AMD FX-4100 Build. - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Virgle144 


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.791295

There are better deals, this is hardly a reasonable price for the chosen components.  I already had this combo deal meet its match just a few weeks ago... let me find that post.....

EDIT: Here is that post! It's from a few weeks ago but did involve the same combo - Some prices may have changed since then but there are deals to replace those even at this moment.  The first combination I put together keeps the 400R to show that you can still get better choices for other parts while maintaining "better pricing".

Although I have beat the Supercombo with my own parts selection I also made a second suggestion in recognition of the fact that taking that 400R puts a redundant increase on cost that is counter-productive for a budget PC.  A well-balanced PC on a budget should put more emphasis on performance.

If you want to know more (i.e. get an updated version of this list with more recent pricing), ask me tomorrow.  Main case in point: that Supercombo hardly sells for a reasonable price (considering the choices-for-price can be beat) or is practical to the end-user. AVOID IT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xd_1771 

EDIT: Forgot RAM, sorry

 

Total supercombo cost inclusive of shipping:
$531 + $33 shipping - $564 shipped, $554 after rebate

 

xd's combo:

• Corsair 400R case - $100 shipped [Amazon]
• AMD FX-4100 processor - $110 shipped [Newegg]
• Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P - $57.84 shipped after promo code DRAGON [Superbiiz]
• 2x2GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 - $23 shipped [NCIX]
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM SATAIII HDD - $80 shipped [NCIX]
• Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 - $165 shipped [Amazon], $20 rebate
• OCZ ZS Series 550W power supply - $60 shipped [NCIX], $25 rebate

 

Initial cost: $595.84 shipped [$32 over budget]

 

Cost after 1-2 weeks (after rebates, both have the option of no-wait rebate which speeds up processing time):

$551 shipped

Savings over supercombo after rebate price: $3

 

There are several possible ways that you could adjust the before rebate price to match or beat the Supercombo before rebate price but I decided to rely on an after-rebate price this time around so that quality parts can be chosen.  Because the rebates return in 1-2 weeks, both offering no wait service, I think it's tolerable.

 

Several advantages:

• The GA-78LMT-S2P has a 4+1 phase VRM with more capacity
• The Radeon HD 6870 is well ahead of the 6850
• The OCZ ZS 550W is well ahead of the Corsair CX 500 V2 in supply capacity/quality

 

I don't actually recommend you buy the combo I put out above.  That is only meant to show that Supercombos are RIPOFFS and should be avoided at all costs.

 

A well balanced build for ~$580 shipped puts more emphasis on a good CPU and GPU and overclocking-friendly items (i.e. better board), while lowering the priority for things such as the computer case.

 

This is what I suggest for $580:

 

• AMD Phenom II x6 1055T + ASUS M5A97 - $210 shipped [NCIX] - This combo is epic for the price
• Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 + 2x4GB Patriot DDR3-1600 - $196 + $8 shipping, $20 rebate [Newegg]
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM SATAIII HDD - $80 shipped [NCIX]
• OCZ ZS Series 550W power supply - $60 shipped [NCIX], $25 rebate
• NZXT Souce 210 (Black) or Source 210 (White) or - $40 shipped [Amazon]

 

Initial cost: $594 shipped

Cost after 1-2 weeks (rebates): $549 shipped

By the way, both chips (960T, FX-4100) are fine for gaming.  It depends what you really want.

• FX-4100 - competitive performance for price esp. when overclocked, with lower power consumption than Phenom II.
• 960T - Extra multithreaded power to begin with (2-4 thread scaling is not linear on the FX-4100 due to arch design so the 960T provides better multicore power) plus opportunity for 6 core unlock.  However, 960T higher power consumption, lower OC ability and slightly below par single-thread performance when both are overclocked, observed from Cinebench results. To top it off, at this moment the 960T sells at a $25 premium on Newegg.  It's hard to compare.