Advice on a New Build

[CraigHarrison]

I put up a similar thread a while ago ..but I've made some changes ..and was hoping you'd gimme some suggestions/advice ..
1. AMD Athlon X4 645
2. G-Skill 4GB 1600mhz DDR3
3. Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
4. XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB
5. Gigabyte GA890GPA-UD3H Mobo
6. Cooler Master HAF 922 (Regular one)
7. ViewSonic HD 22" LCD
8. Microsoft Sidewinder X4
9. Roccat Kone+
10. Creative Inspire M2600
11. LG H55N DVD R/RW Drive
12. NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller
13. 1x Red LED fan 200mm
14. Razer Goliathus Alpha Control Surface
please no Core i5 2500K recommendations ..takes the rig outta its budget ..I may install a second 6950 later ..and replace the Athlon with a phenom 1090T later on ..

 

[jprahman]

What about swapping the Athlon for a Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. A Phenom II X6 won't do much to help game performance and a Phenom II X4 would likely overclock better thanks to the smaller die size, further improving game performance.

 

[CraigHarrison]

I've really been thinking about that ..lemme see ..seems a little outta my budget ..although I was looking at the 955 BE ..maybe I could sacrifice on the surface and fan controller ..
hmm ..and is an i3 SB better than that Athlon ??

 

[geofelt]

I've really been thinking about that ..lemme see ..seems a little outta my budget ..although I was looking at the 955 BE ..maybe I could sacrifice on the surface and fan controller ..
hmm ..and is an i3 SB better than that Athlon ??

The i3 sandy bridge cpu's are not due out until Feb 20.
The i3-2100 will be a 3.1 duo with hyperthreading priced at $117. Most games do not use more than two cores, so it should be a decent gamer. In addition, SB is much more efficient per clock than previous Intel cpu's, which were more efficient than amd cpu's. Bottom line, I would expect the sb i3 to be a better cpu.

Also, if you check out the gaming performance of the 6 core amd processors, you will find that they are a poor choice for gaming.

For sb, I can recommend the Asus P8P67-M pro motherboard.
It can handle cf/sli, and is in a micro-atx form factor. It is $10 more than your selection.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131691

I like the micro-atx for gaming, if you value portability for LAN parties. There are some nice cases out there.
For example the NZXT @$70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146065

If you need to save some $, consider the Antec 200 @$40:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129074


Have you selected a PSU?

Lastly, you are absolutely correct in not wanting a 2500K recommendation:

----Why get a processor that will handle any game, now or in the future? Half of the fun in this hobby is spending money to plan and buy upgrades.
Why get a cpu that is easy to Overclock? It is so much more fun to try to tweak the less efficient cpu's.
Why get a cpu that runs cooler? Just because the stock cooler is OK, means that you can't play with aftermarket solutions.
Why deny yourself the satisfaction of complaining about buyer's remorse?
The savings of $100 or so will keep you feeling good for about a week. It got you your build sooner than if you waited to save the extra $100.

 

[jprahman]

Newsflash. Intel discovered a flaw in the Sandy Bridge P67 chipset, so I would HIGHLY recommend you hold off building a Sandy Bridge system until everything has settled down, although I do agree that a SB i3 is a good possibility once every thing gets straightened out.

 

[CraigHarrison]

The i3 sandy bridge cpu's are not due out until Feb 20.
The i3-2100 will be a 3.1 duo with hyperthreading priced at $117. Most games do not use more than two cores, so it should be a decent gamer. In addition, SB is much more efficient per clock than previous Intel cpu's, which were more efficient than amd cpu's. Bottom line, I would expect the sb i3 to be a better cpu.

Also, if you check out the gaming performance of the 6 core amd processors, you will find that they are a poor choice for gaming.

For sb, I can recommend the Asus P8P67-M pro motherboard.
It can handle cf/sli, and is in a micro-atx form factor. It is $10 more than your selection.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131691

I like the micro-atx for gaming, if you value portability for LAN parties. There are some nice cases out there.
For example the NZXT @$70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146065

If you need to save some $, consider the Antec 200 @$40:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129074


Have you selected a PSU?

Lastly, you are absolutely correct in not wanting a 2500K recommendation:

----Why get a processor that will handle any game, now or in the future? Half of the fun in this hobby is spending money to plan and buy upgrades.
Why get a cpu that is easy to Overclock? It is so much more fun to try to tweak the less efficient cpu's.
Why get a cpu that runs cooler? Just because the stock cooler is OK, means that you can't play with aftermarket solutions.
Why deny yourself the satisfaction of complaining about buyer's remorse?
The savings of $100 or so will keep you feeling good for about a week. It got you your build sooner than if you waited to save the extra $100.

I absolutely love the HAF 922 ..its something I really don't wanna change .. thanks anyways ..but ..its still a great case ..performance wise ..looks wise ..love it

 

[CraigHarrison]

lol ..were you being sarcastic ..or were you serious. is actually prefer the better CPU unless its way too expensive or just outta my reach like here
although ..yeah ..I gotta admit ..its fun making a wearing CPU perform

 

[geofelt]

lol ..were you being sarcastic ..or were you serious. is actually prefer the better CPU unless its way too expensive or just outta my reach like here
although ..yeah ..I gotta admit ..its fun making a wearing CPU perform

Yes.... Sarcasm is no fun if the recipient does not catch on.

Truly, though, try to find a way to do a sandy bridge build.

 

[CraigHarrison]

*sigh .. . it takes the damn thing out of its budget. know any cheap mobos ..p67/h67 ..the p would be better right ..seeing as in getting a powerful discrete card ..?? ..something with CrossFire (dont care about SLI) ..DDR3 ..USB3...4+ SATA 2 drives ..6+ USB ..etc ..preferably x8/x8 ..

 

[CraigHarrison]

and what flaw on the p67 exactly ..??

 

[jprahman]

Well check out the front page. Turns out the SATA II controller on all Sandy Bridge chipsets (P67, H67, H65, etc) has a flaw that over time can result in reduced performance and eventually result with a dead SATA II controller. Intel is basically recalling the chipsets and thus motherboards, although they won't call it that. The SATA 3 port aren't affected.

It sounds like it'll take about two months before new chipsets with a fix applied will be manufactured and motherboards featuring the fixed chipsets will be available. Newegg actually pulled all their P67 and H67 motherboards except a few and also pulled all the LGA1155 processors.

 

[CraigHarrison]

damn ..
good thing I'm buying my rig in a few months ..
what's the cheapest LGA1155 mobo available..DDR3 ..USB3 ..CrossFire x8/x8

 

[CraigHarrison]

damn ..
good thing I'm buying my rig in a few months ..
what's the cheapest LGA1155 mobo available..DDR3 ..USB3 ..CrossFire x8/x8