Gaming Machine Compatibility Check

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25 Oct 2011
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Simple question here, so I'll be upgrading the Processor, Mobo and Ram once I gather up the cash to buy everything. So I just wanted to quickly get some opinions on if everything I have here will work together.

PSU: Corsair CX500W
MOBO: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD 760G
GPU: Palit GeForce GTX 460
CPU: Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 -Black Edition-
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz XMS3
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
OS: Win7 Ultimate x64

My main concern is the PSU. I'm pretty illiterate when it comes to wattage and I'm worried that it wont be able to cover everything safely.
And just in case anyone is wondering, I plan on keeping everything as it is, so I'll likely not be doing any overclocking on this rig.
 
Hi

The PSU will be perfectly fine

For marginally more, this CPU/mobo combination would be quite a bit better

Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail
£94.99
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
£81.98
Sub Total : £147.48
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout)
Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00%
VAT : £31.40
Total : £188.38


Also, do you need the ultimate version of windows? home premium is enough for 99% of users
 
Hi

The PSU will be perfectly fine

For marginally more, this CPU/mobo combination would be quite a bit better

Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail
£94.99
Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
£81.98
Sub Total : £147.48
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout)
Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00%
VAT : £31.40
Total : £188.38


Also, do you need the ultimate version of windows? home premium is enough for 99% of users

Really???

The i3-2100 is a little better at multi tasking but is crap under gaming, even if it is sandy bridge and cannot overclock well!

The Phenom 955BE is great in gaming, a good multi tasker and can be overclocked to 4ghz and it's cheaper.

The i3 is only a dual core and will not last time that long, the AMD quad will last longer!
 
Really???

The i3-2100 is a little better at multi tasking but is crap under gaming, even if it is sandy bridge and cannot overclock well!

The Phenom 955BE is great in gaming, a good multi tasker and can be overclocked to 4ghz and it's cheaper.

The i3 is only a dual core and will not last time that long, the AMD quad will last longer!

You think?


And just in case anyone is wondering, I plan on keeping everything as it is, so I'll likely not be doing any overclocking on this rig.
 

If you look at the gaming section you see the 955 at stock is slightly faster than the i3, plus with a nice overclock on the 955, it will easily beat the 955.

The i3 maybe better in multitasking and rendering, but the sheer gaming performance from the 955 and especially when it's overclocked will murder the i3 pure and simple!
 
the intel is the 2nd one, the last 4 bars are gaming, the intel has higher fps than the AMD, plus as pointed out, its no use saying, when OCd, when the OP has no intention of OCing
 
Really???

The i3-2100 is a little better at multi tasking but is crap under gaming, even if it is sandy bridge and cannot overclock well!

The Phenom 955BE is great in gaming, a good multi tasker and can be overclocked to 4ghz and it's cheaper.

The i3 is only a dual core and will not last time that long, the AMD quad will last longer!

Em...no. The 955BE IS NOT better than i3 2100 on gaming. A Phenom II X4 CPU need to be at 3.7GHz to MATCH the gaming performance of the i3 2100, and even then, it is only in games that use 4 cores or more. In games that use less than 4 cores, the Phenom II X4 at 3.7GHz FALL BEHIND the i3 2100. Just look at this and comparing i3 2100 and Phenom II X4 980 (3.7GHz):
http://techreport.com/articles.x/20873/2

And here's more:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2120-2100_5.html

And let's see comparison on game that use only two cores, such as the classic Crysis on a 5870:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/07/01/intel-core-i3-2100-review/6

Even IF the Phenom II X955BE was a tiny bit faster than the i3 2100, with it doubling the power consumption at load comparing to the i3 2100, much hotter running, and require a 3rd party CPU cooler which would add £25~£35 to the cost, plus the grim upgrading path (old and dated 760 chipset and poor performing new gen CPUs), it make going down the AMD path as a new build a very bad choice.

If someone ALREADY has a AM3 board and got a slow CPU, then upgrading to Phenom II X4 would make sense, but advising people to put together a total new build going down the AMD path instead of Intel is nothing but BAD ADVISE.
 
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Well, thanks for the comments and recommendations. Though I will need to see how I am with money first before buying anything else which is more expensive than what I was already had planned.
I'll definitely have a proper look at the i3 2100 before buying anything though.

As for Win7 Ultimate, I don't entirely need it however I already have it.
 
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i3 2100 is definitely the way to go. if you dont need a case or DVD drive i would go for this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £124.99
1 x Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £94.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £94.99
1 x MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £61.99
1 x Lepa W-Series 500W '80 Plus' Power Supply - with FREE LEPA Hard Drive Enclosure £45.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £23.99
Total : £458.94 (includes shipping : £10.00).

hopefully ive done my maths right and this works out around the same price as your original build. if not then change things in this order until you get to a price your happy with:

- HDD to 500GB or 320GB HDD if you are happy to
- PSU to bequiet 530W PSU
- motherboard to cheapest H61 motherboard
- graphics card to refurbished GTX 460 768MB

however, if you do need a new case + DVD drive (you'll need a new DVD drive if it is an IDE drive) then i would go for this to get around the increased HDD prices:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Home Server GT Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz DDR3 - Server £329.99
1 x System 12 Months Standard Warranty £0.00
1 x No Operating System £0.00
1 x No Hard Drive Upgrade £0.00
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £124.99
Total : £467.58 (includes shipping : £10.50).

buying this way works out ~£20 cheaper than buying the parts individually, and you get a 12 month warranty for the entire PC (minus the graphics card of course). comes pre assembled too :)
 
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