Overclock.net › Forums › AMD › AMD - General › Feedback on new build
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Feedback on new build

post #1 of 6
8/5/12 at 6:49am
Thread Starter 
Just wanted some feedback on a list I put together for a HTPC build for a friend. It's based on the Llano APU. Goal was to stay in the $400 price range. He will use this as his Media Center, ie movies, music, streaming, surfing, email etc. There will be no overclocking. Perhaps some moderate gaming.

A6 3500 Triple Core I could go with a unlocked Quad for just $10 more, but I felt more comfortable with the 65W rating of the triple core than the 100W for the quad in terms of heat inside a HTPC case.

ASRock A75M FM1 Micro ATX OR ASRock A75M-ITX FM1 I can't see any difference between the two boards, other than one is ITX and the other is MicroATX and a marginal price difference. Can you see any other differences or why I would go for one rather than the other?

G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage 2 x 4GB

hec Black Micro ATX HTPC Case w/ 300W Power Supply

LG Black SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive UH12LS29 I realize this is "only" 1st gen SATA, but it should still work ok in this setup?

WD Caviar Blue 500GB WD5000AAKX (possible variation: 60GB SSD as boot drive and use his existing external 1TB hdd for storage)

ZALMAN CNPS8900 Extreme really not sure about this one as it seems to be a tight fit with the RAM. Thoughts? Alternatives? Also, I'd probably stick with stock heat-sink for the triple core, so aftermarket cooler would only be a consideration if I was to go with the quad core, if needed even then.

As far as I can tell Ivy Bridge HD 4000 may be better in terms of performance, but it is also double the cost. Any arguments for Ivy Bridge vs Llano? Or Ivy Bridge vs Llano vs Trinity for that matter.
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
post #2 of 6
8/5/12 at 7:29am
Good choice with the a6-3500, I think. It fits your purposes nicely. And don't worry about performance vs the HD4000, the A6 has enough video power to do blu ray or whatever, and you're not gaming on it, so don't pay more for no improvement.

As far as the motherboards go. Yes, form factor is pretty much the only difference between the two motherboards. Note that neither have a DVI out, so you're limited to just VGA and HDMI, which may limit your ability to connect to a computer monitor. You might also consider this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138333
hmm... actually available in combo with the a6 here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1028492

For RAM, AMD APUs do a little better with 1866mhz RAM. You probably don't need more than 4gb either. Here's a 2x2gb 1866 kit for $31:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104260

No comment on case, as I don't really know enough there.

Blu-ray drive looks ok, but a lot of the newegg comments mention it's a lot louder than they expected. Could be a problem for an HTPC (whirring is irritating during moves), so you might want to look around for a quieter one.

I like the boot drive idea.

I agree sticking with the stock cooler should be fine.
Anti-Procrastinator
(8 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
G850 ASRock H61M-GS None Patriot 2x2GB 
Hard DriveCoolingPowerMouse
Barracuda 500GB HR-02 Macho Rosewill Green 430 Mionix Naos 3200 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
Anti-Procrastinator
(8 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
G850 ASRock H61M-GS None Patriot 2x2GB 
Hard DriveCoolingPowerMouse
Barracuda 500GB HR-02 Macho Rosewill Green 430 Mionix Naos 3200 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
post #3 of 6
8/5/12 at 10:03am
If you're not planning on overclocking, at least work on undervolting it. My a8 auto ran at 1.3v stock, i have gotten it testing fine down to 1.2v, but even then, I was more concerned with overclocking and didn't try to undvolt for long. Same goes for the nb, the asrock board defaults to 1.2v at 720frq for 1866 ram. It should do 900 @ 1.15v easily for a non overclocked setup. You could try going lower as well, worth the effort in terms of heat/power consumption. Stock cooler will be fine for the 3 core thats not overclocked, esp if you undervolt. Heck, it'll do a mild overclock fine too.

MB- go with the m-atx board over the m-itx. You loose a pci slot while paying more the the m-itx, so if the case has room, use the m-atx. ^bundle deal looks good.

Ram ^ llano gpu's like ram speed, cpu's like timings, so for best overall, 1866 w/ good timings. You don't need 8gb either, as was mentioned above. Asrock boards only allow 512mb for gpu, leaves you with plenty for win7. I don't ever use 3gb, unless i was doing memory tests.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148559 1.5v ram vs 1.65 for above.

Rest looks good. If you find that performance isnt as good as you/they want, theres always the option of oc'ing till ahci craps out (106-110 depending) or buying a low end 6 series and dual graphics'ing it.

Yeroon
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 6
8/12/12 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your input!

I tweaked the list somewhat and came across a Brazos/ Fusion platform. Seems like a decent product to go with, any thoughts on this? I remember reading about problems with the 1st gen AMD APU but can't remember what exactly and if it's even still relevant.

As for RAM, I ditched the G.Skill Sniper from my original list and will be replacing it with low profile RAM. I figured there probably is not much point spending the extra money on low voltage RAM. I am also considering going with 4GB rather than 8GB but would like to hear some arguments.

REPLACED: the case/ PSU combo from above with a Silverstone MILO and an Antec 380W EarthWatts. Main reason was to go with a better PSU and a case that provides better airflow.

As for hard drive, I am thinking of putting in an OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3. Those can be had for around $50 these days but I've heard/ read many negative things about the drives causing problems such BSOD's down the road, although their overall rating seems pretty decent - it seems to be a draw of luck whether you get your hands on one that works or not.

And I am abandoning the idea of an aftermarket CPU heatsink altogether.
Edited by 8bitG33k - 8/12/12 at 10:10am
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
post #5 of 6
8/13/12 at 8:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterFred View Post

For RAM, AMD APUs do a little better with 1866mhz RAM.

Just wondering if you can provide me with some detail (source?) on that that statement?
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
My Precious
(19 items)
  		  
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i7-3770k Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Bios F18 Sapphire Radeon HD 7950B 2x4GB Samsung MV-3V4G3D 
Hard DriveHard DriveOptical DriveCooling
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2x WD Blue RAID 0 Asus DRW-24B1ST Antec Kühler 920 
OSMonitorMonitorKeyboard
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit Vizio XVT473SV Samsung PX2370 Logitech G110 
PowerCaseMouseMouse Pad
Antec CP-850 Antec 182SE Logitech G9x Steelseries QcK 
AudioAudioOther
Asus Xonar DG Audioengine A2 CP1500PFCLCD UPS 
View all
  hide details  
Reply
post #6 of 6
8/13/12 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 8bitG33k View Post

Just wondering if you can provide me with some detail (source?) on that that statement?

Theres quite a bit of llano reviews where they benchmark test at different frequencies, with 1866 winning the gpu tests. I know from personal experience, high ram freq helps the gpu out. The IGP uses system memory, and it likes it fast. From my own testing near my max baseclock, having a lower freq (2170ish) with tighter timings marginally helped out my cpu score in 3dmark, but the higher mem freq (2500ish+) helped out the graphics and combined score.

First review I clicked on in google. http://www.techspot.com/review/418-amd-a8-3850-apu/page11.html
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: AMD - General
Overclock.net › Forums › AMD › AMD - General › Feedback on new build