Is this a good build ?

[fathual]

Hi I'm trying to build a computer for around 600 bucks I want te beable to play rift, and guildwars 2 possibly other new titles, also im wanting to do graphic arts with either gimp or some other graphic program.

heres the build

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...bgcomputers-20
CPU 104.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=6196252&SID=
Motherboard 99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=6196252&SID=
ram 37.99

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new
Hard drive 55.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=6196252&SID=
Case 69.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...eJ8BHcetHnePDg
cpu cooling 22.99

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...bgcomputers-20
psu 64.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102998
Gfx card 199.99

Cost 655.93

[J.B.west]

I dont like the CPU...Im not crazy for the fx series...ur better off with a Phenom II quad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...enom%20II%20X4
Im not crazy about ASRock...Id go gigabyte with the same chipset http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128521
Ram is thumbs up
Well any HDD these days is ok...SSD is the way to go but they are still expensive
Not thrilled about the case, Full towers are better yet more expensive, but if u are on a budget then itll do
The CPU fan is meh....look into getting a zalman...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118223
PSU is good, but low wattage will force u to buy a new one soon...Id go to at least 850watt
Love the GPU

my 2 cents

[deltatux]

I back the Phenom II for gaming. Sure it's not the latest tech, but Bulldozer wasn't up to snuff. Here's to hoping Piledriver delivers something worthy even if it doesn't beat their Intel counterparts, at least surpass Phenom II would be great in single threaded applications.

/In before the Intel fanboys

deltatux

[J.B.west]

Originally Posted by deltatux

I back the Phenom II for gaming. Sure it's not the latest tech, but Bulldozer wasn't up to snuff.

/In before the Intel fanboys

deltatux

Bulldozer = Fail.

Well he said he is on a budget so if he goes intel he will have to sacrifice the video card.
Stick to AMD for a budget....simple

[fathual]

Originally Posted by J.B.west

I dont like the CPU...Im not crazy for the fx series...ur better off with a Phenom II quad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...enom%20II%20X4
Im not crazy about ASRock...Id go gigabyte with the same chipset http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128521
Ram is thumbs up
Well any HDD these days is ok...SSD is the way to go but they are still expensive
Not thrilled about the case, Full towers are better yet more expensive, but if u are on a budget then itll do
The CPU fan is meh....look into getting a zalman...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118223
PSU is good, but low wattage will force u to buy a new one soon...Id go to at least 850watt
Love the GPU

my 2 cents

Thanks for your 2 cents yeah im looking at a SSD now and I was reviewing the cpu and people are saying about the Phenom II quad why is this btw? I love the case I know its mid size though but the air flow looked good in it.. I was thinking about that cpu fan being not the greatest thanks for seeing that for me yeah I was thinking about investing a bit more into the PSU since people say thats the heart of your system that you should spend a little extra on. Yeah GPU looked awesome Can't wait for my new system hopefully i can scrounge a few more bucks.
would i even need that much power btw 850watt's seems like allot but im no expert .

[J.B.west]

Originally Posted by fathual

Thanks for your 2 cents yeah im looking at a SSD now and I was reviewing the cpu and people are saying about the Phenom II quad why is this btw? I love the case I know its mid size though but the air flow looked good in it.. I was thinking about that cpu fan being not the greatest thanks for seeing that for me yeah I was thinking about investing a bit more into the PSU since people say thats the heart of your system that you should spend a little extra on. Yeah GPU looked awesome Can't wait for my new system hopefully i can scrounge a few more bucks.

The Phenom has a great OC capability and its a very solid CPU...probably the best cpu amd has ever made. Its cheap and performs well and If you OC the Phemon it will not bottleneck your GPU. Im going on a limb here but even at stock speeds (considering you get a 965BE) It wont bottleneck your GPU

If u decide to go with an SSD (even if its just to run your OS) Id recommend the corsair GT....I have 3 and my windows boots in 6 seconds after POST
The GT has a read and right speed of 555 MB/s and a write speed of 500 MB/s making it one of the fastest SSDs out there that are affordable.

[fathual]

Originally Posted by J.B.west

The Phenom has a great OC capability and its a very solid CPU...probably the best cpu amd has ever made. Its cheap and performs well and If you OC the Phemon it will not bottleneck your GPU. Im going on a limb here but even at stock speeds (considering you get a 965BE) It wont bottleneck your GPU

If u decide to go with an SSD (even if its just to run your OS) Id recommend the corsair GT....I have 3 and my windows boots in 6 seconds after POST
The GT has a read and right speed of 555 MB/s and a write speed of 500 MB/s making it one of the fastest SSDs out there that are affordable.

Very nice where did you buy your's? I can't wait for this new tech my computer is 6-7 years old and the hard drives have errors left and right on them so you can image what trouble i have with gaming and even running youtube while gaming.

[J.B.west]

Originally Posted by fathual

Very nice where did you buy your's? I can't wait for this new tech my computer is 6-7 years old and the hard drives have errors left and right on them so you can image what trouble i have with gaming and even running youtube while gaming.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233193

I have 3 of those.
I need to get a new mobo so I can RAID them all and my speeds will triple.

edit: They did have a firmware problem when they came out but the new ones are ok.

[fathual]

Originally Posted by J.B.west

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233193

I have 3 of those.
I need to get a new mobo so I can RAID them all and my speeds will triple.

edit: They did have a firmware problem when they came out but the new ones are ok.

ah ok the one you linked is the new ones?

[DSparil]

^ That system looks pretty good! Although I could agree with the recommendations on the Phenom II vs the FX, if your primary concern is gaming. If you do that, stick with the same motherboard (AM3+), because if you decide to, you could pick up a Piledriver, AMD's next cpu, if that offers up the performance they promise it will. AMD has a tendency to stick with the same socket, so you can upgrade and not have to ditch the whole board.

If you'd really like to get an FX chip, like I mentioned in the other thread, you have a good pick with the 4170 there because of the higher clock for gaming. Sure Intel i5's and i7's would trump either of these AMD options in gaming, but like someone mentioned earlier in this thread, that would kill your expenditure. For gaming, I think you have the money in the right place with the vid card.

[fathual]

Originally Posted by DSparil

^ That system looks pretty good! Although I could agree with the recommendations on the Phenom II vs the FX, if your primary concern is gaming. If you do that, stick with the same motherboard (AM3+), because if you decide to, you could pick up a Piledriver, AMD's next cpu, if that offers up the performance they promise it will. AMD has a tendency to stick with the same socket, so you can upgrade and not have to ditch the whole board.

If you'd really like to get an FX chip, like I mentioned in the other thread, you have a good pick with the 4170 there because of the higher clock for gaming. Sure Intel i5's and i7's would trump either of these AMD options in gaming, but like someone mentioned earlier in this thread, that would kill your expenditure.

Ahh so thats what this piledriver mean's i thought it was a driver xD not a CPU does anyone know the estimated time on the release of this next cpu? Hopefully not too long ive been suffering with this computer I have now for too long. pS how come you recommend me keeping the same mother board just wondering btw ?

[DSparil]

^ I don't know that there is a specific release date for AMD Piledriver yet, but they were talking about later this year for a release; possibly Novemberish. I recommend going with the AM3+ board, because this will run any of the processors you're talking about trying. It will run the Phenom II, the FX Bulldozer and the Piledriver. This way, you have a modern chipset (9xx series), and can pick up any of the AMD processors you want to give a go.

[fathual]

Originally Posted by DSparil

^ I don't know that there is a specific release date for AMD Piledriver yet, but they were talking about later this year for a release; possibly Novemberish. I recommend going with the AM3+ board, because this will run any of the processors you're talking about trying. It will run the Phenom II, the FX Bulldozer and the Piledriver. This way, you have a modern chipset (9xx series), and can pick up any of the AMD processors you want to give a go.

Ah ok thank's and the piledriver i looked it up on google and it says its 10 cores that seem's like it would be a bit on the expensive side . Also whats the diffrence on the fx-4170 then the phenom II?

[DSparil]

^ lol no no, Piledriver will offer the same type of lineup that the Bulldozer does. There will be quad core, six core and higher options. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Meet-...s-281782.shtml. The Phenom II and FX are two totally different architectures. AMD created a whole new chip from the ground up with Bulldozer and for many, it didn't meet expectations. I think its a good processor, but its decidedly not the best for gaming alone. All I can say is, take what people have been recommending, do some research and reading up on the Phenom II vs FX (benchmarks and reviews) and take your pick! If you get the new mobo, you could always pop a Piledriver in whenever they're released, if they are kicking some ass after release. I'd wait to see if they meet expectations though lol

[fathual]

Originally Posted by DSparil

^ lol no no, Piledriver will offer the same type of lineup that the Bulldozer does. There will be quad core, six core and higher options. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Meet-...s-281782.shtml. The Phenom II and FX are two totally different architectures. AMD created a whole new chip from the ground up with Bulldozer and for many, it didn't meet expectations. I think its a good processor, but its decidedly not the best for gaming alone. All I can say is, take what people have been recommending, do some research and reading up on the Phenom II vs FX (benchmarks and reviews) and take your pick! If you get the new mobo, you could always pop a Piledriver in whenever they're released, if they are kicking some ass after release. I'd wait to see if they meet expectations though lol

ah ok ha guess that blog wasnt reliable, I don't think I wan't to wait more for the piledriver to come out, its tempting to wait though, and if it is infact better for about the same price i payed for the phenom II then id have to get it but I have no idea what i would do with the phenom II I bought.

[XBEAST]

Intel Core i3 3220 (much better for gaming)
ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP (you can save 10$ if you don't need MVP by taking B75 Pro3-M)
Sapphire HD 7850 2GB (same)
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB (same)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 500GB (+20$ for 1TB; might take SSD if you don't need much space)
Seasonic S12II Bronze 520W
NZXT Tempest 410 (same)

Price: 657.93$

2 dollars for a better CPU is worth it

Personally, I'd add 30$ and get a ASUS GeForce GTX 660 DC2 or MSI GeForce GTX 660 TF. Or HD 7870 for 250$.

[---TK---]

Agreed, but might be beneficial to get an oc Chooser MB if there's a chance you will get a k chip in the future

[XBEAST]

Maybe. Depends on how often he's planning to upgrade. i3 3220 is a dual core, but a damn fast one! It should hold a couple of years or so for a budget-minded gamer.

Tho Z75/Z77 motherboards aren't that much more expensive. ASRock Z75 Pro3 goes for 85$, Z77 Pro3 for 95$.

[Dr.Chocolate]

The board is ok, you can use six core amd cpu and it will be ok. Id not use 1TB hdd, but 2x 500gb and maybe go nvidia

[fathual]

Thanks for the reply's ill definatly keep all these in mind once i start buying my parts for the new computer.

[DSparil]

Originally Posted by XBEAST

Intel Core i3 3220 (much better for gaming)

Price: 657.93$

2 dollars for a better CPU is worth it

Personally, I'd add 30$ and get a ASUS GeForce GTX 660 DC2 or MSI GeForce GTX 660 TF. Or HD 7870 for 250$.

This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't get an i3 right now. If you're going Intel, get an i5 or an i7, although it seems those are out of your budget. The i3 is good, but a dual-core is yesterdays news. Its not the way forward. At the risk of starting a flame, there, I said it lol.

[XBEAST]

Originally Posted by DSparil

This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't get an i3 right now. If you're going Intel, get an i5 or an i7, although it seems those are out of your budget. The i3 is good, but a dual-core is yesterdays news. Its not the way forward. At the risk of starting a flame, there, I said it lol.

Don't worry, i. We are here to help hardware noobs .

First of all, CPU performance is NOT measured in clock speed or amount of cores.

That being said, i3 is the fastest dual core CPU available on the market and is faster than older Intel and current AMD quad core CPUs. In programs it, of couse, falls behind Core i5 and i7, but in games difference isn't big.

What's important is that in games i3 3220 is faster not only than OP's originally selected FX-4170, but also than any AMD CPU. Draws a lot less power too.

[J.B.west]

Originally Posted by fathual

ah ok the one you linked is the new ones?

Yes that link will come with the latest firmware...I bought mine last year when they still had their 1st firmware and I had issues but once I upgraded the firmware they perform a top speeds.

[DSparil]

Originally Posted by XBEAST

Don't worry, i. We are here to help hardware noobs .

First of all, CPU performance is NOT measured in clock speed or amount of cores.

That being said, i3 is the fastest dual core CPU available on the market and is faster than older Intel and current AMD quad core CPUs. In programs it, of couse, falls behind Core i5 and i7, but in games difference isn't big.

What's important is that in games i3 3220 is faster not only than OP's originally selected FX-4170, but also than any AMD CPU. Draws a lot less power too.

lol, thanks for the vote of confidence but I am plenty aware of what i'm talking about. You're right, it is the fastest dual core available because of per-core performance but what will the apps of tomorrow (and many today) use? More than two cores. Its simply not the way forward, period. More and more apps are being written to take advantage of quad cores, making use of multi-threading. Heck, don't take my word for it, check the benchmarks. On anything with multi-threading, the i3 begins to lose ground and trails capable multi core processors.

[AllTech]

It is possible to overbuild worrying about future proof. An i3 on a H77 board and 8gb of ram with GTX660. That is all kinds of computer for a budget build.

Xbeast suggested excellent parts list.