System build

timbo2410

timbo2410

timbo2410

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I got some recent advice from some helpful people on this very forum. I wanted a system purely for video conversion (high def/Bluray), storing data and downloading 24/7. Now I have an Antec P180 case, Corsair 750W HX power supply already. Now it was suggested that I go for an AMD system but I have looked around and found that I7 920 DO is supposed to be better ... I thought I would throw the question around one last time before I buy :D
 
For video conversion the Phenom II X6 1055T would be a better choice IMHO. The processor is not only cheaper,but the motherboards are much cheaper,many have a decent IGP (which means you can save additional money if you are not gaming or don't use applications which are GPU accelerated) and quite a few have SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 for around £100.

Putting the money saved into faster discs would mean a better overall system for the same price.

In these reviews the Phenom II X6 1055T is matching or exceeding the Core i7 920 in many video encoding benchmarks:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/6

http://www.guru3d.com/article/phenom-ii-x6-1055t-1090t-review/13

http://techreport.com/articles.x/18799/11

More and more video encoders will take advantage of more cores as time passes.

Many reviews compare the Phenom II X6 1055T to the more expensive Core i7 930 or the cheaper Core i5 750.

Anyway what is your budget?
 
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Well I wanted to try and keep it around £600 if I could help it, but if it means a bit more processing power then probably a bit more. I have to get an new OS so I have to factor in Win 7 (64). I must also make sure that I am able to process HD video as well. Would I need a stand alone GPU for that?
So the list will be:
1. Mobo
2. CPU
3. RAM
4. Bluray RW
5. Windows 7 (54)
6. if money left over larger/faster hard drive(s)

I still have two Western Digital 120 GB (Caviar) drives and a 74 GB Raptor. I know they are small by todays standards, so I don't know if I will bother with them or not.
 
I only flicked through them reviews, but I didn't see any mention if the i7's are OC'd to 4ghz with HT on.
Though you may be right, the money saved on a 1055T could buy a tidy ssd.
And since the budget is £600, an i7 isn't within price range.
Dou already have suitable ram for an am3 system? Are you able to get Windows 7 cheaper than on the
OCUK site? Do you have a suitable GPU? These'llhelp your budget.
 
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Yes I've looked at the core i7 920 Do overclocked bundle but it really starts to come out closer to £800/£900 ... so with that in mind it really seems like the AMD option. Although saying that, isn't there an issue with power consumption being higher on the AMD than on the equivelant i7? If this system is going to be on 24/7 then it may work out cheaper in the long run?
 
The Phenom II X6 has around the same power consumption as the Phenom II X4.

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The tests Anandtech did were with an 890FX motherboard and an HD5870. The socket 1366 based Core i7 processors were tested with an HD5870 too.

OTH, the socket 1156 Core i7 860 is more efficient but the processor costs £245 and these processors also lack motherboards with an IGP. On top of this socket 1156 is EOL in Q1 2011 and once you start adding things like SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 the P55 and H55 motherboards are not that cheap either. Adding a discrete graphics card will increase the cost of the socket 1156 build further and start to negate any power savings advantage.

The HD4250 and HD4290 IGPs are quite efficient. Overall power consumption should be lower when you use an 880G or 890GX based motherboard as the X58 based systems will need an additional graphics card.

Even if you use a 870 based motherboard with a dedicated graphics card overall power consumption would be still lower than a X58 based system. The X58 chipset will still consume more power than a 870 based one.
 
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Looking at the budget I would suggest the following build:

Phenom II X6 1055T ~ £167

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-267-AM

Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 ~ £103

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-402-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1782

This motherboard has a split 8 phase VRM with cooling,USB 3.0,SATA 3.0 and the HD4250 IGP with 128MB of dedicated DDR3. Has the latest SB850 southbridge which has 6 SATA 3.0 ports.
AFAIK the HD4250 is faster than an HD3450 graphics card.

There is also the Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H which uses the 890GX chipset but this will consume more power.

4GB low latency 1600MHZ DDR3 ~ £90

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-180-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

LG BH10LS30 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Drive ~ £135

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-106-LG&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=314

The retail drive costs £10 more but I would check what software comes with it as it maybe worth the money.

Windows 7 OEM ~ £80

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SW-127-MS

It is also worth considering the retail version of Windows 7 too.

Samsung F3 500GB ~ £40

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-081-SA

The total comes to around £615 excluding delivery.
 
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I see what you mean, I have to remember that this is a system that I am not going to play games on at all, it is just for internet use and for converting video ... as such it really needs to be good at processing and that's it ...
So as it stands the system will comprise of:
Case: Antec P180
PSU: Corsair 750W HX
Mobo:Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H AMD 890GX (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3
CPU: Phenom II X6 1055T
Memory: Corsair XMS3 (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel
Optical drive: LG BH10LS30 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Drive
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache
OS: Windows 7

Or I could opt for the overclocked bundle that has the Phenom II X6 1055T
 
Remember that the 890GX based motherboards will have higher power consumption than an 880G based motherboard AFAIK. Also the Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 seems to have more consistent I/O performance too than the Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H.
 
would it be worth keeping the Western Digital Caviar drives for installing the OS ... or are they just too slow by todays standards? I have the 74 gig Raptor and the two 102 gig Caviar's ???
 
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