AMD CPU Build help

[Dbiggs9]

I am going to be building a Rig for a Friend. I need to know what AMD Procs Are good for Mid range Gaming, looking for something equal to a E8***. System will Have 9800GTX/GTS250 4Gb DDR2 (unless DDR3 Boards Ram Cheaper)

[LittleLizard]

X3 720 if u do overclock, otherwise X4 630

Oh, and ddr3 boards are slightly more expensive but ddr3 is cheaper and it has a bit more performance so i would go with that.

EDIT: if u are going to use an nvidia card i suggest gettin msi 750-g55 as is am3 and sli capable and cheap

[subhendu]

for mid range gaming x3 720 ...

[Fourstaff]

+1 X3 720be

[AlienIsGOD]

agreed 720 X3 is a good bet for casual gaming.

[Kei]

As a highly experienced Phenom user/owner I'd say that if you're looking to save money on the build the Phenom II X2 550 is an excellent choice of processor and will handle whatever you throw at it.

If you're looking to add a little extra 'security/future proofing' then I'd say go with the Phenom II X3 720 instead so that you have the extra core to work with.

Both processors overclock VERY well (board and psu dependant as always), so you won't really be worried about speed ability of either. You don't have to get deep into overclocking with either if you don't want to do so as they're both Black Edition processors so you can up the cpu speed by simply raising the multiplier and maybe touch the voltage (unlikely unless going for high clocks).

Both processors are very affordable and dare I say CHEAP honestly so either way is a great investment even if you don't wish to rebuild for a number of years.

As for boards you can't really go wrong with almost any of the major name boards out there. I personally back ASUS as my number 1 pick because of their bios, board cooling, reliability, and layouts. I've also bulit systems with MSI and Gigabyte boards as well which both did excellent, but are not quite as tweakable as the ASUS models I've built (for myself or anyone else).

For money savings you won't be sorry if you went for a 785G motherboard (AM3) which is extremely affordable at under $100 with free shipping at newegg. I've built a system with one of those and it was excellent paired with a Phenom II X2 550 processor and 1333Mhz ram.

If you wanna take the next step up then go with the 790GX (AM3) model board which is roughly $130 (many have free shipping), and is even more robust in comparison to the 785G chipset. These are almost the same as the 790FX boards except they have less PCI-E slots and the coolers are usually a little smaller, but still plenty of cooling.

For the full on power experience then go with the 790FX model board which has the most flexibility, performance potential, and best board cooling available. These range from roughly $165-200 so they may be out of the range you're looking for.

I hope that helps you out with your build decision, and your friend is happy with whatever they get. Any of those combinations will be very fast and run whatever you throw at them. If you need more power to play games with then I recommend to change the gpu you have for an ATi 5700 series card which is very powerful, as well as affordable.

Kei