Help to Prevent Bottlenecking

iDriskia

iDriskia

iDriskia

Associate
Joined
12 May 2012
Posts
8
Location
Blackpool
Hi all, read this forum all the time and its always answered my questions or helped me out, but now I'm a bit stuck. I'm in the market to upgrade my my computer, mainly my motherboard and CPU. i have 4Gig of DDR3 RAM to put in it when i build it, i went for AMD Entertainment edition 1600Mhz as it overclocks like a beast :) so im after an AM3+ motherboard i think and an AMD CPU, but im not sure which to go for. Im using a HIS HD 6850 and would like to choose components that will run smooth with this and not bottleneck either way. I have about £200 for the CPU and same again for Mobo.

Any help you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated :) thank you!
 
Oh I'm sorry I forgot to mention I'm trying to build it as an and machine and not intel, I know as a rule intel performs better for gaming but my interests lie more with AMD at the moment. I have read many reviews of the fx range, some say good, others bad, and am totally undecided on them, but obviously want to keep with the times. Anyway thanks for such a quick response and again your help is greatly appreciated :)
 
iDriskia said:
..I have about £200 for the CPU and same again for Mobo...
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum. So £400 in total.

I would recommend Intel over AMD. Intel is just so far ahead right now with their Sandy Bridge and now Ivy Bridge gear, it really puts AMD's latest tech, Bulldozer to shame. Don't worry about compatibility, I'd expect your 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM to work in an Intel motherboard, but if it doesn't, it's so cheap anyway.

Something along the lines of the following would be a great place to start.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £173.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
Total : £296.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).



If you want to have a motherboard capable of Xfire (so adding another 6850 later) then how about this one.

Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

Obviously we could spec something closer to your £400 budget but the above I think offers the best bang-for-buck. Put the savings towards a nice 120GB SSD for Windows 7, applications & programmes and a couple of games. Something like the Crucial M4 or Corsair Force 3. :)

edit.

Posted before I saw your reply. AMD's Bulldozer is slower, hot, less power efficient than an equivalently priced Intel system, just doesn't make sense going with AMD unless you really are a loyal fanboi?
 
iDriskia said:
Oh I'm sorry I forgot to mention I'm trying to build it as an and machine and not intel, I know as a rule intel performs better for gaming but my interests lie more with AMD at the moment. I have read many reviews of the fx range, some say good, others bad, and am totally undecided on them, but obviously want to keep with the times. Anyway thanks for such a quick response and again your help is greatly appreciated :)
Click to expand...

Understood but for the same money, you could have something better. Most users needs can be fulfilled by the ivybirdge i5.

The i5 will be better than the FX 8150. for the same price. We are just trying to help you get the best for your money.
 
iDriskia said:
Oh I'm sorry I forgot to mention I'm trying to build it as an and machine and not intel, I know as a rule intel performs better for gaming but my interests lie more with AMD at the moment. I have read many reviews of the fx range, some say good, others bad, and am totally undecided on them, but obviously want to keep with the times. Anyway thanks for such a quick response and again your help is greatly appreciated :)
Click to expand...

But at this point in time Intel are further ahead so that'd be a nonsensical decision ;)
 
Haha no not a fanboi of either company, my issue with intel is generally the price, my issue with amd is performance, at least of the fx range from what I've read. Mainly decided to go amd for 2 reasons, I got cheap amd ram and have an ati card so figured I'd build an amd system. Quite happy to go intel if performance Is going to be a lot better :) ooh I forgot to addMy psu to my rig. I'm not sure what brand but it's 700w.
 
iDriskia said:
Haha no not a fanboi of either company, my issue with intel is generally the price, my issue with amd is performance, at least of the fx range from what I've read. Mainly decided to go amd for 2 reasons, I got cheap amd ram and have an ati card so figured I'd build an amd system. Quite happy to go intel if performance Is going to be a lot better :) ooh I forgot to addMy psu to my rig. I'm not sure what brand but it's 700w.
Click to expand...

Well for a cheaper option, the i3 like I specced is good, and for more an i5 3570K is good. At any price range Intel wins I'm afraid!

Your RAM, assuming its 1600Mhz DDR3 is ideal so that won't matter.

What make is the PSU? A cheap PSU, even 700W, is no use
 
I'm not sure, I'm posting these from my phone currently, while my wife gets our baby to sleep, when she is il pull it out and have a look. If I'm going intel then I think I would prefer the i5, as it's quad core, with unlocked multiplier, I'm new to overclocking and
My q6600 with locked multiplier is being a pain, aiming for 3ghz but can't stabilise past 2.8 :/
 
iDriskia said:
Oh also, that i5 build you linked there, how Good is that CPU cooler? I would be looking to overclock it.
Click to expand...

Got one on my i5. It's a fine CPU cooler. If you want to go full on on overclocking pick something else, but for moderate clocking it's good (and quiet).
 
my issue with intel is generally the price, my issue with amd is performance
Click to expand...
Well that illustrates that you cant get something for nothing. If AMD had set higher budgets and a longer development time they might have surpassed Intel but as it stands I can imagine the atmosphere of gloom hanging over the AMD boardroom right now LOL
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £173.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £104.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 700W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £64.98
Total : £355.96 (includes shipping : £10.00).



Psu is a good price at the moment and will cope with sli/xfire.
Mobo will enable you to xfire should you want to.
Have not included a cooler, as this is dependent on the size of your case.
Also, do you have sata hdd/dvd and an OS.
 
There is no need to be loyal to any company. All companies only care about sales anyway, it's called business. So do what I do and buy whatever is best bang for buck. Currently there is only one choice and that is intel. I'd say the 3570K would best fit your needs.
 
Hi guys, can't find any brand name on my psu so I'm going to assume its a cheap one. And yes I have 2 Sata hard drives in my rig, One is 320gb the other 120. I have windows 7 both 32 and 64 on disk. Also for reference my case is nothing special but had room enough to fit a cooler master hyper 212 plus in it :) and yeah I'm thinking more an more of going intel now. After reading the amd vs intel posts it's changed my way of thinking a bit hehe
 
Seems like you'd need a new power supply too then. Case isn't that important as new tech runs very cool, as long as it has some airflow you will be fine. Just make sure it is mATX/ATX form factor as a few prebuilt machines from HP/Dell etc use funny sized boards and the motherboard stand offs are sometimes not placed correctly to be compatible with standard form factors.
 
The P5QL-SE I currently have in is ATX form factor. Can I just ask, what makes that 700w coolermaster psu different from a generic 700w one? And really, thanks for all the help :)
 
Cheap power supplies tend not to able to provide their rated power output. Also, with a quality power supply it has better protection so if you experience a power surge for example it won't take out your motherboard (and more occasionally). They also provide more stable power, few ripples etc etc. Basically, avoid cheap unbranded power supplies! Also their more efficient.

Here's a review for the Silent Pro M 700W

link
 
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