$475 upgrade

[gaven555]

Hello, I am trying to build a pc that will handle current dx11 games while being upgradable for future components.

Here is a list of Parts that I am considering

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521 HD 6870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504 GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504 pII 1055T
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161279 Wintec AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) pc1333


This setup will not support crossfire, but it will support future am3+ processors. Alternatively I was considering changing the motherboard to the following so that I could crossfire my hd6870 in the future, and purchase slightly faster ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176

My concern is that this motherboard, although having 2 pci express slots, one of them is x4 and i am worried that I would not get the full crossfire performance using two hd6870 video cards. If that is the case, I could be better off getting the first mother board, selling my hd 6870 once it gets old, and buying one newer video card that is faster when the time comes to upgrade again. I also plan on overclocking my gpu and cpu slightly. I hope to not spend much more than $480, is this a good build for the money I am spending?

Thank you for any help!

 

[Outlander_04]

an X6 Phenom wont game any better than an X4 phenom , so the smart money right now gets you a 955 . An 840 would also be a good option

That will leave room in your budget yo upgrade the motherboard to a 990 or 970 series chipset board which will be fully compatible with all of bulldozers features

Probably a waste of time trying to crossfire on a x16/x4 motherboard , so the cheapest board you can reasonably crossfire on is

ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262
which will run at 8x/8x [ like the intels]

Ignoring crossfire then
ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

The alternate board you list is a dead end , with no upgrade path . Dont buy it

With a phenom 840 you can get the 970 mb and stay within your budget
with the 955 you exceed it fractionally but can more easily overclock

 

[gaven555]

So it seems like a crossfire board with 2 X pci express 16x is not within my budget. Is there a problem with the first board I mentioned if I do not plan on doing crossfire, because I would not mind saving $30?

 

[Outlander_04]

Theres nothing wrong with the GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P , and it will run an updated bulldozer processor
BUT its memory speed is limited to 1333 Mhz , and it only has two memory slots so adding more later means ditching the ones you already have .
And while it will run Bulldozer it wont run all of Bulldozers advanced features .

The 970 board with a 955 [ instead of the x6 ] costs the same , games better , gives you OCing potential , and guarantees future compatibility

 

[gaven555]

First, Thank you for your responses they have been very helpful. I have decided to get the ASROCK motherboard you suggested with the PII 955. I changed my video card to a gtx 560 because it is a little cheaper. My only question is that if I decide to do SLI with the 560, will the x8/x8 configuration be a bottleneck?

 

[Outlander_04]

First, Thank you for your responses they have been very helpful. I have decided to get the ASROCK motherboard you suggested with the PII 955. I changed my video card to a gtx 560 because it is a little cheaper. My only question is that if I decide to do SLI with the 560, will the x8/x8 configuration be a bottleneck?

All of intels sandy bridge motherboards can only run the graphics cards in 8x/ 8x when you crossfire or SLI . It makes no difference at all till you have absolute top end graphics cards , and really high resolution monitors , but even then the difference is minor

You will be fine with 8x/8x