Does my build suck?

[foip]

Hey,

I recently built a system (on a budget) and have been somewhat disappointed by the performance.

Perhaps I was expecting too much. But basically I have come to you guys for some feedback on my system and to see if you guys could suggest some upgrades I could make in the future.

Zalman Z11 High-Performance Case
XFX Pro 650W Core Edition PSU
Biostar TA990FXE
AMD Bulldozer FX-8150
Powercolor Radeon HD7870
Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz (low-profile)
Be Quiet Shadow Rock Topflow

I feel like I made a mistake getting the FX-8150 (which is my fault as I didn't do enough researching before my purchase). I wish I had spent the extra cash and got an i5 instead....

I'm also thinking of overclocking the FX-8150 but I have never attempted an overclock before and haven't been able to find any decent guides so if anyone could recommend a decent guide for overclocking FX CPU's I'd really appreciate it...

Thanks in advance, I look forward to your replies!

-A

 

[cutebeans]

Yes. the CPU is trash, everything is great though.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/amd_fx_8350_8320_6300_processor_4300_performance_review,10.html

The Cheapest FX-4300 and Phenom II x4 even beats the 8150. 🙁

You might want to try your luck getting an FX-6300. There's 10 FPS difference.

 

[foip]

Tbh I've been doing a ton of overtime at my work this month (should be getting a decent wage-slip), that coupled with a non-existant social life....

I might just get a new mobo and an i5. Really kicking myself for not getting one in the first place... don't think I'll be buying an AMD CPU again lol

I thought my PSU might be a bit weak but hopefully it's not.

 

[Proximon]

You are OK. It's not a great system but you can easily add a second 7870.

You have the CPU adequately cooled so I would imagine you can see a pretty good performance increase. You need to monitor your temps and gradually increase your multiplier is all. At some point you will become unstable and you can either back off a bit or increase voltage.

This post shows your board and CPU being overclocked... your mileage may vary.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7042716&postcount=4

 

[foip]

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciated.

Would I need to upgrade my PSU if I were to add another 7870? Or would 650W be adequate?

If changing the FX-8150 for, say, an i5 3570k and a decent mobo, should I do it?

Thanks a lot for that guide Proximon, I was quite confused by the Biostar's BIOS settings, but that seems to show me what section changes what!

 

[Proximon]

Crossfire 7870 will pull, at full load, less than 350W by themselves. That should leave you plenty of room for a good overclock on the CPU.

See where you get to with the OC. Perhaps you will be happy. It's not a bad processor in applications that can use all the cores, so if can get an OC to the point that single threaded performance is adequate, you may be happy.

 

[cutebeans]

Hi, you are wasting more money on the CPU than you need to.

Haswell is coming soon, if you really want to upgrade then wait for that. It's coming out in a few months .