Need advice AMD FX upgrade build please

[grampabob]

Hey. I'd like to upgrade something based on AMD products and would like some advice because I haven't done a build since the black edition phemons came out so I'm a bit behind. I'd like general comments but kinda need help picking a mobo. The purpose of this computer is so my son can play steam games like Orange Box and Arma....secondary computer. This is an Xmas upgrade.

I'm thinking along the lines of.....

FX-4100 Processor - Quad Core AM3+
Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 8GB Desktop Memory Kit - DDR3, (2 x 4GB), PC3-12800
mobo either gigabyte GA-970A-D3 or asus M5A97 R2.0
only need 2 lots for ram, i guess micro ATX is fine if needed

His current system is....

antec case with a 500W cooler master PSU <----is this ok to keep using?
radeon 5450 card
2 gigs of cp2-6400 kingston ram
160 gig WD sata HDD <---i'll probably get a 500gig here
Athlon 64 4600+ X2 CPU

I do appreciate any advice.

 

[unksol]

Need a gpu. If the PSU is an extreme power plus they are quite literally garbage and I really wouldn't use one at all let alone an old one

 

[aicom]

Yes, you do need a GPU. Also I'd avoid the FX-4100 since the newer generation FX-4300 is out which offers performance improvements. What's your budget?

 

[funguseater]

Hi

Just a quick suggestion... go for the FX4300 much better performance than the bulldozer 4100 CPU. Both those boards are pretty good, but I'd go for the ASUS 2.0 (probly has the right BIOS for a FX4300).

If you are going to be getting new GPU I'd suggest an HD7770. I would keep using the power supply myself, your new system is going to be much more efficient and won't be much of a strain unless you are planning on overclocking, then you would need a new PSU.

Have Fun
Fungi

 

[grampabob]

Yes, you do need a GPU. Also I'd avoid the FX-4100 since the newer generation FX-4300 is out which offers performance improvements. What's your budget?

I was thinking 200-300 bucks. He's not playing any Black Ops games or anything.....more Starcraft type of games, slightly older.

 

[grampabob]

Hi

Just a quick suggestion... go for the FX4300 much better performance than the bulldozer 4100 CPU. Both those boards are pretty good, but I'd go for the ASUS 2.0 (probly has the right BIOS for a FX4300).

If you are going to be getting new GPU I'd suggest an HD7770. I would keep using the power supply myself, your new system is going to be much more efficient and won't be much of a strain unless you are planning on overclocking, then you would need a new PSU.

Have Fun
Fungi

Thanks, no OC'ing at all, plug n play.

 

[funguseater]

Hi again

If you are not overclocking I would suggest switching to an i3/Pentium system, you can build the whole thing for about the same price.

i3 3220 $128 OR
Pentium Dual G870 (sandy) 3.1GHz for only $85
ASRock B75M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel B75 $70
ADATA XPG Gaming Series 8GB $35
MSI R7750-PMD2GD3 Radeon HD 7750 2GB $90

Only $280 and you could definitely still use your old PSU. Another thing... I would keep the 160GB drive for now and get a small SSD for your OS.

Have Fun
Fungi

 

[grampabob]

Hi again

If you are not overclocking I would suggest switching to an i3/Pentium system, you can build the whole thing for about the same price.

i3 3220 $128 OR
Pentium Dual G870 (sandy) 3.1GHz for only $85
ASRock B75M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel B75 $70
ADATA XPG Gaming Series 8GB $35
MSI R7750-PMD2GD3 Radeon HD 7750 2GB $90

Only $280 and you could definitely still use your old PSU. Another thing... I would keep the 160GB drive for now and get a small SSD for your OS.

Have Fun
Fungi

Thanks for the replies. Not sure I follow you on getting a pentium dual core because he currently has an AMD dual core system. I was hoping to get a quad core going. I like AMD because the pricing is cheaper as its not our primary computer. I can't say I've ever used a pentium system in a very long time, AMD has never let me down.

 

[funguseater]

The pentium G870 performs in Gaming situations better than an un-overclocked AMD CPU. The CPU's that AMD has are not true quad cores, the FX4100 has 4 cores but only 2 FPU almost the opposite of Intel who use 2 cores and 4 threads, the FX series just does not perform as well in gaming situations (you can check out Tom's Gaming Build articles for $500) for example the i3 3220 outperforms the FX8150 in Games unless you are doing heavy crossfire.

I am not a fanboy as I still rock an AMD 1090T (and have no issues) but for strictly gaming I would go for either the Sandy Bridge Pentium (really its just the i3 with hyper-threading,turbo turned off) or the i3 3220.

It seems counter-intuitive but the lesser CPU's from intel are just better designed at this moment and perform better than AMD's CPU (specially without an overclock).

Fungi

 

[funguseater]

Quote from Toms best Gaming CPU's under $100

"It turns out that the budget-oriented Sandy Bridge-based Pentium family performs very well in games. Specifically, Intel's Pentium G630 beat the FX-4100, -6100, and -8120 in our sub-$200 CPU gaming comparison. In fact, it finished right on par with the Phenom II X4 955."

"At 3 GHz, the Pentium G860 is 300 MHz faster than the G630, earning our recommendation at the $70 price point. There's not much else to add, except that if you consider the Phenom II X4 to be a capable gaming CPU, Intel's Pentium G860 is an even faster option that uses less power. "

Fungi

 

[Phyrexiancure]

Quote from Toms best Gaming CPU's under $100

"It turns out that the budget-oriented Sandy Bridge-based Pentium family performs very well in games. Specifically, Intel's Pentium G630 beat the FX-4100, -6100, and -8120 in our sub-$200 CPU gaming comparison. In fact, it finished right on par with the Phenom II X4 955."

"At 3 GHz, the Pentium G860 is 300 MHz faster than the G630, earning our recommendation at the $70 price point. There's not much else to add, except that if you consider the Phenom II X4 to be a capable gaming CPU, Intel's Pentium G860 is an even faster option that uses less power. "

Fungi

The pentium or a phenom ii x4 isn't a good option since it lack the avx instructions which when in use show substantial gains. The AVX instructions performance gains are indicated in Far Cry 3. Newegg.com is currently slashing the prices of the fx 6100, at $105 which is cheaper then the fx 4100. In modern threaded games it beats intel's i3 which also have the AVX instuctions. So its a better buy from a performance stand point, and as a plus it overclocks like crazy

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/far-cry-3-performance-benchmark,3379-7.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=28&post=353600&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

 

[funguseater]

OP is playing older non intensive games not Far Cry 3, and is not overclocking. Plus there are very few heavily threaded games, and many more console game ports on the horizon. I suggest reading the $500 gaming computer articles for the past year they offer all kinds of insight.

Have Fun
Fungi

 

[Phyrexiancure]

OP is playing older non intensive games not Far Cry 3, and is not overclocking. Plus there are very few heavily threaded games, and many more console game ports on the horizon. I suggest reading the $500 gaming computer articles for the past year they offer all kinds of insight.

Have Fun
Fungi

But from a future proofing stand point it is a much better option. It also performs good enough in old games and won't bottleneck a 7770 in almost all situations, though your main priority is maximum performance in old games then a Pentium would be your best bet. OP what games do you play and do you care about any near future games?

 

[grampabob]

Hey guys thnx. BTW I looked at the GPU hierarchy chart and wow, agree we need a new GPU such as a 7770. We wont need to future upgrade and my son doesnt really play any taxing games because he has the xbox for those. No plans to OC at all, plug n play.

I currently have a phenom black edition in my computer and I like it so I was considering just doing up a similar setup at some point. I get hung up on mobo's and chipsets, understanding whats good for my needs.

 

[funguseater]

Okay my bad, seems the next gen consoles (durango XBox720) are going to make use of AVX so it will definitely be a plus for any Console port games (and we know there are gonna be lots). Intel i3 2120 and up have AVX so keep that in mind, FX series also has AVX so really it depends on which games you play and looking through performance charts to find the best combination of performance/price for your specific needs.

That said my 1090T does NOT have AVX and I play FarCry3 without difficulty with a GTX480 set limiting the game to 60Hz.

Fungi

 

[grampabob]

I might consider upping the budget a touch to compensate for a GPU. Teh FX-6100 looks interesting. Do you think I should look at a Phenom 2 BE at all?

Any thoughts on an AM3+ mobo for this type of budget system?

 

[funguseater]

I hear ya Grampabob

Every year or so I get all caught up in the upgrade cycle and end up with well a room full of computing gear dating back to the 70's, and even though I have bought and assembled an 1155 2500K system and an older i7 965 system I stick with my old favorite AMD 1090T. I will assume your in the US, check out overclock.net, they have a great buy/sell section if you deal with long time users with good feedback, this is how I build most of my systems, buy em cheap have some fum building/benching the system them I sell them back or keep the interesting bits (hence the full room).

I understand about chipsets, they ARE confusing, so first I start with a CPU then look for a motherboard that lets me run with minimal extra features I won't use. I found the B75 for intel 1155 to be great for gaming, you can't OC the CPU but you can OC the Ram on some boards and the 970 for AMD offers all the features most people need.

Oh and heres the CPU chart
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

Have Fun
Fungi

 

[funguseater]

I might consider upping the budget a touch to compensate for a GPU. Teh FX-6100 looks interesting. Do you think I should look at a Phenom 2 BE at all?

Any thoughts on an AM3+ mobo for this type of budget system?

The Phenom II still runs great from my perspective, and I am using one. But you have to overclock them to make them really competitive and that means better PSU, better motherboard with VRM heatsinks and upgraded cooling. Your much better off with the 6300 than the 6100 if you can get one (MUCH better than the FX6100, different architecture not just speed bump)

The asus M5A97 R2.0 is a great motherboard for general use and overclocking!

Fungi

 

[Phyrexiancure]

I'd suggest the FX 6100 or FX 6300 if you have a bit more money, as I mentioned it has the AVX instructions and performed better then i3 and Phenom ii x6 in newer games.

The board mentioned above is good, I can say this from my own experience since I have the revision 1 version. Its also a really good overclocking board since its has the beefy heatsink and a good set of vrm's.

Or this one, its cheaper and better at supporting dual gpu set ups, though you sacrifice motherboard quality by a bit.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-130-637&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo