New System Build (AMD)

[Syuzeren]

not sure but isn't Bulldozer delayed to october? if it's true then that would be a long wait.
I would go for a 2500k, it has the best price/performance of the high end processors atm.

 

[Wyverex]

Syuzeren, Bulldozer got delayed from Q2 to Q3, so at latest, it's coming out in September and maybe even sooner.

 

[Syuzeren]

Syuzeren, Bulldozer got delayed from Q2 to Q3, so at latest, it's coming out in September and maybe even sooner.

good, i really wan't to see what AMD got for us.

 

[eidairaman1]

Look I know about intel n how great they supposedly are but their upgrade path is leaving me cold cuz they tend to switch up sockets so fast its not funny.

I can wait for Bulldozer to appear as Ill be gone for 6 months overseas.

 

[Pestilence]

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?

If BD is a flop don't expect any discounts on Sandy bridge.

 

[eidairaman1]

To Tell You the Truth Bulldozer Sounds Like Clawhammer and Sledgehammer. N I feel the Return of FX Class CPUs is saying that the parts are very top notch actually.

 

[Hotobu]

If BD is a flop don't expect any discounts on Sandy bridge.

Yeah well some people will be inclined to blindly get the newest thing no matter what, so it could possibly be worth it from a pure marketing angle to drop the price, but that's up to a think tank of people who have way more info than I do.

As far as Intel vs AMD and their "upgrade paths" that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. AM3+ being around for a while is what's allowing people to pop a BD processor in now. I seriously doubt that AM3+ will be around when it's time to upgrade again.

 

[suraswami]

Look I know about intel n how great they supposedly are but their upgrade path is leaving me cold cuz they tend to switch up sockets so fast its not funny.

I can wait for Bulldozer to appear as Ill be gone for 6 months overseas.

Somebody mentioned they got a 955BE for less than $100. So I think your best bet would be to get a AM3+ board (mid-range to high end is your choice) and get a single 6870 video card with all other standard add-ons you need to build a computer. I think this will hold you for a while and when you are back from your trip and if BD is successful then swap out the CPUs and add a 6870 or even a 6870 x 2 to CF.

I am running a 555 BE unlocked to X4 @ 3.8 Ghz with just 1.4v stable with a pair of 4850. I still get good gaming experience. I am sure with the above setup you should see lots of grin on your face.

 

[Pestilence]

Yeah well some people will be inclined to blindly get the newest thing no matter what, so it could possibly be worth it from a pure marketing angle to drop the price, but that's up to a think tank of people who have way more info than I do.

As far as Intel vs AMD and their "upgrade paths" that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. AM3+ being around for a while is what's allowing people to pop a BD processor in now. I seriously doubt that AM3+ will be around when it's time to upgrade again.

1155 - Sandy Bridge > Ivy Bridge. Rumors are that Haswell will need a new board in 2013
AM3+ - Bulldozer. Everywhere that i have read is saying that Bulldozer Enhanced coming in 2H 2012 will have a new Socket. AM4 is the logical sense.

The buzz already is that Ivy Bridge will support 5Ghz processors on air quite easily which is going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

[Hotobu]

Well that's what I'm getting at. There's no way the AM3+ socket is going to be around for long as it seems like the "+" is an indicator of that. Refresh my memory, but I don't recall AM2+ having any real staying power.

As for 5Ghz on air that's pretty believable. It seems like SB doesn't break too much of a sweat to get to 4.5, 4.8 and I believe 5 can be done with a good cooler too.

 

[eidairaman1]

Ill Probably Wait Till Bulldozer appears, But My Understanding is why new boards are released is for automatic compatibility for the average joe who just either 1 needs a new machine 2 doesnt know low level tasks such as flashing bios/uefi.

I can only assume that the Bulldozers HTT level is higher and does away with the DDR2 controller found on Phenom 2 and Older Models. Amongst other architectural changes.

N that AsRock Board does look appealing for the Slot Layout, just a rarity you hear from them with overclocking same with Biostar, and Jetway.

IDK Im Liking the layout of the Gigabyte UD3, besides if i want a Quad Core on the Cheap i Can Look at Athlon X4 instead of trying to risk unlocking a CPU and its not guaranteed to work with 4 cores.

 

[Hotobu]

^ lol wut?

WTF does a socket type have to do with flashing a bios?

As for cores... keep drinkin' it.

 

[eidairaman1]

i stopped tslkin bout sockets

 

[happita]

From what I understand, the game is going to change in the next 6 months.
New boards, new CPUs, and new video cards...
If you want to get a rig NOW...I would suggest just like a few others have and get:

AM3+ motherboard(ASUS Crosshair 5 Formula)

Phenom 2 945 or 955(which can be found relatively cheap nowadays)

4GB DDR3 1866 RAM (make sure the memory is on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List, you don't want to risk it not working with Bulldozer when it comes out)

AMD HD 6870/6950 or Nvidia GTX 560/570



If you want to get a rig put together in 6 months when you get back home, then I would suggest getting:

AM3+ motherboard(ASUS Crosshair 5 Formula or something better)

4core/6core/8core top end Bulldozer CPU($240 - $300)

4GB DDR3 1866 RAM

AMD or Nvidia's next-gen graphics...AMD 7k series or Nvidia GTX 6xx series(7950 or 670)

 

[Syuzeren]

From what I understand, the game is going to change in the next 6 months.
New boards, new CPUs, and new video cards...
If you want to get a rig NOW...I would suggest just like a few others have and get:

AM3+ motherboard(ASUS Crosshair 5 Formula)

Phenom 2 945 or 955(which can be found relatively cheap nowadays)

4GB DDR3 1866 RAM (make sure the memory is on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List, you don't want to risk it not working with Bulldozer when it comes out)

AMD HD 6870/6950 or Nvidia GTX 560/570



If you want to get a rig put together in 6 months when you get back home, then I would suggest getting:

AM3+ motherboard(ASUS Crosshair 5 Formula or something better)

4core/6core/8core top end Bulldozer CPU($240 - $300)

4GB DDR3 1866 RAM

AMD or Nvidia's next-gen graphics...AMD 7k series or Nvidia GTX 6xx series(7950 or 670)

This is your solution if you don't wan't to unlock a 555.

 

[eidairaman1]

Hows the asus products, ive had a bad past with them n Ive replaced many customers with a different board after theirs started failing.

Thats why im a lil on the err with them

 

[happita]

It kind of depends on where you shop to get your components. If your 1-stop-shop place is Newegg, then I would say that adds another extra layer of protection against hardware failures and defects because they just have top notch customer service.
ASUS aren't that bad actually. My first rig build with my Maximus Formula came in DOA, so I called ASUS's customer service and told them what it was. I had this board from Newegg and back then and knew diddly squat about troubleshooting. I tried for over a month to try to find out what it was, but by then my ability to return it to Newegg for replacement/refund had expired, so I had to go through ASUS directly. But you guys @ TPU (THANKS I LOVE YOU) helped me narrow it down to the motherboard. All ASUS asked for was the motherboard....not the free STALKER game, connectors, x-fi sound card they bundled in, NOTHING. But it took almost a month to get a brand new one after they confirmed that the board was dead.
There's my ASUS RMA story....but not everyone's experience is the same.

 

[Pestilence]

Im on my 4th Rog product with no issues whatsoever

 

[eidairaman1]

Well as Im sayin I never had trouble out of ECS, MSI, or DFI. It was only asus that i had troubles from along with several customers machines i repaired.

N the other thing that is not impressing me at all is the way the slots configure themselves when a certain slot is occupied by just a PCI e card.

UD3 seems to be my best bet for not running into the halving of the bandwidth.

 

[erocker]

Keep on topic. The topic (if you have failed to read the title) is indicated in the title.

 

[ASRockIQ]

wait for BD as i am as well. need to upgrade this Rig of mine too. personally i'm an ASRock Fan and lately they have been doing really good in Design/Layout and don't forget ASRock is ASUS's little Brother/Sub Company so they are looking good and getting good reviews. going to get that 990FX Professional Board *Teehee and maybe another 6850 to CF with 16/16X o yeah!

 

[eidairaman1]

I just never Hear about Overclocks on those boards nor Biostars

 

[Hotobu]

Damn, it looks like BD is dropping in October.

That really sucks because I wanted to give AMD benchmarks a chance, but I'm just not sure if I can wait that long.

 

[Rikaroo]

Build questions.

There was an article that said bulldozer will be out Sept. 19.

Overclocking with Biostar boards is easy, I clocked a 955 to 4 ghz. stable for a year.

I currently have an Asus board with that same 955 clocked the same, and have run that one for over a year that way.

If you can afford it I would suggest looking at the Asrock 99fx extreme 4, as this is the one I am going to go with, and it overclocks too. When I get it I will post here any problems/solutions I might have.

 

[eidairaman1]

Thanks for the Input, My Future expansion is 2 vid cards at most and a sound card and maybe a Lan Card or PCI E SSD, i dunno i just like boards that dont have bad layout where you cant utilize even legacy slots, n Yes ive heard onboard audio is getting better but I Have had a sound card since my first build and the Sound to Noise ratio is better on a sound card cause its components are isolated from the motherboard itself