New Gaming AMD FX BEAST Rig Awesomness

[mikevs]

So I picked up the computer a couple of hours ago and its freaking amazing.

It plays all of my games on max settings flawlessly and the computer in general is super fast compared to my old Q6600. Boot up time is also way faster than my old rig.

I am still getting used to windows 8 though but its not bad.

This made my day. Hoping that it runs awesome for years to come.

 

[Jacky60]

If you're happy with what you go that's what counts congratulations!

 

[Makaveli]

Building a new PC without an SSD today at least for the OS would be like going back to the dark ages for me. I had the misfortune to stay at a friend's recently and even trying to use FB or send emails on his PC with just a disk drive felt like a Buddhist patience exercise -it was incredibly frustrating. If you seriously aren't going to get an SSD which for me three years ago was my biggest most positively transformative PC upgrade ever you probably need to try a PC that has one. It really is a total no-brainer, a 50-60GB costs very little these days.
The same rationale would work perfectly for gaming in black and white vs colour on a 14 inch CRT monitor rather than a 24inch LCD. Only a total moron would dismiss the benefits and ease/pleasure of use everyday not to mention the huge time saving of having an SSD. I'm not calling anyone a moron just saying that any PC newly built today to be used for anything at all would benefit hugely from the OS on an SSD.

lol but what do you mean the 14 crt has no input lag CRT FTW!!!!
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For those of you with broken sarcasm meters i'm joking.

 

[Lil Frier]

The same rationale would work perfectly for gaming in black and white vs colour on a 14 inch CRT monitor rather than a 24inch LCD. Only a total moron would dismiss the benefits and ease/pleasure of use everyday not to mention the huge time saving of having an SSD. I'm not calling anyone a moron just saying that any PC newly built today to be used for anything at all would benefit hugely from the OS on an SSD.

Oh, I completely agree. I'm not dismissing the benefits whatsoever, only saying that if you haven't experienced it, you're less likely to feel a need to get it. So far, I've used my PC lightly, with it being almost solely for schoolwork (mostly in Word and Paint), watching TV shows, and browsing the web. On top of that, I rarely have a reason to restart my PC, as its restarts from updates are handled automatically overnight.

I use light programs, so the need isn't AS GREAT for me to get a hold of a SSD. I fully plan to get one at some point, it's just that I haven't felt like my computer is too slow right now. I know that once I get a SSD (which might be after Christmas, we'll see), I'll have a harder time coping with "only" a 7200-RPM HDD in another computer (such as using a friend or relative's computer).

All my statement was trying to get across is that if he is OK with tolerating load times that are longer and other detriments involved with using a non-SSD setup, then waiting for one that he REALLY wants (though I'd say waiting for 500 GB of SSD storage to hit $80 is unrealistic), then it's not really a bad thing, on a personal level.

Again, I agree that if you're building a new gaming PC nowadays (or anything beyond a light-use, budget PC), going for a SSD is a borderline must. For him, if he doesn't care about it right now, then I guess that's on him. Personally, if I was to build a desktop from scratch, I'd 100% get a SSD in there. However, my actions right now are going to be incremental upgrades (did case and RAM already, GPU and PSU are about to happen, and CPU/board shoudl come at or right after Christmas), and I am OK with using my WD Black as my primary drive for a few more months.

 

[996GT2]

I'll put it this way. If I had to choose between swapping my 4.8 GHz Core i7 for a Core i3, or swapping my SSD for a hard drive, I'd give up my i7 in a heartbeat.

 

[krumme]

So after my last gaming (Q6600) computer died after nearly 8 years of use I was out of gaming for months as I did not have the funds at the time to build a new computer. But that has changed as my parents have purchased me a new custom gaming rig that I will be picking up at Micro Center on Wednesday for my Christmas/Birthday present as my birthday is close to Christmas . I purchased a bunch of parts and had them build the computer for me on Sunday.

Here is the specs.

CPU: AMD FX 8350 8 Core

Motherboard: ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800)

Hardrive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 Superclocked w/ACX Cooler 2048MB GDDR5

PSU: Cosair CX Series CX750M 750 Watt ATX Modular Power Supply

Case: Cosair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower ATX Gaming Computer Case

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper N520

Optical Drive: Lite-ON 24X SATA DVD Burner

Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit System Builders

I am extremely excited to pick it up I will keep you guys posted after I get everything set up.

I was only allocated a certain amount so I could not add more ram or get a better video card. But I am satisfied with the build so far. I can always add more RAM in the future. Also, I dont plan on getting an SSD until I can find one with over 500gb for under $80 which will be ways off. I might upgrade my Hard Drive to a Hybrid drive in the future as well but this Seagate will be fine for now.

Congrats dude! Thats a great present!

I would have chosen completely different.
But the experience will probably be more or less the same. Lol.
Frag on.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I'll put it this way. If I had to choose between swapping my 4.8 GHz Core i7 for a Core i3, or swapping my SSD for a hard drive, I'd give up my i7 in a heartbeat.

And for what it is worth, I'm probably of the opposite position.

I like my current SSD's in RAID0, and I liked my previous system's single SSD. But I think, depending on how the computer is used, an SSD can be a little over-hyped in technology forums.

I work for a healthcare company, we encrypt some of our harddrives. I have to say that SSD's really shine during a lot of IO work or handling numerous large file transfers at once (especially when I'm copying up and down from a given machine at once), and during encryption while working with an SSD makes a non-SSD computer look like it is built on technology that must be at least a decade older. The performance difference is night and day for me in those cases. But when I get home and I'm more interested in just general browsing, watching Netflix, or even gaming, I don't feel they are as necessary.

With all of that being said, with the current price of 120GB SSD's I would probably find a way to fit it in my budget if I were building/buying a new machine. But adding one later simply means reinstalling your OS and sticking it in the case, not overly difficult work if the budget simply doesn't allow for it now.

 

[Madpacket]

Nice choice of components for a new system. When you get a spare 100 bucks please buy yourself a 128GB SSD, use the 1TB for bulk storage.

 

[venkman]

Oh, I completely agree. I'm not dismissing the benefits whatsoever, only saying that if you haven't experienced it, you're less likely to feel a need to get it. So far, I've used my PC lightly, with it being almost solely for schoolwork (mostly in Word and Paint), watching TV shows, and browsing the web. On top of that, I rarely have a reason to restart my PC, as its restarts from updates are handled automatically overnight.

I use light programs, so the need isn't AS GREAT for me to get a hold of a SSD. I fully plan to get one at some point, it's just that I haven't felt like my computer is too slow right now. I know that once I get a SSD (which might be after Christmas, we'll see), I'll have a harder time coping with "only" a 7200-RPM HDD in another computer (such as using a friend or relative's computer).

All my statement was trying to get across is that if he is OK with tolerating load times that are longer and other detriments involved with using a non-SSD setup, then waiting for one that he REALLY wants (though I'd say waiting for 500 GB of SSD storage to hit $80 is unrealistic), then it's not really a bad thing, on a personal level.

Again, I agree that if you're building a new gaming PC nowadays (or anything beyond a light-use, budget PC), going for a SSD is a borderline must. For him, if he doesn't care about it right now, then I guess that's on him. Personally, if I was to build a desktop from scratch, I'd 100% get a SSD in there. However, my actions right now are going to be incremental upgrades (did case and RAM already, GPU and PSU are about to happen, and CPU/board shoudl come at or right after Christmas), and I am OK with using my WD Black as my primary drive for a few more months.

I might agree with your logic a few years back when all you could get is a 64gb SSD for $200, but not in todays market where even a 128gb SSD can easily be found under $100 and a 256gb for under $150. There is so much of a boost of going with SDD + HDD Dump Drive and for so cheap that you don't really need to sacrifice much of anything to get an SSD.

 

[Lil Frier]

I might agree with your logic a few years back when all you could get is a 64gb SSD for $200, but not in todays market where even a 128gb SSD can easily be found under $100 and a 256gb for under $150. There is so much of a boost of going with SDD + HDD Dump Drive and for so cheap that you don't really need to sacrifice much of anything to get an SSD.

Well, like I said, I agree for new builds. For myself, who is doing an incremental upgrade, FPS drops bother me more than loading screens.

 

[erunion]

Well, like I said, I agree for new builds. For myself, who is doing an incremental upgrade, FPS drops bother me more than loading screens.

HDD cause stuttering, worse than a fps dip. If a game needs data that hasn't been pre-fetched the hdd has a long seek time while ssd doesn't.

If you think load times are the only benefit you're mistaken.

 

[AtenRa]

HDD cause stuttering, worse than a fps dip. If a game needs data that hasn't been pre-fetched the hdd has a long seek time while ssd doesn't.

If you think load times are the only benefit you're mistaken.

Thats why you buy more than 4GB of system ram and more than 1GB Video ram

 

[mikevs]

I have noticed this just of now. Every time I boot up my computer, the boot device LED is solid red and then disappears once windows loads. My CPU fans are fine and everything runs normally, is this normal for the boot device led to be solid red upon startup and to disappear within 2-5 or seconds? I have no issues as of yet and eveything seems to run normally but I just want to make sure.

 

[erunion]

Thats why you buy more than 4GB of system ram and more than 1GB Video ram

But you can't fit your entire game in RAM. If you could easily and cheaply fit your entire drive on a RAMdrive, more people would.

You've stumbled unto a nugget of truth but failed to see the full implications: faster storage is better than slower storage.

Fast storage is more expensive than cheap storage so its prohibitive to put all your data on SSD, that's why people supplement with cheap HDDs.

Its somewhat common to hear people suggest that since they can't have 100% of their storage be solid state, they'd rather have no fast storage at all. Which is bass ackwards.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I don't think anyone is arguing against SSD's. Just that I, personally, wouldn't downgrade form an i7 to an i3 for one. Or if my budget was really tight I'd go for a lot of storage now and get a good SSD that I can afford as prices drop later.

That being said, I really, really like that my computer at work and my machine at home both have 16GB of memory and SSD's.

 

[Nate_007]

Guys, it's already built apparently, and it's a good build.

OP, DO NOT BUY A HYBRID DRIVE. It's a huge waste of bucks for a desktop.

Just get a 128G or larger SSD for your OS + main games. Map everything else (docs/music/yadda yadda) to your 1TB when you do get that SSD. Decent SSDs are 500+MB/sec across the whole drive, hybrids have smallish mediocre SSD cache on a regular drive, and distinctly underperform legit SSDs.

Congrats OP for the new rig! ...this guy speaks truth. This is the ideal setup (or what I thought is the standard practice). No need for 500GB ssd unless you plan to use it on a laptop. But for just gaming purposes, 120GB SSD dedicated for OS + HDD for data and games is the way to go.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I'll put it this way. If I had to choose between swapping my 4.8 GHz Core i7 for a Core i3, or swapping my SSD for a hard drive, I'd give up my i7 in a heartbeat.

Quick question for everyone. Would you rather have a Core i7 and a GTX 770 with a regular HDD, or have the fastest SSD available, but end up with a slow APU from AMD.

Just curious on what is valued more as it seems many here would have the OP compromise something as important as the video card (and gaming performance) just for the SSD.

That said, the op has a solid build and he can always throw in an SSD later as that won't impact gaming nearly as much as the video card.

 

[AtenRa]

Quick question for everyone. Would you rather have a Core i7 and a GTX 770 with a regular HDD, or have the fastest SSD available, but end up with a slow APU from AMD.

Just curious on what is valued more as it seems many here would have the OP compromise something as important as the video card (and gaming performance) just for the SSD.

That said, the op has a solid build and he can always throw in an SSD later as that won't impact gaming nearly as much as the video card.

The SSD is nice as long as you dont compromise your Gaming performance. That said, if you are budget limited you first get the CPU and GPU of choice and the last thing to consider is if you could fill in an SSD in that system.

 

[TeknoBug]

HDD cause stuttering, worse than a fps dip. If a game needs data that hasn't been pre-fetched the hdd has a long seek time while ssd doesn't.

If you think load times are the only benefit you're mistaken.

Yup, if you set texture quality to ultra in some games, the HDD will be chugging A LOT, a SSD reduces stutters caused by the texture loading on a chugging HDD.

 

[JimKiler]

Quick question for everyone. Would you rather have a Core i7 and a GTX 770 with a regular HDD, or have the fastest SSD available, but end up with a slow APU from AMD.

Just curious on what is valued more as it seems many here would have the OP compromise something as important as the video card (and gaming performance) just for the SSD.

That said, the op has a solid build and he can always throw in an SSD later as that won't impact gaming nearly as much as the video card.

As much as I would not want a slow APU i would go with the SSD option. The difference is akin to waiting to heat something in the oven versus using a microwave.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Quick question for everyone. Would you rather have a Core i7 and a GTX 770 with a regular HDD, or have the fastest SSD available, but end up with a slow APU from AMD.

Just curious on what is valued more as it seems many here would have the OP compromise something as important as the video card (and gaming performance) just for the SSD.

That said, the op has a solid build and he can always throw in an SSD later as that won't impact gaming nearly as much as the video card.

I'd take the i7 / GTX770 / spindle HDD option. A GTX770 is just too much of a performance jump over an APU for me.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I'd take the i7 / GTX770 / spindle HDD option. A GTX770 is just too much of a performance jump over an APU for me.

Yea, if the theoretical question is GTX770/HDD vs SSD and gaming on the igp of an APU, it is not even close. Discrete card all the way. If you are talking cheaper cpu vs faster cpu with the same video card, it becomes a bit murkier and would depend somewhat on the game.

Honestly, I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I have an i5 with a HDD, and it does not feel slow in the slightest to me. I suppose that could be because I started using computers in the 90s, when even opening office apps took measurable time. I also dont open and close a lot of apps or do intensive file transfers except for installing and loading games.

Actually, I think a SSD would benefit my personal taste more by eliminating hard drive noise, which is kind of annoying since the computer sits on a desk right by my ear.

 

[Jacky60]

I think this is a silly comparison for a gaming machine so the 770 and turgid spindle drive BUT there really is no need for such a compromise. Just having the OS plus a free 20/30GB on an SSD makes a colossal difference. All other components have got faster and plenty of video and system ram help but in today's gaming PC the spindle HD (assuming you have a decent CPU e.g. 2500K upwards, 1600mhz ram, 2GB plus graphics memory and 7970/680 sort of performance) is by far and away the weakest link. All other components have regularly doubled or more in performance or thereabouts with Moore's Law but old disk drives really haven't kept pace. The reason why is because everyone and their dog (excepting certain luddites who can't see the wood for the trees) understands that for fast everyday use and quick game loads a 128 or even a 60GB SSD with the OS and page file on there makes the world of a difference. Manufacturers realised this ages ago that's why SSDs are so affordable right now. That said if you're playing children's console ports and you have plenty of time to wonder about the infinite future possibilities that all your vacant free time affords you then why not stare at your screen for 20/30 minutes a day waiting for stuff to load.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I have noticed this just of now. Every time I boot up my computer, the boot device LED is solid red and then disappears once windows loads. My CPU fans are fine and everything runs normally, is this normal for the boot device led to be solid red upon startup and to disappear within 2-5 or seconds? I have no issues as of yet and eveything seems to run normally but I just want to make sure.

Nobody is listening to you anymore OP.... lol.

Yes, I believe it's the hard drive indicator light. It should show activity fairly often not just during startup though.

 

[TeknoBug]

Actually, I think a SSD would benefit my personal taste more by eliminating hard drive noise, which is kind of annoying since the computer sits on a desk right by my ear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2d28IlaXjc