Look, I know exactly what components we're talking about. I'm just saying, when I actually tried to put together something a bit better back then, some of the parts just weren't available.
The power supply is pretty mid-range quality-wise, so I'd probably lean toward the XFX 450W or maybe a CX500W 80+ Bronze.
Ronald Bishop58 said:1. We swapped the Extreme3 motherboard for the Pro3. The Pro3 delivers basically the same performance and actually gives you an extra SATA port. The main difference is the power delivery, which might be slightly beefier on the Extreme3, but honestly, unless you're planning to overclock, you probably won't even notice.
2. Instead of the XFX R9 270, we went with a Gigabyte card featuring their quieter, higher-quality Windforce cooling. We had some complaints regarding the XFX model because of a known issue where the audio chip was nearly impossible to install properly.
3. We included a solid Cooler Master case with a more robust power supply. Since the AMD 6300 pulls quite a bit of power, I wouldn't recommend anything under 500W—actually, aiming for at least 550W would probably be a safer bet.
4. We installed a Zalman CPU cooler.[/I] __________________________________________________ _____
1. True, though for the price gap, the Extreme3 is likely worth it. It really would have been ideal if they used the Gigabyte 970 A-DS3P.
2. Fair enough, though it feels like they might just be pushing you toward the pricier version for no reason.
3. That's just silly... and they probably threw in a cheap power supply too, since they didn't specify the model. Maybe something like a Zalman Z1 case and an XFX 450W.😁
4. Got it.
By the way, is their website out of date? I can't seem to find half of these parts listed on their site.
It’s an AMD FX X6 6300 box, right? It's got that AM3+ socket, runs at 3.5GHz, and comes with 14MB of cache. A six-core setup, I guess. I guess the Cooler Master LC-CC-95 covers everything from socket 775 to AM3. Maybe it's worth a look if you need that kind of compatibility. The ASROCK 970 EXTREME3 motherboard features an AMD 970/SB950 chipset and supports DDR3 memory. It comes equipped with various connections including SATA, Gigabit LAN, RAID support, PCI-E, CrossFireX, USB 3.0, and eSATA. This is an ATX board designed for the AM3 / AM3+ socket. So, we've got the PCI-E XFX AMD RADEON R9 270 DD edition here—it’s running 2GB of DDR5 and comes equipped with DualDVI, HDMI, and DP outputs. I guess it covers the basics. LG GH24NSB0 DVD±RW, 24x, SATA, Dual Layer, black, bulk version. It looks like a standard 1TB Western Digital Blue hard drive—SATA3, 7200 RPM, with a 64MB cache. Probably just a basic desktop drive, I guess. It’s a 460W unit—the LC POWER Silent Giant GREEN POWER LC6460GP3 V2.3. It looks like we're looking at an 8 GB stick of Kingston DDR3 memory, specifically the KVR16N11/8 model running at 1600MHz. I guess it's pretty standard stuff for a PC-12800 setup. It looks like an ANTEC VSK-4000E MIDI tower case in black, though it doesn't come with a power supply.
Intel Core i5 4440 Crucial RAM 8GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800, CL=11, Unbuffered, NON-ECC Corsair Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze Power Supply, 430 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, US version MS PHOENIX case without power supply AMD Radeon R7 250 1GB GD5-HE graphics card WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX Hard Drive Genius SlimStar i222, Ultra Slim, USB MS ASTRONAUT wired mouse Gigabyte Motherboard with TP-Link Adapter TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter, TPL-TL-WN781ND
If you manage to overclock your CPU to around 3.4GHz, you might be able to squeeze out an R9 270 at most. I guess that processor is just a bit weaker than an Athlon II X4 750K or 760K when it's running at stock speeds.
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black 1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black 1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) 1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5" 1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 280, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD, 3072 MB 1 x Raider S PSU 650W, 80+ SILVER 1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black, 140mm, PWM
Total: $2047
I guess the main difference is that the M599X EVO and the 990FXA-UD3 actually support full Crossfire with two cards.
The Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 is a total beast when it comes to overclocking...
EDIT: I guess you’ll have to ditch the old burner if you want both a top-tier board and an SSD:
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 x 1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black 1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black 1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 1 x Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA, AMD/Intel 1 x Intel SSD 520 (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) 1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5" 1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 280, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD, 3072 MB 1 x Fortron Raider S PSU 650W, 80+ SILVER
Total: $2014
If you can stretch your budget just a little bit $27, maybe grab the Raijintek Ereboss.
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 1 x Raijintek Ereboss Black CPU Cooler, 92mm, PWM 1 x Seasonic SS-520GB, 520W PSU 1 x Zalman Z1 Midi Tower, USB3.0, black 1 x SEAGATE HDD DESKTOP SSHD 3.5" / 1TB / 64m/ SATA/ 7200rpm 1 x Gigabyte AMD Radeon R9 285 GDDR5, Cooler(double slot), Retail 1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black 1 x LG GH24NS95 SATA black bulk DVD±RW 24x 1 x Asus M5A97 evo R2.0 motherboard
Watch Dogs is pretty heavy on the CPU, so I guess the Phenom might struggle a bit here. An R9 270 X would probably be fine, though you might need to ocati the processor slightly, maybe up to 3.7-3.8GHz.
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866 1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 Processor 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK 1 x XFX R9-280A-TDBD, Radeon R9 280 1000M 3GB DDR5 2xmDisplayPort 1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1600MHz CL11 1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm 1 x Fortron 500W Hyper Power Supply, PPA5005003, 12cm fan 1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1 x MS PHOENIX 500GB HDD, SATA III, 7200 rpm 1 x MS PHOENIX Midi Tower Case (no PSU included), ATX/mATX compatible
True... but your options are pretty much limited to the Phenom ii x4 945/955/965, and even then, you'd have to deal with a BIOS update. Plus, by 2016, it probably won't feel all that satisfying anymore.