to build myself a gaming machine while i'm at it. Here's my idea for her so far.

ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$159.99
SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video
$254.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS
$89.99
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
$229.00
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$134.99
A-DATA XPG Gaming Series v2.0 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-DG2
$69.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$89.99
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

2nd Build would be all the same exept i'd swap out the X6 for the new X4 970 BE both cases was thinkin of the Corsair 600t.
Will these work well together? I'm a 1st timer and dont wanna buy this stuff and find out they aren't compatable or were a bad choice.

 

[dadandhisgirls]

Should have specified that im not looking to be totally future proof, haha, but thought the sata 6 was a good idea and the ssd's are for boot drives.

 

[dave0305]

Should have specified that im not looking to be totally future proof, haha, but thought the sata 6 was a good idea and the ssd's are for boot drives.

This build is looking very good, The mobo has got som good feedback so i think thats looking good is well.
But get this HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

And if you dont want to be too future proof then get the AMD phenom ii x4 955 with coolIT E.C.O. cooler and overclock it. This mobo does good at overclocking.
No need for the AMD phenom ii x4 970 as it's the same as 955 but with only little higher clock speed.

Also this would all fit nicely and easely into this lovely case with a space for another 6870 to go in CF:
Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058&Tpk=antec%20902

 

[coldsleep]

Agree that it looks pretty good. I'd consider a SF-1200 SSD instead of the 64 GB C300, however. The SF-1200 drives are a little more balanced and are about the same price. Check out the Mushkin Callisto 60 GB ($130 - $20 MIR), Corsair Force, OCZ Vertex 2 ($140 - $20 MIR), among others. I realize it probably seems weird to have a SATA 6.0 Gb/s capable motherboard and not actually get any drives that use it, but it's really not mainstream at this point and should really just be a future-resistance option.

Some light reading: Anandtech article about the C300's value compared to other drives

And agree that the WD1002FAEX is unnecessary. SATA 6.0 Gb/s is not used on mechanical hard drives. More info in this article: Anandtech article reviewing new VRs and comparison with SSDs. Either the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB that dave0305 mentioned or the Seagate 7200.12 1 TB have equivalent performance to the WD drive, and are $25-30 cheaper.

 

[dadandhisgirls]

Thanks for the replies. I had the F3 on my list till i thought Sata 6 was a better choice in the long run, but for the price i think you guys are right. As for the 970 vs the 955, do they have the same headroom? I would like to OC the gaming rig to 4ghz if possible.
Also will this PS hold up if i do add another card in Xfire? Checking out SSD's now, thanks again.

 

[Nerdbox87]

Personally i'd bump the PSU up to TX/HX 750w to keep it running at lower load / cooler / more efficient for Xfire 6870s especially with an x4 overclocked (those things suck the power once Vcores bumped up). The bit extra capacity may also help the PSU to carry over to the next build / next GPU upgrade also.

955 will nearly always hit 3.8ghz without any effort - though from what i've heard many people hit a wall at 3.9ish ghz. The 970 may be binned a bit better for a bit more headroom but the difference wouldn't justify the price imo, as 4.0 compared to 3.8ghz is marginal in performance with x4s.

My x4 965 rocks along with my xfire 6870s (@ 3.8ghz stock voltage)

Can definately recommend the Vertex 2 and F3 - awesome drives and what i'm using atm.

I'd probably swap out the ram for CL7 1600mhz Ripjaws as well, and wouldn't consider Corsair cases as they're overpriced.

You'd be better of with a HAF922 or 690 II Advanced and save some coin.

Aso don't go with any of the H50 / H70 or CoolIT water based CPU coolers - poor performance / $ compared with decent air cooling, and beaten by the best air coolers also.

Grab a CM Hyper 212+ as that'll more than handle a 955 @ 3.8

Otherwise sweet build.

 

[dadandhisgirls]

Ok, I'm updating my drives to Vertex 2 and F3 for both rigs, going with 955 cpu and 750tx ps for gaming rig, keeping the X6 the same. Also going to add a cooler for the 955 for OC. Can't change the case as i'm in love with the 600T! haha, thx alot for the input, glad i posted.

 

[dadandhisgirls]

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