new build(amd)

[bamaland101]

ok so im just checking to see if you guys think i would have any problems running DOTA 2 or Borderlands 2 (dx11 not applicable)

Phenom x6 1045T
Gigabyte 970A-D3
2x4Gb DDR3 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws(red)
2x 500gb (1x 5400rpm, 1x 7200rpm)
Silverstone Strider SST-ST75F 750w PSU
Antec Kulher h20 620 or zalman 9500 am2(havent decided which to use yet..)
2x sapphire vapor-x 4890 1gb
sata dvdrw

as of now im holding off a day on buying the second 4890, and i have no case for this yet, thinking either custom build case/desk or i can get a cheiftec dragon full tower w/ window for $40 shipped that BNIB


so do you guys think the second hd4890 would be unnecessary or needed?
dota 2 and bl2, and i am alive are the most intense games i plan to play, others played are just some TF2, CS:S, and Borderlands 1

edit: guess i should say i play at scaled 1080P or native 720P just depends on game type.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Mostly Gaming, Borderlands 2, CS:S, DOTA2, and some Photoshop
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
N/A
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
N/A
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Phenom x6 1045T
Gigabyte 970A-D3
2x4Gb DDR3 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws(red)
2x 500gb (1x 5400rpm, 1x 7200rpm)
Silverstone Strider SST-ST75F 750w PSU
Antec Kulher h20 620 or zalman 9500 am2(havent decided which to use yet..)
sapphire vapor-x 4890 1gb
sata dvdrw
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Not OC'n this one.
8. What resolution will you be using?
1080P/1900x1200
9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
It's already in the midst just waiting on arrival..
10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No

 

[Durvelle27]

please answer this sticky

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=80121

 

[bamaland101]

sticky answered although it was needed.. i already have the parts ordered, im just asking if its necessary to buy another matching 4890, i know game fps will increase and all but will the single stand alone hd4890 be sufficient enough for what i plan to do.

main reason im asking is because the extra 4890 costs $50, I'm still watching out for a SSD and a Case deal, the extra $50 would give me a better budget for the two, but i would have to settle for either just a case or just a SSD for now until i make more $'s if i buy the card. given i really don't mind open-air benching or missing out on the ssd, i just need to make sure about performance wise first.

from the research ive done so far, it seem that 2x 4890's would run just below or on par with a 6950. which in my case is good seeing as my total cost for both cards is only 100, where-as the 6950 is still $200..

i just haven't Crossfired any cards since back in the x1900xt days so im curious to hear others thoughts.. maybe i should have just put this in the gpu section

 

[Durvelle27]

i think you should have waited a little as your could have gotten a better build with help from us and also honestly don't really like CFX/Sli as driver support isn't really good and you will have micro-stuttering and even in some games your performance could decrease. A single powerful card is always best and recommended

 

[bamaland101]

i got everything listed above for under $350 shipped, how on earth could i have gotten a better deal? Intel is not for me, i'll just say that right off the bat.

 

[Durvelle27]

oh well that's a pretty good deal and i didn't have to link you a intel build


edit: P.S my build was $400

 

[bamaland101]

what gpu do you think would be better suited than the cf hd4890's? thats $100 or less.. because i sure as heck can't find one..

 

[lehtv]

Are you allergic to Intel? You know it's only rational to prefer whichever manufacturer can provide the better product. In your case $350 for that PC is very good. If you have problems in the games you play just sell the 4890 ($50 or so?) and upgrade to 7850 2GB for $180 e.g. asus DCII at the moment

 

[Durvelle27]

sell both of the for $100 and get a HD 7850 or HD 7870



Edit: i got my HD 6950 2GB BNIB for $150

 

[bamaland101]

Are you allergic to Intel? You know it's only rational to prefer whichever manufacturer can provide the better product. In your case $350 for that PC is very good. If you have problems in the games you play just sell the 4890 ($50 or so?) and upgrade to 7850 2GB for $180 e.g. asus DCII at the moment

very much so allergic. i hate intel, i tried out the q6600(sklar i think was the best chip?) and imo it was worse than my s939 opty 180 setup. and i had it on water at that..

plus if i feel the need to do some 3d renders i have 6 cores to process on instead of 2 or 4(if i wanted to pay $180 for one, which i'd never!)


i guess thats what im going to have to do. just wait and see what the single 4890 does for me. honestly i was able to play majority of my games (aside from dota 2 and bl2) on my 8800gts g92 i just had but i wanted a little bit more fps and power. i think ill be fine i guess considering in most games the 4890 gives a 30-40fps boost over the 8800gts(512mb g92) in most games

im not one for having all the eye candy on either, simple med or high settings for me with no AA or anything..

well i was looking at a 6850 for $100 bnib over on geeks(well think its a refurb, but still) but i dont think that would be much of an upgrade over the 4890 either. not well enough for me anyways.. i have high value in my dollar lol

 

[lehtv]

How was it worse, and why do you think your Q6600 experience is in any way indicative of what you'd get with Intels newer generations?

plus if i feel the need to do some 3d renders i have 6 cores to process on instead of 2 or 4(if i wanted to pay $180 for one, which i'd never!)

If. Your PC's main purpose seems to be gaming, and gaming currently benefits a lot more from performance per core than number of threads. Intel's newest gen has easily better performance per core than AMD. For gaming, i3 > PII X6 with a lot lower power consumption and integrated backup graphics. However as I said your setup is very nice for $350

 

[bamaland101]

How was it worse, and why do you think your Q6600 experience is in any way indicative of what you'd get with Intels newer generations?

If. Your PC's main purpose seems to be gaming, and gaming currently benefits a lot more from performance per core than number of threads. Intel's newest gen has easily better performance per core than AMD. For gaming, i3 > PII X6 with a lot lower power consumption and integrated backup graphics. However as I said your setup is very nice for $350

game play was choppy(using same GPU) i just seems longer boot times and load times for everything.. this was using the same gpu and hdd's and everything else i had for the amd setup.

ive read all the reviews, and comparing money spent, my $100 1045T compared to a Pentium dual core had better results for the type of games and programs i use. given the pentium may have had a slight lead on few things but considering the fact the pentium only had 2 cores vs my 6 which allows me to do renders better and so forth.

honestly dollar for dollar if intels prices dropped to that of amd's i would still stay AMD, im a fanboy yes they've always gotten it done for me and ive seen no reasons to change that.

 

[bamaland101]

seems ive decided to stick with the single 4890 for now, and buying a mcp350 to go with my d-tek fuzion v2 to start off my w/c loop. now i just need to find me a rad..

 

[mfenn]

Great 2010-era gaming system you've got there. :thumbsup:

 

[bamaland101]

Great 2010-era gaming system you've got there. :thumbsup:

aint it it suits my needs and if i need a better cpu and gpu later on thats all ive gotta replace, the mobo is am3+ so i can go PD later on in 2013 as im planing and also probably grab 7950 around the same time and then i'd be set for years to come honestly.. for what i have now i dont see any reason why i need more power for the current games played and photoshop work i do.

I also just picked up a G.Skill Phoenix Pro 120gb SSD so that will speed things up since i probably won't even be able to fill that up (the 2x500gb hdd's are really just gonna end up being for show)

oh and the pump i just bought is a swiftech apogee drive basically its the apogee xt and the mcp350 put together. so ill be set there.. if only i had a dang rad..

after reading a review on the pump/block i can pull it apart and add a small spot of solder to turn it into a 18w mcp355

 

[chusteczka]

I understand and agree with the preference for AMD. I like supporting the underdog to maintain competition and the AMD processors are a good value for the cost.

Motherboard
I like your motherboard and assume it is the one listed here. An AM3+ motherboard does allow for future expansion to the AM3+ FX processors in a couple years when they are cheaper. Your choice for AM3+ and a video card provides greater potential than an FM1 A8 series APU, which is essentially a dead socket with no future upgrade potential.

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 (AM3+)


Processor
Your processor is questionable but it does have a better CPU Benchmark score than equivalently priced processors of newer sockets. Except the AMD FX-6100 is currently on sale at NewEgg for $105 with an CPU Benchmark better score of 5563 but it costs slightly more.

AMD Phenom II X6 1045T - Average CPU Mark 5007
AMD A8-3870 - Average CPU Mark 4734
AMD FX-4170 - Average CPU Mark 4664
AMD FX-6100 - Average CPU Mark 5563


Power Supply
That PSU is huge but necessary for the 250w - 375w requirements of the 4890.


SSD
I am glad to see you purchased an SSD.


Memory
The G.Skill memory is an excellent choice.
G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3-1600


Graphics Card
Now, here is the jaw-dropping important part that makes your build look old and crazy. The Radeon HD 4000 series graphics cards are legacy now. My recommendation for you is the 7750 for $100, low power usage, and more performance than a casual gamer needs. The 7750 is the perfect fit.

I modify simple 2D drawings, white background with black lines, in GIMP. The Radeon HD 5550 card felt slow so I recently upgraded to a 6750 and happily noticed the improvement. I do not game, so do not need more at this time.

This Sapphire HD 7750 is currently priced at $100 - a $10 MIR. That is a perfect price for the performance received. I guarantee you will be happy with this card and it uses less power than the previous generation cards. The decreased power usage will save on the electrical bill, making the cost very worth it. Seriously, this is the best bang for the buck graphics card available right now and it is perfect for casual gaming. If you were not gaming, I would agree your legacy choice is good enough but you also mention Photoshop work. Get the 7750 instead.

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card (11202-00-20G)


Combo Alternatives
Just for consideration, here are alternatives that you may already know about.
DIY PC Combos – Gaming

Quad-Core A8-3850/FM1 A75/8GB/120GB SSD SuperCombo - ($355 - $15 MIR)

AMD FX-4100 Quad-Core, GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AM3+ 970 Motherboard, Crucial 8GB Memory, RaidMax ATX Mid Tower Case w/600W PSU, SuperCombo - ($337 - $10 MIR)


By the way, today only, a NewEgg ShellShocker.
Diablotek Abyss CPA-8818-WT White Edition SECC / Plastic/ Metal Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $40 - $15 MIR


And to answer your question concerning the second HD4890, is the card you purchased 256 bit? If so, it may equal or even outperform the 7750, I am not certain. I honestly do not know enough about graphics cards to know what to tell you. Now that I see this card is 256 bit, I have more respect for your choice but am not certain which choice is better. If you can get two for less than $55 each, then it may be worth it.
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269-2GVXL Radeon HD 4890 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

EDIT: Now that I understand more of your video card, I think you need at least a 500w PSU, which you already have but I do think the 750w is too much.

EDIT2: If you are going to keep the 4890 video card, then yes, a second one would definitely help.

EDIT3: And the 4890 has DDR5 memory with a pricetag above $100. I see the absurdity of my thoughts. You definitely know more than I do in this area. Maybe you can check reviews for performance and power usage and compare the 4890 to the 7750.

EDIT4: Holy cow! 250w idle and 375 watts load power usage!!! Seriously? Then you definitely need the 750w PSU. It may be good to reconsider the 7750.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2908/asus_radeon_hd_4890_formula_graphics_card/index17.html

EDIT5: 4890 & 7750 comparison
http://www.hwcompare.com/11812/radeon-hd-4890-1gb-vs-radeon-hd-7750/

 

[bamaland101]

lol chusteczka..
you seemed to have missed the point in this thread, aside from the second hd4890, and a case. I've already purchased this stuff, the mobo,cpu,ram,psu,gpu is already here, im just waiting on the hdd's, the ssd, the dvdrw and my headphones at this point.

i was trying to get feedback on if a second hd4890 would help me out in the long run for now until my later upgrade(cpu & gpu) in Q2/3 of 2013.

yes the gpu's is power hungry, and produces some more heat but at this point it's not going to be a problem as the psu is more than efficient to run 2 of these hd4890's

yes the gpu has 256-bit and 1GB DDR5, i only paid $50 for it and will only be paying another $50 when i buy the second card after i sell some stuff(hopefully its my laptop and antec kuhler 620)

i'm no longer needing a case as i've already decided to go custom, im inserting everything into a kitchen cabinet that i'm currently hacking up and gonna attach it to my desk to extend my keyboard/mouse room and so forth..

I'll be posting pics later on in a build thread to get things started off, but I've got a 1 month wait on a custom Spotwood mobo tray that's gonna get inserted in the cabinet, although ive already did some small hacking to it that will allow me to temporarily mount everything in it until said mobo tray is available.

all i need now is either some single rads or 2 240mm rads aside from the second gpu.

as far as the gpu's from what bench's i've seen and read, 2x hd4890's in crossfire are on par or right below a 6890 except they run hotter.. which won't be a problem once they go on water.

 

[chusteczka]

Yes, I realize you purchased all the parts except for the second graphics card already but none of it made sense to me. The pieces did not go together. So I decided to look into your parts and determine alternatives that I would select, thinking the video card was old and small and safe to ignore.

Then I looked into the video card and all my assumptions were turned upside down. Sorry for that, I tried. I put a good 1.5 hours into researching your selections and I think you have done a really good job of selecting based on performance/cost. I would reconsider that AM3 processor but it works.

You downplayed your gaming and Photoshop requirements, giving the impression of casual use. If you had stated the high level graphics requirements then I may not have interfered or taken a different direction.

Now that I look at your system with graphics requirements above my experience, I better understand your choices and think you chose really well.

The power requirements of one of those 4890 cards is crazy, two of them together would be insane.

EDIT:
s/AM2/AM3/

 

[bamaland101]

well given most crossfire setup are only run a 16x and the other at 4x the power is cut down a 1/4 of what it usually is. (75w for the extra card)

im not at all dissatisfied with choice of cpu as its one of amd's best proc out IMO the BD chips aren't that satisfying at all, Plus in Q2 or Q3 I'll be looking at PD or Trinity to upgrade to and i won't even have to change my mobo or ram(tho i'll be adding another 8gb kit when i do)

sorry it took ya so long to look everything up man, but you can g2h with that intel comment lol i'll never switch!!

and the mobo is AM3/AM3+ BTW.