AMD PC Build Final Check before order.

Did stulid not tel you to get the corsair xms ram? I have the same board but use an arctic freezer 7 on it and there isnt much clearance. The heat spreader on your ram may touch the cooler.

I was going to go for that but its like £50, so I settled for the Ballistix Sport which £37.99 and there is no big heat spreaders like Vengeance so shud be no problem, remember Im on a budget here. any1 try make me a i3 build(CPU,RAM,Mobo) with £180 :)
 
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stick with the system you have as despite being a budget system it has more upgrade potential than the i3 system also the 955be cpu is far better.

The board you have chosen is an am3+ which will support new cpus, with that card it will also run nicely and even better with a little oc.

kev
 
could get below £180 with a 2x2gb memory kit if really needs be.

Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £94.99 (£79.16)

Gigabyte H61M-S2V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £49.99
(£41.66)

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT51264BA160A) £37.99 (£31.66)

Sub Total : £152.48
Shipping : £9.50
VAT : £32.40
Total : £194.38
 
Tipsy, Yes that does seem as if it can be upgraded to even higher CPU latest ones, @mp looks pretty good but a bit over. Lol too be honest Im still leaning to the 955 despite it uses more power etc.
 
stick with the system you have as despite being a budget system it has more upgrade potential than the i3 system also the 955be cpu is far better.
I'm afraid that's rubbish.

With an old chipset like the 760G, newer CPUs, even if it is just the Phenom II X6 won't run well on it, let alone future CPUs. And who cares about AM3+ socket, with the new AMD CPU Bulldozer flopped?

Going socket 1155 with i3 2100 actually has BETTER upgrade potential, as while H61/H67 chipet board cannot overclock the CPU, as non-K version i5 CPU would still be miles better than Bulldozer.

>GTO656
If budget is an issue at the moment and you can't go all out for a 2500K build right now, you could consider grabbing an entry level P67/Z68 chipset 1155 motherboard and a i3 2100 for now, so in the future when you have money to spare you could probably sell your i3 2100 and grab a 2nd hand 2500K, thus overclocking it. Or if your budget can't even afford the entry level P67/Z68 chipset 1155 motherboard, then you can just ignore overclocking and grab a H61/H67 chipset 1155 board together with the i3 2100 as someone has quoted...and upgrading to the non-K version of the 2300, 2400, or 2500, which will still give you potentially double the performance with the two extra cores.
 
I forgot to mention that i also have just built an i5 25k system which is great. I dont see the point in arguing over cpus but isnt the low end h61 board rubbish? The op has already daid he want the 955 and the board he has chosen is fine as its am3+ with full cpu support not a bios hack job like am3 boards.

for the op. if power consumption is an issue go with the i3 but tbh the i5 25k offers far better life than the latter 2 at a few quid more. bulldozer is a fail but its been compaired to the phenom 1 So maybe piledriver may be like the p2.
 
Using my mobile to post isnt good so sorry for errors, z68 budget gigabyte boards are good. why not look at yhe ocuk bundles
 
Thx Marine, I've got my other account to work so myt b able to order now. what I was thinking is that I stick with the 955 for a few months if I don't like I'd sell and go onto the Intel route? ps im gonna go for the : Akasa AK-182-L2B 80mm fan for now and get the Xigmatek later, any1 know if that is a quiet fan? We all have different opinions but thats how it should be :)

cheers
 
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Still one problem about the Ballistic sports 1600mhz i no it has low timing but can it be oveclocked to as close to 1800mhz?
 
wholy moly, another problem the samsung F3 HD 1TB just hiked in price??? was £50>46.00>£52>£58!!!! theres no way Im paying that much for that!!! unless I have to.
 
Final:

Qty Price Line Total
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £83.99
(£69.99) £83.99
(£69.99)
Lepa B-Series 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £74.98
(£62.48) £74.98
(£62.48)
Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD 760G (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £49.99
(£41.66) £49.99
(£41.66)
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) £46.98
(£39.15) £46.98
(£39.15)
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C10 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT51264BA160A) £37.99
(£31.66) £37.99
(£31.66)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
(£21.66) £25.99
(£21.66)
Logitech K300 Compact Keyboard (920-001488) £13.99
(£11.66) £13.99
(£11.66)
OcUK Value 150Mbps Wireless-N PCI-Express Adapter £9.98
(£8.32) £9.98
(£8.32)
Gigabyte 'Ghost' Mouse Pad £6.98
(£5.82) £6.98
(£5.82)
Akasa AK-182-L2B Amber Ultra Quiet 80mm Fan - 3 pin £3.98
(£3.32) £3.98
(£3.32)
Akasa AK-TK-02 Cable Tidy Kit
?
 
I forgot to mention that i also have just built an i5 25k system which is great. I dont see the point in arguing over cpus but isnt the low end h61 board rubbish? The op has already daid he want the 955 and the board he has chosen is fine as its am3+ with full cpu support not a bios hack job like am3 boards.

for the op. if power consumption is an issue go with the i3 but tbh the i5 25k offers far better life than the latter 2 at a few quid more. bulldozer is a fail but its been compaired to the phenom 1 So maybe piledriver may be like the p2.
The low end 760G chipset board ain't exactly any better. Supporting the CPU does NOT equal to good performance. If chipset dont matter, than motherboard manufacturers like Asus, MSI and Gigabyte much be dummies paying AMD so much money buying the new chipsets. So I would say motherboard quality the 760G and H61 is a draw, but on the CPU aspect the Intel has a clear win.

"So maybe piledriver may be like the p2."
Playing catch up...that's what it is. Bare in mind that Phenom II never did catch up with even first gen i5/i7. Looking at Bulldozer performance, it would be miracle for Piledriver to catch up with SandyBridge, let alone exceed it.

Investing in an new AMD build and hope for that Piledriver will rock? That's like taking an gamble against the odds...just look at all the Phenom II owners that upgrade their perfectly fine, working AM3 board to AM3+ board with 9xx chipset and bet on the performance of Bulldozer, waited for 9 months delay, and where did it get them? This is where it got them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SArxcnpXStE

The point is SandyBridge ALREADY offer great performance that people can SEE, where as the Piledriver is still an uncertainty, a big question mark, a bet against the odds...much the same as Bulldozer before launch. Also, it is still not gonna be out a quite a long while, and it would most likely be more expensive than the i5 2500K. Let's face it, it ain't gonna be cheaper than the Bulldozer.
 
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The low end 760G chipset board ain't exactly any better. Supporting the CPU does NOT equal to good performance. If chipset dont matter, than motherboard manufacturers like Asus, MSI and Gigabyte much be dummies paying AMD so much money buying the new chipsets. So I would say motherboard quality the 760G and H61 is a draw, but on the CPU aspect the Intel has a clear win.

"So maybe piledriver may be like the p2."
Playing catch up...that's what it is. Bare in mind that Phenom II never did catch up with even first gen i5/i7. Looking at Bulldozer performance, it would be miracle for Piledriver to catch up with SandyBridge, let alone exceed it.

Investing in an new AMD build and hope for that Piledriver will rock? That's like taking an gamble against the odds...just look at all the Phenom II owners that upgrade their perfectly fine, working AM3 board to AM3+ board with 9xx chipset and bet on the performance of Bulldozer, waited for 9 months delay, and where did it get them? This is where it got them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SArxcnpXStE

The point is SandyBridge ALREADY offer great performance that people can SEE, where as the Piledriver is still an uncertainty, a big question mark, a bet against the odds...much the same as Bulldozer before launch. Also, it is still not gonna be out a quite a long while, and it would most likely be more expensive than the i5 2500K. Let's face it, it ain't gonna be cheaper than the Bulldozer.

The op asked if his chosen system was ok for the budget which it is for what he wants it for. ok he could go for the higher board or even go sandybridge which he is considering.

I aint gonna sway him in anyway but I see your point like many others will thats why I also have a 25k system I'm finishing off. The option is there for an amd upgrade but maybe the cheaper is better.

@gt0656, please consider both options especially the ones based on the z68 chipset with i3/i5 but do a few googles. Only buy what you need not what others say is right for you.

I hope you enjoy your purchase

kev
 
Well I have ordered it but there seem to be a few problems although I should get it by next week, I have opted for the items just above the thread, taking out the samsung drive as it gone up so much and gonna by elsewhere. So will start building and put a few pictures up for you lot :). thanks a bunch!
 
The op asked if his chosen system was ok for the budget which it is for what he wants it for. ok he could go for the higher board or even go sandybridge which he is considering.
That was because he didn't know the same price level dual-core i3 2100 is actually faster than the Phenom II X4 955BE for games, half the power consumption at load and less heat when he made this thread.

Anyway too late now....Phenom II X4 955BE would still be decent for gaming, as long as the games are not thread-limited such as older games or lazy console ports not using all 4 cores.

On the subject of price rise for HDD, it is not OcUK going mental afterall, it is because of this:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/hard_drive_prices_expected_rise_due_flooding

I've looked at other online etailers and their HDD price has rised as well! I still see one well-known etailer selling the Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB for £45...I would grab that ASAP!
 
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Thx Marine, So the system won't be able to play old-school games? thts ok. I will be playin FIFA 12 and MW3. and Samsung F3 1TB HDD is it at £45.50+£5 shipping tho?? cheapest I'll order now before its too late :). there all soaring in terms of price.
 
Thx Marine, So the system won't be able to play old-school games? thts ok. I will be playin FIFA 12 and MW3.
It will play them, but i3 2100 would had deliver better frame rate due to better architecture and gaming performance, and not as vulnerable to lazy console port that make the PC version of the game using no more than 2-3 cores of the CPU.

Some comparison of performance between the two CPUs.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2120-2100_5.html#sect0

In Crysis (which use only 2 cores), the i3 2100 is faster than even the Phenom II X4 980BE overclocked to 4.3GHz:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/07/01/intel-core-i3-2100-review/6
 
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Thx Marine, So the system won't be able to play old-school games? thts ok. I will be playin FIFA 12 and MW3. and Samsung F3 1TB HDD is it at £45.50+£5 shipping tho?? cheapest I'll order now before its too late :). there all soaring in terms of price.

Rare earth metals are scarce at the moment...get your hard drive NOW before the prices double, it may be a long time before they come down again :(
 
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