Help me decide a cpu for crossfire !

[buklao0222]

Hello everyone its my first time building my own gaming rig (a decent. low budget! of around $900! XD ). I have little knowledge on this but I dont consider myself as a complete newb

Im planning on buying 2 Radeon HD 6850s and doing a cross fire.
I looked around the fourms regarding this question but they seem to be 3 - 4 months old.

Since im on a low budget, I would prefer an AMD processor. So which AMD processor is the best for this set of video cards??? Im willing to spend about $200 - $250 on the cpu alone.

Here are my options
FX-6100
Phenom II X6 1035T
FX-8120

Or any other CPUs you can suggest

I guess what im really asking is: Which processor is the best for 2 6850s? I dont want to buy a CPU what will outrank the GPUs but rather have the same/similar rank as the GPUs

Thanks!

 

[R3fa]

I have the FX6100 and it is a great performer. When it comes to workloads like ripping DVD's and compressing your C:\ volume, this thing smokes the competition. The Phenom II series is dead I think, at least newegg.com has limited supply left. I'm not sure on the 8120 but 8 cores could be fun?

As for gaming with the FX6100 I usually only play Crysis and CoD4 so I don't really know how it handles it. I have 5770x2, but the games run smooth.

Also recommend the G.Skill sniper ram 1. it looks freaking sweet, 2. 8gb at 1866 is blazing blazing fast!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Cheers!

--R3fa

 

[buklao0222]

I have the FX6100 and it is a great performer. When it comes to workloads like ripping DVD's and compressing your C:\ volume, this thing smokes the competition. The Phenom II series is dead I think, at least newegg.com has limited supply left. I'm not sure on the 8120 but 8 cores could be fun?

As for gaming with the FX6100 I usually only play Crysis and CoD4 so I don't really know how it handles it. I have 5770x2, but the games run smooth.

Also recommend the G.Skill sniper ram 1. it looks freaking sweet, 2. 8gb at 1866 is blazing blazing fast!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Cheers!

--R3fa

Can i ask you what fps you are getting with Crysis 2? I assume you have everything maxed out?

 

[jemm]

The best choice for your need is not AMD, but Intel at the moment.

Get yourself for just $229.99 a Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Believe me you won´t regret it!

Best Gaming CPU: $200 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

Intel’s Second-Gen Core CPUs: The Sandy Bridge Review http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833.html

 

[Murissokah]

Hello,

I would advise against the idea of matching a cpu with a "same rank" gpu setup. Its not that expensive to buy a good CPU, whereas a GPU setup will run you about as much money as you have to throw at it. Its a good idea to choose a CPU that will handle everything (shouldn't be too expensive), then spend as much as you can on graphics.

As for crossfiring, I also recommend against. I too did it (2x6870), for the sheer awesomeness of having dual cards. In fact, I have to go to a great ordeal evey time I start playing a new game, until I can finally get it running as it should (most times). If I were to build a new machine, I would definitely stay away from dual-VGAs. I believe the only two scenarios it is a good idea are:
1. If money is not an issue (multiple flagship cards).
2. As a half-way upgrade (to pospone a whole system upgrade).
If you go for it, keep in mind that you WILL have issues. That much is certain.

 

[cyansnow]

The 8120 shouldn't have a problem. It's a strong CPU in general.

 

[buklao0222]

Hello,

I would advise against the idea of matching a cpu with a "same rank" gpu setup. Its not that expensive to by a good CPU, whereas a GPU setup will run you about as much money as you have to throw at it. Its a good idea to choose a CPU that will handle everything (shouldn't be too expensive), than spend as much as you can on graphics.

As for crossfiring, I also recommend against. I too did it (2x6870), for the sheer awesomeness of having dual cards. In fact, I have to go to a great ordeal evey time I start playing a new game, until I can finally get it running as it should (most times). If I were to build a new machine, I would definitely stay away from dual-gpus. I believe the only two scenarios it is a good idea are:
1. If money is not an issue (multiple flagship cards).
2. As a half-way upgrade (to pospone a whole system upgrade).
If you go for it, keep in mind that you WILL have issues. That much is certain.

What kind of problems did you have? was it compatibility issue??
thanks

 

[Murissokah]

What kind of problems did you have? was it compatibility issue??
thanks

Examples:

Skyrim - Lower FPS than a single card. Driver Update 1: Still bad FPS, added flickering. Driver Update 2: Same as the last one. Game update: FPS improved. Driver Update 3 + Catalyst application profile 2: Finally works. Solved after 3 driver updates (3 monhts of headaches).

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Vsync kills FPS when CF is enabled. Without Vsync, lots of image tearing. Still playing with CF disabled.

Crysys 2 - Worked beautifully from the start.

As as rule, crossfire does not get as much testing before drivers are realeased. Every new game / driver exposes you to a crapload of bugs that are specific to crossfire. Usually either the Dev, AMD or somebody else will fix it. Unfortunately, that takes time and sometimes will make you wanna throw your pc through the window.

*Just remebered: Lots of people having crossfire issues with Battlefield 3 too.

 

[4745454b]

If you have $200ish to throw at a CPU alone, get the 2500(k). FX isn't as good a gaming CPU.

 

[R3fa]

Who told you the FX isn't a good gaming CPU? I'm not a fanboy of AMD but its definitely a less expensive build. my FX6100 performs great in game. As for FPS in Crysis i'm not sure what i would get. I just set everything to max settings and call it good.

I'm not familiar with the i5 but I've heard great reviews about it. If you ave your heart set on AMD fx6100 is highly recommended, plus its unlocked

Cheers!

--R3fa

 

[4745454b]

Who told you the FX isn't a good gaming CPU?

Does Tom's count? Have you looked at the gaming scores? I refer you to this thread.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=28&post=324365&page=6&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

Check out Malmental's post on the last page about 25% in where he links a graph showing ALL of the FX chips including the 8120 losing to the Pentium G630. (let me see if I can link it.)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m529/malmental/Averages.png

How is the FX6100 a good gaming CPU if it can be bested by a G630??? I link an article farther down where even OC'd the 4100 can barely reach the speed of the G680. Even a lowly 2100 can provide faster frame rates then an OC'd FX6100.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120-9.html

Not good gaming CPUs. Unless you want to spend more money and consume more power then what the other guys can provide.

 

[Guest]

I have the FX6100 and it is a great performer. When it comes to workloads like ripping DVD's (snip)

--R3fa

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-fx-8150--8120-6100-and-4100-performance-review/5

nope, sandy bridge takes the transcoding crown in quality and speed.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/9

btw, OP the Phenom II X6 1035T been around and you know what you get with some quality performance. however if you really feel adventurous and wanna try something new, why not give the FX-6100 a spin? (at least there is one person here that swears by it)

 

[Guest]

Who told you the FX isn't a good gaming CPU?

Even a lowly 2100 can provide faster frame rates then an OC'd FX6100.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120-9.html

watch that LOWLY 2100 stuff bub!

(look at the sig )

 

[Supernova1138]

Yeah, the FX CPUs have very poor single threaded performance, games tend not to be that heavily threaded so the FX CPUs perform poorly in that task. The old Phenom IIs are better than FX in gaming. My nearly 2 generation old i5 760 is better than any FX CPU in gaming.

The FX chips do okay in certain content creation applications which are very heavily threaded and can take advantage of of the higher core count. If you aren't using these applications, there isn't much point in getting an FX chip, you'd be better off with an old Phenom II if you insist on going for AMD.

 

[4745454b]

I don't mean to say that the FX chips don't have their place. But when asked who told me that aren't good for gaming I'll defend that statement. The old Athlon/phenom x4 chips are much better for gaming then the FX chips.

And the 2100 is "lowly" only in that there are more Intel CPUs which are even faster.

 

[aqe040466]

Hello everyone its my first time building my own gaming rig (a decent. low budget! of around $900! XD ). I have little knowledge on this but I dont consider myself as a complete newb

Im planning on buying 2 Radeon HD 6850s and doing a cross fire.
I looked around the fourms regarding this question but they seem to be 3 - 4 months old.

Since im on a low budget, I would prefer an AMD processor. So which AMD processor is the best for this set of video cards??? Im willing to spend about $200 - $250 on the cpu alone.

Here are my options
FX-6100
Phenom II X6 1035T
FX-8120

Or any other CPUs you can suggest

I guess what im really asking is: Which processor is the best for 2 6850s? I dont want to buy a CPU what will outrank the GPUs but rather have the same/similar rank as the GPUs

Thanks!

 

[aqe040466]

Hello everyone its my first time building my own gaming rig (a decent. low budget! of around $900! XD ). I have little knowledge on this but I dont consider myself as a complete newb

Im planning on buying 2 Radeon HD 6850s and doing a cross fire.
I looked around the fourms regarding this question but they seem to be 3 - 4 months old.

Since im on a low budget, I would prefer an AMD processor. So which AMD processor is the best for this set of video cards??? Im willing to spend about $200 - $250 on the cpu alone.

Here are my options
FX-6100
Phenom II X6 1035T
FX-8120

Or any other CPUs you can suggest

I guess what im really asking is: Which processor is the best for 2 6850s? I dont want to buy a CPU what will outrank the GPUs but rather have the same/similar rank as the GPUs

Thanks!

You said you are in a budget but you can spend $200-$250 on a CPU alone. I suggest you go for Intel flatform i5 2500K is only $179.00 in Micro Center. You will have the option to overclock it if you want in the future. There Motherboards out there that are less than $150.00 where you can crossfireX or SLI. If were you I'll go for Intel flatform it will give you an edge. i5 2500K CPU outperforms AMD CPU's in terms of gaming. Read some reviews and benchmarks about Sandy Bridge Flatforms.

 

[R3fa]

I'll stand my ground as a proud fx6100 owner. Although the 'intel' benchmarks say its a crappy cpu. I was on a low budget and got what i wanted

As for a good cpu's i'll have to say, in this current state, you should probably go with the i5 2500k. It's a beastly cpu, if you main goal is to game then that is what you should look for. Or try to find a Phenom II 1100T.

Cheers!

--R3fa

 

[4745454b]

"Intel benchmarks"? Toms does "intel benchmarks"? If you don't like their benchmarks why are you on their forum?

Its not like the FX chips are "broken" and won't run anything. They won't blue screen on you all the time or burn up like the Cyrix chips of old. They are bad because they cost more then they should. If they were cheaper then the old Phenom II CPUs or priced better against Intel's chips then they make more sense. But when looking at gaming and you see the $80 G630 performing nearly the same as the more expensive FX4100/6100, then something is very wrong. Proud owner or not.

 

[R3fa]

I was not saying Tom's benchmarks are bad. I'm saying bench marking software in general is written on intels compiler, so yes the code is more optomized for an intel CPU. However, its not like im being biased and saying definitely get the fx6100.

If I was going to do a new build i would go for a sandy bridge. Intel is up in the competition right now. Maybe the piledriver won't be a flop?

I'm not an amd "fanboy" I just bought what i had the money for, and what I wanted at that particular point in time.

Cheers!

--R3fa