Need advice/info on new build

[DoggyDaddi]

Ok.. right after I bought it... just over 3 years ago.. my Asus M4A79 Deluxe started having a LOT of trouble recognizing my RAID config on the SATA controller. I ended up having to drop them into standard SATA drive configs. There was never any damage to the drives, the controller just had an ever increasing difficulty recognizing the array, until one day it just refused to boot. Dropping to basic drives fixed it.

HEH. a couple days ago the controller started acting up again.. and it dropped a drive. I rebooted & I couldn't finish Windows 7 Ultimate 64 loading. I let it sit for a day (in case the controller chip some how over-heated), and fuck me if it didn't boot up just fine. I'm not stupid though, this might just be a 2nd chance before complete failure.

So it was this basic config:

Asus M4A79 Deluxe
AMD Phenom II Black X4 940 AM2+
8gb DDR2

NONE of these components can be reused, as nothing made is this far backwards compatible. So.. had to buy new stuff

NEW Config:

ASUS F1A75-V PRO FM1 AMD A75
AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz Socket FM1 (w/HD 6560D)
CORSAIR 16GB DDR3 1333 (CMV16GX3M2A1333C9)

Should all arrive Tuesday morning...

So.. what kind of differences am I looking at here? Slower? Faster? Same? I'll be keeping both my previous graphics cards, as I run 4 monitors:

Asus EAH5850 DirectCU
Asus EAH3870 TOP

I might drop the 3870 if the new MB's onboard APU will let me dual.

Basically I was on a limited budged, and @ $330 I STILL spent more then I wanted to. I gave up on 'bleeding edge' a few years back, and rarely have time to game. Any feedback is appreciated. THANX!

P.S.: The new mem is 2x8gb, so will be expanding to 4x8gb for full 32gb in a week or so.

 

[Dangman]

You're basically looking at around the same CPU performance if not less. As such, that was money not well-spent IMO. The big saving grace is that you now have twice as much RAM but if you're not even using up to 8GB of RAM, that extra 8GB of RAM might have also been a big waste and the extra cash could have gone to a faster CPU.

As for the APU, it can do dual monitors without issue.

Also, do you have Windows 7 Pro and above?

 

[DoggyDaddi]

Running Windows 7 64 Ultimate ... why money not well spent? Suggestions on alternatives? Definitely want and will be sticking with Asus/AMD. If anyone has links for an excellent bundle then I'm all ears

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

why money not well spent?

Because AMD has stagnated. Their Llano based chips may be a little faster than older AM2+ Phenom II's like you have, but it won't be a huge leap.

My guess is you just spent $240 on an upgrade that will be barely noticeable in most normal use. That, and you paid for an on-board GPU, you will almost never use due to having your existing video cards...

Suggestions on alternatives? Definitely want and will be sticking with Asus/AMD. If anyone has links for an excellent bundle then I'm all ears

As much as it hurts me to say this, this is your problem right above.

Even AMD's top end FX-8150 really fails to deliver. AMD used to be awesome in the CPU segment, but have fallen so far behind that in the enthusiast market they simply aren't competitive anymore, outside of a few small areas of encoding and rendering where the many core bulldozers are able to roughly tie Intel's offerings at the same price point.

So, as much as I hate to say it, even from an old AMD fan like myself, there isn't much of an upgrade to be had if you stick with AMD. They really have fallen that far behind.

 

[DoggyDaddi]

My point being I don't game much any more, so not looking to compete with anything. I just want to know if I'm moving up or down in comparison to what I've already got (and replacing due to imminent hardware failure)

Also, wanted to know if the onboard will allow me to drop my 3870, and still maintain 4 monitors with no performance drop, or even an improvement?

was also hoping for bundle or offer links in case someone might have better then the stuff I'm finding hunting thru Newegg

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

My point being I don't game much any more, so not looking to compete with anything. I just want to know if I'm moving up or down in comparison to what I've already got (and replacing due to imminent hardware failure)

Also, wanted to know if the onboard will allow me to drop my 3870, and still maintain 4 monitors with no performance drop, or even an improvement?

was also hoping for bundle or offer links in case someone might have better then the stuff I'm finding hunting thru Newegg

For bundle deals, check out Microcenter. They have some of the best AMD bundles.

I think you moved up with this purchase, but only very slightly. Llano, is 5-6% faster at the same clock speeds compared to Phenom II's, but doesn't overclock as easily.

As far as the video cards go, socket FM1 systems have fewer PCIe lanes available than good AM3 boards. I am not familiar with that particular motherboard, but with two video cards you will probably be stuck in 8x/8x mode or lower. Won't make a difference for most desktop use though.

You might also be able to save power use and get a quieter, cooler system by not using the old 3870 at all, and instead relying on on board graphics in combination with your 5850 for your multiple monitors.

Anyway, I still feel you spent a fair amount of money without getting much or any upgrade at all. You simply won't notice the difference (except for the fact that the new system will likely run cooler).

If all you do is desktop stuff, and you are happy with the CPU speed of your current system, I would have just saved some money and picked up a replacement motherboard, and kept the same CPU, or maybe even just bought a RAID controller add-on board, and disabled the on board one in BIOS, and used that instead, keeping both existing CPU and motherboard...

 

[DoggyDaddi]

For bundle deals, check out Microcenter. They have some of the best AMD bundles.


If all you do is desktop stuff, and you are happy with the CPU speed of your current system, I would have just saved some money and picked up a replacement motherboard, and kept the same CPU, or maybe even just bought a RAID controller add-on board, and disabled the on board one in BIOS, and used that instead, keeping both existing CPU and motherboard...

LOL.. Was what I was trying to do.. but simply could not find a replacement board

I wasn't able to post with an add-in card... even booting to external to use the driver failed to finish booting into windows. System would hang every time I tried, couldn't even get close to safe mode, let alone up and running..

Maybe some day I'll be able to build a competitive system, but these days, mortgage and bills comes 1st *sigh*

THANX

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I wasn't able to post with an add-in card... even booting to external to use the driver failed to finish booting into windows. System would hang every time I tried, couldn't even get close to safe mode, let alone up and running.

Did you try with a fresh install of Windows?

Windows is much better than it has ever been with new hardware, but switching the storage controller for your boot drive can still cause some problems.

Tell you what, for $240, I'd get the FX-8120 and Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 combo.

You'll have more CPU power and more PCIe lanes to boot.

This is the same combo I plan on using for my home server upgrade in a couple of months.

It may not be Asus, but Asus is no longer the king of Motherboards they once were. Other manufacturers are definitely able to keep up these days, and Asus customer service has gone downhill big time.

 

[Dangman]

Running Windows 7 64 Ultimate ... why money not well spent? Suggestions on alternatives? Definitely want and will be sticking with Asus/AMD. If anyone has links for an excellent bundle then I'm all ears

It wasn't money well spent as there are/were better options for the money. Like the AMD FX 4100 or AMD FX 6100 plus the decent Asus M5A97 EVO if you really wanted to stick with AMD/Asus from a loyalty standpoint:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.956181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.956202

From a price to performance standpoint, this would be the better setup:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.954057

Also, wanted to know if the onboard will allow me to drop my 3870, and still maintain 4 monitors with no performance drop, or even an improvement?

As long as you're not planning on gaming on the two monitor connected to the onboard, yes the onboard will let you drop your HD 3870. However from a gaming performance standpoint, the HD 3870 still outperforms your onboard IIRC.

 

[Jasec]

Even though I don't have feedback for you op, this is great nice info. (That others are posting) Best of luck to us both lol.

 

[DoggyDaddi]

Ok.. looks like the MicroCenter bundle of AMD 8120 w/ the Asus M5a97 for $194 then get memory from NewEgg... thanks everybody!