Cheap build. Are the parts compatible?

[Roxas2030]

Hi there, here is the build I'm looking to buy. My budget is 420$.

-Usage: Mostly gaming
(Not a hardcore gamer: WoW, DCU, SF, CA, NFS)

-I already have two graphics card Radeon HD 5670 x2 in crossfireX

-Already have a diablotek 500w PSU, with great reviews 4.7/5 stars

Is this an alright build and are the parts compatible? Also how well will this system run games? Thank you

____________________________________________________________________________________

ASUS M5A97 Mobo- 100$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=779339&sku=A455-3067

Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Processor-120$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5752143&sku=A79-1955

Crucial Ballistix 6GB (3x2048MB) 1600Mhz- 30$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4779416&sku=C19-6078

Western Digital 320GB-100$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=160426&sku=TSD-320AAKX

Asus Internal DVD Burner-20$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6078414&sku=A455-5022

Apex Vortex3620 Gaming Mid-Tower Case-40$
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5525804&sku=A355-2018

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I also plan on buying 120mm x2 fans for OC.

 

[singemagique]

All those components should work together. My only suggestion would be to get a at least a 600-700W PSU if you are going to overclock, the 500W is a minimum for a dual 5670 setup.

As for gaming performance, I'd think you'd get in the mid to low 60 fps in WoW at 1920x1080.

Here is a great review you might want to look at: http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5670-review-test-crossfire/1

Good luck!

 

[Outlander_04]

The RAM is not. You need a 2 x2 gig kit fir dual channel . 1600 Mhz and 1.5 volt or less

The mb also wont support two cards in crossfire . The pci-e slots run in 16x / 4 x . It might not choke a 5670 much but it will choke it .
This Asrock is the only 970 chipset board that can run in 8x/ 8x mode so its your best budget option
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

 

[Outlander_04]

All those components should work together. My only suggestion would be to get a at least a 600-700W PSU if you are going to overclock, the 500W is a minimum for a dual 5670 setup.

As for gaming performance, I'd think you'd get in the mid to low 60 fps in WoW at 1920x1080.

Here is a great review you might want to look at: http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5670-review-test-crossfire/1

Good luck!

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5670-review-test-crossfire/5
Total current draw with 2 5670's in crossfire 285 watts .

This will run easily on a decent 500 watt psu .

 

[singemagique]

The RAM is not. You need a 2 x2 gig kit fir dual channel . 1600 Mhz and 1.5 volt or less

The mb also wont support two cards in crossfire . The pci-e slots run in 16x / 4 x . It might not choke a 5670 much but it will choke it .
This Asrock is the only 970 chipset board that can run in 8x/ 8x mode so its your best budget option
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

Good catch on the ram. But I don't see the 4x being a bottleneck for a 5670.

The recommendation for the PSU is because he said he wants to overclock and based on the recommendation in the article:

"Radeon HD 5670 CrossfireX (dual GPUs)

A second card requires you to add another 61 Watts. You need a 500+ Watt power supply unit if you use it in a high-end system. That power supply needs to have (in total accumulated) at least 45 Amps available on the +12 volts rails.
For each card that you add, add another 100 Watts as a safety margin."

 

[Outlander_04]

I think the quality of the OP's psu is marginal . Its not a brand I would choose .

But go back and read the article you linked and you will see its drawing that 285 watts in a computer running an Over Clocked socket 1366 i7


61 watts on the 12 volt rail is a shade over 5 amps . A single 18 amp rail can run both cards ....no problem

500 watts of quality power is fine

 

[Roxas2030]

The ram says its triple channel. I thought I knew a few things about ram but now I'm completely lost. I would greatly appreciate it if someone explained to me this dual channel and triple channel. As for ram replacement, is this better?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6753740&CatId=4527

rucial Ballistix 4GB PC12800 DDR3 Memory Upgrade - 1600MHz

 

[Roxas2030]

I prefer Asus motherboards because of all the perks. I'm understanding that the 2 5670 are fine with my selected motherboard? I'm actually going to switch to a better single GPU later in the future (soon). I'm only using the 2 5670's because I received them as gifts. I would have gone with 1 gpu and ignored the 5670's but the rising price of HDDs; I need to balance it out now.

 

[Outlander_04]

dual channel = two lanes from the cpu to the two ram sticks

triple channel = 3 lanes to 3 sticks of RAM ......... but this only works on processors with a triple channel controller and that means only intel socket 1366 processors and X58 chip sets .

Your processor and mb are dual channel capable .......... you need a dual channel kit
and because you have an FX processor the RAM must run at 1.5 volts or less so that kit is not suitable . Its 1.65 volt

That ASUS board is a good board but the second graphics card slot cant run fast enough for a graphics card .You could use it but you will not get the full benefit of your second graphics card .
Asrock is a company started buy Asus . The quality is good .
If you want to stick with ASUS you need to buy a mb with a 990 chipset . More $

 

[Roxas2030]

wow, so much I did not know. I'm considering an ASrock now, however I want to stick to one website, so I'll search around Neweeg for now. In the mean time I found this

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6395810&CatId=4527

1.5v, 1600MHz, dual channel, 2x2048MB, DDr3

By the way, thank you very much for you help!

 

[Roxas2030]

Here is my new build:

LG DVD Burner- 19$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236

Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB- 95$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136770

ASRock 970 EXTREME4- 110$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

Crucial Ballistix sport 4GB (2 x 2GB)-22$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148419
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I still need a case and processor, however I can't find a good nice processor.
Can you help me find a good one (gaming) please?

 

[Outlander_04]

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1766/

The alternatives are the Phenoms , The 980 is tested here and is the same part as the 955 but overclocked a little at the factory . Remember you can OC the FX 4100 to 4.6 Ghz on the stock cooler too

 

[Onus]

As I pointed out in one of your other threads, Diablotek makes PSU-shaped objects. Consumer fluff <> competent technical reviews; both jonnyguru and HardwareSecrets have tested a few Diablotek PSUs and found them to be junk. You should not attach one to your computer components if there's any risk that it will be connected to an A/C power source at the same time. On a budget, the Antec Earthwatts and Corsair Builder series of PSUs can usually be found for a good price.

 

[Roxas2030]

Yes jtt283, I'm currently looking at Crossair builder model.

 

[Roxas2030]

Alright I've finally come up with

Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel case- 40$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023

HITACHI 500GB- 100$
(Comes with free Sony DVD burner)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145299

ASRock 970 EXTREME4- 110$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz- 119$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB-------------------
Combo------------------------------------------ 90$
CORSAIR Builder Series 500W-------------
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.761046

How does this look?

A little over my budget but that's fine.

 

[Onus]

I'm not sure you want the Bulldozer CPU, especially since you'd need to overclock it a LOT to get any performance out of it. For $5 more, the 955BE is a proven performer: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Actually, with your graphics cards already purchased, it may be worth trying to fit an i3 into your budget, although the 8x,8x requirement for Crossfire may kill that.

 

[RichterFry]

I find people spend way too much money on HDDs, and the OP is included. If you're trying to have a budget gamer, why not pay $65 and get a terabyte instead of paying $100 for 320gigs?

 

[zooted]

I find people spend way too much money on HDDs, and the OP is included. If you're trying to have a budget gamer, why not pay $65 and get a terabyte instead of paying $100 for 320gigs?

Ok post a link of a 1tb hdd for $65 and I will gladly swoop it up.

 

[nordlead]

I think the quality of the OP's psu is marginal . Its not a brand I would choose .

But go back and read the article you linked and you will see its drawing that 285 watts in a computer running an Over Clocked socket 1366 i7


61 watts on the 12 volt rail is a shade over 5 amps . A single 18 amp rail can run both cards ....no problem

500 watts of quality power is fine

Just wanted to add that the original article linked is looking at power drawn from the wall socket. Assuming 80% efficiency (didn't actually check the article), the real power draw to the PSU is around 230W.

 

[nordlead]

Ok post a link of a 1tb hdd for $65 and I will gladly swoop it up.

If he suggests any kind of green drive, kindly ignore his advice since those make bad OS drives. They are slow since they are designed to use less power. For example, my WD Green drives park the heads after a short interval (I think less than 30 seconds) and spin somewhere between 5400-7200RPM (not sure the rate, since each drive is configured differently at the factory).

However, you may be able to find a slightly cheaper drive from bestbuy, but you'd have to check your local store. They have very little stock online. There is a Caviar Blue 320GB for $70.

 

[Onus]

Hard drive prices really byte these days; hopefully the Thai production facilities will be back online quickly and competition can drive prices back down. I'm really glad I went a little overboard on storage and won't need any drives any time soon.

 

[Outlander_04]

Just wanted to add that the original article linked is looking at power drawn from the wall socket. Assuming 80% efficiency (didn't actually check the article), the real power draw to the PSU is around 230W.

Exactly

285 watts at the wall , converted to power the computer is using at 80% efficiency means the computer [ after the PSU ] is only consuming
228 watts
the rest is heat being radiated by the power supply


The diabolotek is not a choice I think the OP should make .

 

[Rosebud]

you know the only way you will ever lean this is to look them up yourself then you would know!

 

[RichterFry]

Jesus Christ. I feel like an asshole now. I guess the prices of HDD really have skyrocketed, even since September. I accidently ordered 2 HDDs (don't ask, long story), and thank God I did! I picked up 2x1 tb HDD (both 7200 RPM) for about $140 together.

So, who wants to buy a 1 tb HDD? $100?

 

[Roxas2030]

Someone here mentioned something about trying to get an intel i3, can someone further elaborate that please. Also, I'm switching my PSU to a crossair builder series 500 watts.