Timothy Kim60 said:7770 and 7850—they aren't in the same class (the trick is in that second digit)—the difference is noticeable (more than 10%), and you mentioned needing a PC for gaming. For games—I’m not sure you'll see much performance gain from an SSD. For $1167—you simply can't get a machine capable of decent gaming paired with a quality SSD like an OCZ Vertex4. You didn't mention a higher budget or any other preferences.
The VS series is Corsair's cheapest line; your power supply is almost certainly lower quality than an EVGA unit, and likely weaker too. Look at the price difference for the CX series or those W or TX models, for instance. All those prices and various models actually mean something—it’s not just random labeling. Don't get me wrong—it's not a catastrophe, and that VS unit will hold up fine.
As for the motherboard, we already confirmed the ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M is solid (partly due to having 4 RAM slots), then you went and dug up that ASUS GA-F2A55M-HD2 S. FM2 (likely to shave off some cost)—and then > pointed out perfectly well that it lacks USB3 or SATA3 ports (which you'd eventually need for an SSD)—suggesting you should at least go with an FM2A75M-DGS or one of the others we listed...
- Besides, I honestly don't know what the odds are of a RAM slot or even the RAM itself snapping. Good grief—they put an 8 to 10-year warranty on RAM because it's considered a reliable component. It rarely breaks—the odds are 1 in 10,000,000—if we followed that "what if" logic, we could have recommended a dual SLI setup with ten $0.00 components just in case one dies. We were sticking to your budget.
This thing about the GPU is a shock—go to YouTube and watch gameplay clips, or better yet, find someone running that GPU live so you can see the difference for yourself. I mean, it's your money, your choice. In just a few days, you've jumped from zero to all sorts of conclusions. I really don't know what kind of guy this is—I just hope he isn't the type who suggested that ASROCK N68-GE3 UCC for a Phenom 🙏 along with three sticks of 2GB RAM... That guy clearly doesn't understand dual-channel at all...
This reminds me a bit of that guy from Kaloori, or whatever his name was, who asked a ton of questions only to dump a specific build on us at the end—blew his $1000 $667 budget and built an absolute epic fail 🙏 of a configuration. Yours is good compared to that. Just a misunderstanding—desires, budget, and a lack of component knowledge.
No, it's not the same guy; he's more experienced. Anyway, a real person actually showed me what AMD says regarding those 50-series cards—I'll find the link tomorrow because I'm heading to bed now... Basically, the question is: did those $117 units actually improve the computer according to you guys?
fadedorca66 said:And you think we have no idea what we're talking about?
That power supply isn't nearly as good as the one we suggested. Why? It’s the cheapest option from Corsair—meaning it uses inferior capacitors. I’m genuinely curious—how much is it actually delivering on the 12V rail?
GPU power is all about the numbers. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 crushes the 7770—it's not even close. If you don't believe the benchmarks, just borrow a 760 from someone and see for yourself...
I’m telling you—it wasn't balanced. You can't just look at the raw numbers; that's a mistake. Take a closer look at what the manufacturer actually specifies for those 50 models.
Look, I’ve gone through all five options—but honestly, I have no idea how many of you actually suggested an SSD, if anyone even bothered.
Regarding the graphics card—I never actually said it was identical or even inferior—but rather that it just isn't delivering. $100—higher performance, at a premium price— $100So—I ended up dropping a decent amount of cash just to downgrade to a smaller HDD and pick up a single SSD.
Sudden change of plans—the PC arrived, though I ended up pivoting slightly on the specs: 1. Motherboard: ASUS FM2A75 PRO4-M 2. 8 GB Corsair Vengeance (4x2 GB running in dual channel mode) 3. 128 GB MX MYLES SSD (For macOS and a couple of heavy games) 4. 500GB HDD (Honestly, I don't really need it—I already have a 1 TB external drive lying around anyway) 5. Power Supply: Corsair VS 550W 6. Processor: Intel Core i3-4160 (Already overclocked it to about 4.0 GHz, if I recall correctly) 7. A basic DVD+-RW burner, just standard stuff 8. Thermaltake Commander MS-I case 9. *Saving the best for last* ASUS AMD Radeon HD 7770 1GB GDDR5 ------> No offense intended to anyone, but if I had listened to you all, I would have ended up with what we might call an "unbalanced" build. I only realized this after looking closely—that previous motherboard only had two RAM slots, and it’s far too easy for one to fail, leaving me with nothing. Then there was the 450W power supply, which sits right at the edge of being insufficient; better to have a 100W buffer. And finally, the GPU—look, I know people obsess over benchmarks on those various random websites, but a friend of mine—who has worked for some pretty big names and holds a PhD in Computer Science—told me that any AMD cards ending in 50 are less than 10% more efficient than the class below them ending in 70, making them hardly worth the premium. In this case, we're talking roughly $117 dollars... If you don't take my word for it—or rather, his technical assessment—just head to the official AMD site and check their own documentation regarding the relationship between the "50" series and the "70" series from the tier below.
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to lecture anyone or act like a know-it-all 😉
To wrap things up, I ended up paying $117 more for this setup than I would have for the previous one
So, this is basically it—the final list before I pull the trigger tomorrow. Last time I'll bug you all with questions, but I really need to know if this setup holds up:
So, this is what the final configuration should look like—does this look alright to you now? -->PC-10666 Memory, 4GB MUSHKIN Silverline Stiletto, 991770, DDR3 1333MHz
-->750.0 GB Hard Drive, WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue, WD7500AZEX, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 RPM, desktop
What kind of power supply would you recommend for this motherboard: ASUS Prime A520M-K, Intel Core i3, DDR3/1866, VGA (D-Sub/DVI-D/HDMI), PCIe, NVIDIA SLI, S-ATAII, RAID, G-LAN, 8 ch., Micro-ATX running Athlon TIM 740s and an HD 7850?
Timothy Kim60 said:Those two are essentially identical—except the K version is built for overclocking. Honestly, at standard retail prices, the gap is usually only about $30--$17. So, if there's a K model available, grab it; otherwise, just go with the 740 . Even if that's the logic—being able to slot in a better GPU later (which you'll actually feel while gaming, regardless of whether you're running an Athlon or a Phenom)...
Hmm, regarding what you mentioned... 😁 I have to admit, I've learned a massive amount from this entire thread 😁 specifically regarding the "is it worth choosing one over the other" dilemma, and how much of a difference it makes in-game: GPU 1: PCI-E XFX AMD Radeon HD 7850, 1GB DDR5, Dual DVI, HDMI, 2x miniDP GPU 2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
In reality, when you look at them, the first one comes out to be more of a $100 than the 7850—but is it truly worth those extra $100? And is this motherboard worth it: ASUS Prime A520M-K, Intel Core i3, DDR3/1866, VGA (D-Sub/DVI-D/HDMI), PCIe, NVIDIA SLI, S-ATAII, RAID, G-LAN, 8 ch., Micro-ATX, which works out to be $177 ?
Timothy Kim60 said:If you're asking me—definitely. I just don't know if you'll actually track down an Athlon 750 K; those good, cheap ones tend to vanish the second they hit the shelves. Though, looking at the link, there might be some left since they're priced quite high over there.
Where are you planning to shop, anyway? And what kind of prices are we talking about?
I usually grab most things from Best Buy*, then hit up Newegg for graphics cards and stuff—so, what's the better move: hunting down an Athlon 750 K via the link or just settling for the 740? I could also pick up a 7850 right now if I can find a decent model under $150. Regarding payment—I'll just use my Chase card for 12 interest-free installments. As for the build, my cousin is an IT guy, so he's handling that—no sweat there. Most places offer free shipping on orders over $150, too. Plus, I've already got Windows 7 ready to go, so all I need is the hardware.😁
Timothy Kim60 said:That’s a solid motherboard—if you're sticking with FM2, anyway. But skip the processor. You know why—it’s essentially just an FM2 Athlon II x4 740/750 K with integrated graphics (the 7560D) baked in. Since you're already planning on a decent dedicated card, that extra feature is useless to you... Those A-series chips are really meant for people who don't game much—or play light titles—or plan to pick up a real GPU later down the road.
Basically, you'd be better off grabbing one of those Athlons instead—paying the premium for the other one is just throwing money away.
So, are we 100% certain then? I should go with that Athlon 750 K and the FM2 motherboard I listed?
Timothy Kim60 said:Personally, I’d steer clear of MSI motherboards for AMD builds. From what I’ve read—and there's quite a bit out there—they have a reputation for just giving up the ghost. They’re a solid company otherwise, but in this specific niche, just skip them. Stick to something from ASRock, ASUS, or Gigabyte within that same budget range... Regarding RAM—whatever you do, don't settle for those 2GB sticks... You're swinging between extremes with these power supplies 😬 You definitely don't need the LC Power Pro Line 600w—you can save some cash there...
And please, stay away from "Green" drives. Go with a Western Digital Caviar Blue, or maybe a Toshiba if you can find one...
Can someone at least tell me I'm right about the hard drive? 😁 ... I was thinking about picking up this processor if it's decent for $250—I could grab it here: AMD A8 x4 5500 BOX, s. FM2, 3.2GHz, 4MB cache, GPU 7560D, Quad-core But I'd need a different motherboard to go with it—any suggestions? I was looking at this one: ASRock FM2A75 PRO4-M
Furthermore, that logic applies to the older Athlon models, not the current ones. The Athlon II x4 740/750 K is a newer chip based on the Trinity architecture—meaning it's slightly slower than a Phenom, sure, but it's newer, more efficient, and runs cooler. Plus, it's cheaper, and you'll find the motherboards are easier on the wallet too.
And what's the price on that GPU? Something tells me it's only pricier than the rest simply because it's an ASUS.
A 600W PSU is overkill. This build will barely pull 200W.
A 3x2 kit? No. Those kits are meant for platforms that actually support triple channel. You need dual channel. Honestly, if you're looking at 4GB, you're better off grabbing a single stick just to make future upgrades less of a headache.
Finally—Thermaltake cases generally offer poor value for the money.
Well, I can live with 4GB of RAM for now, and since this Thermaltake case is on sale $90-a, it's a good deal for me. As for that ASUS card, prices jump between $100 and $120 depending on the shop; I grabbed mine from the cheapest one available. Look, you guys keep insisting Athlons are superior, but the guy told me they're fine—though for those $27-a, he said I could get a Phenom which is faster, even if it uses the older AM3 socket... I'm not losing sleep over heat issues. If I save up enough by the end of summer, I'll just upgrade to liquid cooling anyway; even with four fans, I don't think it'll be that much of a furnace...
Regarding the drives—as far as I know, Western Digital has Green, Blue, and Black versions. I don't have the budget for a Black drive, but I don't need more than 500GB, and Blue is decent enough speed-wise. Green is way too slow, and even though I could get 1TB for a little more, it would still be the Green version, so...
As for the power supply and everything else... I'm planning so that if I decide to upgrade "tomorrow," I won't have to replace the whole rig—just the specific part I need. There are certain things you just shouldn't skimp on.
So, while I was saving up, I did some digging and talked to several people—at least 20 folks who actually know their hardware—and they all said the same thing: the Athlon is junk compared to the Phenom. Based on that, I managed to sell my old rig and decided to pull the trigger this Monday on a full build consisting of:
-Motherboard: MSI 970 A-G46, AM3+, DDR3—specifically built for Phenom processors
-Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 955 Black Edition, AM3 socket, 3.2GHz, 8MB cache, Quad-core
-Graphics Card: ASUS Radeon HD 7770
-Power Supply: 600W, LC Power Pro Line Series, ATX, v2.3, 135mm fan, black
-Memory: PC-10666, 4 GB, MUSHKIN SilverLine Stiletto, 996768, DDR3 1333MHz, 3x2GB kit—people say RAM performs better when you use two or more sticks to balance the load...
-Hard Drive: 750.0 GB, Western Digital WD7500AZEX, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 RPM, desktop class
-DVD±RW: ASUS DRW-24B5ST/BLK/B/AS, 24x, SATA, Dual Layer, black, bulk
-And finally, the case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I
All in, it comes out to roughly $4,000-$4,200—which I think is a pretty solid configuration😉 what are your thoughts?
fadedorca66 said:@Larry Bailey94—just so you know—that CPU isn't compatible with that motherboard (it’s pretty low-end), and that power supply is nothing special either. You really ought to build this better. Where are you shopping, and what's your actual budget?
Aside from the GPU, I'll probably grab everything in the link—maybe an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti OC with 2GB GDDR5 (DVI/DP) or perhaps a 7850, depending on what's left. My budget is roughly $250 right now, but if I sell my current rig for about $80, I'll have closer to $350 total. With that, you could probably include a case, a hard drive, and some extra peripherals.
Timothy Kim60 said:Listen, any IT guy will tell you—that AM3 processor isn't going to work on an FM2 board...
That GTX 650 Ti OC isn't much of a deal $433 when you can grab a significantly better 7850 for basically the same price.
For the power supply, if you're shopping at Micro Center, the 460W LC Power Pro Line LC6460GP3 V2.3 with a 140mm fan is a much better value for your money.
My bad, my bad—I copied the wrong motherboard specs from my old list... he actually said this one is an ASRock N68-GE3 UCC, featuring GeForce 7025 / nForce 630a, DDR3, audio, VGA, G-LAN, S-ATA, RAID, PCI-E, mATX, with an AM3 socket.
So, an IT guy put this build together for me—claimed it would be perfectly fine and run without a hitch. He suggested I grab the GIGABYTE AMD RADEON HD 7770 OC with 1GB of VRAM for about $1, $43, but then I stumbled upon this Gigabyte GF GTX650 Ti OC, featuring 2GB GDDR5, DVI, and DP, for roughly $1, $100. Now, I'm just not sure if it'll actually play nice with this motherboard!
Power Supply: 600W, LC Power super Silent Series, ATX2, v2.2, 120mm fan, black, PFC
CPU: AMD PHEANOM II X4 955 BOX black edition, socket AM3, 3.2GHz, 8MB cache, quad Core
And finally, 4GB of RAM—he insists that for my needs, anything more would be overkill. Totally sufficient, apparently. What’s the verdict? Like I mentioned, he originally wanted to go with the GIGABYTE AMD RADEON HD 7770 OC, 1GB DDR5, HDMI... but I ended up picking up this GIGABYTE GF GTX650 Ti OC, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, DP
fadedorca66 said:Just check out PriceGrabber or something—you'll see the price gaps between those specific links and the other big-box retailers immediately...
I LOVE YOU MAN hahahaha you're a lifesaver 😍 now I actually have room in here for a slightly beefier build😉
Timothy Kim60 said:If you shop at that retailer, you're going to end up paying way more than everywhere else...
Whatever you do, don't grab a 2x2GB RAM kit—your motherboard only has two slots. That’ll bite you later. Go with at least a single 4GB or even an 8GB stick instead for example, this one.
Regarding the power supply (assuming there is one), check out this option or this one first—they're solid enough, but those two have much better reputations among users
EDIT—your graphics card is fine, especially if you aren't pushing Full HD or obsessed with maxing out settings on the latest titles... A step up would be an ATI 7850 if the budget allows. Given what you'd be paying at that specific store, it might be worth seeing if this model performs better. Generally, the 650Ti outperforms the 7770, but since yours is an OC and a GHz edition, you'd really need someone who tracks those special editions to confirm if the 650Ti still holds the edge.
Right, so since prices are higher there, maybe I could just piece together similar high-quality parts from different shops to save some cash? I'm not sure if it'll actually be cheaper though—that store is in Pula, and while other places like Futura exist, once you factor in all the shipping costs, the difference might just disappear.
So, I'm leaning toward this build—but is it actually worth it once you crunch the numbers? Can I snag something better for this kind of cash, or am I doing okay here?