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Looking for some advice before buying a new PC

Started by quiethawk81 · · 👁 3 views · 2 replies

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Participants quiethawk81crimsonstag84darkowl72
quiethawk81 quiethawk81 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jul 2015
#1 ·
AMD
CPU: AMD FX 8300
Mobo: ASUS M5A97 R2
RAM: 2x 4GB Kingston DDR3 1866
Storage: 240/250GB Samsung or Crucial SSD + I already have a 1TB drive
GPU: XFX R9-280A-TDFD 3GB DDR5

INTEL
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460
Mobo: Asrock Intel LGA 1150 socket B85 M-ATX MB
RAM: 2x 4GB Kingston DDR3 1866
Storage: 240/250GB Samsung or Crucial SSD + I already have a 1TB drive
GPU: Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 OC

Which PSU is actually a "best buy" that can handle both setups? And honestly, which build is better since I'm planning to not touch this rig for at least 5 years—also, do I really need another 8GB of RAM?
I heard you can easily overclock an AMD chip up to 4000, is that even worth the hassle? This machine is mostly for my photo editing work and general web surfing, plus my kid plays GTA 5 and League of Legends, so I definitely don't want anything lagging on me.
Thanks in advance for the advice! Let me know if there's anything else I should swap out before I pull the trigger.$167 doesn't matter
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#2 ·
What power supply are you running? (Need the exact model)

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320E 3.2GHz,16MB,95W,AM3+
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition AMD Radeon R9 280 933M
1 x SCYTHE Tatsumi, SCTTM-1000B, socket 775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011

$1373 AMD

2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition AMD Radeon R9 280 933M
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock B85M Pro3, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel Core i7 / i5

$1388 AMD

The i5 feels a bit snappier for gaming. For productivity, they're pretty much on par, but I guess the i5 is just more consistent.

Then again, having those 8 cores might be better down the road for certain tasks.

Honestly, it's a tough call. The i5 is probably the safer bet right out of the box, but if you've got a solid PSU and don't mind a little moderate overclocking, maybe the FX is the better way to go (especially this -E version).
darkowl72 darkowl72 Regular
311 messages
joined Oct 2015
#3 ·
Your PSU options really just depend on what's actually in stock at the store you're hitting up... If we're looking at that ADM build, I'd suggest something like this:

Fractal Edison m 550 w, 80PLUS GOLD, modular, $257
Fractal Edison m 650 w, 80PLUS GOLD, modular, $286

As for RAM, if you're doing photo editing, you can never have too much. Every program is designed to chew through it, and the more you have, the less the system has to rely on those slow scratch files on your drive. RAM is pretty cheap right now, so bumping things up to 2x8GB isn't a bad call...

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