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Purely for gaming...

R00041 said:
Do I want Phenom II 965:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-253-AM

or

Do I want i5 650:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-313-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1672

Like I said, purely for gaming?

And compatibility with ASRock K10n78 Mobo?

Thanks.
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I would go for the Phenom II X4 965BE. Since more and more games are taking advantage of multiple cores the Phenom II X4 would be the better choice IMHO.

It seems the motherboard you mentioned will work with the Phenom II X4 955BE fine:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=K10N78-1394
 
i5 750 is cheaper than the Phenom II on this week only but that and the i5 650 are not compatible with the ASRock K10n78 if thats what your wanting.

The ASRock K10n78 may have problems powering the PII 965 as well as its going to be putting a lot of strain on its power stage.
 
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i5 750 > amd 955 (965 isnt worth the extra 20quid)
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Not really, not from a gaming only point of view. They are pretty much equal - they trade blows across the chart. You are right though, the 965 is not worth the extra £20.

So, I'd say get the 955 BE, rather than the 965, though you'll be equally happy with the i5 750.
 
There's a lot to be said for a fast dual-core for gaming. I had one (in sig.) I've now got an i5 750. Tbh I can't see the point in buying a dual-core now. Even though they are really good in most games, It's not worth the cash you will save. there's a big difference to someone saying shall I upgrade from my dual-core to someone saying shall I build a new PC around a dual-core to save a few quid. The quad feels much more solid in games. Not a make or break difference but loads of slow down areas have vanished. I think the thing with it is, the odd slow down here and there doesn't really have much of an impact of average frame-rate in a game so when you look at benchmarks and see 67fps vs 60fps it's easy to think there's not much difference but there is.
 
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Yeah it supports them... I'd have concerns about the power circuitry tho personally... maybe I'm just over cautious but I deff. wouldn't want to run over 125 on it.

As you already have the board tho it would be silly to spend the extra for an i5 rig for a minimal performance gain over getting a PII X4 - unless overclocking is your thing.
 
I won't be overclocking ( I honestly wouldn't know where to start...this is my first ever proper desktop) but if I do get down that road in the future, I could always replace the motherboard.

So my Motherboard, the Phenom II 965BE, an HD5850, and I need a PSU to run it all.

I've been recommended a StealthXStream 600W...
would this be a better option than a Akasa Eco-Friendly Power 600W or maybe a SilverPower SP SS650?

Thanks again!
 
R00041 said:
I won't be overclocking ( I honestly wouldn't know where to start...this is my first ever proper desktop) but if I do get down that road in the future, I could always replace the motherboard.

So my Motherboard, the Phenom II 965BE, an HD5850, and I need a PSU to run it all.

I've been recommended a StealthXStream 600W...
would this be a better option than a Akasa Eco-Friendly Power 600W or maybe a SilverPower SP SS650?

Thanks again!
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The StealthXStream 600W is a good unit however it seems that the SilverPower SP SS650 is actually made by Seasonic which should in theory make it a better unit.

Also make sure you go for the 125W version of the Phenom II X4 965BE or the Phenom II X4 955BE.
 
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Yep, I'll double check that. Are both of those PSUs fine to run what I'll have then? Looks like I'll be raiding the bank tomorrow then...
 
CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
A decent 600W would be more than enough to power a Phenom II X4 and an HD5850 1GB AFAIK.

An HD5850 1GB has power consumption barely more than that of an HD4850 512MB:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5850/28.html
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I've been doing some maths, and I can just about stretch to a 5870 instead of the 5850. Does this become too much of a drain on the PSU then? I checked that resource you gave, and the consumptions are higher, but I don't know how much I have to play with. Will the 5870 fit in a space where there is currently a GTX260, apparently it's quite a long card?
 
R00041 said:
I've been doing some maths, and I can just about stretch to a 5870 instead of the 5850. Does this become too much of a drain on the PSU then? I checked that resource you gave, and the consumptions are higher, but I don't know how much I have to play with. Will the 5870 fit in a space where there is currently a GTX260, apparently it's quite a long card?
Click to expand...

The HD5870 1GB has around the same power consumption as an HD4870 1GB:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/28.html

A decent 600W PSU would be still fine with an HD5870 1GB. TBH,even a decent 500W PSU would be enough IMHO.

Also I would not pay more than around £300 for an HD5870 and more than £230 for an HD5850 1GB including postage.
 
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