Advice needed - new AMD build

[euskalzabe]

So my PC is getting old and I'm thinking of renewing. Both my mobo and PSU have been acting up for a while and since I'm still on a Sandy bridge, seems like I could buy something newer, while trying to not spend more than $500. I currently have:

i5 2500
GTX 770
Asrock mobo
8gb GSKILL Ripjaws DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
A corsair PSU

I'm thinking of switching to an AMD CPU for a change, since I don't overclock at all and simply game at 1080p. My idea was:

FX 8320
Keep the GTX770 of course
Keep the 8gb GSKILL Ripjaws
Get a new Corsair PSU around 600W, probably CX series
No idea what mobo I should get, I guess nothing more expensive than 100. No need for crossfire as I only use 1 GPU.

Would this be a good combo for single monitor 1080p gaming? Any suggestions as to the CPU and mobo? It's been so many years since I got AMD hardware I barely follow their current lineup.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Dangman]

Unless your Intel system is really dead, that AMD system is a side-grade at best.

In fact, there's really not much of justifiable upgrade over your current setup. If you haven't already, add a SSD to your system for the OS drive. Also, try to narrow down the motherboard issue and see if it's still under warranty.

If you still want to upgrade the CPU and mobo, let us know.

Also, what Corsair PSU do you have now?

 

[euskalzabe]

I already have an SSD for my main system, so that part is covered. My PSU is a Corsair 850TX which is quite old, so that might be the problem (my pc has been known to sporadically reset every now and then, and today it just won't boot - turns on with no power to keyboard, mouse and display).

I was thinking get a new PSU first, like a Corsair CX600 or so. If that doesn't solve it, get a new mobo, which would imply a new CPU, thus the change to AMD 8 core (to be more in sync with next gen consoles, Digital Foundry asked around and devs seemed to agree with this).

Opinions?

 

[Dangman]

I already have an SSD for my main system, so that part is covered. My PSU is a Corsair 850TX which is quite old, so that might be the problem (my pc has been known to sporadically reset every now and then, and today it just won't boot - turns on with no power to keyboard, mouse and display).

I was thinking get a new PSU first, like a Corsair CX600 or so. If that doesn't solve it, get a new mobo, which would imply a new CPU, thus the change to AMD 8 core (to be more in sync with next gen consoles, Digital Foundry asked around and devs seemed to agree with this).

Opinions?

Bad plan all around for a few reasons:
1) The CX600 PSU isn't a good buy since this higher quality XFX PSU is cheaper:
$61 - XFX TS Series XFX TS 550W PSU

2) It is still not quite clear whether or not Mantle or the other more direct-access APIs found in DX12 will actually be widely adopted. Nor have you mentioned planning on playing the few games that are confirmed so far to be Mantle capable. In addition, it also takes additional time to implement Mantle so some AAA games may not even get it.

3) It is very hard to code a game to take advantage of multiple cores. Otherwise, the majority of games out now would have shown better performance with core counts larger than 4.

So basically, in order for the FX-8320 to be a justifiable purchase over your current i5 2500 from a performance standpoint, one of two things need to happen:
1) The games you're planning right now to play is Mantle capable
2) The games you're planning right now to play is heavily multi-threaded

 

[euskalzabe]

I'll check that XFX, thanks. However, what does Mantle have to do with any of this? My GPU is a gTX770, not AMD, so having an AMD FX CPU without an IGP makes no difference in regards to Mantle. You need a GCN GPU to use Mantle, and besides, PS4/XB1 games don't use mantle, so I'm at a loss with your statement's logic. Also, multiple developers have spoken for getting AMD multi core setups that are similar to current gen consoles PS4/XB1: I'm trying to future proof here, and those games are multithreaded as much as possible to take advantage of those 8 cores, so it stands to reason - again as devs argue - that I'll benefit equally from having 8 cores in a desktop. Even Crysis 3 runs better on an AMD octal-core than an quad core i7.

 

[Dangman]

I'll check that XFX, thanks. However, what does Mantle have to do with any of this? My GPU is a gTX770, not AMD, so having an AMD FX CPU without an IGP makes no difference in regards to Mantle. You need a GCN GPU to use Mantle, and besides, PS4/XB1 games don't use mantle, so I'm at a loss with your statement's logic. Also, multiple developers have spoken for getting AMD multi core setups that are similar to current gen consoles PS4/XB1: I'm trying to future proof here, and those games are multithreaded as much as possible to take advantage of those 8 cores, so it stands to reason - again as devs argue - that I'll benefit equally from having 8 cores in a desktop. Even Crysis 3 runs better on an AMD octal-core than an quad core i7.

I brought up Mantle because its a technology that allows AMD FX CPUS to be worthwhile competition to Intel for gaming. By decreasing the reliance on the CPU like the majority of high-end games are, it allows AMD FX CPUs to perform as well if not better than their Intel counterparts. However if you can't take advantage of Mantle, then you're going to be reliant on the CPU a lot more.

Even if games were multithreaded, AMD's IPC is so far behind Intel that in BF4 multiplayer, the Core i3 was still able to match the 8 core FX 8350. Games will still generally be IPC and clock speed dependent due to the nature of PC gaming programming.

Now of those developers who recommended AMD, who were they? Where they being funded by AMD? Are those developers actually making the games that you yourself will play?

 

[ob1]

My opinion would be that you will spend a few hundred dollars and have a system that is either slower or barely the same speed for gaming. If there is a problem, get a new motherboard for your i5 and a new power supply and go from there. No reason to step back or sideways. Just my $0.02.

 

[euskalzabe]

Sorry, double post, read next...

 

[euskalzabe]

My opinion would be that you will spend a few hundred dollars and have a system that is either slower or barely the same speed for gaming. If there is a problem, get a new motherboard for your i5 and a new power supply and go from there. No reason to step back or sideways. Just my $0.02.

That's what I'm tempted to do... but is it even worth it to get a Sandy bridge motherboard at this point? I agree that the AMD system is not better, I just don't want to spend a bunch of money now that, as the previous poster said, there's not really much reason to upgrade my setup as it works perfectly fine. I've had this ASRock H61M-VS for the past 3 years and it's worked well... Should I get another ASRock like this for 50 bucks and a new PSU, call it a day?

Now even after unplugging the GPU it won't boot, so either the 7 year old PSU is busted finally or it's some capacitor in the motherboard. Maybe I'll get a new PSU first and if that doesn't solve it it'll certainly be the mobo, then I can get a new one.

Any advice before I go ahead and purchase those 2 parts? Seems like the most economically logical solution.

 

[Dangman]

That's what I'm tempted to do... but is it even worth it to get a Sandy bridge motherboard at this point? I agree that the AMD system is not better, I just don't want to spend a bunch of money now that, as the previous poster said, there's not really much reason to upgrade my setup as it works perfectly fine. I've had this ASRock H61M-VS for the past 3 years and it's worked well... Should I get another ASRock like this for 50 bucks and a new PSU, call it a day?

No. I would go with this more reputable motherboard instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130659&ignorebbr=1

 

[euskalzabe]

Looks great, thank you! I'm waiting for the PSU to arrive, if that doesn't fix it and it's indeed a mobo issue, I'll probably purchase that MSI. I will update the thread when there's more news!