New System Build (AMD)

[eidairaman1]

Yall I been out of the loop for a year now and Im planning in a few months on building a new machine.

My Inputs are as follows

AMD Machine with AMD/ATI video

CPU/Mobo/Video Card (2 at most) Ram must be very well suited for overclocking using Air Cooling (Water Cooling is optional)

Ive see triple height video cards but thats ludicrous

A full Tower ATX case with plenty of Air cooling and capability for water

CPU- Strong Overclocking AMD Quad or Hex Core CPU (I realize the faster core speed the less headroom for overclocking in most cases)

Fastest Single Chip AMD/ATI Video Card/s that can be well overclocked.

I intend on using a PCI or PCI E Sound card

Mobo must have plenty of room for expansion for 2 video cards at most with a sound card and perchance Raid/Ethernet/SSD

Ram I intend on using is 8 GB at Most (Motherboard can have expansion to more ram)

OS will be Windows 7 64 Bit Business (Ultimate just has too much unnecessary garbage and the price hike is stupid)

Fastest SSD Available, (Intended for the OS, Larger SSDs/HDs will be used for games/videos/music/pictures)

Powersupply- Reliability and Capability to support 4 video cards at most

If possible i still like having a floppy drive for ultra low level tasks

Id like to have the fastest BD/DVD/CD Burner drives (2 of em)

Ive been weary of Asus for several years so it will take alot to coax me to go with them

Past Brand Experience ive had

ATI (Radeon AIW 9700 Pro/9800 Pro)
Sapphire (X1950 Pro AGP- Still in my Signature Machine)
HIS (X1950 Pro AGP-Broke it accidently with a HS shorting it, have replaced it)
Muskin (Redline 4000 2 GB Ram Signature Machine)
Corsair
Crucial (Accidently shorted Ram replaced with Mushkin above)
Hitachi
Seagate (Signature Machine)
WD
DFI (Signature Machine Mobo)
MSI (K7N2 Delta-L Mobo)
AMD (Athlon XP 3200, AXP-M 2500+ in Signature Machine)
Asus
Antec (Signature Machine PSU and Case)
Intel
ECS
Hercules
Creative Labs Sound Blaster

[mav2000]

Well if its AMD, I would go for the following:

1. Asus 99fx CH V - Probably the bext of the 990FX pack as of now
2. AMD 1090T/1100T or take a 555 BE and wait for the Bulldozer
3. On the case you could look for a lot of options, depending on which look you like, but the best for water cooling on a budget would be a HAFX, CM 840 ATCS, Corsair 800D or even a Xigmatek Elysium. For more money, you could look at a TJ11 or a Lian Li case.
4.GPU - 6970 X 2, try and get the ref models as water cooling them would be easier as the blocks are easily available. Also take a look at the MSI Twin frozr models, but I dont know about blocks for them. Any of the cards would be good enough though. If you want to save some money get ref 6950's instead. The difference is not much.
5. 8GB ram, go for a PSC bsed Gskill kit. most of the 2000/2133/2200 kits with 8-9-8, 9-10-9 etc timings should be PSC. You could also go for a Gskill 1600 Mhz CL8 or CL9 kit.
6.For SSD - OCZ vertex 3, Corsair Force GT or the Crucial M3/M4 lineup would work for the best speeds right now.
7.PSU - I like the Seasonic 850 Gold, but that may not take 4 cards. You can look at the 1200 W Corsair or Antec.

Dont know if we even get new floppy drives anymore and you will probably need others to reply for the sound card and BD rom drives.

[Red_Machine]

Just hold out for Bulldozer. No point in wasting money on a Phenom II now.

[Hotobu]

Ugh, I completely forgot about Bulldozer. I've been so busy with my head down looking at stuff for an SB build that I forgot that Bulldozer's due out soon. I wish that it would hurry up and come out so we can see what it's capable of. I can hold out for about a month before needing to finalize a build, but I'd just like to have some concrete numbers to go off of.

[Syuzeren]

Originally Posted by mav2000

Well if its AMD, I would go for the following:

1. Asus 99fx CH V - Probably the bext of the 990FX pack as of now
2. AMD 1090T/1100T or take a 555 BE and wait for the Bulldozer
3. On the case you could look for a lot of options, depending on which look you like, but the best for water cooling on a budget would be a HAFX, CM 840 ATCS, Corsair 800D or even a Xigmatek Elysium. For more money, you could look at a TJ11 or a Lian Li case.
4.GPU - 6970 X 2, try and get the ref models as water cooling them would be easier as the blocks are easily available. Also take a look at the MSI Twin frozr models, but I dont know about blocks for them. Any of the cards would be good enough though. If you want to save some money get ref 6950's instead. The difference is not much.
5. 8GB ram, go for a PSC bsed Gskill kit. most of the 2000/2133/2200 kits with 8-9-8, 9-10-9 etc timings should be PSC. You could also go for a Gskill 1600 Mhz CL8 or CL9 kit.
6.For SSD - OCZ vertex 3, Corsair Force GT or the Crucial M3/M4 lineup would work for the best speeds right now.
7.PSU - I like the Seasonic 850 Gold, but that may not take 4 cards. You can look at the 1200 W Corsair or Antec.

Looks very solid i would go for the 6950 2GB in Crossfire.

I think any Sony or Samsung Blueray will be fine, i don't know anything about floppys but you can pick one here (BTW i would go External with USB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...floppy&x=0&y=0

Originally Posted by Hotobu

Ugh, I completely forgot about Bulldozer. I've been so busy with my head down looking at stuff for an SB build that I forgot that Bulldozer's due out soon. I wish that it would hurry up and come out so we can see what it's capable of. I can hold out for about a month before needing to finalize a build, but I'd just like to have some concrete numbers to go off of.

i got bored and just got the SB, didn't want to wait untill end august

[Hotobu]

Well if I could use it now I would, but I wont even be back in the US until mid August.

[Syuzeren]

Originally Posted by Hotobu

Well if I could use it now I would, but I wont even be back in the US until mid August.

Then wait for sure. Hope that they have a price/performance which matches or succeeds SB

[eidairaman1]

I was looking at that board along with Gigabytes UD5 and UD7 Versions and they seem to split off bandwidth when the other slots are occupied by any other PCI E cards, I think GB UD3 and MSIs GD80 are the ones that dont do that. i just wish these board makers would compensate for card that take up 2 slots and make the other slots useable, but i guess they expect users to watercool the vid cards?

Any Input on Enermax?

I mean this machine will be for overclocking and Gaming, I dont benchmark a machine, I would only stress test and game- as regular benchmarking is meaningless to me.

N Bulldozer, wouldnt that be better to just go to the next socket after AM3+? N as of vid cards what ones have been known to have pretty well headroom for OCs, N Heres the Deal about me as of vid cards, I normally go with the Top End Units anymore less the ones below them can go further without breaking, if they dont go considerably further than the Top model then I just go with the top model cuz i know they would be stable at the speed without having to force them.

Vidcards ive owned

ATI AIW 9700 Pro
ATI AIW 9800 Pro (Replaced 9700 Pro after i broke the power connector)
Sapphire x1950 Pro 512 AGP
HIS x1950 Pro 512 AGP (Broke it got it replaced couldnt wait on RMA so got the Sapphire- Brand new spare)

I let the games be the benchmarks as stuff like 3D Mark Played Favoritism for companies.

Case Designs Ive noticed dont have more than 7 slots alot of the time, I recall the HAF series from CM

Originally Posted by mav2000

Well if its AMD, I would go for the following:

1. Asus 99fx CH V - Probably the bext of the 990FX pack as of now
2. AMD 1090T/1100T or take a 555 BE and wait for the Bulldozer
3. On the case you could look for a lot of options, depending on which look you like, but the best for water cooling on a budget would be a HAFX, CM 840 ATCS, Corsair 800D or even a Xigmatek Elysium. For more money, you could look at a TJ11 or a Lian Li case.
4.GPU - 6970 X 2, try and get the ref models as water cooling them would be easier as the blocks are easily available. Also take a look at the MSI Twin frozr models, but I dont know about blocks for them. Any of the cards would be good enough though. If you want to save some money get ref 6950's instead. The difference is not much.
5. 8GB ram, go for a PSC bsed Gskill kit. most of the 2000/2133/2200 kits with 8-9-8, 9-10-9 etc timings should be PSC. You could also go for a Gskill 1600 Mhz CL8 or CL9 kit.
6.For SSD - OCZ vertex 3, Corsair Force GT or the Crucial M3/M4 lineup would work for the best speeds right now.
7.PSU - I like the Seasonic 850 Gold, but that may not take 4 cards. You can look at the 1200 W Corsair or Antec.

Dont know if we even get new floppy drives anymore and you will probably need others to reply for the sound card and BD rom drives.

[brandonwh64]

I think bulldozer is soon why not wait?

[suraswami]

If you want to go with AMD then better off waiting till BD comes out and proves itself or you can prepare for BD and invest in AM3+ setup, using a cheap X2 555.

If you need a PC rightaway then SB is your best bet.

[Hotobu]

Originally Posted by suraswami

If you want to go with AMD then better off waiting till BD comes out and proves itself or you can prepare for BD and invest in AM3+ setup, using a cheap X2 555.

If you need a PC rightaway then SB is your best bet.

Pretty much this. Not only that, but it's not like the price of tech is going to go up. In the month or so that it takes BD to come out prices are sure to fall on some stuff. I also wouldn't be surprised if SB processors drop a few $ when it hits regardless of what the benchmarks say. I bought my case now because it had a coupon and a rebate I can take advantage of, and I might buy the Blu-Ray drive since I can get a good price on it, but anything outside of that I don't see the point in buying now. The way Newegg does shell shockers and combo deals it's worth wait to see if a price drops or perhaps buying a couple of parts together could have a nice discount.

[eidairaman1]

Im sticking with AMD thanks, not goin Intel.

[Pestilence]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

Im sticking with AMD thanks, not goin Intel.

I'll gladly put together an Amd rig for you but why not Intel? Sandy Bridge is the best you can get right now for CHEAP

Leaks have also said BD has now been Delayed till October

Edit - Just read what you want. Any amd rig we put together for you will bottleneck a 2 card setup in SLI or Xfire.

[Syuzeren]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I'll gladly put together an Amd rig for you but why not Intel? Sandy Bridge is the best you can get right now for CHEAP

Leaks have also said BD has now been Delayed till October

Edit - Just read what you want. Any amd rig we put together for you will bottleneck a 2 card setup in SLI or Xfire.

wow now im really happy i didnt wait, and do you think BD will bottleneck 2 cards? or did you talk about the Phenom 2 processors

[eidairaman1]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

I'll gladly put together an Amd rig for you but why not Intel? Sandy Bridge is the best you can get right now for CHEAP

Leaks have also said BD has now been Delayed till October

Edit - Just read what you want. Any amd rig we put together for you will bottleneck a 2 card setup in SLI or Xfire.

Im not looking for someone to build a machine for me, just a few suggestions, I can build a machine myself, been doin it for some time, just havent focused in over a year now. N thing is im not big on Intels upgrade paths at all.

N About the video card thing I was sayin 1-2 Cards 2 At Most, N Bottlenecks are not a big worry for me.

Originally Posted by Syuzeren

wow now im really happy i didnt wait, and do you think BD will bottleneck 2 cards? or did you talk about the Phenom 2 processors

I believe was talking about PH2, BD we have no Idea cuz its not out yet

[Pestilence]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

Im not looking for someone to build a machine for me, just a few suggestions, I can build a machine myself, been doin it for some time, just havent focused in over a year now. N thing is im not big on Intels upgrade paths at all.

When i said build you a machine i meant i'll recommend specific parts. As for Intel's upgrade path. Current Sandy bridge 1155 sockets will be able to simply drop a 22nm Ivy bridge processor in when they are released in April.

[eidairaman1]

Thanks for the suggestion but for an AMD machine what would u recommend as of parts, I mean ive did a lil research on the top boards from Asus and Gigabyte and it seems the CH 5 V and the UD7/UD5 split off bandwidth.

only ones I see not doin that is the UD3 from GB and MSI GD80.

[Pestilence]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

Thanks for the suggestion but for an AMD machine what would u recommend as of parts, I mean ive did a lil research on the top boards from Asus and Gigabyte and it seems the CH 5 V and the UD7/UD5 split off bandwidth.

only ones I see not doin that is the UD3 from GB and MSI GD80.

IF i was building an Amd rig...

955 C3 - Should easily do 4.0-4.2Ghz on Air with a D14
Crosshair V - All ready for Bulldozer
G. Skill 8GB DDR3 2133
Pair of 6870's
Corsair 850W for Futureproofing

All could be found on Newegg

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Originally Posted by Red_Machine

Just hold out for Bulldozer. No point in wasting money on a Phenom II now.

^ or buy an X2 and sell it when dozer comes out.

[Pestilence]

Originally Posted by [H]@RD5TUFF

^ or buy an X2 and sell it when dozer comes out.

955 is 99 dollars and a decent processor to hold you over till bulldozer. I had one.. At 4.2Ghz it was decent.

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

955 is 99 dollars and a decent processor to hold you over till bulldozer. I had one.. At 4.2Ghz it was decent.

I just purchased one yesterday for $75 USD brand new, and it's a big upgrade over my 550, and was able to hit 4.1ghz with the stock cooler and it seem stable plays games, and passed prime 95. Good processor, but IMO should just wait till bull dozer.

[eidairaman1]

Any Other Ideas yall

[Hotobu]

Well there is this http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.as...20Professional

And *points and laughs at people with brand loyalty*.

[CJCerny]

Originally Posted by eidairaman1

Any Other Ideas yall

Yeah...re-think your AMD CPU brand loyalty one more time. They are not the best bang for the buck right now. Sandy Bridge processors destroy any current AMD CPU at gaming and can be overclocked like crazy with the right motherboard on just air. I have nothing against AMD, but that's just the current state of affairs. AMD is making the best video card at this point, but their current CPU's really lag behind Intel. Bulldozer might fix that, but that has yet to be seen. If you have a Microcenter near you, you can get a i5-2500k for $180 and any compatible Intel motherboard for an additional $40 off the sale/rebate price.

[Hotobu]

Originally Posted by CJCerny

Yeah...re-think your AMD CPU brand loyalty one more time. Sandy Bridge processors destroy any current AMD CPU at gaming and can be overclocked like crazy with the right motherboard on just air. I have nothing against AMD, but that's just the current state of affairs. AMD is making the best video card at this point, but their current CPU's really lag behind Intel. Bulldozer might fix that, but that has yet to be seen.


** If you have a Microcenter near you, you can get a i5-2500k for $180 and any compatible Intel motherboard for an additional $40 off the sale/rebate price.

I agree with this to a point **. At this point anyone who can wait 4-6 weeks for a build should. Even if BD is a flop I wouldn't be surprised if Intel's stuff sees discounts.

But going out and putting together a build based on brand loyalty, locking one's self into a particular architecture, all the while doing so with a "throw away" processor... What's that saying about a fool and his money?