Best Value for AMD Gaming Build???

Just so you know, a few of the other members convinced me to get a 955 instead of a 965 after finding out that for some reason, they OC better.

I really like my mobo and there is an open box one right now for $145 at newegg, it is also ddr-2.

lol thats the same hard drive I'm going to be using in my new rig when i build it

not that bad of a build ether. very similar to what going to be in my new build

looks nice

i agree with the the above poster that the 955 offers more value than the 965, because you can easily OC the 955 to 965 speeds, and save money in the process

the blu-ray is like a luxury item ATM

Like everyone else said, I would go with a 955. Don't forget to check out the combo deals too.

Free Modern Warfare 2:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.345260

Free Battleforge:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.320993

I thought battleforge was already free....?

I'm also supporting the 955 instead of the 965. The 200MHz difference in operating frequency is easily made up, even at stock voltages, by raising the multiplier a single notch. The extra ~$25 would be better off being put towards a GPU upgrade seeing as the OP stated this build prioritizes gaming. In my opinion the 5770 is the weakest component in contrast to the rest of the build. Unless you plan to Crossfire two 5770s in the future; I'd highly recommend a stronger GPU if you're planning on a single-GPU setup. The single 5770 just seems like a weak link compared to the Mobo/CPU you had selected...especially if this is suppose to be a gaming rig where the GPU is practically the core component.

Even though it's running $95 more than the 5770 right now; I'm going to suggest the recently released 5830 (Sapphire 5830 - $265). The 5770 is somewhat held back by its 128-bit memory bus and in the benchmarks I've been reading, the new 5830 typically outperforms it by around 15% in most games. I guess I'm just not that impressed with the 5770's performance as a single GPU solution; seeing as it gets bested by the 4870 in several instances.

EDIT: Actually, upon further research, I'm retracting my suggestion of a 5830. It looks like the performance increase over a 5770 is not significant enough to justify the $265 price tag on the 5830. Apparently the 5830 suffers from lopsided architecture and doesn't keep up with the rest of the 58xx cards.

My revised suggestion is to either "go for the gold" and get a 5850 (keep an eye out for a sale/rebate to get one under $300) or plan on getting a second 5770 to Crossfire later on. Either way the 5770, being priced at $150-$160, has more bang for your buck than a 5830. I suppose this means a single 5770 is still more cost-effective than a 5830 so I suppose you could make due with a single 5770. I'm pretty disappointed with the 5830 though; it performs more like a 5790 than a 58xx card.

To be honest, for a truly gaming-focused build, if you're considering making the $95 leap from a 5770 to a 5830, I'd actually suggest going all the way and throwing down an additional $55 to make the extra hop up to a 5850 for $320.

If you are sticking with a 5770, I have to advise against getting a XFX card. I love their warranty policy; but XFX cheaped-out and cut corners on their current 5770s by going with a "custom" cut, non-reference PCB which is inferior to the reference PCB for a variety of reasons. Check this thread here regarding XFX cutting corners on the current 5770 batches. Also, IIRC, Sapphire is the official partner with AMD for ATI GPUs and from what I've gathered they seem to have the lowest percentage of flawed/defective units. I'd suggest this Sapphire instead of the XFX: Sapphire HD5770 (Juniper XT) $160 - $10 rebate = $150

Whoops, you got the wrong URL there if you're suggesting a 955 instead of a 965. The link you posted there is for a combo with a 965.

He's right about checking the combos on newegg though...there's some seriously great deals to be had. Here's a link to the same combo with a 955 (C3 revision) instead of the 965 for $26 less:
AMD Phenom II 955 C3 + GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5 + Free MW2 - $345

If you're not sure about the 955 vs the 965 (or before you ignore the those of us advocating the 955), you should check out this thread here where people are reporting their overclocking results with the 955 vs the 965 and discussing their findings.

Also, make sure you get the C3 revision of the 955. It outperforms the older C2 "stepping"/revision chips and iirc also has improvements to the sketchy IMC issues that Phenoms have been dealing with. The C3 revisions also OC better in almost every instance as well.

Every newegg link in this thread so far points to a C3 revision chip; but I'd suggest checking out this thread to make sure you know what you're ordering before you pull the trigger or if you end up ordering from somewhere other than newegg. Basically, Phenom II part numbers ending with GM are C3 revision chips, avoid the C2 models with part numbers ending with GI.
Edited by /\/uLL - 3/4/10 at 2:38am

I would say get the 965. Granted everyone before me presents a valid point the fact of the matter is you can achieve higher oc. It would be much easier (in my opinion) to achieve 4.0 w/ a 965 than a 955. However, this only matters if you care about the highest possible overclock. If this doesnt matter and you're simply looking for a high stable oc and a nice gaming rig then i would have to agree with everyone else and say get the 955. 3.8/9 ghz works just as well as 4.0

@null - yes, the 5830 was kinda a dissappointment. it definately doesnt out perform the 5770 enough to be $240... its still 5770 or 5850 when it comes to ATi cards. one 5770 now and then another later is one way to get 5850/5870 performance without dropping it all at once.

or you can get one 5770, sell it, and then buy a 5850. you still have $300 in GPUs with either 2x 5770 or 1x 5850

the rest looks good to me!

Yeah, I suppose the verdict on video card will depend on if he is planning on a single GPU solution or if he's up for going Crossfire at some point. I suppose a single 5770 would be alright; but I still feel that a single 5770 seems a bit weak for a build with a Ph.II 955/965 and a GA-790FXTA-UD5 that's supposed to be focused on gaming.

Also, I am wary of the CORSAIR XMS3 memory. It's a low voltage kit designed for Intel i5/i7 systems which are known to have issues reaching advertised specs when paired with an AMD platform. Also, for the same price or a touch more, a stronger kit with tighter timings could be had. I just noticed this post in the AMD Memory forums regarding the XMS3 kits which warns against them. I'd advocate one of the following kits over the XMS3 kit:

-Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2x2GB / DDR3 / 1600MHz / 8-8-8-24 < $120 (Highly recommended, lots of praise for the D9 ICs in this kit over in the Memory forums. Wish I had gotten these myself.)

-OCZ Platinum 2x2GB / DDR3 / 1600MHz / 7-7-7-24 < $131-$20 rebate=$111

-OCZ AMD Black Edition 2x2GB / DDR3 / 1600MHz / 8-8-8-24 < $125-$20 rebate=$105 (appears some bad batches of these went out, might be wary of these)