First build

[anderson3250]

Hi I've been going over different build options on pc part picker and came up with one I think would work well, but would like to know if I have missed anything or might be able to switch things up and get more out of the system. A friend of mine has the AMD fx 4100 processor and loves it; he said there was an update that has corrected some of its issues. He also said you couldn't beat the $109 price either.

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3JLv

CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G45 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $499.93
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-01-14 01:13 EST-0500)

 

[anderson3250]

Oh and I thought I would let you all know I have the cd/dvd drive, hard drive, mouse, keyboard, etc... I will be doing some 3D with Blender, and ill also be playing games so I might upgrade the graphics card and do crossfire when I have the money for another card.

 

[roald]

It's seems a fair system overall. If you are contemplating crossfire, you may want a PSU that can put out a bit more juice. Somethign in the 650-750W range i'd say atleast.

 

[manu 11]

if it is for gaming, then i will suggest you go with an i3 2100 and a nice p67 or h61 mobo.
i3 2100 125$
asrock p67 mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230 100$

its an p67, the reason i chose it because in future you can upgrade to quad cores or ivy bridge cpu.

 

[anderson3250]

I can look at another psu; I wasn't quite sure how to decide what wattage I needed. As for the i3 and motherboard swap; would that be much of an improvement? I do plan on upgrading to the 8 core on my current selection. Thx for your replies.

 

[anderson3250]

Just got my taxes back and I made some changes on the possible setup

CPU: AMD FX-8120 3.1GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 5670 1GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 5670 1GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($90.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $613.93

Im planning on doing some work with blender; modelling and rendering, so hopefully it works well with blenders new cycles renderer or the gpu can take over. I have a PS3 and Xbox360, so most of my gaming is console based. I still don't really understand the differences in MBs; I do plan on going to 16gigs of ram in the future (for the 3D work). Is XFX a good brand; im wavering between XFX and Sapphire. Thanks for all of the help.

 

[jsc]

For first-time builders, I recommend looking at these threads:

Build it yourself:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/274745-13-step-step-guide-building

And although this primarily a troubleshooting thread, the first part contains a checklist that will catch most noob mistakes:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

 

[aznshinobi]

Wait you didn't buy it yet did you? I would drop that FX-8120, the FX-8120 is terrible in efficiency and lacks performance. Even the i5 2500K would be better even if you're spending $20 more. It's worth it.
i5 2500K vs FX-8150
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=434
Keep in mind the 2500K isn't even overclocked yet. The FX-8150 gains a lot of TDP when OC while the 2500K not so much.

I also wouldn't suggest going with Crossfire 5670's just yet.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5670-review-test-crossfire/20
As you can see it doesn't even reach the 5850 in performance. The 5850 being the 6850 in performance. So with that said the money you're spending isn't really worth it when the 6870 is basically at the cost you're spending ($165)

Thought this would also effect you
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5670-review-test-crossfire/21
As you can see the 5870 (6870) performs the same, keep in mind the 6870 has arch revisions so it could do better.

 

[anderson3250]

Nope, I haven't bought it yet. I wasn't sure on the 8 core; was looking at reviews on them and most sites like newegg had good reviews (4+ stars). Ok, so I made some more changes.
CPU: AMD FX-4100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($152.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($90.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $566.50

I think the PSU will suffice for that; dunno if I add another card down the road though. A buddy of mine has the FX-4100 and really likes it so I think ill stick with it on the processor. As for the GPU, thanks I honestly couldn't get my head around picking a somewhat decent one.

 

[aznshinobi]

I wouldn't even suggest BD at this point. Newegg reviews are based on how they are working out for the user not based on the actual output of performance. If they say the 8150 is good, too bad it loses out to the similarly priced i5 2500K in almost all benchmarks especially gaming. For what you want to do, Sandy Bridge is just better.
FX-8150 vs 2500K
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=288
Just to tell you the Phenoms and Thubans do better than the BD chips.

You also don't need 16GB of RAM for what you're going to do, just go with 8GB and save some money and use it on Sandy Bridge, you won't regret it. I guarantee it.

Here's the stuff I'd get if you switched to SB
Patriot 8GB DDR3 1600 + 2500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.805911
Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

 

[anderson3250]

Ok so I switched it up to
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($152.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($90.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $616.37

So the performance of the i5 will outweigh the price increase even though I will be doing 3d modeling and rendering? Is the Patriot ram going to be able to be bumped up to 16? I only found packs for 8 gigs. Thank you.

 

[aznshinobi]

Alright looks good. But yes, the i5 2500K is worth the price increase you are really only paying $50 more for much better CPU. As for the RAM yes, you'll be able to get another kit of the patriot and have 16GB, you don't need 16GB though.

As for Microcenter are you local with Microcenter? The $180 is only if you have a Microcenter locally.

 

[anderson3250]

Nope; they aren't in OK. So it appears it would be $200.

 

[aznshinobi]

Well if that's the case, I'd still suggest going with the 2500K.