Firstly...WOW...TOM'S HARDWARE!!! Awesome community, awesome resource...reaffirms my faith in the internet!! Anyway, on to the details.
About me:
- Have an outsiders knowledge of PC components, build requirements etc...got all the general concepts, but not an expert
- Console gamer looking to get into the PC gaming scene w/out breaking the bank
- Been scouting recent knews about the AMD Llano series and decided this is where I should jump in
Goals for the rig:
- Want an A8 3850 in a setup that is Crossfire ready. Basically I want the A8 to get me going this year and if I need a performance boost next year I'll pair it w/ a discrete card/more RAM etc
- Want 4 Gigs minimum RAM, preferably 1866 given that all the performance reviews for the Llano series showed significant gains w/ faster RAM
- Want to keep the price sub-$600 before shipping if at all possible
- Probably looking to overclock the processor immediately a la this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lth_M25cXjE
Any details I should consider in trying this?
- Would prefer a mid-tower at minimum, nothing fancy
- Hardware I do want/need: HDD (probably 500GB minimum), OS (Win 7 I guess), DVD drive for software
- Hardware I don't need: Display/monitor (using HDTV), Keyboard/mouse, Wireless card (for now, anyway)
- Hardware I'm unsure about: Power Supply requirements....would 450-500W be enough for the A8 (100W) plus a 2012 edition discrete card of medium/high performance?
Other ambiguities:
- How can I know which cards will be Crossfire compatible with my Processor/Mobo in the future? Do you experts anticipate Bulldozer/28nm AMD tech will work w/ my rig?
- Should I consider waiting for a pre-packaged unit in order to keep the cost down?
- Any cooling considerations? I know the APU is low power consumption, but with a discrete card in Crossfire down the line, should I scout for cooling hang-ups right now?
Sorry if this was a sloppy/wordy first outing, but I hope I covered all the bases. Thanks in advance for any advice!
About me:
- Have an outsiders knowledge of PC components, build requirements etc...got all the general concepts, but not an expert
- Console gamer looking to get into the PC gaming scene w/out breaking the bank
- Been scouting recent knews about the AMD Llano series and decided this is where I should jump in
Goals for the rig:
- Want an A8 3850 in a setup that is Crossfire ready. Basically I want the A8 to get me going this year and if I need a performance boost next year I'll pair it w/ a discrete card/more RAM etc
- Want 4 Gigs minimum RAM, preferably 1866 given that all the performance reviews for the Llano series showed significant gains w/ faster RAM
- Want to keep the price sub-$600 before shipping if at all possible
- Probably looking to overclock the processor immediately a la this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lth_M25cXjE
Any details I should consider in trying this?
- Would prefer a mid-tower at minimum, nothing fancy
- Hardware I do want/need: HDD (probably 500GB minimum), OS (Win 7 I guess), DVD drive for software
- Hardware I don't need: Display/monitor (using HDTV), Keyboard/mouse, Wireless card (for now, anyway)
- Hardware I'm unsure about: Power Supply requirements....would 450-500W be enough for the A8 (100W) plus a 2012 edition discrete card of medium/high performance?
Other ambiguities:
- How can I know which cards will be Crossfire compatible with my Processor/Mobo in the future? Do you experts anticipate Bulldozer/28nm AMD tech will work w/ my rig?
- Should I consider waiting for a pre-packaged unit in order to keep the cost down?
- Any cooling considerations? I know the APU is low power consumption, but with a discrete card in Crossfire down the line, should I scout for cooling hang-ups right now?
Sorry if this was a sloppy/wordy first outing, but I hope I covered all the bases. Thanks in advance for any advice!
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