BTW, even an A10 isn't exactly a heavy-duty CPU by today's standards—would you really stick with integrated graphics on that too? It would probably make more sense down the road to just upgrade to an 860K (or whatever successor is out there). Basically, go for an Intel LGA 1150 quad-core without integrated graphics and pair it with a dedicated GPU like a GTX 750 Ti.
The AMD Athlon gives you a much stronger CPU and leaves the door wide open for serious upgrades down the line. The A4 has better integrated graphics, which means you'll see better gaming performance right out of the box.
So, it's really up to you what you want to prioritize.
Most shops list their prices based on cash payments, but if you opt for monthly installments, expect an 8-10% markup. The one exception is Best Buy, where the advertised prices apply whether you pay upfront or via financing.
For about 5 grand, you can snag a solid setup featuring an i5 4440 paired with an R9 280. By the end of the year, I might even upgrade the GPU—I'm eyeing an R9 285 if the price drops, and it definitely will. Get in touch with me before you pull the trigger on anything.
He even has this option if he just wants to mess around:
LGA771 to LGA775 for dummies Putting LGA771 Xeons on an LGA775 platform
From what I can see, people are actually pretty happy with these types of setups.
Regarding those 775 quad-core builds—you’d see a significant jump in frame rates in games where those two extra cores really shine.For example,—just look at the difference in FPS; even on a standard gtx 460, the performance gap is massive.
David Sanders4 said:Based on his math, once you factor in our local prices, the difference over ten years means $433 both the VT and NT $283 favor Intel when looking at the total cost of ownership. It’s basically like saying $333 it would take about 15 years just to break even on the investment. While the i7 4770k is definitely pricey, if you compare it to something like an i5 4670K—especially considering an Intel Core i7 requires an aftermarket cooler while an i7-4770 needs extra hardware—the advantage isn't all on Intel's side. Of course, a casual user won't see any real savings on paper; for them, the upfront cost is what matters most. They'll worry about the electric bill later, but if you're running a business, like a gaming lounge with 10 rigs, then it becomes a different story entirely.
i5 3570K vs i7-4770 (power consumption - USA)
Forget those long-term projections. You should just take his formula from that first link by Jay, plug in the current EPA rates, and call it a day (calculating 4 hours of full load every single day). Honestly, we're talking about pocket change on an annual basis, and let's be real: hardly anyone pushes their CPU that hard every single day.
Both the R9 270 and the R9 280 offer great value at that price point, and frankly, Nvidia doesn't have anything competing in that specific bracket. However, I have to be honest: those cards would be complete overkill for your current setup. Your CPU simply won't be able to keep up with them, even in moderately demanding titles. On the bright side, your power supply is decent enough. If you intend to stick with that processor, I'd suggest looking at an R7 260 x or maybe a GTX 750—in my opinion, the latter is the sweet spot (around $267 +). Also, this is an absolute steal for the money .
Have you tried plugging it into a different computer yet?
Look, just because a flash drive is brand new doesn't mean it's flawless. Hardware fails all the time. If it's defective, just take it back for a refund or an exchange.
It sounds like the connection is dropping—it keeps disconnecting and reconnecting. You might just have a loose plug, or maybe that specific USB port is acting up. Try plugging it into a different one.
mellowtiger83, man, it's been ages since we saw you! 😁 etheralknight/GTXgeforce/Dennis Carter3 are back in the mix too—cheers to that. Third time's a charm.
By the way, mellowtiger83, you're spreading nonsense again:
1. Thank goodness an aftermarket cooler is always used on an Intel Core i7. 2. Just look at the temperatures for Haswell on stock coolers, like this i7 click 3. And finally, regarding that "massive electric bill" argument click
Those are all just urban myths and legends; real-world practice tells a completely different story.
You've got the 24-pin for the motherboard, the 4-pin for the CPU, the SATA cable connecting the HDD to the board, and then your Molex or SATA power cables coming from the PSU. It’s the same deal with the SATA power from the board and the Molex from the power supply.
By the way, you don't even need to use a burner if that isn't part of your usual workflow. You can just flash the OS via a USB drive instead.
There’s really nothing left to say when Turbo is enabled by default...
Turbo isn't some magic fix—it actually puts more strain on the motherboard than if I just manually locked it at 4 GHz. Plus, doing it myself allows for some decent undervolting, which keeps things cooler and lowers power draw.
I'm not sure how much breathing room you have left inside your chassis, but I can tell you that my MSI Gaming Trio GPU measures 305mm, and it fits in my Cooler Master Case without any issues at all. Even though the official specs claim a maximum limit of 263mm.
Option one: pull out that current GPU and swap it for a GTX 750 Ti, or potentially upgrade to an R7 265/R9 270 if you also swap the power supply (something like a Corsair CX430 or better).
Another option is to hang onto the case, the HDD, and the DVD-RW drive—just sell off everything else and use that cash to cover the rest of the build. It really just comes down to deciding what parts you actually want to keep.
I'm killing it. ☕ I already laid out the situation regarding Gigabyte and even threw in a few real-world examples to drive the point home. What exactly was your counterargument again?
This is for the absolute idiots on this subforum:
feralcanyon73 said:That Gigabyte motherboard is an absolute nightmare when paired with that processor.
There really ought to be some kind of baseline established here. LINK
If you're looking to actually future-proof this build, here’s what you should be aiming for: LINK
It’s no secret that Gigabyte and AMD just don't get along when it comes to high-end motherboards. You can find plenty of horror stories online about it.
That CPU is a total steal for the price, but honestly? That motherboard is complete garbage.
feralcanyon73 said:I to Just enough. Sabertooth vs. Crosshair. Which one are you leaning towards?😉
P.S. Good luck overclocking that FX 8320 on that piece of junk motherboard.🙂
Can you send me the link that proves that Gigabyte board actually handles overclocking that CPU well?
I was speaking in general terms here—Intel and true enthusiast culture are just two completely different worlds.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Intel. I actually own two Intel rigs and just one AMD setup. It’s just that, in my view, Intel chips are destined for server roles and HTPC builds. That is exactly where they belong.
feralcanyon73 - I honestly have no idea what you're getting at. Are you seriously suggesting I’d pick up the 990 extreme 3 for $267 +/-? 🤣
BTW - It turns out even an fx 83xx can be overclocked on that Gigabyte board, whereas for an fx 6300, it's basically perfect—I'm not sure which part of my previous post was unclear to you.
Nezz, honestly, it’s just too much of a headache to bother when you can pick up something from ASUS or Giga for that kind of money
Regarding the 970A-DS3P—obviously, the average user isn't going to be overclocking. We're talking about enthusiasts who want to squeeze every last drop of power out of their hardware. They usually prioritize cooling first, but it turns out this board can handle the heat for a ridiculous price, and the build quality clearly stands head and shoulders above the competition at this price point.