AMD Build

[SneakySnake]

I considering doing an AMD in the very near future but I'm not sure on what motherboard to get. I'm trading a guy straight up for his 4870 1 GB with my GTX 260, but beyond that I haven't nailed down any parts. Keep in mind that this is a semi-budget build. I'm going to use my case, RAM, CPU cooler, and HDD's from my old build, but need pretty much everything else.

What I'm considering is the following:
Phenom II 940
2x 4870 1 GB (This component is a for sure)
Corsair TX 650 Watt
Crossfire mobo with good overclocking, at least the 780 chipset - would prefer 790 (I have no idea on this component)

Thoughts?

I'm definitely going AM2+ in interest of saving money. I want cheap but quality components (I love the Gigabyte board I have right now, but would be willing to by another company so long as the board is reliable, and has decent overclocking)


Thanks

[Junglebizz]

What IS the stuff you are keeping from your current build?

[CMetaphor]

The system looks good so far, should OC nicely with the P2 940.

For crossfire I'd definitely recommend "splurging" and getting a 790fx board, any other chipset and your second PCIe x16 slot will only run at 8x in crossfire mode, reducing performance some.

i'd also suggest bumping that power supply up a notch to the 750/850tx, especially if you are going to OC the system.

Need any more ideas? hehe.

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by Junglebizz

What IS the stuff you are keeping from your current build?

4 GB's of Corsiar 800 Mhz DDR2
Crappy Cooler Master Case (it was free and it works)
Seagate 160 GB Barracuda + 80 GB Barracuda (I got one for free and the other for $30)

I can't seem to find the connectors for my CPU Cooler for AM2+ so I may get the OCZ Vendetta 2


As for the power supply. I was thinking that I would need a 750 watt, but Corsair websites tells me that a computer with a Phenom II, 4870x2, 2 Harddrives, and an "extreme CPU overclock" (greater then 30%, which I doubt I'd go that far) could run on an HX 620 or 750 or the TX 650 or 750. I respect experience over a website chart though so do you think I'd really need the 750 watt?

[CMetaphor]

Hmmm, maybe you shouldn't ask me then... its always open to opinion... I personally always prefer the "better safe than sorry" motto and im glad I used that motto when building Behemoth (signature). I was going to go with a 1000w PSU for the system, when everything was hooked up, my system was pulling 900-something watts from the wall (measured with a kill-a-watt) so I decided to bump up a notch to be safe. All that to say - its up to your personal preference.

One other thing I think of is this: Would you rather draw 80-90% of a PSUs maximum power on a regular basis, or something like 60-70%? I'd prefer the latter, which would keep the psu cooler and quieter, and make it last longer.

[Junglebizz]

Originally Posted by CMetaphor

One other thing I think of is this: Would you rather draw 80-90% of a PSUs maximum power on a regular basis, or something like 60-70%? I'd prefer the latter, which would keep the psu cooler and quieter, and make it last longer.

Sage advice right there!

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by Junglebizz

Sage advice right there!

agreed,

thanks for the advice. I'll be going with the TX 750 watt.


as for the mobo: would this be a good one?

Is the 790Gx better the FX? or is it the other way around?

[rapmaster]

FX is better than GX but this is a FX with SB600, get one with SB750

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by rapmaster

FX is better than GX but this is a FX with SB600, get one with SB750

Sorry, I'm not sure what that means. What exactly is different from a SB750 and 600 one?

[CMetaphor]

SB750 has direct communication with the processor to allow for better overclocking via amd's ACC (advanced clock calibration) tool. Definitely get a board that has that if you want to OC.