New CPU - Budget 35-40K (CPU Only)

S

I need to upgrade from my beloved 6-year old rig with so that I could do serious gaming for the next 3 years.
My current can still run Crysis 2 at high(with 2x medium shadows and anti-aliasing) but is showing its age with Hitman-Absolution and newer games. I expect my new rig would be a significant upgrade over my current rig.
My current configuration -
Core 2 Duo E6550, XFX 650i Ultra (Motherboard, not the graphics card

), XFX 8800 GTS 320 MB
4 GB DDR2 RAM, etc

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
Ans: Gaming and photo-editing. Target Software - Photoshop, GIMP, Graphically advanced games in their full glory (e.g. Metro 2033 - Last Light, Crysis 3, Hitman - Absolution, Far Cry 3, Skyrim, Witcher 2, Half Life 3 (of course when it's ready :))

.

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: 35-40K, extendible for something great.

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: No.

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Windows 7 onwards, Ubuntu.

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: Already have SATA 2 drives for storage. 1 TB for OS, may go for SSDs later.

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: Not now. In 3-4 months. Need suggestions for 22-27 inches widescreen with minimum resolution around 1920*1200, preferable aspect ratio 16:10). Separate Budget - 12K (extendible till 15k)
Current Monitor - Viewsonic VX1932 WM. 19" Widescreen, 1440*900.

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, UPS.

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: Last Week, July 2013. May wait if prices cuts are due as with the arrival of nvidia 700 Series.

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: Yes.

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: Kolkata. Open to both local and online.

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: Thanks to all in advance.

AMD PROCESSOR FX 8350

ASUS MOTHERBOARD M5A97 R2.0

SAPPHIRE GRAPHICS CARD HD 7870 2GB DDR5 GHz EDITION

CORSAIR SMPS TX 650 V2
OR
*www.flipkart.com/seasonic-s12ii-620-watts-psu/p/itmd5xz46hjzzrax?pid=PSUD5XZ4GCGRASAY&ref=d398a2ba-01b0-47a0-bb7a-086cd2108989

CORSAIR RAM VENGEANCE 4GB DDR3 1600FSB

43K for above config..
You may buy a new Cabinet so check prices for that.

Intel i5 3470 - rs 11000

Intel z77 ml-45k mobo - rs 4300

G.skill ripjaws 1600mhz 4gb ram - rs 2200

Seasonic s12 520w psu - rs 3900

Nzxt source 210 cabinet - rs 2900

Saphhire hd 7870 xt with boost 2gb - rs 17,500

Total - rs 41,800

For monitor get Dell Ultrasharp U2312hM 23 INCH LED @RS 14,500

Dell UltraSharp U2312HM 23inch Monitor with LED Details

IMO, right now getting Haswell is a better option that getting the cheaper Ivy Bridge. Apart from small performance boost, OP will get future compatibility and a proper upgrade path. Currently Core i5 4430 is available at 12K in Smcinternational.in and a H87 Motherboard from MSI is around 6K.

But here FX-8350 is a better option because of its superior Multi-threaded performance and the fact that games are getting Multi-Core optimized.

Cilus said:
IMO, right now getting Haswell is a better option that getting the cheaper Ivy Bridge. Apart from small performance boost, OP will get future compatibility and a proper upgrade path. Currently Core i5 4430 is available at 12K in Smcinternational.in and a H87 Motherboard from MSI is around 6K.

But here FX-8350 is a better option because of its superior Multi-threaded performance and the fact that games are not getting Multi-Core optimized.

ya but for haswell he has pay extra money on mobo and also psu like corsair tx 650w ..etc as seasonic s12 series may not support haswell.so spending more on this will shoot the budget and may lead to compromise on gpu.
Regarding upgrades,ivy bridge will last for next 2.5-3 years in gaming and after 3-4 years getting new mobo of latest gen is not a bigdeal
+ socket 1150 will only support next gen broadwell(so upgrading haswell to broadwell is not big jump),then another different socket.

Overall there is no noticable difference between ivy and haswell i5 cpus in gaming

imo 3470 is better option than 4430 because failwell is only 10% faster and hotter while 3470 have 6 and 12% (base and turbo) clock advantage thus may perform better and runs cooler than failwell

also with z75 (i want to see this cheap board, links anyone ???? ) op can overclock it to upto +400mhz (though op don't want but still in future if he wants to then its doable)

also i5-3570 non-k is also around 11-11.5k with great clock advantage so op can also consider it

truegenius said:
imo 3470 is better option than 4430 because failwell is only 10% faster and hotter while 3470 have 6 and 12% (base and turbo) clock advantage thus may perform better and runs cooler than failwell

also with z75 (i want to see this cheap board, links anyone ???? ) op can overclock it to upto +400mhz (though op don't want but still in future if he wants to then its doable)

also i5-3570 non-k is also around 11-11.5k with great clock advantage so op can also consider it

yep agreed

link of z75 mobo - Intel DZ75ML-45K Motherboard - Intel: Flipkart.com

J

@ashis " seasonic s12 series may not support haswell."

Why won't it support haswell? Could you elaborate?

Cilus said:
superior Multi-threaded performance and the fact that games are not getting Multi-Core optimized.

Sorry to interrupt sir but did I miss something there?? ;-)

Jripper said:
@ashis " seasonic s12 series may not support haswell."

Why won't it support haswell? Could you elaborate?

answer is here - The big Haswell PSU compatibility list - The Tech Report - Page 1

ASHISH65 said:
answer is here - The big Haswell PSU compatibility list - The Tech Report - Page 1

Go to top of the page for the exact problem with Haswell and PSUs. Here it is anyways:

According to Intel's presentation at IDF, the new Haswell processors enter a sleep state called C7 that can drop processor power usage as low as 0.05A. Even if the sleeping CPU is the only load on the +12V rail, most power supplies can handle a load this low. The potential problem comes up when there is still a substantial load on the power supply's non-primary rails (the +3.3V and +5V). If the load on these non-primary rails are above a certain threshold (which varies by PSU), the +12V can go out of spec (voltages greater than +12.6V). If the +12V is out of spec when the motherboard comes out of the sleep state, the PSU's protection may prevent the PSU from running and will cause the power supply to "latch off". This will require the user to cycle the power on their power supply using the power switch on the back of the unit.

S

Thanks again for excellent recommendations but there is some confusion.

1. Processor - Both PS4 and XBox One have 8 core processors. The upcoming games would try to utilize the 8 cores.
So would it be better to go for a 8 core processoe (AMD FX 8350) or Core i5 3470, whose benchmark scores in gaming is better than FX 8350?
Also I read that for a single GPU rig, processor doesn't make that much of a difference. In that case wouldn't FX 6300 suffice?

2. Considering the specs and benchmarks, HD 7870 is an excellent card. But I have read that the majority of games are better optimized for nVidia drivers rather than ATI ones e.g Far Cry 3. Is it an exaggeration? In that case what should be my choice? 650 Ti seems not enough and 660 Ti is outside my budget.

3. SMPS - Corsair TX 650 V2

4. RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600FSB

5. CPU Cooler - Is it required if I am not overclocking?

6. Case - Not sure. Please suggest something tall, dark and handsome.

7. Motherboard - Not sure.

8. Optical Drive - Not sure.

9. Budget - Taking the best from the suggestions is putting it beyond 50K.

Would it be worth it or I should do some compromise to bring it below 40K.
As I see it I would be gaming at 1400*900 to 1980*1050 resolution.

Chaitanya said:
Sorry to interrupt sir but did I miss something there??

That was a Typo, thanks for pointing out. Edited.

1. For gaming and any other applications, currently FX-8350 is a better and future proof option. Reason: you have already posted, due to the nature of the current generation consoles, games are going to be multicore optimized. FX-6300 is a really VFM processor but I think getting the 8 Core is a smarter choice.

2. No, most of the games are not optimized for nVidia cards, they run properly on both the companies cards. In fact, now a days we are seeing more of AMD titles than nVidia. Example: Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dog, Crysis 3 etc.

3. SMPS choice is good.

4. Vengeance is good but if possible, try to get G-Skill RipjawX if available at the same range.

5. In case of AMD, the stock Cooler is very good. If you're not overclocking then it will suffice.

6. Carbide 400R

7. In case of AMD, Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 is a good choice.

^

1)Dude you cannot compare ps4 or xbox 8 jaguar cores to pc system.they both are completely different + .Consoles work differently than PC games.Even Samsung galaxy S4 has 8 core.,Core count isn't everything,It is easier to insert an 8 core CPU into a console/PC... It is not so easy to design games that can actually make use of them. + that 8 jaguar core will be running @1.6ghz which makes it even slower than fx 8350.Now in present i5 3470 is faster than fx 8350 in every single game + consumes way less power than fx,which makes i5 3470 a decent choice specially if you not going to overclock cpu.

2)amd drivers have improved much now,get gpu by looking at performance i still go with hd 7870 xt boost

we already have given you system quoation above.

^^ Dude, better read the AMD Jaguar based console architecture 1st before commenting. I have gone through all the architecture details and the Jaguar Cores used in XBOX and PS4 are exactly same as the AMD desktop/ultrabook Kabini Cores, based on same X86 architecture. The current generation Comsoles are based on X86 CPU Cores and AMD GCN based GPU placed in a single SOC (System on Chip) with Unified Memory Architecture (UMA). In fact AMD is planning to bring All in One PC based on the same SOC.
Before bringing Mobile Processors, read a little about X86 and ARM architecture, don't post baseless and misleading information and don't compare Galaxy S4 with XBOX/P4 SOC. When you optimize a game for using multiple X86 Cores for consoles using any programming language, it can be ported very easily to their PC counter parts due to the reason that underlying architecture is same, the same X86.

Regarding game performance, Please have a look at the benchmark of Crysis 3 CPU scaling which is the example of how future games will be. FX-8350 beats all the i5 and performs similarly like a i7 3770K.

ASISH65, buddy time to increase your knowlede a little rather than just looking into some benchmarks only. Not only me, check different game developers opinion about the future game developements and choice of CPU.

ASHISH65 said:
i5 3470 a decent choice specially

For a layman...

I wouldn't invest in something that is already on downfall (meaning : Ivy bridge is now previous gen already)

S

I would be buying my PC in July 2nd Week.
1. Today I came to know that PS4 has a GPU equivalent to HD 7870. As the coding on PS4 would be on the machine level without any impeding effects of the Direct X layer, its performance is bound to be better than the corresponding desktop version. For making my PC to outlast PS4 and XBOX One, I feel HD 7870 will not be sufficient.
Also nvidia has launched GTX 760 whose initial reviews have been great. Should I go for it instead?

2. For making my PC to outlast the next-gen consoles, do I need to upgrade my configuration? I am willing to go extend my budget till 53K to ensure this.

3. Please suggest a suitable mid-tower cabinet with (for around 3.5 K). 400R is out of budget.

I liked Antec One, CM K281, CM Elite 371, CM Elite 460.
I will make sure to have 120 mms fans in the front and rear. Are side or top fans needed?
P.S. I live in Kolkata now.

4. Should I get Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 or Asus M5A97 R2.0? Vendor also suggested Asus 970.

5. FX 8350 or i5 3470? Their price is almost same. 8350 beats 3470 in all benchmarks, except for gaming. My speculation is that as more games getting optimized for multiple cores (due to next-gen consoles), 8350 will gain advantage over 3470. Am I correct or Haswell?

6. CPU Cooler - Is it required to replace the stock cooler?

Configuration so far -
AMD PROCESSOR FX 8350
ASUS MOTHERBOARD M5A97 R2.0
SAPPHIRE GRAPHICS CARD HD 7870 2GB DDR5 XT (Tahiti Architecture)
CORSAIR SMPS TX 650 V2
CORSAIR RAM VENGEANCE 8GB DDR3 1600FSB (G-skill RipJaw is not available in Kolkata right now)

i personally like cm k series as they have aggressive look

ShariqAnwer said:
Configuration so far -
AMD PROCESSOR FX 8350
ASUS MOTHERBOARD M5A97 R2.0
SAPPHIRE GRAPHICS CARD HD 7870 2GB DDR5 XT (Tahiti Architecture)
CORSAIR SMPS TX 650 V2
CORSAIR RAM VENGEANCE 8GB DDR3 1600FSB (G-skill RipJaw is not available in Kolkata right now)

proccy : 12k
mobo : 7k (get evo one)
Seasonic S12II 620 W : 5.5k
RAM : 4k
total : 28.5k

money left for GFX ~25k
if possible get this : GIGABYTE GV-R797OC-3GD Ultra Durable VGA Series Garphic Card

else go for any HD 7950 although you may wait for GTX760.. ;-)

& regarding i5-3470 vs FX8350 you would be happier with FX8350..
Haswell rig be out of your budget..

see this
AnandTech | Bench - CPU
as op has nothing to do with OCing i5 seems better option.

Pls bring out specific point you want to say

S

With few reviews now available for GTX 760, it seems that GTX 760 and HD 7950 with boost are virtually exchangeable.
Will 3 GB memory of 7950 would be of advantageous later over 2 GB of GTX 760? Single monitor setup @ 1080p.

Also 7950 will need a bigger cabinet. Which would be better CM 912 Combat or Corsair 300R?

AFAIK 300r has toolfree design while 912 aint..
Also 300r looks more clean & is built of steel instead of aluminium

S

Hi Guys. Thanks for your help so far.
Due to the free-fall of rupees vs dollars and some suggested upgrades my 40K budget has crossed 60K.
1. Should I buy as planned this Saturday or wait for a month? With the US job market showing good results, I fear Rupee may fall further.
2. As both the CPU (8500K) and GPU (HD 7950) are good with overclocking, please suggest a better motherboard. I found many articles with problem with ASUS M5A97 R2.0 during overclocking.
3. HD 7950 or 4 GB GTX 760?

ShariqAnwer said:
Hi Guys. Thanks for your help so far.
Due to the free-fall of rupees vs dollars and some suggested upgrades my 40K budget has crossed 60K.
1. Should I buy as planned this Saturday or wait for a month? With the US job market showing good results, I fear Rupee may fall further.
2. As both the CPU (8500K) and GPU (HD 7950) are good with overclocking, please suggest a better motherboard. I found many articles with problem with ASUS M5A97 R2.0 during overclocking.
3. HD 7950 or 4 GB GTX 760?

So whats your final budget?

cilus and all others. here are respected. red members but get your facts right before posting

c6 c7 low power states are disable as standard on low cost motherboards so don't make it a reason not to go for haswell

im really starting to think this is a paid forum. Also why was my signature edited? !

S

@harshilsharma63 - 10-11K for motherboard. I am already over-budget.
In this configuration, I think Motherboard may become a bottleneck.
I just want to overclock a little. Not going to test the limits with liquid cooling and stuff.

Never heard of bitfenix.
Is Bitfenix Shinobi as good as 300R or HAF 912 Combat?
*mdcomputers.in/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1189

Which would be best for my build? (HD 7950 + CM Hyper 212 Evo + Moderate Overclocking)
1. FX 8350 + Asrock 990FX Extreme 4 (12800 + 11025 = 23825)
2. FX 8350 + Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 (12800 + 11232 = 24032)
3. Intel Core i5 3570k + Asrock Z77 Pro 4 (15300 + 8925 = 24225)

ShariqAnwer said:
@harshilsharma63 - 10-11K for motherboard. I am already over-budget.
In this configuration, I think Motherboard may become a bottleneck.
I just want to overclock a little. Not going to test the limits with liquid cooling and stuff.

Never heard of bitfenix.
Is Bitfenix Shinobi as good as 300R or HAF 912 Combat?
BITFENIX CABINET SHINOBI

Which would be best for my build? (HD 7950 + CM Hyper 212 Evo + Moderate Overclocking)
1. FX 8350 + Asrock 990FX Extreme 4 (12800 + 11025 = 23825)
2. FX 8350 + Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 (12800 + 11232 = 24032)
3. Intel Core i5 3570k + Asrock Z77 Pro 4 (15300 + 8925 = 24225)

> For mild overclocking, Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 is also good. Its available for ~8k (price increased by >1k

).

> for cabinet, my vote goes for 300R for its good build quality.

S

Based on your suggestions, I have shortlisted the following components -
1. PSU - Seasonic S12II 620 Watts - 5500 (Second Choice - Corsair TX 650 V2 - 6400)
2. Cabinet - Corsair 300R - 4900 (Second Choice - Cooler Master HAF 912 Combat - 5100)
3. CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - 2500 (Will get after 2 months)
4. GPU - Sapphire HD 7950 VAPOR-X 3GB DDR5 OC - 24500 (Second Choice - Zotac GTX 760 2GB DDR5 AMP Edition - 24000)
5. RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600FSB - 3800 (Will get another 2 GB later)
6. DVD RW - ASUS DVD RW 24X - 1100
9. HDD - Seagate or Western 1 TB - 4300

Still unsure about the processor and motherboard - FX 8350 (12800) or i5 3570K (15300) ?
Considering 3570k costs 2500 more and has better performance in single core/thread games. But the next-gen consoles have 8 core processor and future games may be better optimized for multiple cores/threads. My speculation is that multi-threaded optimized games will start appearing next year. What should I do? - doing flip-flops over them.

FX 8350 is available at 12.07k in Flipkart, so buy from there and save 800 bucks. And instead of spending 15k+ just for the cpu, get theamd setup eith a better Graphics card.
With the saved money, a hd 7970 can be squeezed within your budget.

gta4 uses upto 4 cores and 50+ threads
but i3-3240 and fx-8320 perfoms same in gta4

truegenius said:
gta4 uses upto 4 cores and 50+ threads
but i3-3240 and fx-8320 perfoms same in gta4

Could you please specify the context? Didn't get you actually here.

S

There seems to be a problem. Sapphire HD7950 Vapor-X needs 2 8-pin PCI connectors. Does Seasonic S12II 620 has them?

C

Welcome to Seasonic USA That PSU has 1X6 pin and 1X8 pin PCIe connectors. Since it's a new PSU the 6 pin one will have 3X 12V wires and can theoritically provide 150W. You get 2X 8pin connectors on high end PSU and considering that these GPU's come with those power adapters in box: yeah it's possible. But too much OC won't be possible (IMO) even without overvolting (totally impossible). Just my 2cents

S

So it is Corsair TX650 V2 then. Going to shop on Saturday. Any last minute advice?

ShariqAnwer said:
So it is Corsair TX650 V2 then. Going to shop on Saturday. Any last minute advice?

Why, the Seasonic PSU is just fine for your purpose. You'll get a 8 Pin converter with the GPU itself and use to get another 8 pin connector. Regarding overclocking of the GPU, the PSU can easily handle it.

Coldbreeze16, please don't misguide the OP with your misleading information. Seasonic S12II 620 is premium PSU and it can handle a HD 7950 with ease with good amount of overclocking. In fact a good 550W PSU can easily handle a HD 7950. It does have only one 8 Pic PCI-E connector does not mean it can't handle GPU which needs two 8 pin PCI-E connectors DO you have any idea about how a PSU work and how it quality is to determine? Don't just throw some words here and there.

And this:

But too much OC won't be possible (IMO) even without overvolting (totally impossible). Just my 2cents

Please explain what do you mean my those above words?

C

It does have only one 8 Pic PCI-E connector does not mean it can't handle GPU which needs two 8 pin PCI-E connectors DO you have any idea about how a PSU work and how it quality is to determine? Don't just throw some words here and there.

I mentioned it that post already. Don't the official specs say the 6 pin PCIe is supposed to carry 75W. Of course that 8 pin has just extra ground wires but THAT is the one that's officially supposed to carry 150W. Both have those three rails so both can carry 150W. And that's what practically most do, 6+8 pin for 300W. But as I said OFFICIALLY...

And besides I've read that overloading the 6 pin connectors by constantly drawing 150W through them (in the absence of 2 extra GND wires) can make them run hotter.

PS: Don't always make it personal, simply tell me I'm incorrect. I comment here what I've read on other forums. It's just GIGO. And I always add that those are my personal remarks, so you don't have to come down that hard. If I'm incorrect then tell me so and I'd be happy to learn something new.

Sorry for the harsh word then. But not all the time it is necessary to throw whatever you got from other forums without understanding it properly. Instead of just going tthrough some forum posts, you can directly check the reviews in some good sites like Tomshardware, Anandtech, Guru3d. They have very good scientific methodology for testing and they provide a very accurate measurement of power consumption of the components they test.
This forum is little different and here people like more facts and scientific posts rather than what you call GIGO

.
But again, sorry for the harsh words and I think you'll enjoy being here.

C

Thanks mate. I thought the argument I read about the overheating problem of using 6 pin to provide 150W was logical because of increased resistance.

ShariqAnwer said:
Based on your suggestions, I have shortlisted the following components -
1. PSU - Seasonic S12II 620 Watts - 5500 (Second Choice - Corsair TX 650 V2 - 6400)
2. Cabinet - Corsair 300R - 4900 (Second Choice - Cooler Master HAF 912 Combat - 5100)
3. CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - 2500 (Will get after 2 months)
4. GPU - Sapphire HD 7950 VAPOR-X 3GB DDR5 OC - 24500 (Second Choice - Zotac GTX 760 2GB DDR5 AMP Edition - 24000)
5. RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600FSB - 3800 (Will get another 2 GB later)
6. DVD RW - ASUS DVD RW 24X - 1100
9. HDD - Seagate or Western 1 TB - 4300

Still unsure about the processor and motherboard - FX 8350 (12800) or i5 3570K (15300) ?
Considering 3570k costs 2500 more and has better performance in single core/thread games. But the next-gen consoles have 8 core processor and future games may be better optimized for multiple cores/threads. My speculation is that multi-threaded optimized games will start appearing next year. What should I do? - doing flip-flops over them.

1. PSU - Seasonic SS-650KM -7500
2. Cabinet - Corsair 300R - 4000
3. CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - 2200
4. GPU - Zotac GTX 760 2GB DDR5 AMP Edition - 22000
5. RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600FSB - 3800
6. DVD RW - ASUS DVD RW 24X - 1100
9. HDD - WD Black 500GB - 4300
10. CPU - AMD FX 8350 -12500
11. MB - Asus M5A970 Evo R2.0 -8000.

TOTAL - 65,400.

^^ His budget is little limited and he does not need a 650W PSU costing 7.5K, just for being moduler. Instead, OP should do some cable management and save some money by going with the Seasonic S12II 620W PSU.