Which of these 2 AMD config is best ?

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Having planned on my 3rd AMD build, formed myself 2 diff. config's .. which are going to be different only in terms of the

CPU & mainboard.

Purpose of this machine would be everyday multi-tasking & 'gaming'.

Wasn't sure if its wise to spend on a better CPU/mobo or a better GPU to max out the performance. So, pls. give ur honest

suggestions

P.S: My budget is already pretty high maxed out. So kindly no suggestions for even more higher parts !

Config 1:

Phenom II x4 840 - 5.1k
Asus M4A78LT-M LE - 3k
Sapphire 6850 HD - 11.3k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3 - 1.1k

Total - 20.5k

Config 2:

Phenom II x4 955 be - 5.8k
Asus M4A87TD/usb3 - 5.8-6k
Sapphire 6770 HD - 7.5k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3 - 1.1k

Total - 20.4k

thanks !

phenom II 955 BE-5.8k
Asus M4A78LT-M LE-3k
Sapphire 6850 HD-11.3k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3-1.1k
21.2k.

S

If you're not in much of a hurry, wait for October-November period.. Thats when AMD's new Bulldozer series of processors start launching.. Price drops may very likely occur, at least for existing processors and motherboards.. Cheers!

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sukesh1090 said:
phenom II 955 BE-5.8k
Asus M4A78LT-M LE-3k
Sapphire 6850 HD-11.3k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3-1.1k
21.2k.

Are you very sure the timid Asus M4A78LT-M LE can handle the phenom II 955 BE ?
The asus website stated support only for upto 95w cpu. 955be is 125w

best is to wait. if you cant get these -

price from smcinternational.in

which psu you have?

HD 6850 costs as low as 9k now

I say to go for Config 1

Better if you get this mobo for this config-
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H

Try this:
Intel i5-2400 -- 9k
Intel DH67VR-B3 -- 4.7k
MSi/Sapphire HD 6850 -- 9k
GSkill/Corsair 2GB DDR3 -- 0.8k
Total -- 23.5k
Much better option than any AMD Rig.

G

Price updates for you ....

recommended 2nd config with slight changes ...

AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE & Gigabyte GA-880G USB3 @ 10.5k
Sapphire 6850HD - 9.5k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3 - 1.1k

21.1k

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Jaskanwar Singh said:
Component | Make | Price Motherboard |Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H|4000

which psu you have?

thetechfreak said:
I say to go for Config 1

Better if you get this mobo for this config-
Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H

gunnerwholelife said:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE & Gigabyte GA-880G USB3 @ 10.5k
Sapphire 6850HD - 9.5k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3 - 1.1k

21.1k

Unfortunately, both these boards have low reputation & I guess are known for failures.. (VRM related...)
I've been an Asus fan .. Any particular reason for me not to go with Asus M4A78LT-M LE ? (apart from the low igp of course)

n I have a crappy zebronics. guess a new psu is needed. suggestions?

@ gunnerwholelife & Piyush & saswat

The 6850 for 9k.. wow.. that's interesting.. I saw the prices from theitdepot for its sold for 11.5 k !

*www.theitdepot.com/details-Sapphire+Radeon+HD6850+1GB+DDR5+ATI+PCI+E+Graphic+Cards_C45P10168.html

And even at the cheapest place in chennai.. delta.. it retails at 10.5
*www.deltapage.com/list/index.html

Where would I get the best price at chennai ?
N also, should I consider the 5850 ?

Edit : This moderator approval thing for every post really does not look good. pls. remove this feature. It has been 45 mins since I had made my next post and its still pending for some approval .

^^ actually speaking, VRM related failures are more with low-end MSI boards. Gigabyte is fine. MSI is fine too if you don't overclock.

Now, with Asus M4A78LT-M LE, Asus itself says upto 95w CPU. Don't put 125w Phenoms on it (doesn't include Phenom II 850).

880GM-UD2H is better than M4A78LT-M LE.

and M4A87TD/USB3 is better than 880GM-UD2H. These aren't for heavy overclocking with 125w Phenom IIs though. (no 8+1 phase VRM)

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saswat23 said:
Try this:
Intel i5-2400 -- 9k
Intel DH67VR-B3 -- 4.7k
MSi/Sapphire HD 6850 -- 9k
GSkill/Corsair 2GB DDR3 -- 0.8k
Total -- 23.5k
Much better option than any AMD Rig.

Sounds good too. But is this OC'able like the 955be?
Also, I need more pci slots. how abt DH67CL ?

I believe intel = low power. So, instead of spending 4k on a PSU on my 21k AMD rig, might as well go with this 24k intel rig and keep the zebronics 500w plat ?
wat say ..

A

This moderator approval thing for every post really does not look good. pls. remove this feature. It has been 45 mins since I had made my post and its still pending for some approval .

Another point goes against the M4A78LT-M LE is that missing support for the upcoming AM3+ Bulldozer CPU. Actually any of the motherboard with M4A prefix will not support bulldozer processor, asus has their M5A series for older 880/870/7XX chiset based mobos with added Bulldozer support. I think Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 @ 4.8K will be the best choice here a it is AM3+ CPU ready

AMD_logic said:
This moderator approval thing for every post really does not look good. pls. remove this feature. It has been 45 mins since I had made my post and its still pending for some approval .

Mods are off for lunch at around 2pm. Usually they are quick. Beef your post count to 10.

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Would love to boost the count by say.. 7.8.9.10 posts but then I would be banned for spamming :d

so what abt my opinion on the intel gig above ?
n also a good psu for the amd rig..

My thought:
Although I might spend more for the i5 (abt 5k extra). the gpu is ultimately going to be the same 6770/6850 for either the amd/intel rig. Wont the gpu be a bottleneck for the i5's performance ?

really is there any moderator approval thing for the posts?oh today only i came to know.
@op,
no matter what you have Intel or AMD you need a good psu.but don't look at my siggy. :wink:

AMD_logic said:
Wont the gpu be a bottleneck for the i5's performance ?

GPU is never a bottleneck. It's just a slow GPU. CPU is the bottleneck.

AMD_logic said:
so what abt my opinion on the intel gig above ?
n also a good psu for the amd rig..

That rig is good but you can't over clock it, as it is not a K series processor.

phenom II 955 BE-5.8k
Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 @ 4.8K
Sapphire 6850 HD-9k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3-1k

FSP saga II 500W @ 2k

^^ Pretty well balanced rig. Also OP can go for the single 4 GB XMS3 module since it is becoming the defacto now a days. The price of the 4 GB stick is just RS 1550 in the itwares. I ordered one from min last Saturday.

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Piyush said:
phenom II 955 BE-5.8k
Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 @ 4.8K
Sapphire 6850 HD-9k
Corsair XMS3 2GB DDR3-1k

FSP saga II 500W @ 2k

can i make a couple of last min corrections
I would still be comfortable with the Asus M4A87TD/usb3 (i dont think i would go for the BD n need a AM3+ board)
Also, can I opt the corsair cx430v2 PSU instead.. guess that offers more quality power ?

Finally, how would this 955be+M4A87TD/usb3+6850 rig compare with an i52400+Intel DH67CL+6770

Will the Intel setup give me more FPS ?

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mods, this is really time consuming.
its been a hour since i posted n yet to appear on thread

^^Ya I understand your problem. But for first few posts I'd request you co-operate with us. As this helps us filter spammers.

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guess im almost near to 10 posts now., hopefully..

AMD_logic said:
Finally, how would this 955be+M4A87TD/usb3+6850 rig compare with an i52400+Intel DH67CL+6770

Will the Intel setup give me more FPS ?

No, 955BE + HD 6850 will give you more FPS.

But I'll say get i5-2400 along with HD 6850.

A

That will be way above my budget.. (I'm also planning to get a new monitor

)

so, which mainboard would be the best vfm for a pii x4 840 ? (i don need am3+ support.. will be good if it packs 6gb sata & usb 3.0 support)

Also, wat's the price of the cx500 v2 ?

Must be priced around 3.4k..

Get these:

AMD PhenomII X4 955BE - 5.8k
Gigabyte 880GM-USB3L - 4.2k
MSI 6850 Cyclone - 9.5k or Sapphire 6850 9k

Total 19.5k or 19k depending on the graphics card. RAM you decide.

Else a X4 840 would save 1k and adding another 1k would get you a FSP SagaII 500W.

Skud said:
Get these:

AMD PhenomII X4 955BE - 5.8k
Gigabyte 880GM-USB3L - 4.2k
MSI 6850 Cyclone - 9.5k or Sapphire 6850 9k

Total 19.5k or 19k depending on the graphics card. RAM you decide.

Else a X4 840 would save 1k and adding another 1k would get you a FSP SagaII 500W.

Get Phenom II X4 BE as it is the best choice and future proof as it is a black edition CPU....Go For SKUD choice :-o

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Im 'totally' confused now

State your exact budget and the components you are planning to buy.

+1 for skud suggestion.

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Objective :AMD decent gaming rig
Components: cpu, mainboard, ram, power supply, pcie graphic card
Additional components (not included in budget) - 1tb seagate HDD + monitor (have added this now cuz i feel the CRT is failing me? )
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/tvs-monitors/145162-my-crt-failing-me.html

CPU: Quad core only. (confused bt. x4 840 & 955be)
Mainboard: Asus preferably.2nd option - gigabyte
Note - Need support for 6gb sata & usb 3.0 & min. 2-3 PCI slots, am3+ support not mandatory
RAM: Decided on 2 GB corsair xms3
PSU: Decided on Corsair cx430v2(for 840) & cx500v2(for 955be) - will change if anybody vehemently says they are not for gaming pc's.
pcie card: 6850 - if i get it for 9.5 max in chennai or its 6770

So, the major confusion is with the cpu & mainboard.
Budget: Around 23k

HD6850 -> 9.5k
CX500 -> 3k
2gb RAM -> 1k

We are left with 9.5k for CPU and Mobo:-

Phenom II X4 955be -> 5.8k
Gigabyte 880GM-USB3L -> 4.2k

Just 500 bucks over your budget, and you get SATA3, USB3 & BD support.

A

Thank you very much for assisting, skud.

This is the mainboard that you referred to , right ?
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM3+ - GA-880GM-USB3L (rev. 3.1)

I dont see that it supports sata 3.

After much comparison, I guess the GA-880GA-UD3H might be able to satisfy my needs.. Is it a good one ?
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM3 - GA-880GA-UD3H (rev. 3.0)

How much can I get it for ?
& its an atx form factor mainboard. Can I fit it into my present micro atx cabinet ? (along with the 6850)

oops sorry, mistake, for sata3 you have to go for, 880GMA-USB3, not the L version.

A

No problem.. how much does the GA-880GM-USB3 retail for and what about my suggestion of the GA-880GA-UD3H ? Any idea abt its cost as well ?

Though GA-880GA-UD3H does not support AM3+, it has 3 pci slots.. (something i feel safe with..)

T

USB 3 I can understand but is SATA 3 really required? I dont think the bandwidth Sata II offers is yet to be bottle neck to any HDD or Standard SSD yet.

Just for the note, 880GM-USB3 has a revision 3.1 with black AM3+ socket which has Bulldozer support.

Available in Mumbai, afaik.

Sata3 is preferable for SSDs.

Skud said:
Get these:

AMD PhenomII X4 955BE - 5.8k
Gigabyte 880GM-USB3L - 4.2k
MSI 6850 Cyclone - 9.5k or Sapphire 6850 9k

Total 19.5k or 19k depending on the graphics card. RAM you decide.

Else a X4 840 would save 1k and adding another 1k would get you a FSP SagaII 500W.

Skud wins all the time. Go with the rig that he have said/posted in his post. Looks like a pretty much balanced rig to me. +1.

One problem is that that mobo doesn't support SATA3. So a no go for OP.

sata 3 not needed i guess and the gigabyte GA 880gm-USB rev 3.1 has am3+ support,2 USB 3.0 ports and 2 pci slots and i have ordered it from smc today and everything goes well then i will receive it by Saturday i guess.
and again +1 for skud suggestion but still i suggest gigabyte GA 880GM-USB3 if you can spend 600 more.

Don't get the Corsair CX series PSU unless it is a V2 revision. The Non-V2 CX series are built to deliver their quoted performance in only within 30 degree Celcius and over that its efficiency as well as Power output drops dramatically. a CX500 simply can't deliver more than 450W in 40 degree C, one obvious temperature in Indian climate.
At 3K, get the Tagan Stonerock 500W 80+ Bronze certified PSU, better choice than CX500. Here is the Corsair CX500 Official specs and check the ambient temperature value.

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ico said:
Just for the note, 880GM-USB3 has a revision 3.1 with black AM3+ socket which has Bulldozer support.Available in Mumbai, afaik.

When comparing the 880GM-USB3 /w the 880GA-UD3H (Also has a 3.1 revision /w am3+ support), I get 1 more pci slot + crossfire (might add another 6850 sometime later) + 6 audio jacks + of course sata 3. Believe its a good deal..
Any idea on its retail price ?

Skud said:
Sata3 is preferable for SSDs.

I'm planning to get this Seagate 1 TB Sata 3 drive & hence wanted a sata 3 supporting board. Will it not make a diff. to use this drive on a sata 3 mainboard?
Barracuda Hard Drives: Desktop Storage | Seagate

@ cilus

I had planned for the cx 430 "v2". Not the normal version..
Also,
If I'm not wrong, the tagan TG500-U37 is not mentioned in the list of 80 plus certified PSU's..
Ecos Plug Load Solutions

First of all, if you are planning for CFX then you need a more powerful SMPS, something like Corsair GS600 should do for a pair of 6850s.

Gigabyte 880GA-UD3H should be around 6k.

HDDs are not going to benefit much from SATA3, do a Google search. But if down the line, you use a SSD, they SATA3 is much needed.

AMD_logic, Tagan Stonerock TG500-U37 is a 80+ bronze certtified PSU. Now come to the point: if any 880G or 870G based motherboards do have 2 PCI Express X16 slot then the 2nd one will run only in X4 mode, not in X16 or X8 speed. For Crossfire of low end GPUs like HD 5670 or HD 6670, they are okay but anything over that will simply be bottlenecked due to the lower bandiwtdh of X4 slot. So adding another HD 6850 in the X4 slot won't help you that much as it will be highly bottlenecked.
If you want CFX then opt for at least a 890GX chipset based board.

Not by much, if you believe this link:-

InsideHW - CrossFire x8/x8 or x16/x4: The Ongoing Dilemma

so anything finalized?

A

Have been away for a while. sorry abt that..
Yeah.. pretty much everything is set except for a decision on whether I must be going for the MSI cyclone 6850 or Saphire Toxic 6850 ? What do these cyclone or toxic offer me in extra .. from the plain MSI 6850 / Sapphire 6850 (if at all these ordinary versions exist ?)

Edit: Also the GTX 460's (which I believe are the Nvidia counterpart for the 6850) are pcie 2.0 whereas these 6850's are pcie 1.0 versions.. would that matter ?

Edit: Also the GTX 460's (which I believe are the Nvidia counterpart for the 6850) are pcie 2.0 whereas these 6850's are pcie 1.0 versions.. would that matter ?

That's wrong info. 6850s are actually PCIe 2.1 compatible. Doesn't really matter anyway.

A standard 6850 has a core and memory clock of 775 MHz and 1000 MHz (4000 MHz effective) respectively. In comparison, Cyclone has a core speed of 860 MHz and Toxic has a core speed of 820 MHz. Both have 1gb 1100 MHz GDDR5 ram. So in essence Cyclone should give you a tad better performance. Also the cooler is more effective to cool the graphics core. On the other hand, the cooler dumps the heat in the case itself, whereas Toxic propels it out of your cabby through vents. But then, Toxic needs two PCI-e 6-pin connectors. My vote - Cyclone.

A

Are there 2 versions of the cyclone itself ? Per the MSI website, there is a Cyclone Power Edition 6850 @ 775mhz & another cyclone power edition / OC @ 860 mhz ! so confused !

Buddy, go to the shop, check by yourself and get the OCed one.

J

AMD_logic said:
Are there 2 versions of the cyclone itself ? Per the MSI website, there is a Cyclone Power Edition 6850 @ 775mhz & another cyclone power edition / OC @ 860 mhz ! so confused !

remain confused.

should we also do ur homework? go to the shop or call them up??

Skud said:
Buddy, go to the shop, check by yourself and get the OCed one.

+1 best way to go is to go to shop & check it by yourself.

A

The price of the 6850 from sapphire (even the plain non-OC'ed) version is 10.5 k here in my place..
wat do i do now..
How abt gtx 460?

Buy online. BTW, what's the price of 460 1gb?

J

AMD_logic said:
The price of the 6850 from sapphire (even the plain non-OC'ed) version is 10.5 k here in my place..
wat do i do now..
How abt gtx 460?

Find msi then. I will say go for hd 6850.

A

Just need opinions on the GS 600. A google search on this returns back a good number of problems ! like the noise of the fan, cable not fitting properly etc. Should I opt for the cx 500 v2 instead ?

T

GS600 is Fine.

GS 600 is good. My friend is using GS800 without any problem.

A

How about the corsair vx 450 & Seasonic bronze 520 ?

A

I have settled with the gs600 on my new amd rig built yesterday guys.. thanks for all the immense help !
Thread resolved

AMD_logic said:
I have settled with the gs600 on my new amd rig built yesterday guys.. thanks for all the immense help !
Thread resolved

Congrats and don't forget to post some pics whenever you get some time.