New System Info:

Associate
Joined
15 Apr 2010
Posts
102
Location
Over There
Hey folks,

I'm looking to replace my current system (an ancient amd 64 2.2-single core).

A couple of months ago I was planning on splurging on an I7 920 system, but since then have made do with an old machine and also came to the realization that I really don’t need and I7 920, nor would get the most out of it. I'm only going to be using the machine for gaming (fallout 3, borderlands, bfbc2) browsing (read: porn) and some photo editing and am not looking to overclock particularly.

I already have a suitable case (thermaltake soprano), psu (corsair hx520w) and plan to use a HD4650 graphics card for now (and upgrade in the future), so would require CPU, MOBO, RAM, HD.

How bout this setup:

-Phenom 1055t

I was going to drop down to a 965 which would be fine for me, but seen as the 1055 is only around £15 more, figured that would be better. Is that the general consensus? [Not that I am looking to overclock but it would seem that even though the 1055 isn’t unlocked it still overclocks relatively well should I want to in the future]

-Asus m4a88td v evo usb3 mobo (5x sata3 ports)

As for the motherboard, I’ll need sata6 sockets [for hard drive now/in future] and usb3 would be useful. Also this supports crossfire should I ever look to. Anyone see any problems with this motherboard?

-4gb Corsair xms3 1600 c8

Obviously ddr3 is the norm now and would like to go 1600, and so timings wise will just be a case of which ever is cheaper when it’s time to buy.

-Western digital caviar black 640gb 64mb cache sata6 (/Samsung spinpoint f3 1tb 7200 32mb cache) [more or less same price]

HD wise, I’ll only really need about 500gb of space so either 640/1tb would be ample. How much of an advantage would there be with 64mb cache over 32mb? Am I right in thinking that there is no problem connecting sata1/2 harddrives into sata 3 ports right?

Any info's much appreciated

Cheers,

bm
 
Last edited:
Also, whats the likely hood of being able to find a 955/965 second hand at fair bit less than retail? Any particular rules to bear in mind when buying second hand?

cheers
 
Depends what you call a fair bit less. If you look around you might find one in the 85-90 range for a Phenom 955.

This RAM is also a good option.

Hard drive wise either of those would be good, the WD 64MB cache drives are very quick.

For gaming 4 cores is still easily enough so you might be best off going for the 955.
 
Also, whats the likely hood of being able to find a 955/965 second hand at fair bit less than retail? Any particular rules to bear in mind when buying second hand?

cheers

I got a 965 for £100 second hand, if you can't find anything good though, go with this as I don't think you would benefit a six core too much.
 
Thanks for the info folks.

So basically I'll aim to find a 955/65 second hand for <£100, failing that I think I'll stretch to the 1055t as I'm planning on making this system last 5/6 years as is and maybe in that time 6-cores will come into their own somewhat.

As for the mobo, can sata1/2 hd's connect to sata3 ports? I'm guessing so seen as this gen of mobo seems to often only have sata3 ports.

Would anyone recommend any other mobo over the asus m4a88tdvevo usb3 i've picked?

cheers in advance

bm
 
Needs to be able to split the PCIE lanes 8/8 rather than 16/4. Check the specs on the manufacturers websites if you're not sure, it'll usually tell you how the PCIE slots operate in crossfire. :)
 
Ah thanks, was thinking it was the 8/8, but noticed on the specs differences with the PCIe and PCI slot so was thinking it was something to do with that too.

So as long as a mobo is '2xPCIe 2.0 x 16' and runs 8/8 it will crossfire properly? Cheers
 
Back
Top Bottom