Phenom II system questions

[jesh462]

MOD EDIT: Looks like you created two threads on the same subject because the first one didn't show up. I fixed the problem and merged them. For clarity you may want to edit the two and condense them into one post. - Zap
Thanks Zap.

 

[jesh462]

1. Games - in particular, Guildwars II which is still unreleased. Other titles I want to play smoothly are the assassin's creed and bioshock series and morrowind with the graphics extender. No FPSs so I really don't care about fps in Crysis, BC2, etc.

2.
CPU: 100 (150ish max)
MB: below 90
Case: Below 100
Memory: Below 70
Video: Below 160
HSF: Below 50


3. USA, USD

4. AMD-Fanboy but will consider nvidia, for MB, ASUS or Gigabit, MSI

5. Will be using current monitor, PS, HD, mouse, kb, headphones, sound card

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yep.

7. Medium OCing but not out to drain every last mhz, I want longevity.

8. 1280x1024, AA

9. This month/jan


Basically for the video card, I'm not sure what I want. I am trying to decide between spending 80ish now and upgrading when the game comes out to make sure I can run it on high settings smooth, or spending more money now and not touching it for years.
I'm considering a HD5570 1gb, a 512mb HD5670 or a GT 430 for the low budget option.
The main cards I was considering were the HD5850 and the GT 460.
If they don't seem powerful enough, I was thinking of going with the HD 6850 or a GT 465.
I'll be honest, the thing I'm least sure about is the video card.

For the CPU, I've been looking at the pII955BE, but really I would like a BE processor for cheaper. For this reason I've also been looking at the pII 555/560/565 and unlocking the cores. I'd use a motherboard capable of this either way. What do you all think about the performance of a system based on a dual/tri core pII? I'm worried I won't get 4 cores, and how the system will perform under gaming loads. I'd like opinions on this.
Which of the pIIs overclocks the best? I haven't seen anything about stepping or anything as I've searched the forums. It's been a while.

I also have no idea what is out there for coolers. I'm looking for something as loud as stock but preferably quieter and definitely more efficient. I do want to overclock, but as written above I'm not going to be pushing this system to the limits.

I haven't been able to find a single pII board without some negative aspect to it. There doesn't seem to be a default go-to board. So far, I'm leaning towards this board. I'd prefer to stick with ASUS or Gigabit, MSI would be ok too. I've also read some crazy nonsense about ASUS being the same company as ASROCK. Lord please tell me this isn't true.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

I need something both small and light for my case. I'm going to be moving around my computer a lot. For this reason I would like to stick with aluminum. So far, this is the best I've found for my needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
I also really love these cases below, but I'm concerned about the size. I wish there was some data on newegg's site about how much they weigh.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147047
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811108236

I'd like to run pc1600 ram. I don't want to spend much. This is what I've got. lol
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

Thanks for reading everyone and happy holidays to you.

 

[BoomerD]

Any particular reason you prefer the Phenom II?

I know it's a bit more than your ideal budget, but the i5-760 kicks the PII's ass in most applications.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=191

Plus, in just 3 weeks, Intel is going to release the Sandy Bridge processors. The increase in performance will be pretty impressive.

http://www.anandtech.com/Show/Index...=the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row

 

[titan131]

FYI the HD5850 is more powerful than the 6850, weird I know. The 465 is not such a great card, I would choose the 460 1gb over it.

 

[titan131]

If it were me I would get the 955 BE and a 460 gtx. That LIAN LI PC-A05NA u linked looks great but I hear it has pretty poor GPU cooling because of the way it is set up i.e. no air flow at the top of the case, which is where the GPU sits. But it is very small and light.

At 1280x1024 resolution a 460 gtx will last forever, tbh I think its probably overkill but having said that its a great bang or buck card. I think tho that I would go for the 768mb version instead of the 1gb at your res.

The Rosewill ARMOR Gaming case you linked weighs 18.96 lbs according to newegg. The other two don't say their weight, but i'm sure the lian li case is by far the lightest. I would probs buy a better motherboard for overclocking but I don't know much about amd motherboards, I know the 880g boards are the latest chipset. I would probably get one of those instead of a 760g.

 

[DominionSeraph]

What model/wattage is your PSU? If it isn't very good you'll have to budget for a new one.

Other than that, just come back when you're ready to put together a system. What we can do at any given time is greatly influenced by combos, rebates, and promos, which can change daily.

And just give us your total budget. Don't try to micromanage genius.

 

[mfenn]

And just give us your total budget. Don't try to micromanage genius.

:hmm::thumbsup: Also OP, could you care less, or couldn't you care less? :awe:

I get a total budget of $620 for CPU, mobo, RAM, GPU, case, and HSF. Here's a build:
Phenom II x4 955 BE + ASUS M4A88T-M combo $210
G.Skill DDR3 1333 4GB $42 - spending money on DDR3 1600 when you have an unlocked multi is just dumb
6870 $200 AR - Faster than a GTX 460, sips power
http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...m_re=antec_two_hundred-_-11-129-084-_-ProductAntec Mini P180 $65 AR - white color sucks, but has a ton of room for a nice GPU if you take out one of the HDD cages. Also has really good cooling
Hyper 212+ $30
Total: $547 AR, plenty of room for a PSU upgrade if necessary

Oh and yes, ASRock was spun off from ASUS.

 

[jesh462]

Thanks guys. I want to go with AMD just because I figure they need the help. Someone has to buy their processors to keep the competition going.

Total budget let's just say 600. I have an enermax 500w PS currently and since I want to stick to a single card solution, single HD etc, then it'll probably be enough right?

I'm aware about SB coming out soon. That's why I feel bad about getting a system now, but I have to. I haven't had a computer for almost six months and I'm just dying here. I'm buying the parts over the next two weeks so if there's a great deal now I'd love to know. There's a microcenter about 80mi away but I'm thinking of making the trip. I could get one of the combos with the 955be. Which of those motherboards would be the best to go with it?
I know the 880 has hardware virtualization, but I don't know what good it would do me. I also saw that it has a higher HT speed, but again, I'm not really taxing the HT. Are there other advantages to the 870/880/890 boards? Difference in gaming speed?

I'd like a vid card that supports dx11 since I won't be upgrading for a while. I was thinking of also getting an nvidia card just for physX - in this case, I suppose a gt460. I was looking at other threads on this card and apparently some models OC very well. (I know there are hacks around implementing physX on AMD hardware with a low end geforce etc but honestly I'd rather spend that 40 bucks on booze.)
What do you guys think about getting an AMD vid card even though they don't support physX?
I'd also like a card with better cooling/lower db than stock. It's worth the 10-30 dollar increase if I can OC the card enough.
What about the gt470? They're down to 220 on newegg.

Also the case posted is a lot heavier than even some steel ones. It isn't just the size I'm concerned about. I'll take a dremel to the lian li if need be for the vid card but I haven't seen any other cases that suit my needs. If there's something better for not too much more then please let me know.

mfenn good call on the ram, I don't know what I was thinking.
I'd need to upgrade my PS to use that video card though.

 

[Davidh373]

Thanks guys. I want to go with AMD just because I figure they need the help. Someone has to buy their processors to keep the competition going.

umm... no. They are actually still quite popular. The 6 cores are what get purchased. I mostly recommend them over intel for anyone using their computer for video. It has better encoding performance and is normally inexpensive enough to allow a lot of hard drives and an SSD into the budget. The Phenom II quads are priced ineffectively in the market right now, which is why a lot of people in here are likely to facepalm at your choice...

EDIT: I also frequently recommend the Athlon II X4 for low end gaming.

Phenom II x4 955 BE + ASUS M4A88T-M combo $210

mfenn found you an epic combo there.

I know the 880 has hardware virtualization, but I don't know what good it would do me. I also saw that it has a higher HT speed, but again, I'm not really taxing the HT. Are there other advantages to the 870/880/890 boards? Difference in gaming speed?

I'm assuming you are talking about i7s here? Anyways, i7s are a waste of money if all you are planning on doing is gaming. Then you go into talking about boards...? umm... I think you're confused...

1. AMD has a feature called turbo core. turbo core boosts the clock speed of a certain amount of cores on the CPU when tasks call for it. You will almost certainly use this gaming.

2. HT = Hyperthreading. It is Intel and is exclusive to i7 8xx and 9xx processors. AMD does not have any feature called HT on their boards.

3. Intel's version of Turbo Core is called Turbo Boost. It does the same thing as Turbo Core.

4. Hardware virtualization?... I think you're referring to Graphics assisted rendering maybe?... dunno. Anyways, you'll only use this if you use specific video encoding apps. Hardware virtualization is for if you want to use a virtual machine and run multiple OSs at once, and since you didn't mention anything of the sort this will not apply to you.

I'd like a vid card that supports dx11 since I won't be upgrading for a while. I was thinking of also getting an nvidia card just for physX - in this case, I suppose a gt460. I was looking at other threads on this card and apparently some models OC very well. (I know there are hacks around implementing physX on AMD hardware with a low end geforce etc but honestly I'd rather spend that 40 bucks on booze.)
What do you guys think about getting an AMD vid card even though they don't support physX?

I'd also like a card with better cooling/lower db than stock. It's worth the 10-30 dollar increase if I can OC the card enough.
What about the gt470? They're down to 220 on newegg.

PhysX isn't for you. To get a dedicated 460 for PhysX would be stupid. AMD cards actually do have hardware physics, it's just not called PhysX. I would get a 6870 over a 470 any day of the week. If you are thinking about a 470, get a 570.

Also the case posted is a lot heavier than even some steel ones. It isn't just the size I'm concerned about. I'll take a dremel to the lian li if need be for the vid card but I haven't seen any other cases that suit my needs. If there's something better for not too much more then please let me know.

Why would you need a "light" case? It's just going to sit there after it's built right? Why do you need to move it around a lot?

I'd need to upgrade my PS to use that video card though.

If you're going to need a new PSU, look to Seasonic or Antec once you get your vid card choice figured out.

 

[mfenn]

Since you have a Microcenter nearby, I would probably get the 965 + Biostar 785G bundle. The onboard graphics don't really matter in your case, but the 760G is a little too old.

As for the PSU, the 6870 and GTX 460 actually have the same TDP (~150W). I would say that you would be fine with a 500W Enermax, as long as it is fairly recent.

 

[jesh462]

I'm in the marines so I will be moving a lot. Seeing how it cost me 118 dollars to send my last computer to my current location, using a high quality steel case with lots of heavy components is no longer an option for me.
The feature I'm talking about is called IOMMU ( Input-Output Memory Management Unit ).

As for microcenter.. I'm only near one while I'm here on vacation, and there's an f*ing blizzard coming in now, so that option is now gone. Oh well.

The enermax isn't all that recent. I would say about 7 years old? It's not a gold 80+ p.s. or anything, but for the time it was great. Nice amperage on the 12v rail and accurate readings. I'm not on base right now so I can't give exact ratings on it, but yeah. Maybe I will need a new p.s. then?

edit: What I meant is that AMD hardware can't do hardware physX, they do havok. I haven't seen that many games that use havok.
edit2: After some research, it seems there are a LOT more titles that support havok than physX. Hmm.

What are you guys feeling on video card options?

 

[mfenn]

Hardware PhysX is only supported on Nvidia cards, but to me it is a complete non-feature. As you said, most games use Havok anyway.

You'll probably want to replace your PSU if it is 7 years old. Luckily for you, the 6870 doesn't use very much power. Just take my original build (you may have to swap brands on the GPU to get a good deal) and add this Antec 550W unit to it.

 

[Davidh373]

You'll probably want to replace your PSU if it is 7 years old. Luckily for you, the 6870 doesn't use very much power. Just take my original build (you may have to swap brands on the GPU to get a good deal) and add this Antec 550W unit to it.

Thumbs up!