~$500 AMD Build - Review my parts - Page 3

But a 6850 costs almost double the price of that SSD.

idk about cryengine maxed out with heavy mods..probably none of the builds here will do that..
The one I posted is the best for gaming..It may push you over budget by around $15
What is UDK?

If you go AMD you MUST MUST MUST overclock. Otherwise you're just screwing yourself on performance & you ought to go Intel. The following builds are light on GPU, heavy on multi-threaded processing, to be best for content creation. I'm going to assume you're somewhere near boston or cambridge and so able to take advantage of microcenter deals.

Processor/mobo/RAM options:

FX 8120 + Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ motherboard combo ($200)
(I think one in both cambridge & boston). In-store combo deal. Check ahead for availability if you live far away.

Phenom II x6 1045 + Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ motherboard combo ($150)
@Microcenter. In-store combo. S.M. Below recommends the 6100 over this, but since you'll be going for a moderate overclock and this is $20 cheaper, I think you should get this or stretch to the 8120 - or stretch to the Intel if not overclocking.
Recommended - fits budget.

For either AMD processor, add this RAM: 2x4gb 1866mhz ($59)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148560
You can double the amount later if you feel you need more.

Now for the Intel option. To be used if you will not overclock.
i5-3450 ($150 at micrcenter)
Asus B75M motherboard (at newegg for $73), or any cheaper B75, H77 or Z77 motherboard you find at microcenter.
This RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

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Ok, the main choice of your build is choosing one of those three options. For your purposes, I'd probably get the 8150 & overclock it pretty hard. But that would go over budget, so you should probably go with the Phenom II x6. If you're not going to overclock, you must go for the Intel if you want strong CPU performance.

Other stuff:

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Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

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Total, Phenom II x6 build: $533. Yes, this is a little over budget, but you can drop the price of the HDD by $40ish for a 500gb HDD if you want to get under budget.
Total, Intel build (for non-overclocking): $623, $583 if you drop HDD to 500gb. Quite a bit over budget, but you should really, really consider saving up to here if you refuse to overclock. The performance gains for systems running at stock speeds even $100 cheaper will be immense.
Total, FX-8120 build: $583. Ok, this one was probably a bad idea.

I highly recommend going to microcenter & using their combo options. AND OVERCLOCKING. The performance of such a system will dramatically out-perform any of the AMD APU builds in any of the tasks you plan to accomplish (though some of them manage to fit an SSD into budget, which is nice). Still, you could upgrade that later to this system if you want.

The Intel build can achieve that same excellent performance (maybe even a tad better) without overclocking, but the price is a bit steep to justify if you're willing to overclock an AMD system.

Edit: For easy reference, the AMD bundle offers at Microcenter:
http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html

Edit2: My build in comparison to the others offered:
Your original build: Looks less expensive than mine. Has a PSU that sometimes develops irritating coil whine. My build offers major improved performance in both processing and graphics power.

Truckerguy: Truckerguy's is less expensive and fits in an SSD. My build offers major improved performance in both processing and graphics power.

Schmuckey's build: Offers inferior graphics & processing power again, though for gaming the CPU power will be about even with the AMD builds I offer. Like the other builds, comes from one retailer, which is slightly more convenient. About the same price as my build.

Dimaggio's (referenced below): Offers, again inferior graphics & processing power, like the other AMD builds. It's good for gaming on a budget, but will not be as good for game content creation.

None of those above are bad builds. But mine offers a lot more for only a little stretch (and you can get the Phenom II x6 build under the $500 budget by reducing HDD size to the same used by most the other recommendations!)
Edited by MisterFred - 7/7/12 at 8:08am

1045Ts blow..can't get a high enough frequency out of them..Too low of a multiplier.Although I (personally)would pick one over a dual-core Pentium :: ...but I like to OC
Windows stuff would be a lot better,too.
Edited by Schmuckley - 7/6/12 at 11:10pm

Do you think I'm wrong about it and the 6100, and I should recommend the 6100 above the Phenom (same price)? Even if I convinced the OP (or his brother?) to overclock, I didn't think they'd be super-aggressive about it anyway.
Edited by MisterFred - 7/6/12 at 11:18pm

Thuban>FX

Hey OP some great suggestions here, but check out my thread as someone post earlier you can find it right here.

Right on the first page there is a sample build with the proper ram, motherboard, and A8 APU for only 392 dollars that includes a ddr5 6670, and that system will play anything, metro 2033 gave me a hard time but still playable. I have posted plenty of screen shots for you. I also played BF3 on it but did not have time to post screenies about it as I sold it to build another mini version. I made that thread for anyone considering a sub 400 dollar system. I left a case out of it because I figured that would vary from person to person. Hope it helps you.

Am i the only one who managed to squeeze a Phenom II X4?




i know, the price is $539, but after rebates the price comes down to $489. i don't think you can beat the performance of this at such a price. also, if performance isn't an issue, you can go for a M4 64GB SSD also, which is around the same price as the HDD in the specs above.

also, if you're going with this build, change the CPU to a FX4100 as it is cheaper and has a fan in the box it will also save you 10 bucks.or you can go for a Athlon 2 X4 640 for $100 and save $20 bucks overall. with a 640 the price is $524 but it also has a $50 rebate, so you have to spend $474 approx. you can spend the rest on a hyper 212, but that is optional, as 640 comes with a cooler, but a very noisy one.
Edited by barkinos98 - 7/6/12 at 11:45pm

He sounded pretty firm on the 500 budget wich is why I gravitated to APU build. he would have to wait between 6-8 weeks for the rebates typically, and if he only has 500 now, why not save a $180 dollars and go for a dual graphics APU build? Performance difference between a 6770 and my build is not worth the extra cash IMO.

Oh and your CPU is missing a cooler....

oh brainfart. forgot it was a oem cpu lol. probably add a hyper 212? also if he CAN wait i don't see a reason why not to go with my build. not to show off, but it is superior to nearly all builds in this thread.