New Computer help

[Xilorator]

CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1100T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
HDD: 750GB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-UD3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, Ultra Durable™3, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
24" Widescreen 1920x1080 Asus VH242H LCD w/ Built-in Speaker, DVI, & HDMI

So I need some help deciding on what EXACTLY I should get:

My only questions are for:

HDD: what do you think of the current one? Does the cache size really matter? It will prolly be a backup drive eventually replaced with an ssd.

Motherboard: I don't know enough to choose one so i'm going off best one for the cheapest. Current one chosen above.

[CrossFireX] ASUS M5A97 AMD 970 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3+ ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1, & 2 PCI
[CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-D3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
Asus M4N68T-M V2 AM3 DDR3 NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a Chipset mATX w/ Onboard Graphics and Core Unlocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB 2.0, SATA-II RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
GigaByte GA-870A-USB3 AMD 870 Socket AM3/AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable™3, CPU Auto Unlocker, ON/OFF Charge, 7.1 Audio, GBLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI

Video Card: I have an ati now, don't ask what it is, you will all laugh. No problems for as long as I've had it. Is the 560 2gb as good as the amd 6850 1gb, 6870 1gb, 6950 2gb, 6970 2gb ? I'm going with the 560 cuz its about the right price range for me atm.

Everything else I'm fine with.

 

[silver_apple]

the 6950 is good. but it is a bit pricey.

 

[r3volution]

I personally would get an Intel CPU instead. I don't know when you need this computer, but I'm personally waiting for the next generation of hexacores before I build something new.

As for the HDD, it really depends on what you're going to be using it for. If it's just a temporary measure before getting a new SSD, then just get a cheap one and don't worry about cache size. Either way, I think cache sizes don't make THAT much of a difference in day to day work.

 

[$alvador]

Looks good to me. AM3+ so ready for a Bulldozer chip when they're on the market. Don't cheap out on the RAM, DDR3 is cheap anyway. The 560's a great card, just like all Fermi-based cards. Coincidentally, it's popular practice for companies that build supercomputers to combine AMD CPUs with Fermi GPUs. No doubt rendering and other math-intensive software will run pretty fast

 

[47]

go with intel cpu
and get an ssd, 120gb ones are under 200$ after tax, last time i checked, maybe even cheaper now.

 

[Xilorator]

I agree the 6950 is pricey. I'm looking for the most bang for my buck right now. I will be getting this come December when there are sales and better deal. Could get it now but I'm to busy to use it to the extent I want to.

"I personally would get an Intel CPU instead. I don't know when you need this computer, but I'm personally waiting for the next generation of hexacores before I build something new."

I know intel is better but I can get more for less with an amd, now maybe there will be a special deal come December but for now I will go with the amd. Any thought to when new amd hex comes out? or if they are already out hah idk.

For the HDD it will be my main one for a while prolly like 6 months or so. My only question is if the cache size would speed up some load times or w/e. I dont really know what its job is. I could go with the 1TB buts its only 32mb cache, I dont mind losing 1/4 TB if i gain a little speed, I dont use much hardrive space anyway. looking for best performance.

Ill be getting an ssd eventually, but for now HDD is cheaper since im trying to stay under a certain amount.

As for ram, ill prolly be getting 4 or 8 depending on the deals, atm i have 6gb and dont use nearly all of it. may go with 4 just to save some money then get more later.

Any other comments would be great, Im hoping graphics cards go down by December.

Edit: I've also read that ATI card driver updates have some problems(newer cards) no problems on mine, its ollllldddd, how about Nvidia? heard they were pretty good about updating them.

Also how upgradable is this computer, will I be able to upgrade it for say like 3-4 years or more?

 

[47]

dead mike found a deal 3x4gb for 40$ of corsair ddr3. thats like 24gb of ram for under 100$ !!!! mind fucking blown

 

[Cock]

Might suggest a BlackEdition AMD, unlocked multiplier is just sexy.

Never paid attention to HD cache size as i've never seen a definitive benchmark.

 

[Taylor Sith]

yeah maybe do an AMD Phenom X4 975 or 980 both r black editions and dude if ur gonna do a GTX 560 go with a MSI they have a mad fan design and good hardware

 

[Glocky]

CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1100T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
HDD: 750GB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-UD3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, Ultra Durable™3, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
24" Widescreen 1920x1080 Asus VH242H LCD w/ Built-in Speaker, DVI, & HDMI

So I need some help deciding on what EXACTLY I should get:

My only questions are for:

HDD: what do you think of the current one? Does the cache size really matter? It will prolly be a backup drive eventually replaced with an ssd.

Motherboard: I don't know enough to choose one so i'm going off best one for the cheapest. Current one chosen above.

[CrossFireX] ASUS M5A97 AMD 970 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3+ ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1, & 2 PCI
[CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-D3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
Asus M4N68T-M V2 AM3 DDR3 NVIDIA Geforce 7025/nForce 630a Chipset mATX w/ Onboard Graphics and Core Unlocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB 2.0, SATA-II RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
GigaByte GA-870A-USB3 AMD 870 Socket AM3/AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable™3, CPU Auto Unlocker, ON/OFF Charge, 7.1 Audio, GBLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI

Video Card: I have an ati now, don't ask what it is, you will all laugh. No problems for as long as I've had it. Is the 560 2gb as good as the amd 6850 1gb, 6870 1gb, 6950 2gb, 6970 2gb ? I'm going with the 560 cuz its about the right price range for me atm.

Everything else I'm fine with.

Onboard sound? given the $$$'s you're splashing, a discrete sound card would be advisable.

As to the rest... preferences and comfort zone.

If you're trying to future proof... forget it, it's not possible.
So instead, build on strong core components and upgrade the easily upgrade-able as necessary.

Do not skimp on your motherboard nor PSU -- worst two places to skimp.
Asus, Gigabyte are awesome mobos ... heard good about MSI, but don't have any experience with them.

Easy things to upgrade (in order of ease)? GPU, drives,RAM, PSU
So... that said, buy a mobo that's good for *your* intended uses for 4 years.
GPU that's good for 2 years.
PSU that's good for 4 years (i.e. still good with the GPU card(s) that you will get in 2 years) unless you like rewiring everything
Drives / RAM -- generally 4 years -- especially if that's the lifetime of your system (my old systems go to my kids :P)

If you'll never O/C, SLI/XFIRE, or actually use the onboard sound, those are areas to pay less for a mobo.
(i.e. don't pay for a 4 x16 PCIe mobo if at most you'll only use 2 cards)

I highly recommend www.ncix.com, www.newegg.com (or .ca) for your research (and even NCIX for your purchase)

 

[Pyro]

what are you using this computer for? ill assume it is primarily for gaming. if that IS the case, then you should go with an i5 or even an i3. i've read that the i3 performs on par with the processor you are currently going with. the i5 beats everything AMD currently has out (FOR GAMING). the i5-2500k and the i7-2600k (the "k" denotes that you can overclock them), are even better.
i recommend the 2500k.

here is a comparison chart to help show how much AMD is getting owned by intel right now:http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/363?vs=203 . Scroll down to the game list and see the disparity.
here is a cpu hierarchy chart to further my point: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i5-2500k-amd-e350,2843-6.html . the i5-2400 isn't listed for some reason, but it would be between the i3-2100 and the i5-2500.

the reasons the newest intel chips are rated so high are 1.they perform very very well, and 2.they are cheaper than the top-of-the-line multi-threaded cpus from intel and AMD.

MOST video games today make zero (YES! ZERO!) use of multithreading beyond 4 cores (including all physical and virtual cores). FOUR CORES IS ALL YOU NEED FOR MAXIMUM GAMEPLAY. this means that any cpu with 4 PHYSICAL (no virtual cores) are optimal for gaming. a less powerful alternative would be a processor with 2 PHYSICAL cores and 2 VIRTUAL cores (i.e. it is multithreaded).

i.e. the very best choice from a gaming perspective is the i5-2500k or the i7-2600k (which performs marginally better) if you have the extra cash. that being said, the i3-2xxx cpus and the other i5-2xxx cpus are also very good options and all of them are BETTER THAN WHAT YOU HAVE PICKED OUT, and some are even CHEAPER!


EDIT: concerning future upgrades, the rumour is that intel's next wave of cpus (probably being released in march 2012), called ivory bridge, will be using the same motherboard socket (1155). this means that if you go with a cheaper cpu (say the i3), in march you could upgrade to a new cpu (which is predicted to perform about 20% faster than what is out now) and sell your old one without much trouble since it will still be relatively new.

also, the 560 is a good video card. i use one and am happy with it. SSD is the way to go, but they are indeed pricey. everything else is basically icing. just dont cheap out on ram or psu.

 

[$alvador]

1st off, 1100T is a Black Edition. It's the fucking top of the line for AMD. 2nd off, AM3+ is a smart mobo choice since it is the best "future-proofing" you can get, being able to support Bulldozer chips. IMHO it's pretty likely AMD knows they're 2nd place and are taking their sweet time on Bulldozer to make sure it will show the market they are not incompetent. Unless you secretly have a 990X, this setup will probably rock the shit out of all our computers.

 

[Xilorator]

I'm trying just to get the system and then I'll do those little upgrades such as sound and shit, but what I still don't know anything about is the motherboard.

MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-UD3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, Ultra Durable™3, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI.

I don't know wtf this says. I literally know nothing about what that sentence is saying other than the audio/usb/sataIII so if anyone could inform me on some of the stuff.

I was also thinking about getting 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/2000MHz Dual Channel Memory Module instead of the 1600MHz. How big of a difference would that be?

 

[Glocky]

I'm trying just to get the system and then I'll do those little upgrades such as sound and shit, but what I still don't know anything about is the motherboard.

MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-UD3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, Ultra Durable™3, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI.

I don't know wtf this says. I literally know nothing about what that sentence is saying other than the audio/usb/sataIII so if anyone could inform me on some of the stuff.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128519&Tpk=GigaByte GA-970A-UD3

 

[OG buckshot jr]

MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-970A-UD3 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ On/Off Charge, Ultra Durable™3, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI.

So, AMD 970 Socket AM3+, like Salvador has highlighted - supports your current 1100T black edition, and all other high-end AMD chips. It will also support upcoming AMD chips, so you're future proof (according to Salvador, I know nothing about AMD's upcoming shit).

ATX Charge On/Off - this means that you can charge phones n shit through one of your USB ports while the computer is off - very convenient feature!

Ultra Durable - this is a trademarked technology provided by AMD. It means certain areas of the motherboard have extra layers of copper, namely around the power supply area and the grounding area, meaning the system should run more efficiently and motherboard temperatures should be lower.

7.1 Audio - you already get that, you got built-in 7.1. audio on the back of the motherboard. It's through 3.5mm (headphone jack) discrete outputs.

GB-LAN - the built-in ethernet card on the motherboard supports 1 Gigabyte/second transfer rate. Don't fuss, this is standard.

IEEE1394a port - this is firewire 400. Pretty standard, no one uses it.

SATA-III RAID - this is the latest, and fastest, version of SATA technology used for connecting your hard drives/SSD hard drives. RAID just means it supports certain types of RAID (RAID is useful for using multiple drives as one/redundancy drives, pending configuration, to increase speed/reliability in your system).

2 Gen2 PCIe X16 - these are the graphic card ports (yes, you can fit other shit in there too, but we gamers mainly put graphic cards there). You've got AMD's latest rendition of that port, and they're both X16 (full speed). So if you ever decide to Crossfire, this board supports it at full speed. Good to go.

3 PCIe X1 - These are also PCI-e (PCI-Express, just like the graphic cards), but are much smaller. They're great for sound cards, better LAN cards, tv-tuners etc.

2 PCI - this is the oldest (oldest?) type of connection, and I think it's always good to have. All kinds of cards (mentioned above) that fit into PCI-E can have older/different versions suitable for PCI. I think it's always good to have one or two of these ports lying around, and you do.

As for your memory, I would personally concentrate on getting triple-channel DDR3 memory instead of worrying about the sizing. There's no point, or advantage really, getting DDR3 memory that will run in dual-channel. You might as well be buying DDR2 RAM. Instead of cheaping out completely on RAM, spend just that little bit more, and get a triple-channel setup. This will greatly benefit you over a dual-channel setup.

 

[Xilorator]

Thanks for the replies very helpful indeed, the reason im going with the amd 6-core is because i want the ability to multi task because i love dual monitors (maybe a third eventually) and i am doing a lot of other stuff while playing. those extra 2 cores would help with w/e else im doing while also playing. its not like im going to run a game on ultra^9999, im more about the game being smooth than the graphics being bad ass.

One of my problems on my computer now (laptop) is that it over heats and throttles itself and so heat is a big concern to me about this desktop ill be getting. I plan on getting 120mm case fans as well as push-pull. I'll also have Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System. Other than that do you think my cooling system will be enough because its prolly my biggest concern about this computer cuz heat just kills my laptop atm. ( i know its dif for desktops)

And thanks for the replies again they are VERY helpful!

Forgot to give the PSU:
PSU-700 Watts - XtremeGear SLI/CrossFireX Ready Power Supply

 

[OG buckshot jr]

It's very hard to say what cooling will be adequate for your system as there are many factors. The environment (closed space, open space), the type of case, the general ambient temperature etc. all play key roles in how your system will respond to being pushed, and cooled, on a regular basis. It's sort of a trial and error system, as I've found for myself - but every case is different. Typically, a closed-loop cooling solution (such as your Asetek, or a more familiar Corsair Hydro H50/H70) are great solutions that will suffice in many situations. As for the surrounding components, mainly the graphics card, the case will play a key factor. Choose wisely. Many in this community have turned to the Thermaltake HAF932 full-size tower, as it is (I'm not an owner, but I know the case very well, my cousin Sondooby has it as well) an excellent build quality while providing an all steel-mesh design, and all ports necessary for in-case liquid cooling. So it's built really well, has numerous cooling options and can support liquid cooling - an excellent choice at a great (relative) price.

 

[Xilorator]

I actually have a cooling vent very close to where I would be putting my case so there will be cold air flow coming to the tower, if i have to ill redirect the air to it somehow as it is my biggest concern.

Does anyone recommend a good coolant to use?

Also, since it is the black edition, do you recommend overclocking it? I would maybe do it some but I wouldn't go balls to the walls with it.
And would it be difficult for someone like me. (I dont know shit about overclocking other than it uses more power and creates more heat)
I know it was tested and overclocked to about 4.2.

BBL around 6pm est

 

[$alvador]

I think you should go watercooling or downgrade to a cheaper chip. You just don't get a top-of-the-line chip unless your intention is to overclock it to the ragged limits which for the 1100T is supposedly 4.2ghz, 200mhz more than what is generally regarded as the upper limit for AMD chips (that aren't being benched with subzero cooling). If triple-channel 2000mhz DDR3 isn't enough to get you there then nothing is. Thing is, the chip draws over 350W of power under load at those speeds which is obscene and a lot to handle for even the best heatsink.

To be honest, it doesn't seem like you have a use in mind for such a crazy setup and by the time its current performance becomes relevant for you there will like be better chips out for cheaper. While Bulldozer will be meant for the AM3+ socket too, there will no doubt be better chipsets for it once it's on the market and that will put you slightly behind the performance curve. I just don't think it's worth spending the kind of money this will cost on a crazy fast computer unless you're 100% sure you truly need this kind of computing power. I mean shit, my core 2 duo still bangs out like a mufugga and it's old as hell. I was actually on the verge of upgrading to a similar setup as the one you want but I just couldn't justify it at this point in time because I literally don't need that much juice.

Speaking of juice, don't forget that the setup alone will cost you a fair chunk of change but then powering it all will make your electricity bill a great deal higher too, 'specially if you run your box all day long.

 

[Xilorator]

Well my intent is not to overclock to 4.2. I would prolly go for like 3.5 max or 3.6 and electricity isn't a problem anyway. (Its my schools.. owned) 1100t is only like $20 more so I goin with it anyway. It was just an idea to overclock, im not really a fan of it cuz i dont want the chip to fry, however if i ever did need to or even want to i was jw if i could. I am getting watercooling as well it is Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System. Now the DDR3 2000MHz compared to the 1600MHz, is that the rate at which the information is going or what. Ive read that if ur ram is to slow it can slow down ur cpu (not really slow it down but make it less efficient)