A8-3850 or something else?

If it is primarily for gaming, then you may want to consider the i3-2100 or better CPU. PassMark is something I would not bother relying on.

See following link which compares the A8-3850 to the Core i3-2100. In games, the Core i3-2100 performs better. If you are interested in doing video encoding, then the A8-3850 would be slightly better.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/399?vs=289

$150 can get you an OEM Phenom II X4 975 BE, but there are not very many benchmarks for it. However, there are many benchmarks for the slower X4 965 BE. The X4 965 BE can beat the A8-3850 in just about every benchmark except in one fo the synthetic SYSMark 2007.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/399?vs=289

You can use AnandTech's benchmark tool to compare other CPUs as well.

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As for the video card, AMD video cards generally uses less power than nVidia video cards, so that opens up more possibilities for a good performance card that your 400w PSU can handle. My recommendation is the Radeon HD 6770.

However, AMD is releasing the new HD 7000 series on January 9th. It starts with the high end HD 7970 and HD 7950 for $550 and $450, respectively. They require too much power than your PSU can handle and probably more than what you are looking to spend. But the HD 7650 is expected to be around $120 and it may or may not be more powerful than the HD 6770 (it is really the same graphics core in the older HD 5770). If you can wait for a release date and benchmarks, then it might be a good idea. Otherwise simply buy the HD 6770.

Thank you for your reply. I was planning on eventually getting a 6850 or 6870 for gpu.

Assuming I get the Intel Core i3 2100 - 3.1GHz, Have any motherboard recommendations? And would I need an upgraded psu as well? (not including the 6850 of course).

And should I purchase a better cooler for the cpu or thermal paste? I've never installed a cpu before.

The 2120 at the moment is $5 cheaper on newegg as well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I am not really a good source for a motherboard recommend since I never looking into motherboards for Sandy Bridge CPUs. I still have a Core 2 Quad CPU and will probably not upgrade until 2013 when Intel releases their next generation CPU; Haswell.

However, if you are looking for a full size ATX motherboard, then I would consider the ASUS P8H67-V (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 for $105:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you are looking for a micro-ATX motherboard, then the MSI H67MA-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


If you are going to overclock the CPU, then you need to be aware that non "k" version Core i CPUs have very limited overclocking abilities. The only CPUs that are easily overclocked are the Core i5-2500k, i7-2600k and i7-2700k.

Are the Phenom's easier overclocked?

Nice deal on a phenom 1055t here
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-Phenom-1055T-Processor-HDT55T...

Definitely do not go with the A8, it is not very fast and meant for people using it for moderate gaming with the integrated chip. I would go with the i3-2120 if I were you, or an i5-2400. Both of these CPUs are great for their own price, it depends how much you personally want to spend.

The i3-21xx series cannot be overclocked but they are excellent for their gaming performance and they use significantly less power than their AMD counterparts. Also you dont need to purchase a CPU cooler, the stock cooler for i3 will be perfectly fine as you wont be overclocking. Also by going this route, you give yourself the ability to upgrade to a quad core i5 in the future, whereas with AMD you would have a dead end with the AM3 platform. Also you would have to heavily overclock that 1055t to just match the i3-2100 performance in games.

Since you are matching it with a mid range card the i3 will be perfect.

Also the 400 watt Corsair PSU is definitely fine for now and it may even be fine with a 6850 as the i3-2100 really doesnt use that much power and neither does the 6850.

i see that the i3-2120 is better than even the 980 BE, but do those benchmarks take into account overclocking? would overclocking a 975 make a significant difference? THe power consumption is also horrible though. Im leaning towards the 2120.

The i3 has a locked multiplier so you can't oc, but it has very low power consumption and ivybridge is coming out in 4 months. Still the i3 imo is a great buy for gamers who are on a lower budget!

the guy wants a processor for what he has now ... AMD...... the i3 won't fit the board. The A8-3850 I believe is socket FM1 so it won't fit either... ????................... I think the 970 is the fastest providing the BIOS on the board will support it.

WHAT DO YOU have for a board and a processor now ?

Agree with the others about using an intel cpu. Apart from that...

according to this link in the forums, you may want to check the 12V amps for the card. But i know that this month's SBM used a 430W antec PSU with the 6870 so maybe your 400W will do.

Also, any plans to go cross-fire? Because then you'd want to get a higher power PSU (assuming you'll have to buy a new one) and get a P67/z68 chipset-based mobo, because the H67 doesn't support SLI/Xfire. The H67 will also not allow you to overclock your processor (assuming you upgrade to a i5 or i7 in future, like when ivy bridge is out), keep that in mind too.



he said he wants to upgrade the mobo and cpu so...effectively becomes an intel build...

Are these three good?

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (My case is only microATX atm)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

MSI P67A-G43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The MSI mono looks fine. Based on the review most people like that mobo. Since it has a P67 Chooser you can upgrade to a Core i5-2500k in the near future and overclock it. You'll need to buy a good heatsink though of you are going to be overclocking. Also, if you wait too long then you'll see higher prices because the Sandy Bridge CPUs will end production next year when Intel starts releasing Ivy Bridge. However, you may be able to upgrade to Ivy Bridge if MSI releases a BIOS upgrate for that specific mono.

Is installing a new mobo and cpu a lot of work with drivers and stuff?

and will my current RAM be compatible.

also which mobo is better?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Get the asrock one, it is on the z68 chipset and has pcie 3

Yeah, I would go with Asrock.

Building a PC is not too difficult. However, since this appears to be your built you should take it slow.

Here's a video on how to build a PC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ETu53QfDwk