How is this build? - Page 2

if you want an amd build thats fine, that processor will perform just fine for skyrim, first you wont need anything more then an 850watt name brand power supply, period which will save u a pretty penny. This leaves more then enough headroom to add a card or whatever you wanna do. Now second you could save some money by either just getting 1600mhz ram or bump it down to 8gb to save some money whichis more then enough for most people. Also, if its in your budget try to get an SSD, like 128Gb crucial m4 or samsung 830! These are very nice to have now and it is probably my favorite component next to my 670! Other then that not a bad build, and these others are right about intel chips being faster. A stock 2500k could smoke a fx at 5.0 in gaming, period, let alone when you overclock.

looking at ur build ur budget maybe around 2k or so can u pls specify a fixed budget and what all things u need and what all things are must

...wait, your budget is $2000 and you want to get an AMD build? Even with a budget of $1000 an AMD build is typically not recommended.

Skyrim is probably one of the few games that would care actually

Dial it back a bit. The rest of the advice is great, but the difference between AMD and Intel isn't that extreme.

I dunno, I've seen some $1000 AMD builds... but not for gaming, mostly rendering or things of the sort.



Here is a $2000 budget build we helped a guy pick out earlier.
I personally would swap out the RAM with This, drop the 7970 Ghz to a pair of 7950s or 670s, and upgrade the cooler to an H80.

Maybe consider swapping out the case if you don't like the Carbide.

2k budget... gamer... oooh. Big things can be done.

First of all, you need to MASSIVELY upgrade your monitor expectations. A couple of piddly 23 inchers? HARDLY. You should go for a massive 30" screen for gaming + a secondary screen for non-gaming, or a big-ass 3-screen 5760x1080 eyefinity setup.

Option A ($850): go to e-bay and look for a "pixel perfect" Yamasaki Leonidas (not one of the crossovers - you need one of the Korean versions that have only a single DVI input and no OSD). Note these monitors will not be covered by warranty, so there is some risk.
Then if you need a second monitor, add a Asus VS229H-P:
http://www.buy.com/prod/asus-vs229h-p-21-5-led-backit-lcd-monitor-50-000-000-1-14ms-1920x1080/224928560.html?listingId=-1
(ok, in retrospect, a 27" 2560x1440 monitor - again sticking to the limitation on only one type of input & no OSD - might be more reasonable)

Option B ($705): get 3 Dell u2312hm. Among the best of the gaming monitors, the IPS will keep them from looking funky in the long eyefinity setup.
http://www.provantage.com/dell-469-1253~7DELL22K.htm?source=googleps

I'll assume you go with Option B for budgeting the rest of the suggestions.

Core Components: $446
i5-3570k - $216
MSI Z77A-GD65 - $165
CoolerMaster 212 Evo - $28
Team 2x4gb 1600mhz - $37 Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Supporting Components: $338
Bit Fenix Raider - $70 (on special, price may not last)
XFX Core 750w - $85-$25 rebate (another great deal on a high quality supply that, yes, has enough juice for tri-fire)
Plextor 128gb m5S SSD - $100 (sale on a top brand)
Hitachi 1TB HDD - $70
DVD-burner - $13 Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Video Cards: $600 - $40 rebate (and you get Sleeping Dogs for free... yay?)
2x Sapphire Radeon 7950 (good cooler, too)
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=65970&vpn=BFC%2DRDR%2D300%2DKKN1%2DRP&manufacture=BitFenix&promoid=1373

Tower + screens total = $2024 AMIR, ($2089 before rebates)
(Not including windows, peripherals. Does include shipping.)

You could go under the $2000 mark if you didn't get a motherboard & PSU capable of adding a third 7950 (basically replace the motherboard above with a Gigabyte z77x-ud3h), but I thought you might want the upgrade capacity. Or if you waited on SSD you could get under 2k. Or if you went for a cheaper case like the Bit Fenix Outlaw (-$35).

All in all you go from the moderate, capable gaming system in your OP (probably cheaper as well...) to a monster triple-monitor Crossfire marvel for 2k.

When comparing with other builds in this thread, don't forget I'm budgeting for a 3x Dell u2312hm eyefinity setup within the 2k suggested. Ok, nearly within the 2k budget limit.
Edited by MisterFred - 9/18/12 at 9:59pm

Plextor is a top brand? Specs on paper (in which it still gets beat by an 830) does not a top brand make, and I never see Plextor offered up on OCN. Nice deal at $100 though, I remember when I got my 64GB M4 for $80.

Come one, it's a $2000 build, you can do better than a 212 EVO.

Team is... definitely not that big of a brand. Did you just aim for the cheapest available?

The XFX does not have the pinout for tri-fire, just 2x6pin, 2x8pin

Considering how the build I referenced hits $1600ish with the modifications I suggested, I'm having a hard time believing a 3570k/2x7950 build is hitting $2000 so easy with such cheap parts. Even with a 1440p screen.

Ya, just gotta be careful not to over sell it too much, especially to new guys. Last thing we need is more people claiming absolute superiority on intel's behalf without enough knowledge to understand the whole picture. Heck, the ones that do understand it are bad enough.

Plextor has been previously overpriced (particularly its m3 line), that's why you hardly ever see it talked about on OCN (just like the Corsair Performance Pro).

Top brand, yes. But my definition for this is merely 'reasonably fast, and rock-solid reliable'. Generally I include the marvell-based SSDs & Intel SSDs on the list of SSDs I'll recommend. So top brand could be any of (off the top of my head)

Plextor M3
Plextor M5S
Samsung 830
Crucial m4
Corsair Performance Pro (not other corsairs)
Intel 330
Intel 520

As for Team... yes. I aimed for (nearly) the cheapest available. It's RAM, TEAM isn't going to be any different than Ballistix or Vengeance Blu at the same speed, voltage, & cas ratings. No reason to pay more for identical performance. And it's only like $2 more if the OP wanted to be silly & get G.Skill Ares or something.

XFX- it has 2x6 pin & 2x6+2 pin for PCi-e connections. Molex-to-PCI-E adapters are free, as most video cards (including, I think, the ones I recommended) come with one. Of course, using those adapters will not be necessary until the time of the upgrade. So, again, no problem. There is no downside to using molex adapters, unless you hook them up wrong.

If you don't believe the price... open the links and use a calculator. It'll probably be $100-$150 more expensive in a week or so when specials change (the price I put in the total being with the 3x Dell u2312hm monitors). Edit: oh, you probably thought the build price was high. Well I did suggest spending $705 on monitors, so it's only a little over $1300 on the tower!
Edited by MisterFred - 9/18/12 at 10:50pm

For a $2000 build definitely go with an Intel CPU. The sweet spot for gaming right now is a 2500k or a 3570k with any decent motherboard to meet your needs. Definitely get you a new screen. 2560x1600 monitors are great, but IMO I like the 120hz monitors better, because in gaming motion plays a huge part in me enjoying a game. Plus most of the 120hz monitors can do 3d gaming also and you will have the option to switch back and forth to what you feel like that day. For me I game most FPS like BF3 2d @ 120hz, and adventure/racing games in 3d @ 60hz(FPS).