Looking for some feedback on my soon to be build before I buy

Veltan

Honorable
Jul 15, 2012
3
0
10,510
Ok, so I have an Intel Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c952

And a AMD Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c9bj

Uses: Gaming and Game Development(Coding mostly, but possibly some animating and 3D modeling)

Price: The general 650$ area is nice, but I'd be willing to go up to 700$ if it was really worth it.

Overclocking: Probably, I'm just gonna go with yes.

It seems to be that everyone agrees the Intel processor runs faster, but the AMD is better at multitasking? I'm kinda confused about the i5-2500K vs the FX-8150 because passmark gave the FX-8150 a higher rating, but everyone seems to agree that the i5-2500K is better. Would the Intel still be the best choice if the computer is gonna be used for more game development then gaming?

Is there a better graphics card you would suggest in the same price range? The plan is to buy a second graphics card of the same type later on.

Will a 620W PSU be enough for this build or do I need a better one?

Um... Let me know if I'm forgetting anything.
 
The Intel build is more optmized for gaming, while the AMD is more for computational tasks (such as video rendering and number crunching).

The i5 series has 4 physical cores with no hyper-threading, while the FX-8150 has 8 physical cores and no hyperthread-like technology.

Forgive me if I completely butcher the explanation, I'm kind of shaky with this myself.
Each core runs its own thread, and various applications can use these threads to work. Having a stronger single thread is better for gaming (as they never really take advantage of more than two), while some optimized programs (like the Adobe suite and other editing programs) can take advantage of multiple. Intel typically uses its resources more efficiently (through things like hyperthreading*) which leads to stronger threads, while AMD has added more cores and resources to make more threads.

*Hyperthreading is when idle resources on each core is sort of "made" into another thread. So a 4 core processor with hyperthreading (Intel i7 CPU's) can produce up to 8 threads (when not under full load, as then there's no idle resources to use).

In a nutshell, you have to decide which is more important. Gaming or editing. I would personally get the FX-8150 as its better for the editing and I doubt it will be a bottleneck for games. You will also get better upgradability on the AMD. As the next generation of Intel CPU's is the Haswell architecture, which will likely lead to a new socket. While AM3+ on the AMD side seems to be staying.

However, if you can afford an i7, get one. In the benchmarks I'v seen, the FX-8150 trades blows with the 2500k, with it typically beating it in multiple core processes and falling behind in activities that don't utilize all cores.

As for the PSU, I would say get a 650W unit. Normally id recommend a 600W, but that's with Intel builds and they have much better power usage on the CPU. An Ivy Bridge only has a 77W draw while the FX-8150 has a 125W.
 

Veltan

Honorable
Jul 15, 2012
3
0
10,510
So would a build like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/c9RN Beat out the 2 previous builds? Even though its short 8 less RAM which I can purchase later, it's only 20-ish$ more.

Would this require a better PSU?

Is this mobo good enough to support this CPU? This kinda strikes me as a stupid question, but I really only based my mobo choice on will the processor fit and does it support x8 over x4. Mobo's seem kinda secondary to me, where its a question of is it reliable, and will it work with the stuff you want.
 
That build is better yes, but you are missing a lot of parts. Wheres your case, optical and hard drive? Operating System? If your overclocking wheres your CPU heatsink? Make sure to include the cost of all these into your budget. You may just have to spend a bit more to get a balanced rig.

That motherboard is a great board, you wont find many issues with it.
 

Veltan

Honorable
Jul 15, 2012
3
0
10,510
Thank you for all the advice, your detailed answers were exactly what I was looking for :D

As for the rest of my stuff I have all of it except for a heat sync, which I'll probably get the much recommended Hyper 212 EVO. I've got 4 or 5 opticals laying around here, I got a 2TB and a couple other smaller harddrives. I have a copy of windows 7 waiting for this comp, and I'll be custom building my case. The final component, cooling, once the computer is put together and running right i'll probably put it in a mineral bath which will cost me another 200$ or so for the pump and mineral oil, but it should run pretty damn quiet without any heating problems.
 
Good to see that I helped. One thing I forgot to mention is that the 2600k is a Sandy Bridge processor, while the a more recent architecture called Ivy Bridge has been released. A bit better performance and a lower power draw are the main advantages of it over Sandy. The Ivy Bridge i7 to get is the 3770k. It also optimized a bit better for the Z77 board your getting. Though considering the massive price difference on Newegg, you can probably compromise and keep the 2600k.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

And again, sorry to not have mentioned it, but an editing rig should have 16GB of RAM installed. This kit is essentially two of the ones you picked.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315

As for having an oil-cooled machine, you'l have to ask someone else for advice on that. All I know is that you cant drop Optical or Hard Drives in it due their moving parts. And that once you put the components in, don't expect to get them back out and working in an air-cooled environment without a lot of work.