Just skip over that AM2/AM2+ socket entirely. You really ought to be looking at a Phenom II; what you're looking at is ancient history Looking at the requirements for "next-gen" titles, I see people throwing in chips like the Q6600—which obviously isn't a requirement, but still—even for something like FIFA 15...
Save your money and just jump to a modern platform
EDIT To be fair, the price isn't completely insane right now, so it'll serve you for maybe a year or two if that's all you need If that motherboard dies, you're basically stuck in the gutter... BTW, it does support the Phenom ii x4 945 (95w) http://www.gigabyte.com/support-down....aspx?pid=2500
fadedorca66 said:True, plus those Hexa cables look pretty short, so that might actually be an issue.
I've seen that exact point brought up countless times. I actually just read a thread on PCPartPicker where a guy mentioned putting a Hexa unit in a case just like that one, and he said despite all the warnings, it worked perfectly fine. 🤷
Still, it’s probably best to play it safe and not take the risk.
Kyle Miller6 said:Guys, thanks so much 🙂 I’m going to spend some quality time diving deep into all of this. As I see it, wouldn't it be much more sensible to invest a bit $67 more into the processor now, and then perhaps look at adding even more RAM down the road? Isn't it always better to ensure everything is perfectly balanced from the start? Still, I plan on taking a closer look at those specific builds you mentioned. I truly appreciate you all giving me your time. If anyone else happens to have any additional suggestions or thoughts, please, don't hesitate to share them!
If you go with that pre-built setup from the downtown shop with the i5, just swap out that Fortron Hexa power supply for a Zalman one (it'll be about $3.25 more expensive). Obviously, the Hexa will work just fine, but I think the upgrade offers much better value for the money.
Christian Miller48 said:I have to be honest, you haven't been much help here. 🙂 We really need to look at all the variables. For instance, how much does clock speed actually matter? Does any GPU work regardless of its size, or are certain motherboards limited by what they can support?
Clock speed isn't the issue—if there's a mismatch, the system will just default to the lower speed. Just download CPU-Z so you can check your actual RAM specs. Make sure you're looking at things like identical voltages and latencies; if those match, you're good to go, even if the brands aren't the same.
Also, why bring up the graphics card? It has absolutely nothing to do with this.
Pre-built bundles are a total racket—you’ll likely get more bang for your buck by picking out individual components yourself, even with a discount applied. Besides, if you're already getting a deal, you might as well apply those savings directly to the parts 🤷
ironridge352 said:👍 Thanks for the reply. I'll check back in September when I'm actually ready to buy my PC. But hey, hey, Kimberly Gomez34, where did you get this build list from? It looks like it's missing a case.
It seems like things have just vanished. Like Robert Rodriguez2 mentioned—who knows what will happen in three months? Who can say what the market offers will even look like by then...
1 x Intel Core i5-4440 with Asrock H81M-HDS 1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, Socket 1150 1 x Transcend JetRAM DDR3 DIMM, 8GB, 1600Mhz, CL11, retail 1 x Seagate HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6, 64M 1 x LG GH24NS 1 x XFX Pro 450W, 80+ 1 x Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 1 x Sapphire AMD Radeon R9 280 3G GDDR5 PCI-E DVI-I / DVI-D / HDMI / DP Dual-X with Boost (UEFI), 850MHz (940MHz) / 1250MHz, 384-bit, 2 slot active, Aerocool GT Black Advanced 1 x Aerocool GT Black Advanced, USB 3.0, black
You might want to consider swapping out the thermal paste and giving that heatsink a good cleaning... It doesn't have anything to do with whether you're running Intel or AMD. Which Pentium are you actually working with?
Just a piece of advice: if you can swing it, try to pick up a higher-quality case. It feels a bit out of place with such a solid configuration. Even some of those newer budget options from Microsoft, like the Phoenix series, feel more well-built than this one ($150).
You don't actually need a second cooler for an i5 (just look at Halek's build for reference), nor do you need one for an i7 since you'll get the stock cooler included. You only really need extra cooling if you plan on overclocking—which is exactly what a K-series CPU and a Z77 chipset are designed for.
Let’s be real, that i5 is more than enough to handle those games 😉 If that i7 pops up next week, grab it if you can afford it... To save some cash upfront, you could even skip the aftermarket cooler from crimsonstag84's build (that Zalman Optima) and just pick one up later once you decide to start overclocking.
Do you have a budget set aside just for the CPU? If so, grab that Intel Core i7-2600K now—it’ll definitely be back in stock, probably by tomorrow—and then you can easily pick up the rest later... Otherwise, if you don't land that Intel Core i7-2600K, there's really no point in splurging on such an expensive motherboard. You could instead go with something like an i5-3350p (LGA 1155 socket) paired with a B75 board (1155), or perhaps an Intel Core i5-4440 with an H81 or B85 (an H97 would work too). The bottom line is that the socket must match.
That’s your most budget-friendly route. Honestly, upgrading to a newer Pentium isn't much of a leap for you—it's an improvement, sure, but nothing revolutionary compared to what you're running now. You'd be better off aiming for at least an i3
crimsonstag84 said:World of Tanks isn't actually that harmless 😁
So where's the catch? As far as I can tell, this game mostly relies on a single core. His CPU is decent enough, and his graphics card is even better... though if I recall correctly, he did just upgrade his GPU recently, so maybe there's some kind of conflict there...
