Opinions & alternatives | Budget build!

[Rasputin]

Hello there!
Considering an AMD build with the following components:

Will be used for:

• Work: mainly word processing, web design, some image manipulation applications, programming and web browsing
  
• Gaming: not that many top of the range games / new releases that need the best hardware. Not many FPS' etc (currently hooked on Minecraft.. ). Would still like to be able to play games on ~Medium settings!

What i've found:

• http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-266-AM
  
• http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-466-AS
  
• Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII...
  
• Sapphire HD 5450 1GB DDR3 HDMI DVI VGA Out PCI-E L...
  
• Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory ...
  
• Coolermaster Elite 330 Black Mid Tower Case | Ebuy...
  
• Arctic Power 500W PSU | Ebuyer.com
  
• LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW with DL & RAM SATA.. | Ebuy...

Total cost of this build is ~£350

Would consider an Intel based build if it were of equal cost + performance and were able to meet my requirements!

If you have any suggestions for cost reduction, better hardware (if it adheres to the previous point!) or just want to add anything at all or say something about it; feel free to post! I enjoy feedback!

Thank you!

 

[Irony]

I have that CPU, its a great CPU. it has excellent overclocking potential. Looks like a pretty good setup you have lined up. Mine is similar; although, if you want to do any real gaming, I would suggest a graphics card with a fan at least.

 

[Fourstaff]

Looks good, you might want a more powerful graphics card though, that card is not price efficient.

 

[Irony]

that's pretty good for that price. Is this your first build?

 

[Rasputin]

that's pretty good for that price. Is this your first build?

Yah this will be my first build, getting sick of my old laptop. The fan is like that of a small aeroplane going ALL the time, going to reserve the laptop for taking to uni only!

Looks good, you might want a more powerful graphics card though, that card is not price efficient.

What graphics card would you recommend? All the ones I have looked at that seem to be decent are costing over £50 and would inflate the price quite a bit..

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

You're going with a 5450 graphics card?

If you're putting a 6 core processor into this build. You aren't looking to use it for highly threaded applications (read, video encoding). Why?


For a similar price you can drop the discrete graphics card, purchase an APU (APU, motherboard, and high frequency RAM), and get better graphics performance. You will lose some of the CPU power, but you gain an integrated graphics core capable of running most games on about medium graphics settings.

In a year when the 6xxx series is succeeded by the 7xxx series, and graphics card pricing goes down, you can get a hybrid crossfire graphics setup on the cheap (the internal GPU gets crossfired with certain 6xxx series cards). This could well maintain the medium to medium-high graphics capability (in most games) for the next several years.

This is definitely something you should consider. Increasing your number of cores is useless for most people (above 2 or 4), given that most games only run on a couple of threads. Graphical increases generally are worth it given the price point suggested.

 

[Rasputin]

You're going with a 5450 graphics card?

If you're putting a 6 core processor into this build. You aren't looking to use it for highly threaded applications (read, video encoding). Why?


For a similar price you can drop the discrete graphics card, purchase an APU (APU, motherboard, and high frequency RAM), and get better graphics performance. You will lose some of the CPU power, but you gain an integrated graphics core capable of running most games on about medium graphics settings.

In a year when the 6xxx series is succeeded by the 7xxx series, and graphics card pricing goes down, you can get a hybrid crossfire graphics setup on the cheap (the internal GPU gets crossfired with certain 6xxx series cards). This could well maintain the medium to medium-high graphics capability (in most games) for the next several years.

This is definitely something you should consider. Increasing your number of cores is useless for most people (above 2 or 4), given that most games only run on a couple of threads. Graphical increases generally are worth it given the price point suggested.

Aye you're probably right, but i'm not sure what components I could replace those ones with... Want to suggest alternatives?

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

Aye you're probably right, but i'm not sure what components I could replace those ones with... Want to suggest alternatives?

APU: A8-3850
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-A75M-UD2H
RAM: Generic 1866 frequency RAM

The highest end APU is not a bad little chip. Remember that the overclocking is not yet great. AMD suggests that the next iteration will fix this, but seeing is believeing

I recommend the Gigabyte board because that's the one I used. It is more than enough for a low end build, but has enough features to justify the price tag. Really, go with an FM1 socket board from whatever manufacturer you like.

The 1866 RAM is a must. Video memory is shared with the CPU. Higher frequencies, even with more open timings, will substantially increase performance. Really, this is one of the few times I would say that a 64 bit OS and more than 4GB of RAM is an absolute must for the average consumer. With 2GB sticks in all 4 slots you'll have enough for the video and enough to run any game out there.


I obviously don't have pricing information. In the US newegg and tigerdirect are what I use. You'll have to do some leg work to determine what is acceptable.

 

[Rasputin]

APU: A8-3850
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-A75M-UD2H
RAM: Generic 1866 frequency RAM

The highest end APU is not a bad little chip. Remember that the overclocking is not yet great. AMD suggests that the next iteration will fix this, but seeing is believeing

I recommend the Gigabyte board because that's the one I used. It is more than enough for a low end build, but has enough features to justify the price tag. Really, go with an FM1 socket board from whatever manufacturer you like.

The 1866 RAM is a must. Video memory is shared with the CPU. Higher frequencies, even with more open timings, will substantially increase performance. Really, this is one of the few times I would say that a 64 bit OS and more than 4GB of RAM is an absolute must for the average consumer. With 2GB sticks in all 4 slots you'll have enough for the video and enough to run any game out there.


I obviously don't have pricing information. In the US newegg and tigerdirect are what I use. You'll have to do some leg work to determine what is acceptable.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-305-AM&tool=3

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-471-AS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058

http://www.techdna.co.uk/products/Kingston-4GB-DDR3-1866MHz-Kit-KHX1866C11D3P1K2{47}4G.html

Seems to be a bit pricey, ey?

And do I still need a graphics card with this new setup?..

 

[Rasputin]

Investigated for myself:
Seems that the AMD Llano APU (A8-3850) is a very nice piece of kit, watched a benchmark video and the guy was comparing it to an i3 2105, an a8-8350 and an a8-8350 with a 6690 gpu.. And I have to say, compared to the i3, it was getting more than double the FPS with just the APU (alone)
When the 8350 with 6690 was benchmarked, it was only a few FPS higher. So I think i'm just going to go with the APU and no standalone gpu... for now. Am I right in thinking you just stick any old gpu in and it'll work ? (I know about drivers and all that jazz)

 

[brandonwh64]

you cant even find a used 5770?

 

[Rasputin]

What's the point?

 

[Fourstaff]

What graphics card would you recommend? All the ones I have looked at that seem to be decent are costing over £50 and would inflate the price quite a bit..

5570 at 2x the price and 5x the power.

Keep the x6, its quite handy when it comes to media manipulation.

 

[JrRacinFan]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-306-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=2060
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-471-AS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-264-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1982
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600mhz Ripjaws Memory Ki...
Coolermaster Elite 330 Case With Coolermaster eXtr...

 

[Rasputin]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-306-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=2060
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-471-AS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-264-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1982
Compucase Z-Power 650W PSU - 12CM Fan 20+4pin 2x S...
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600mhz Ripjaws Memory Ki...

How well would that perform?..

 

[JrRacinFan]

How well would that perform?..

You caught me while i was editing

Check out some of the reviews:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviewdb/Graphics-Cards/ATI/HD-6770/

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/403?vs=146

Your call really. If you're not going to be multi-tasking AS MUCH go the Llano with the stronger video card. My build above going with the Sammy F3 and burner you chose would be ~ 358.

 

[Fourstaff]

You really want the x6 if you are planning to do some work, I wouldn't sacrifice the processor for a better graphics. Better graphics can be added later if its not powerful enough, but better processor is not a choice if you are going down the Llano route.

 

[Rasputin]

Gah, i'm torn between them!
The Llano processors seem to be pretty good and mean I may not have to spend as much on graphics unless I want to add some more performance in the future..
I've always wanted an x6 but it's so expensive!
Don't know what to do!

 

[MilkyWay]

Dont mean to sound like a twit but cant you wait a week or 2 for bulldozer.

 

[Rasputin]

Won't that make the price much much higher if it is a brand spanking new product?

 

[JrRacinFan]

Here's another option

Intel Core i5 2400 3.1GHz Socket LGA 1155 6MB L3 C...
Biostar H61ML H61 Socket 1155 6 Channel HD Audio m...
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600mhz Ripjaws Memory Ki...
Sapphire HD 5670 512MB GDDR5 HDMI DVI VGA PCI-E.. ...

Be aware though this is overbudget (~380) pretty much at price of ram.

 

[Rasputin]

Yah, I kinda wanna make it AMD based. Seems that you get more bang for your buck with them...

All i'm really gonna be doing with this computer is using it as a replacement for my laptop for use at home, take laptop to uni, come home, use desktop.
It would only really be used for essay writing, stuff for my applied computing course, web browsing and some light gaming (civ 5, age of empires 3, railworks 3 and the occasional steam daily deal. that kinda stuff. no mad first person shooters xD).

Maybe a odd question, how loud would each of the AMD setups discussed be? Because my laptop is so loud its unreal.
Feel like i've rewritten my first post ha, but I thought I should clarify what I meant by 'work and gaming'

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

Investigated for myself:
Seems that the AMD Llano APU (A8-3850) is a very nice piece of kit, watched a benchmark video and the guy was comparing it to an i3 2105, an a8-8350 and an a8-8350 with a 6690 gpu.. And I have to say, compared to the i3, it was getting more than double the FPS with just the APU (alone)
When the 8350 with 6690 was benchmarked, it was only a few FPS higher. So I think i'm just going to go with the APU and no standalone gpu... for now. Am I right in thinking you just stick any old gpu in and it'll work ? (I know about drivers and all that jazz)

Yes.

The APU can use any discrete graphics card you want, and still function like a regular CPU. If you want a hybrid crossfire with the APU your options are limited.


The stock heatsink for the APU is tiny. It is nearly quiet, and I can often hear HDD noise above the APU fan. The optical drive is always louder. If you try an aftermarket solution you can probably strap a huge sink with a low RPM fan (or even no fan) to keep this sucker silent.

 

[Rasputin]

Yes.

The APU can use any discrete graphics card you want, and still function like a regular CPU. If you want a hybrid crossfire with the APU your options are limited.


The stock heatsink for the APU is tiny. It is nearly quiet, and I can often hear HDD noise above the APU fan. The optical drive is always louder. If you try an aftermarket solution you can probably strap a huge sink with a low RPM fan (or even no fan) to keep this sucker silent.

And you have a 3850? What do you use it for?
I'm just looking for someone to help reassure me that I wouldn't be buying this APU and it not be very good at all for what I would be using it for...

 

[Irony]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-306-AM&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=2060
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-471-AS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-264-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1982
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600mhz Ripjaws Memory Ki...
Coolermaster Elite 330 Case With Coolermaster eXtr...

I think this would make a great little setup, with decent performance in all areas. Unless you're planning on doing multitasking that will stress the CPU for hours on end, I would get the aforementioned setup. /\ /\