Opinion's LR!?!

Discussions about AMD Processors and overclocking. Need help with that new AMD CPU or not sure which one to buy? Like to void your warranty? This is the place for you! Please keep the topic on Processors only!
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Resnik
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Opinion's LR!?!

Post by Resnik »

So, the itch to build a new rig has stricken me.. I built my current gaming system a little over 2 years ago. While my current rig has room for vast improvement, I'd rather just build something fresh for various reasons.

Here's the run down of my current system:
1 x EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
1 x XFX PVT88GYDD4 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
1 x Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80570E8400
1 x Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996599
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
1 x XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler I5 775 AMD compatible
1 x CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91

Two years ago this system ran me about $1500, and it's been a fantastic combination.
I've OC'd the E8400 to over 4.0ghz.. However I don't run it 24/7 at such speeds simply because my Xiggy doesn't have the bracket, it's the push-pin style And I don't trust the surface pressure/temps.

Pretty much I haven't had a single problem out of my comp, But! A friend at work is wanting to get back in to Computer gaming, instead of playing on the 360 I sold him, soooo I told him I'd let him have this PC for $500.. or I'd build him a new comp, his choice.

Essentially I've come up with two different builds, also making the switch to AMD, however I don't know IF I should or not, considering how Badass the E8400 is, in my opinion.

First is a 555BE based Build, which upon selling my Antec would only be running me $350 out of pocket, I have no use for a bigger hard drive than the 640, I've had exceptional luck with my Corsair PSU, and no need for an Internal disk drive... I was debating on going with an H50 instead of the Mugen, buttttt *shrug* That's still in the air.
I want the Scout, No exceptions there.
I love tinkering and OCing, so the 555 seems to be like a potential Gem.. I'll cross my fingers when unlocking those cores
*Feedback Welcome*
http://d.imagehost.org/view/0762/Untitled-2_9


Option 2: This one is more along the lines of $650 out of pocket after sale.
However, I think it offer's me more room for Expansion aswell as performance comparison to my current E8400, *read-A better CPU, instead of a side/down grade* Also, I'd probably go SLI with this rig down the road, Seeing how the 470 is a beast GPU, and the prices on them are only going to keep dropping.
Notice this build has 8 gigs of Ram where as the first has 4, and I opted for the 1090TBE instead of a the 555BE....
The Motherboard's are also different, there's so many great products to choose from these days that it's hard to pinpoint the EXACT one I want... So after hours of benchmark and review reading, I narrowed it down for those two.
http://b.imagehost.org/view/0646/Untitled-3


To wrap this up, Essentially I've looking for some Opinions on which build LR would suggest.. The Money factor really isn't a problem, But I'd much rather not spend an extra $300 bucks on a rig that isn't going to show a rather dramatic performance increase.. I haven't personally had the pleasure of tinkering with any AMD's in a few years.. and I'm not a Bias consumer, I love both company's...

Do your worst people!
Thanks for Viewing.
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Major_A
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Re: Opinion's LR!?!

Post by Major_A »

Several things...
1) I like the ASRock boards, Biostar not so much. I've never personally used an ASRock board but from what I've seen lately they are "the" bang-for-buck product. Biostar I've ran into a couple times, don't bother. The only boards I've used in the past 4-5 years have either been ASUS or Gigabyte. Next build I plan on running an ASRock to see what I think. And from what I recall a lot of the engineers from Abit transplanted to ASRock after Abit went under.
2) I have a Scythe heatsink (don't remember the model) but it is only a push pin style installation (LGA 775). It was a huge PITA to install and when I got done it looked like it stuck my hands in a cactus.
3) I understand why you would be interested in the Phenom X2. The problem there is that unlocking the cores comes with zero certainty. Let's say you do unlock it to a quad core. On the surface everything seems stable, but it's really hard to find out if it is. You would spend A LOT of time testing for stability and hunting for the problem if one of the cores was in fact bad.
4) If you decide to stick with AMD be sure you get a Black Edition. I've only played with a Phenom X3 720, but having unlocked multipliers is nice.
5) I noticed you have 8GB of RAM in the second build. What do you use your computer for? Unless you are doing some really heavy editing in an Adobe product it won't get used. Right now I'm rocking 8GB and every game I've played will use roughly 1GB of my RAM. Since no game, that I'm aware of, is written in 64-bit code it won't be able to use anything over 4GB anyway. I thought I'd see an improvement with adding more RAM and I actually just found it to be harder to get stable, but then again I'm running 2 kits of 2X2GB.
6) What OS are you planning on running? I'm sure you already know this but the max memory support in a 32-bit OS is 4GB. If you ran 32-bit Windows with the GTX 470 Windows would only be able to use 2.8GB of RAM because it has to address the 1280MB on the video card.
7) What resolution monitor do you have? Reason I ask is if you are gaming at a lower resolution, i.e. 1440x900 or 1680x1050, then the GTX 470 is overkill. Personal opinion, not necessarily a fact.
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lordvic
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Re: Opinion's LR!?!

Post by lordvic »

I agree with Major_A on the Biostar motherboard; they don't seem to be very reliable. I'd stick with ASUS or Gigabyte. With that said here are some 890GX boards in your price range (performance difference between 890FX and 890GX is not much):
* I'd choose the second option over the first...not much of an upgrade from your E8400 build)
ASUS 890GX USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s, two PCI-E X16 (will run at x8 x8 when both used) $144.99 Free shipping.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
Gigabyte 890GX USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s two PCI-E X16 slots $134.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... te%20890gx

I'd also suggest that you get a PSU from the HX series instead; save you about $10-$20 $40+!!!. The HX series is also modular and very reliable.
Corsair HX 750W. 60A on a single +12V rail, plenty of connecotrs for a dual GPU setup. $119.99 after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... &Tpk=hx750
(wow I've been looking at the HX750 and HX 850...and the price of the HX750 has dropped to the lowest ive seen for the past month)

:drinkers:
Cooler Master HAF 932 // Phenom II 1090T @ 4.1GHz (not 110% stable) // ASUS Crosshair V Formula 990FX // Thermaltake Frio CPU Cooler // Sapphire Dual-X HD 7970 @ 1150/1500 // 8GB (2X4GB) G.Skill RipJaws + 8GB (2X4GB) G.Skill RipJawsX @1600 8-9-8-21-1T // Corsair TX850 // Corsair ForceGT 120GB SSD // Kingston V200+ 120GB SSD // WD Caviar Black 1TB // LiteON DVD-RW // Windows 7 Ult. 64-bit
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hnzw_rui
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Re: Opinion's LR!?!

Post by hnzw_rui »

Just a quick comment, I'm not aware of any AMD chipset motherboards that support SLI. With NVIDIA out of the chipset business and AMD being a direct competitor, the chances of getting SLI on new AMD motherboards are pretty small. If you plan on going the SLI-route down the line, I'd rethink you're decision to switch.

Personally, given your current rig, I wouldn't get the MB+CPU from option 1. If the 555BE doesn't unlock stable, then it's going to feel like a downgrade or sidegrade compared to your E8400 (which, I agree, is pretty badass). Seriously, you've got a pretty good computer and all it really needs is a GPU upgrade.

Assuming you plan on selling your current PC, I'd definitely go option 2. Too bad you probably won't be able to wait until 2011 to upgrade. If you're planning on switching platforms, waiting to see how Bulldozer (Zambezi) pans out would probably be best.
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