Building AMD Gaming System

[Aks]

Hi Guys,
This is my first experience for posting on any forum. I have read a lot of review in the past a little over 1 month. I am trying to build a PC. My purpose is to build a gaming system that can survive upcoming DirectX 11 games and is in ECONOMICAL and BALANCED as well. I would be using Windows 7 Professional 64 bit. Following is the configuration :
Type Model Price
1. Processor AMD Phenom II X4 925 6600
2. Motherboard MSI 890 GXM- G65 7400
3. Graphics Card ATI Radeon 5750 Crossfire X8/X8 16000
4. RAM 2 * 2 GB DDR 3 Kingston 4500
5. SMPS Cooler Master GX 750 W 7500
6. Cabinet Cooler Master Elite 430 Black 2800
7. DVD Writer Samsung 24x 1000
Total 45,800

1. Processor - I thought of getting Phenom II X2 550 BE. Dont know if that would give me enough performance.
2. Motherboard - MSI 790 FX is pricing 10,200 for x/16/x16 configuration.
3. SMPS - Cooler Master 650 W would cost 5500 but would deliver 52 Amps on +12V rail which I read in a review is not sufficient for crossfire 5750. Recommended is 55 Amps.

All the price are in Rs.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. - Gaming
2. What YOUR budget is. - Rs. 40000.
3. What country - India.
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. - No Brand Preference
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, = HDD - Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.11
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. - Yes
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. - Default Speed
8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with. - 1900X1200
9. WHEN do you plan to build it? - ASAP

Please advise if this can be modified. Can anybody suggest if this is the best that I can get for this money, or can I modify any model for lesser price and better or equal performance.
I cannot afford beyond this money. In fact I dont even have this much budget. Please advise.

 

[oynaz]

Why 5750 Crossfire? Wouldn't a single 5850 give you about the same performance, and allow you to get a smaller PSU, as well as saving you money and power?

You might even be able to pick up a GTX470 for the price of two 5750 and the more expensive PSU.

 

[mfenn]

I cannot afford beyond this money. In fact I dont even have this much budget. Please advise.

I don't know if you're using the typical Indianism (I got a Master's in CS, so you could say that I'm somewhat familiar with Indian culture ), or if you really don't have enough money to build this system. If you really don't have enough money, please please do not build your own computer. That money could be better spent on 1000 other things that are more essential for life.

Why 5750 Crossfire? Wouldn't a single 5850 give you about the same performance, and allow you to get a smaller PSU, as well as saving you money and power?

You might even be able to pick up a GTX470 for the price of two 5750 and the more expensive PSU.

:thumbsup: Crossfire/SLI low/mid-range cards usually isn't a great plan since you end up with a fairly power-hungry beast that gives you the performance of a single higher-end card. Plus you have to deal with the normal Crossfire/SLI BS such as game profiles, potential for zero scaling (leaving you with a very slow card indeed) and microstutter.

 

[Davidh373]

If you don't Crossfire, you can get a single 460, a 870 motherboard and an athlon II X4 for much less money and still have a perfectly capable machine. You could also save on the Power Supply and get a 650W or even a very efficient 550W if you decide on an Athlon. Again, If you can't really afford a computer then don't get one. I'm sorry I couldn't get you links but my plan should save you ~ 10 percent. Hopefully that puts it in a price range you can afford, and not that you will be put in debt just buying a computer at all.

 

[badboyeee]

maybe just get a single gtx 460 1gb for now.. get another one to SLI later when u save up money again, when the price gets lower, and more dx11 games will be out.

 

[Aks]

Thanks Oynaz, Mfenn, Davidh373 and Badboyeee for your help and guidance.
I read your suggestios and was bound to think again regarding my pc configuration. I did a bit of reasearch in the past 24 hours and came up to the conclusion that I should go with ATI 5850 which would cost me equal to 2 X 5750 (Though I am still trying to find he price of GTX 465, 470). This has certainly helped me in reducing the power supply to Cooler Master GX Series 650 W saving some money. I can do a bit more if I go wut h
But I have a couple of concerns still left. ( My Brain got bottlenecked researching for bottlenecking and compatibility issues).

I am not going to upgrade my computer any further for the 4 years or so. I wont be playing games beyond 1920 X 1200 resolution. I am concerned over COMPATIBILITY and BOTTLENECKING issues.

1. Processor - Should I go with Phenom II X2 550, 555 , X4 925 or X4 945 (Please don't suggest 955BE - out of budget) I am thinking of X2 550 or 555.(Cannt say how much effect does core have on gaming )
2. Motherboard - Which AM3 chipset should I go with - AMD 770G, 780G or 785G ? Considering I wont be going for crossfire any longer. Motherboard should not be a bottleneck for CPU or GPU.
These can save me some more money. Please suggest these in accordance with balance and 95% utilization of all the components eradicating any bottlenecking issues.

 

[darkewaffle]

I would re-think your decisions just a little bit so far. Since you're primarily concerned with gaming and budget, a phenom ii CPU is probably unnecessary; and the 5850 is just not as good of a value card as it was since the introduction of the 460.

I would say get an AMD Athlon II X4 635 or 640 and an Nvidia 1GB GTX 460. With these choices, you can also safely downsize your PSU to a quality 400w or so model; a Corsair 400cx or an Antec Earthwatts 380w would be good choices, and not especially expensive.

If you insist on using a 7xx series chipset, go for 770 or 790. The only real difference between it and the 780 or 785 is the integrated graphics, which you really have no use for, while the 790 is a slightly more robust chipset.

40000 Rs is about $850 USD, so that seems quite in line for what you want, maybe a little on the low-end. Though I don't know what kind of markup you might have in the Indian market either.

 

[mfenn]

I would like echo Darkewaffle's sentiment about the GTX 460. I don't know how the pricing looks in India, but here in the US the GTX 460 is $50 cheaper while giving roughly equivalent performance.

As for chipset, get the 770. The others have integrated graphics which you have no use for.

 

[Davidh373]

I would re-think your decisions just a little bit so far. Since you're primarily concerned with gaming and budget, a phenom ii CPU is probably unnecessary; and the 5850 is just not as good of a value card as it was since the introduction of the 460.

I would say get an AMD Athlon II X4 635 or 640 and an Nvidia 1GB GTX 460. With these choices, you can also safely downsize your PSU to a quality 400w or so model; a Corsair 400cx or an Antec Earthwatts 380w would be good choices, and not especially expensive.

If you insist on using a 7xx series chipset, go for 770 or 790. The only real difference between it and the 780 or 785 is the integrated graphics, which you really have no use for, while the 790 is a slightly more robust chipset.

40000 Rs is about $850 USD, so that seems quite in line for what you want, maybe a little on the low-end. Though I don't know what kind of markup you might have in the Indian market either.

Agreed, no need for a Phenom in a budget build, Benchmarks show the 460 has a better value and lower price, therefor would be better for you.

 

[Aks]

thanks guys. I gave a thought over ur suggestions.
I decided to go wid 460.

 

[Aks]

Please suggest me a good cooler master SMPS for this system. I am thinking of CM GX series 550W. I dont have much choice in the SMPS companies around here.

Also please suggest me a good 770G mother board. I searched for MSI 870A Fuzion. But it seems it is too costly. Or do you suggest me some other chipset m/b. I need to take care of upcoming 4 -5 years as well. So was thinking if I could get a USB 3.0 port and atleast 1 SATA III port as well.

I gave a thought over Phenom II and Athlon II. Athlon II seems to get bottleneck GPU or get bottlenecked ; which ever way. But going for a better processor like Phenom II exploits the true potential of a GPU like GTX 460.
Referring to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/balanced-gaming-pc-overclock,2699-8.html.

Again, I wont be upgrading anything for next 4-5 years.

 

[darkewaffle]

Do you have access to any other PSU brands? Cooler Master makes great cases and heatsinks, but their power supplies leave something to be desired.

Antec, Corsair, Seasonic would be the big ones to look for. But XFX, Enermax, or Silverstone also come to mind as decent options.

ASUS M4A77TD, not too costly and a solid performer. No USB3 or SATA3 though. And you may need to update the BIOS depending on which CPU you get.

 

[Aks]

Unfortunately not. I dont have much access to other brands of PSU. Is this true that GTX 460 requires only 24A on +12v ?

 

[mfenn]

Please suggest me a good cooler master SMPS for this system. I am thinking of CM GX series 550W. I dont have much choice in the SMPS companies around here.

Also please suggest me a good 770G mother board. I searched for MSI 870A Fuzion. But it seems it is too costly. Or do you suggest me some other chipset m/b. I need to take care of upcoming 4 -5 years as well. So was thinking if I could get a USB 3.0 port and atleast 1 SATA III port as well.

I gave a thought over Phenom II and Athlon II. Athlon II seems to get bottleneck GPU or get bottlenecked ; which ever way. But going for a better processor like Phenom II exploits the true potential of a GPU like GTX 460.
Referring to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/balanced-gaming-pc-overclock,2699-8.html.

Again, I wont be upgrading anything for next 4-5 years.

It's highly unlikely that AMD's going to be on the same socket in 4-5 years, pretty much anything will be fine. The ASUS M4A77TD that has been suggested is good.

 

[mfenn]

Unfortunately not. I dont have much access to other brands of PSU. Is this true that GTX 460 requires only 24A on +12v ?

A 650W like this one is plenty for a GTX 460 and a Athlon/Phenom II.

 

[darkewaffle]

The only 770 mobo I'm seeing with USB3 and SATA3 is this AsRock offering.

For not all that much more you could go for an 870 chipset, which would run you about $15-30 more but have many more choices.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Please suggest me a good cooler master SMPS for this system. I am thinking of CM GX series 550W. I dont have much choice in the SMPS companies around here.

Also please suggest me a good 770G mother board. I searched for MSI 870A Fuzion. But it seems it is too costly. Or do you suggest me some other chipset m/b. I need to take care of upcoming 4 -5 years as well. So was thinking if I could get a USB 3.0 port and atleast 1 SATA III port as well.

I gave a thought over Phenom II and Athlon II. Athlon II seems to get bottleneck GPU or get bottlenecked ; which ever way. But going for a better processor like Phenom II exploits the true potential of a GPU like GTX 460.
Referring to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/balanced-gaming-pc-overclock,2699-8.html.

Again, I wont be upgrading anything for next 4-5 years.

what is a "SMPS"? i'm not familiar with this acronym.
please do the needful and clarify. thanks.

 

[Aks]

Darkwaffle / Mfenn
I checked ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 and ASUS M4A77TD and found these to be real good. M4A77TD supports AT CroosfireX. Hopefully it would support SLI as well. Please confirm.

Mfenn
Though 650W you suggested is good ,however, I believe same version with 550W would also be good if its true that GTX 460 requires only 24A on +12V rail. Please confirm.

BlahBlahYouToo
SMPS is Switched Mode Power Supply which is nothing else but PSU.

Please also clarify if Athlon II X4 would bottleneck GTX 460 and should I go with Phenom II X2 550/555 or Phenom II X4 925/945.

I am still confused with these. Please advise.

 

[Davidh373]

Though 650W you suggested is good ,however, I believe same version with 550W would also be good if its true that GTX 460 requires only 24A on +12V rail. Please confirm.

If you want SLI eventually you'll want the higher power. The 550W would do fine, but it wouldn't be as efficient at high loads if I've read the relies to this sort of question correctly before. Don't quote me on that...

Please also clarify if Athlon II X4 would bottleneck GTX 460 and should I go with Phenom II X2 550/555 or Phenom II X4 925/945.

You'll be fine with the Athlon. It won't Bottleneck. Absolutely DO NOT go with a dual core processor though.

 

[mfenn]

Darkwaffle / Mfenn
I checked ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 and ASUS M4A77TD and found these to be real good. M4A77TD supports AT CroosfireX. Hopefully it would support SLI as well. Please confirm.

No they don't support Crossfire or SLI, they only have a single PCIe x16 slot.

Mfenn
Though 650W you suggested is good ,however, I believe same version with 550W would also be good if its true that GTX 460 requires only 24A on +12V rail. Please confirm.

The 550W Coolermaster has 2 12V rails of 16A each. The GTX 460 1GB has a 160W TDP which translates to 13.3A of 12V. The 550W would work, but it would (personally) make me uncomfortable.

BlahBlahYouToo
SMPS is Switched Mode Power Supply which is nothing else but PSU.

Please also clarify if Athlon II X4 would bottleneck GTX 460 and should I go with Phenom II X2 550/555 or Phenom II X4 925/945.

I am still confused with these. Please advise.

No, and Athlon II X4 will not bottleneck a GTX 460 at 1920x1200. The 635 is only a bit slower than the 555 in games that are not quad-core optimized, and quite a bit faster in games that are quad-core optimized (see Dragon Age). Games are moving towards more threads, so I think you will want to stick with a quad for a new build.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Darkwaffle / Mfenn
I checked ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 and ASUS M4A77TD and found these to be real good. M4A77TD supports AT CroosfireX. Hopefully it would support SLI as well. Please confirm.

No AMD chipset-based motherboard supports SLI.

 

[Davidh373]

No AMD chipset-based motherboard supports SLI.

For cereals!? That's dumb...

 

[mfenn]

For cereals!? That's dumb...

NVIDIA are bastards, so of course it is this way. They didn't license SLI to Intel until Intel forcibly kicked them out of the Intel chipset market.

 

[Davidh373]

Well, they make good cards so... I guess you have to kinda go with the punches ehh?

 

[mfenn]

Well, they make good cards so... I guess you have to kinda go with the punches ehh?

Yeah :'(