Does this AMD Gaming system meet your tick of approval?

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fenrirwc

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Hi guys I've been browsing Toms forums for a lil while now and all of you are very helpful and the reviews and advice i find here are great so i was hoping you guys could take a quick look at my computer specs and give me a tick of approval before i go ahead and get them or point out something that may be wrong that i might have missed.

CPU overclocking: I don't think so unless i get the Phenom 955BE then ill just overclock it to a 965 speed and leave it at that.

GPU overclocking: Don't think i will bother so no.

Crossfire: I probably will whether i do it now when i build the system or in 3+ months time is another thing I am a little undecided but it is something id like to try later.

Components:

Case BitFenix Shinobi Case BitFenix Shinobi Case $69.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_1171&products_id=17423

CPU AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition $145.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345_1261&products_id=12293

MB ASUS Sabertooth 990FX Motherboard $219.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_1207_803&products_id=17784

RAM G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB (2x4GB) $65.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=13931

GPU Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB $279.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1179&products_id=16295

HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB $59.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=16679

ODD ASUS DRW-24B3ST 24X DVDRW Drive $25.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=17957

PSU Silverstone Strider Plus 850W ST85F-P $159.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_995&products_id=13278

OS Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium OEM Pack $95.00
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=375_974&products_id=17003


Total: $1,115.00

I think the powersupply is good enough to power to 6950 should i decide to crossfire later but as i said im not to sure. The other option is to get a 6970 but im not to sure about this. Just a heads up this is the only place i can really get parts from for their price I wish we had newegg in Australia but we aren't that lucky =)


Big thankyou to any tips or advice that is provided it will be very appreciated.

Cheers FenrirWC
 
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vitornob
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vitornob

vitornob

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It's that important to keep one brand only?
Why not stick to best gaming CPU chart?

In this price range it recommends a core-i5 2400.
As per sub-$200 cpus article here in TH, i3-2100 (dual-core) beats many times highclocked Phenom II X4.
i5-2400 is pretty much i3-2100's faster quad-core version.
 
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fenrirwc

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your right Intel would be a better choice of cpu and while i am not a fanboy of AMD i would like to try an AMD only rig. I had hoped to upgrade to bulldozer later on. Have nothing against intel guess i just want to be different.
 
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ross_mitchell

ross_mitchell

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Ditch the 965 and get the 955 they can easily get to 965 speeds and beyond with a small multiplier increse(3.6GHz maybe). Then use the money saved on other components that you want to improve.

PS: your system as it is now will run and max out most games. Also nice build.
 
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fenrirwc

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Thanks Ross i was going to get the 955 but PCCaseGear are Out of stock at the moment so i might just wait till they get some in. This Price difference between the 955 and 965 is only $10 but guess i $10 in my pocket is better than $10 spent.

Your also right on the overclock if i got the 955 i was only going to OC it to 3.4 or 3.6GHz max anyway.

Max out most games really o_O well thats good to hear ^_^
 
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vitornob

vitornob

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As per Bulldozer benchmarks I think you wouldn't have any improvement if u 'upgrade' from ur future Phenom II to it.
Maybe Piledriver should do the trick (but I don't know if Piledriver will be AM3+ compatible).

My predictions about architectural gains:
Past: Phenom -> Phenom II
Now: Bulldozer -> Piledriver
 
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fenrirwc

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Ahh thats interesting. I had seen some small reviews of the new Bulldozers and they didnt seem to bad but like you said phenom II is close. I had ment the higher end one that was going to be released 2012 didnt know what it was going to be called but you answered that for me. I imagine the Piledriver will still be AM3+ so it should fit this board.

This system isnt a expensive build by no means as i do intend to upgrade as need be but the big parts ( like Power Supply and Motherboard) i chose so i wouldnt have to upgrade them for a while.
 
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fenrirwc

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You would want a 4170 bulldozer along with the 990FX mobo (perhaps a newer one that releases later this year/beginning of next year) and the 7xxx series radeon graphics cards if you were to go with an AMD based build IMO for quality/performance.

To buy anything not Intel at the moment would be side stepping the point of building a gaming pc :)

You want something that will last, handle newer games in the future, perform/cool well, and look nice at the same time.

If you were to spend money on a system within the next 2 months then it should be an i5 2500K (oc'd to 4.5ghz on air) on a nice z68 motherboard with a quality solid state drive and decent ram with a quality psu for SLI/Crossfire if you ever wanted.

I would say get a motherboard that supports SLI/CF 16x/8x or 8x/8x with z68 chipset to support the SSD.

The i5 2500K so whenever you do decide to overclock you can do it very easily.

This is what I would go with if I was going to buy TODAY -

Corsair Force Series GT 120GB SSD (update the firmware)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191&Tpk=20-233-191

Corsair Vengence 1600mhz CL9 (High Profile) 2x4GB Combo w/ i5 2500K - $256.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

Corsair HX 850 - $163.99 ($143.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

MSI Twin Frozr III 6950 2GB - $299.99 ($279.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Scythe Mugen 3 - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185168

Arctic Cooling MX 4 - $12.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186038

Corsair Obsidian 650D - $189.99 ($169.99 after rebate) $20 off promo code EMCJKJG33, ends 10/19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006

Asus 24X DVD Burner - $18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Total - $1,356.90 including promos/combos before shipping ($1,296.90 after rebates)

You could go with the Hyper 212 Plus instead and save $20. I didn't include a copy of windows 7 home premium in the list but you can just as easily skip out on the SSD for now and that will help with the budget.

Total with Win7 OS/Hyper 212 Plus and Without the SSD - $1,175~ after rebates+promos/combos


Everything matches pretty much, the system will run fantastic for a few years, and the prices aren't hard to argue with.

Of course there is always room for change, especially if you are working with a budget. Best to buy what you can when the deals are there and if it means taking more than a week to collect all of the parts then why not when you are getting a much better bang for buck. With Black Friday/Christmas coming up there are going to be alot of great deals going on that could make the build I listed above even better.
Click to expand...

That build is very tempting unfortunatly Newegg isnt an option looking at some of those parts in Aus is annoying example is that Asus 24x burner for $18.99 while over here its $25. The MSI graphics card you mentioned is also $339 here -_- wish we had Newegg.

This is another reason i went AMD as it helped to keep the cost low. But your also making a good point that while intel is a lil more its better performance and i may not have to upgrade as sooner in the future.

Decisions decision, for now ill be sticking with the AMD build but a big thanks for the intel recommendation.

Let the Discussions continue :)

Edit: Also don't know if we get rebates down here in Aus might have to look into this
 
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robwright

robwright

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I have a similar build, and although I can't speak to the CPU (I went with a Core i5 2500k) I'll say that the 6950 is outstanding. I have two MSI models and in retrospect, the second card was completely unnecessary for 90% of what I play (though at $250 a card, it was hard to turn Crossfire down).

As for Bulldozer, I think the new FX desktop chips are intriguing but having eight cores instead of four is really not going to matter for most games. However, the FX chips are supposedly more overclocking friendly, so that may be worth waiting for if you are set on an AMD-only build.
 
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vitornob

vitornob

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BTW, I have one of that same HD u want to buy, it's a very fast one, good choice
For PSU I also think it's a nice choice. If u could I think would be better to get a beefier one. In 1000W range
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=16483
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=17426
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=14863

I don't have the time right now (working yet) but if I'm not mistaken all of them are 80 plus GOLD certified, and have a single 12v rail. Price range: $215~$225
Just saying this cause saw a test where a bulldozer AMD 8150 - 4.6ghz using all cores (vga idle) consumed about 400W by itself! (can't remember where I saw it)
If u put two of that HD6950 will certainly reach the PSU 850W limit.

EDIT: checked the case, it looks a nice piece, looks like my CM 690 II. Saying that I recommend u to buy too 2x 140mm fans to put on top. it GREATILY HELPS, no kidding, the air that blows out from my pc there is pretty hot, especially with sli/crossfire. Get some low noise ones, it doesnt need to be fast, just need to pull the air out the case (the filter on top of the case blocks A LOT, so it's not good to leave it without a fan there and just wait hot air to go out).

Best option is to change the case (if money permits) and get one like urs, but with a lateral intake.
Like this one: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_31&products_id=13772
 
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fenrirwc

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Wow really? the Bulldozer uses that much power? hmm hate to think what the piledriver will use when that comes out. Im quite happy with the case and i did plan to buy maybe 1-2 fans for front air intake but didn't think it was important enough to list.

i might upgrade the PSU to the next one up from the 850w which is 1000w 80+ silver. But this is very useful info man BIG thankyou i appreciate it ;) .
 
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fenrirwc

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Did see that article man but thinking the way games are moving the 2gb might last longer and also give better performance. and resolution will be 1080p or 1200.
 
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fenrirwc

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OK so thankyou to everyone for your comments the only issue that you have all been able to point out is i may need to go for a 1000w PSU for crossfire and a cpu upgrade in the future. ill be sticking with a 2GB 6950 and have hopes of crossfire later on. Also thankyou for pointing out the intel build i did do some research on those parts mentioned and while it is a great base i would like to stick with AMD (just to be different) however I might recommend the intel parts to a friend who is going to build a new comp for himself as his 6 year old one is on its last legs :p

Apart from the PSU (which will now be corrected) is there any other issues i may run into with this build?
 
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fenrirwc

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Thanks for all the Info guys ill be building this comp in the next 2-3weeks if all goes well.

Vitornob im gonna pick your reply about the powersupply units as the best answer as the information on the new CPUs coming out and the amount of power needed to supply them has made me go for a 1000w PSU.
 
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andywork78

andywork78

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I have been seeing alots of benchmark and review with it.
This is what i did.
#1 Windows 7 manager - to set cpu catch with 16MB (reboot)
#2 disable paging file.
#3 enabled readyboost(plz even you have alots ram. because after i enable readyboost with my system my HDD don't make less noise.)
#4 Iobit adavance system - windows tweak - load all paging file to memory

after reboot.

my amd fx 8150 runs lot better.

However many many pro users will not like my setting but works for me ~ ^^

have nice day.
 
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