BestConfigs - High-End AMD Gaming PC

jpishgar

Splendid
Overlord Emeritus
It's that time again! Time to update the Tom's Hardware BestConfigs! Once again, we are opening the field to user recommendations to get the best consensus for the absolute best of the best in each category. Post the best configuration you can put together for the following build category and our editorial team will pick 5 of the best to be put up to a public vote right here in the Systems forum. The top-ranking build will go on to become one of Tom's Hardware BestConfigs and you'll get the credit for having put together a brilliant build with a special credit in the feature article.

Post your entries to this thread for the category of:
High-End AMD Gaming PC

Stay within $2,000 (without shipping) and no need to include OS, monitor, mouse/keyboard. Please be sure to format your list of components as follows:

Joe's Crysis 8 Minspec Build
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price

See below for quick-copy/paste text of the BBcode.

[cpp]
Joe's Crysis 8 Minspec Build
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price
[/cpp]

You can also use the Tom's Hardware System Builder to build your recommendation and use the BBCode export option at the bottom of the build. If you do, be sure to include a link in your post to your build on the app for quick viewing.

Good luck, and may the best builds win!
 

mgf derp

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Jun 3, 2011
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Derp's "What the hay aka the Mega Rig" Build
CPU
AMD Phenom II x4 955 $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Mobo
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX $200 (was on Newegg for awhile)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Motherboards+-+AMD-_-ASUS-_-13131736
Ram
GSkill Sniper 8Gb (2x4Gb) 1333 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231417
Gpu
3x Gigabyte Windforce GTX 570 $345/$1035 Thats 9 fans on the graphics cards alone Lolz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125365
Psu
Enermax Revolution 85+ 1020w $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194081
Case
NZXT Phantom Black/Orange $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146073
HDD
Samsung EcoGreen F2 1Tb $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152173
SSD
Crucial M4 64Gb $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441
DvD
LG DvD+RW $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136216
Cooler
Tuniq Tower 120 $23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001
Total= $1998
Lolz is all I am going to say.
 

michxymi

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Michxymi's AMD Vision Black System

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103913 AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDE00ZFBGRBOX $199.99

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131644 ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $209.99

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226191 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996995 $84.99

Graphics Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127554 2x MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5 Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity 679.98$

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015 CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $189.99

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139003 Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $159.99

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $64.99

SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706 OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $269.99

Cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181013 CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler $104.81

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $20.99

1985.71$ Without MIR
 

ksampanna

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1. ksampanna's Crysis 8 Maxspec Build
2. Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE 3.2GHz $179.99
3. Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ 990FX w/ Supreme X-Fi $239.99
4. RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 1600 MHz $74.99
5. Graphics Card: 3 X HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB $749.97
6. Hard Drive: 2 X Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB Raid 0 $239.98
Rosewill RX-C200P 2.5" to 3.5" Drive Bay $4.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4EG HD155UI 1.5TB $64.99
7. Case: SILVERSTONE RAVEN RV02-BW $179.99
8. Power Supply: SILVERSTONE ST1000-P 1000W $184.99
9. Cooling: XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm $29.99
10. DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black Internal Blu-ray Drive $64.99

TOTAL : $2014.86
Haven't factored in rebates which will bring the price further down <$2000

Build Notes:
1) 3 6970s would be a waste on the 1090T since it simply lacks the firepower of the OC'ed 2500K or 2600K to keep up with them. 6950s are a more balanced match.
2) Two of the fastest SSDs in Raid 0 for blindingly fast response times.
 

shredder777

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Jun 21, 2011
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JKatwyopc

Distinguished
JKatwyopc Ultimate AMD Gamer Build

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition 3.7GHz -$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103934

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ AMD 990FX Motherboard - $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131736

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2133 - $99.99 (Gives room for lots of memory OC)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468

Graphics Cards: 2X - PowerColor AX6970 2GBD5-M2DH Radeon HD 6970 2GB - $699.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131385

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC - $229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 AMD Limited Edition ATX Full Tower Case - $159.99 (I like the idea of highlighting my hardware)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119212

Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX950 - $154.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139013

Cooling: COOLER MASTER V6 GT 120mm DynaLoop CPU Cooler Dual Fan - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103089

Blue-ray Burner: LG Black Super Multi SATA WH12LS30 LightScribe Support - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226

Card Reader: Rosewill RCR-IM5001 USB2.0 75 in 1 internal Card Reader - $19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223108

Includes Bluray Burner and 75 in 1 Card reader/USB/eSATA. Tons of OC headroom + Super reliable Mobo.
YeeeeHaa!

Total: $1,971.88
 

bdrazic

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Jul 9, 2011
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1. Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor 189,99$
2. Motherboard:GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard 159,99$
3. RAM:Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) 129,99$
4. VGA: 2 x SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX (2 x $269,99) 539,98$
5. Hard Drive: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive in RAID 0( 2x$109,99) 219,98$
6. Case: Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 149,99$
7. Power Supply: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX) 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular 189,99$
8. CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler 89,99$
9. Blue- Ray: LG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support 59,99$

+

10. Sound Card: ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card 199,99$
11. Koutech IO-RCM430 Multi-in-1 USB 3.0 Front Panel Internal Card Reader with USB 3.0 Hub (3.5") 49,99$
12. Biostar CABLEUSB3.0 USB 3.0 Cable Bracket 11,99$

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL : 1,991,86$
Easy overclock to 4 GHz
I used Noctua cooler instead of water cooling because it is so quiet when you listening your favorite music, performance are same or very similar , you could freely overclock your CPU and don't care if your pump working or not after 2- 3 years, even if fans stop working your CPU will not been burned
Western Digital HDDs in RAID 0, on SATA 3 will give you enough performance and speed that in real work you will hardly notice difference with SSD if you don't use stop watch, in same time 3 TB of space
Sapphire cards 6950, you could flash BIOS to unlock some 6970 features ( if you needed it)- because this 2 card in cross fire could eat every game and 3 monitors of 24 inch on max settings
1 more + is perfect sound card for music lovers

With this system you could freely wait on price drop for AMD Bulldozer CPU and SSD for next 1-3 years

INTEL couldn't give you so much performance and this upgrade ability for 350.00$, for home uses this machine is monster

All that at www.newegg.com
 

Gunpup97

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Jul 2, 2011
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Tri-Crossfire 6970s - *faints :sleep:
 

littlestereo

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This build is optimized for Bulldozer, reliability, intercomponent compatibility, software and to avoid bottlenecking at every component

Streamlined Bulldozer Build
Processor: amd phenom II X6 1100T Black edition $190
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990fx am3+ $197
RAM: 2 X (G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory)= 16gb $170
Graphics Card: 2 x ASUS EAH6950 2GB crossfire $620
Hard Drive 1: OCZ 120GB Revodrive oczssdpx-1rvd0120 pci-e x4 $299
Hard Drive 2: Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gbps $109
Case: NZXT Phantom White $139
Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W Power Supply $135
Cooling: CORSAIR H80 (CWCH80) High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler $110
AOC FC-2000 PCI Slot Case Cooler $8
MASSCOOL SYTRIN Kuformula SHF1 Ultra HDD Cooler – BK $29
DVD Burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS 24X DVD Burner $20

Price~$2020 (1975 after mail in rebates)

Solid airflow in case, CPU water cooler coupled with a 120gb revodrive, crossfired ASUS 6950's, 16gb of 1866 ram and you're ready to Oc a Bulldozer that could destroy a 2600k Z68
 

mjmjpfaff

Distinguished

well if you didnt get the title of the thread this is a amd high end gaming build. and because bulldozer is having its share of problems right now i would not yet speculate on how great and how much better* it will be than a 2600k
 

mjmjpfaff

Distinguished

well if you didnt get the title of the thread this is a amd high end gaming build. and because bulldozer is having its share of problems right now i would not yet speculate on how great and how much better* it will be than a 2600k
 

tedpc

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Jul 25, 2011
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My AMD working build (the past several months and it rocks!)


CPU: AMD Phenom II 1090T Black Edition Six Core CPU (3.2 GHZ OC'd to 4GHZ) and AMD Promotion - 4GB USB FLASH DRIVE Bundle $179.99

Motherboard: Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5 Motherboard - Socket AM3, AMD 890FX, ATX, USB, PCIe, RAID $211.99

Video Card: XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 Video Card - 2048MB, GDDR5, PCIe, Dual mini-Display Port, HDMI, Dual DVI, Includes Dirt3 Game w/Registration $329.99

Case: Cooler Master RC-942-KKN1 HAF X ATX Full Tower Computer Case - ATX, 230mm Red LED Fan, USB 2.0/3.0, 9x Expansion Slots. *Supports XL-ATX, 4-way SLI and Quad Crossfire X* $199.99

Power Supply: Ultra X4 1200-Watt Modular Power Supply - 135mm Fan, ATX, Lifetime Warranty w/ Registration, 80+ Bronze, ATI Crossfire Certification, Vibration Dampener Included $259.99

CPU Cooler: Corsair CWCH70 Hydro Series H70 CPU Liquid Cooler $109.99

Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry LX LCD Fan Controller $59.99

RAM: Corsair CMX8GX3M2A1333C9 XMS 8GB (16 GB Total) DDR3 RAM - PC10666, 1333MHz, 2x 4GB $69.99 X2

SSD: Corsair CSSD-F60GB2-BRKT-A Force Series F60 Solid State Drive - 60GB, 2.5", SATA II, 3Gbps $114.99

HDD: Hitachi 0F12957 Deskstar 5K1000 HDS5C1010CLA382 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - 1TB, SATA 3Gb/s, 8MB $54.99

DVD: ASUS 16X DVD-R
Already had

Blu-ray: Lite-On iHBS212-08 12X Internal Blu-Ray Writer - BD-R SL 12X, BD-R DL 8X, BD-RE SL/DL 2X, DVD±R 16X, DVD-RAM 12X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, CD-R/RW 48X, LightScribe, Black $149.99
________________________________________________________________________________________________
$1811.88
 



got some bad news for you

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=174
 

tedpc

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Jul 25, 2011
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I hear you and yes, it might have been a bad one or they might just fall short of their specs. Don't know if you realize the size of it, but this thing's a beast! :) Then the HAF-X is a beast as well! :)

Thanks.

Ted