I have components selected...best deal? Help me do better!

S

stop!theradio

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
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Here's the deal. I've got a cart at Newegg right now with the following items:

Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133094

Power Supply:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146740

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130264

It comes out to $400 and ninety-something cents, shipped to where I live (In California). I will be reusing 2 SATA HDD's as well as two PATA HDD's. I will be reusing my 9800GT (PCIe 2.0, 550mhz, 1gb). I have a 23" Acer monitor 1920x1080 (with HDMI, DVI and VGA) and will be using that as well. I also have mouse/keyboard and all that.

What I'm asking is this: is that the best deal I can get for the components I've chosen? Or can you build something better with the exact same budget? $401 is the limit and I plan to order on the 15th. I don't prefer Intel over AMD. I will settle for the best I can get at the price I've set. SLI or Crossfire support is important to me because I plan to utilize either of those in the near future. Optical output is important to me. Pretty much - the features of the linked motherboard are what I'm looking for in a motherboard - but HDMI/DVI is NOT a must for me at all.

I do light gaming (Far Cry 2, Oblivion, MW2, etc) and use Photoshop CS4 daily, and Premier occasionally. I watch HD video. I browse the web obviously lol).

Take those components I've chosen and turn them into something better or, if you can, simply cheaper. I will order on the 15th of this month (september)

And lastly, thank you SO much in advance! I appreciate everyones input :)
 
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I was totally looking at that EVGA P55V motherboard, but found out it had no overclocking support :( Although - if I get that motherboard/RAM combo, I can switch to an i3-540 (from the i3-530) and still be under $400 - in which case I wouldn't need to overclock it anymore. (I like to be at at least 3.0ghz, so overclocking is really only important to me if I get a processor under that.

Ooooohh dammit, I don't know what to do at the moment. Luckily I have until next wednesday to decide. Thanks a lot for your input so far, it's definitely helping me see things from a few different perspectives.
 
Yeah that setup is not that good for the money at all mainly due to the CPU and shitty PSU. For your needs, you're better off with a quad-core CPU.

$100 - AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU
$140 - Asus + M4A785TD-V EVO 785G mATX Motherboard + G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM Combo
$110 - Antec Neo Eco 520C 620W PSU + Antec 300 ATX Case
---
Total: $385 shipped with CA tax included.

You now get a slightly better case, a faster CPU for your purposes, and significantly better quality PSU for $16 less than your original setup. That mobo does support Crossfire and does have Optical out.
 
I really like Danny's idea, but I think the i3-530 still benches higher or the same as the x4 635 even though it's dual core, but I'm not going to research it so someone else can confirm.

Still, I like the AMD processors, and that the motherboard is not micro-ATX, and that case may look plain but is awesome.
 
Yeah, all the comparison reviews I've read (Read: A LOT) with regards to the X4-630 and 640 vs. the Core i3 have all stated that they simply could not recommend one over the other. They are so similar in performance, it wouldn't be fair to imply one was actually better than the other. What I do know, though, is that the Core i3 uses less power, and that's pretty important to me.

Thanks again guys, I'll be waiting for more responses and doing some more research. I appreciate the help!
 
The AMD quad cores will benefit you more with Photoshop and Premiere. Though the i3-530 has a GPU embedded with the two CPU cores, your 9800GT is better for gaming.

Off tangent, but are you thinking about buying a new video card soon? I just can't imagine you obtaining any good frame rates with the 9800GT at a 1920x1080 resolution.
 
The 9800gt works surprisingly well. I got it like 6 months ago. I play Far Cry 2 @ 1920x1080 with most settings at ultra and high. The only exception is geometry, which I keep at medium, otherwise the framerates will go down FAST. 16xAF 2xAA and I average 40fps. It gets down to 20-25 at the more intense parts, but eh - I'm not a huge gamer. I'll probably end up getting two Redwood-based, cheap ATI cards within the next 6 months and run them in a Crossfire configuration.
 
Gotcha on the video card(s). I still recommend the AMD X4 for your Adobe programs, as both that and the Core i3 are a wash in terms of gaming performance.
 
Alright, so after digging through some more comparison reviews, the Core i3 actually beats the Athlon II x4 640 in all Photoshop tests and most gaming tests, even though the Core i3 has less physical cores (2 physical cores, each one is hyper-threaded, compared to the Athlon's physical 4).

I really think I'm gonna stick with Intel for the processor on this build. Overall, it just seems like the better value at just over $100. The 32nm manufacturing process, though it doesn't mean a whole lot, sort of pushes me in the i3 direction. That and the i3 performs better with the stuff I need to do, even with it's less power-hungry nature.
 
For video rendering with Premiere Pro CS4, the Athlon II X4 630 does beat out the Core i3 540:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/clarkdale-review_11.html#sect0

I think the Core i3 530 and the AMD Athlon II X4 635 however are on par with one another in Photoshop CS4:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/clarkdale-review_13.html#sect0

The Core i3 540 is clocked a tad higher than the Core i3 530 and the Athlon II X4 635 is clocked a tad higher than the X4 630. So the 5 second difference would actually be close to 2 sec give or take a sec with the CPUs in question.

Anyway, your choice. However I really don't understand why you want a "3Ghz" or more considering that the Core i3 530 is clocked at 2.93Ghz. I'm fairly sure you won't notice an iota of difference clocking that to 3Ghz. It's only 70Mhz for god's sake.
 
Well, that would be because I want it to be that way. Fair enough? Lol. Hence the reason I prefer an overclockable system, even if it's just a tiny overclock. The less I have to overclock to get to 3ghz, the better :p

Anyway, we can sit here and post review after review - and I'm sure we'll see all sorts of different answers. ie: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Athlon-II-X4-640-vs-Core-i3-530-CPU-Review/1041/5 (this review shows the i3 to be much faster when performing a filter package test - this would be semi-similar to what I do on average with ultra high-resolution shots; I run a large dust and scratch filter as well as a gaussian blur and simulated skin grain mask with the click of an action. If I can save even 5 seconds per filter, per shot, then that would be awesome enough for me.)

But like I said, both processors are found to perform extremely similarly overall. It's basically coming down to the facts that a.) the Core i3 is a "newer" 32nm, b.) it's found to be faster with the program I use most, and c.) it uses less maximum power than the Athlon (95W vs. 73).
 
I still recommend the X4 630/635 for Photoshop and Premiere.

If you really want improved gaming performance, regardless of which processor you end up buying, you might as well get that video card upgrade now.
 
Why not wait until after thanksgiving when prices should drop if your video card is serving you fine right now? I wish I could wait, but I just ordered a 460 gtx that is eligible for evga's step-up for $135 after all my rebates. ($200 - $15 facebook promotion, $10 evga rebate, $20 ebillme rebate, $20 complete savings rebate <-that one was fishy, but tigerdirect redirected me to them after a previous purchase)

For the sake of saving over $100 I would have to agree with the x4, especially if the performance is the same and you gain 2 cores, considering programs may start using more cores here soon.
 
Interesting, indeed.

One of my friends linked me to these (case and power supply are the same as before, different mobo, cpu, ram):

Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133094

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275

Power supply:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028

RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488374

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488374

Totals to $390 shipped (RAM and CPU are combo deal). What are your thoughts on that setup?
 
Still the same shitty Raidmax PSU. The Phenom II 555 is not a good choice for your needs.
 
Thanks.

Second opinion?

EDIT: Also, after some looking around, the motherboard/CPU combo (Phenom II X2 555, MSI 870A) have been a good pair and have good success rate with unlocking all 4 cores. I could always try that.
 
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I still like Danny's idea better. Don't expect to unlock the cores, you will be pissed if you don't, trust me I just made the same mistake. Especially when you can have 4 cores for cheaper:

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name...-X4-Quad-Core-Processor-635-2-9GHz-AM3-Retail
$85 with promo code FOOTBALL15
That's a smoking deal and way cheaper than newegg or tigerdirect.

If you really want a phenom then just spend $25 more then what you were planning:
http://www.ewiz.com/query.php?dp=1&categry=691&name=AMD-Phenom-II&dt=2&ob=d&nl=30&anchor=#displaytop

If you don't unlock those cores I think you taking a big step down from your i3 or the x4's.
 
Crappy PSU man. The Antec Neo Eco 520C + Antec 300 I posted is a far far better quality PSU than that crap Rosewill. The mobo is all right. Not so sure about the CPU + RAM combo.
 
Well...I'm taking your info into consideration, but honestly I have never purchased a power supply separate from a case before. I've always settled on the shitty 230w power supplies that come stock in cheap cases, so as far as I'm concerned, this PSU is top of the line! :p

Let me go back and look through the stuff you linked to again.

You suggested a 2.8ghz Athlon II X4 to me earlier if I remember correctly - wouldn't a 3.0ghz Phenom II X4 with 6mb of L3 cache like the one I linked to be a much better CPU to get? :confused:
 
stop!theradio said:
You suggested a 2.8ghz Athlon II X4 to me earlier if I remember correctly - wouldn't a 3.0ghz Phenom II X4 with 6mb of L3 cache like the one I linked to be a much better CPU to get? :confused:
Click to expand...

The Phenom II 945 CPU would be a better choice if you can fit that Phenom II X4 CPU in your budget without sacrificing PSU quality. As shown in your last three build lists, you keep choosing shitty PSUs to fit in a fast CPU. No part in a PC is worth getting a shitty PSU.
 
Well it's clear our definitions of "good" PSU's differ. My current machine has a 230w piece of absolute trash PSU that powers my E5200, 4gb of 667mhz RAM, three internal hard drives, 9800gt, X-Fi Platinum+front I/O panel, PCI USB card, three external USB-powered HDD's and more just fine - so I'm thinking the Rosewill power supply will be able to power a Phenom X4, 2 hard drives and a 9800gt without any issues at all.

My point is that shitty PSU's are all I know, and pretty much any "aftermarket" PSU I get is an upgrade to me. I will see if I can try to use that power supply you linked me to in a good configuration with the Phenom II X4.

Thanks!
 
stop!theradio said:
Well it's clear our definitions of "good" PSU's differ.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my definition is rather simple: If it can't provide its fully rated load without going out of ATX spec and killing a PC, it's a piece of shit.

Anyway my point is: Just because all you know is shit PSUs doesn't mean that you have to keep buying shit PSUs. Just because your system ran fine NOW doesn't meant that a future PC will run on a shit PSU later.
 
Well, now and for the past 12 years or so, along with all the other cheapo PSU's I've had. None of which have failed. I know that doesn't mean that one won't fail suddenly. But hey, if the more expensive one I get fails on me, I can always just replace it with one of the cheapo ones I have laying around, right? :p

Again, I'll see if I can put something together with the PSU you recommended. Thanks for your help :)
 
Alternative build:
$176 -AMD Phenom II X4 945 CPU + Biostar TA785G3HD AM3 AMD 785G HDMI mATX AMD Motherboard
$80 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - Antec Neo Eco 520C 520W PSU + Antec 300 ATX Case
---
Total: $366 plus tax and shipping.

About $6 more than your planned setup but with a lower voltage RAM and better quality PSU. :)
 
Ah....ya know, that would be pretty sweet, but the motherboard only has 1 PCI-E slot :( I was kinda wanting to leave the option for using Crossfire or SLI open.
 
stop!theradio said:
I was kinda wanting to leave the option for using Crossfire or SLI open.
Click to expand...

Which one do you want? Crossfire or SLI? Unlike Intel, with AMD, you can't have both.

Even with the Asrock mobo that you chose earlier, it should still be under your budget.
 
Well I know that ATI is pretty much on top of the game right now with regards to gaming stuff right now. Or at least, that's my understanding. I really don't prefer one over the other. The motherboards I've been looking at lately have all been AMD, so I suppose Crossfire is what I'm looking at right now.
 
stop!theradio said:
Well I know that ATI is pretty much on top of the game right now with regards to gaming stuff right now. Or at least, that's my understanding. I really don't prefer one over the other. The motherboards I've been looking at lately have all been AMD, so I suppose Crossfire is what I'm looking at right now.
Click to expand...

Just go with the Asrock mobo you chose earlier.
 
Just want to comment about the PSU, I personally agree that the rosewill will be perfect for your system the way it is, i'm using a rosewill 600w with my similar system. Even if you sli the 9800gt's i bet it would still be good. However, even though you don't think you want to upgrade GPU now, when you have your snappy new system built and use it and after a while you start to notice your GPU is bottlenecking, you might start to get real curious about upgrading, especially with directx11 starting to develop.

So lets say after you've been considering upgrading for a while the price of a fermi 460 drops below $100 and your ready to snag one... if you were to have to get a $70 PSU on top of that thats probably gonna kill it and your not gonna be so motivated seeing as how thats almost twice as much money!

but if you just get it over with now since your already buying a psu, it would only cost you about $20 more or so, as opposed to $70 or so in the future. that way when that new dx11 card thats tempting you in the future drops low in a sale you don't feel bad snaggin it!

Sorry I just see you want crossfire, so i would recommend somethin that can at least handle 2x5850's, shouldn't be too much more than what your getting.
 
Honestly, I'm not really looking to upgrade the machines gaming capabilities that much. I see what you're saying and I appreciate the insight, but I'd probably settle for two "power efficient" version Redwood-based ATI cards in Crossfire before I'd go get a higher end card.

I'm not a huge gamer :-/ Don't get me wrong, I like playing games, but I'm not overly worried about getting super high framerates. There are no games coming out any time within the next year that I'm really interested in. The current games I play, I play most maxed out with good framerates. MW1 and 2 I play completely maxed out at 1920x1080 with 16xAF and 4xAA with great framerates. Oblivion on the same settings with similar framerates. The most graphics intensive game I play is Far Cry 2 (which I recently beat, and don't actually play it much at all anymore). Still, I play it at 1920x1080 with most settings at ultra and high (with the exception of geometry set at medium), 16xAF and 2xAA averaging 40fps, dipping to 25 fps during intensive scenes. My 9800gt is nothing amazing, it has 1gb GDDR3 and runs cool at 600mhz. It simply gets the job done...which is basically all I'm looking for. I imagine two Redwood-based ATI cards would be a nice little upgrade for me in the coming months, but I'll worry about that at another time :)
 
kk for sure i are u will be good with a decent sli/crossfire ready psu. good luck pickin components!
 
Hey guys! Forgot I made this thread. Anyways, I figure I owe it to ya to update - I settled on an ASRock 880G Extreme 3 motherboard, Rosewill Blackbone case, Phenom II x3 unlocked to x4 @ 3.6ghz (lapped), Rosewill RCX-ZAIO hs/f (lapped), 4gb (2x2) Wintec DDR3-1333 RAM, OCZ ModXStream pro 600W modular PSU and I recently traded my netbook here on [H] for a GTX 280. :)

I almost settled for that Rosewill power supply in efforts to get the OCZ Reaper RAM, but honestly I'm glad I didn't. Stuck with the cheaper (and damned good, actually!) Wintec RAM and got the ModXStream Pro 600W PSU, and I'm extremely happy with it!

148571_167516389939143_100000423496216_455020_3045496_n.jpg


72211_167779999912782_100000423496216_455837_4429323_n.jpg


Thanks again for all the recommendations! Take care :)
 
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