AMD Build

[Wipeout]

I need some advice on an AMD gaming build. I bought most of the parts in December of 2013, but had some serious personal stuff going, so my build was side tracked . Now I'm ready to buy the most important parts. So glad I didn't pull the trigger on the motherboard, ram, and cpu at the time. I normally cool the cpu with air. I guess I'm a wuss when it comes to water. My go-to heatsink has always been the 212 Evo, but bought a Noctua NH-D14.(Bought this last December) This thing is a monster. Maybe I should go water. I'm serious, but have reservations.

This build will be used for gaming only. No sli. Just (1) Asus 24" monitor, Corsair HX 750, Evga GTX 760 2G, and a Samsung 840 EVO ssd. A spinner will be used for storage. I have a FX6300, overclocked to 4.5g atm. It's getting 1.38v of juice, and never tops over 45C gaming. I need to learn to oc using the fsb. That will be my next post after I get the parts.

Here is what I'm going to order.

ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0

FX 8350- I want to overclock this cpu to 4.6g

Ram - No idea. Need help.

I should of made a thread in General Hardware for this question. My bad !

 

[Mandrake4565]

G.Skill sticks are usually the go to sticks for these Fx's they seem to play nice with them. I would get a set of G.Skill Ares 1866 CL9 like these if possible, you shouldn't have an issue with them and they also should fit under the heatsink well. I have also had good luck with my Crucial Ballistics though the heatsink would probably be too tall for the Noctua and also Geil Evo's but again the heatsink on them are probably to tall. Do not get Kingston ram as we have seen a lot of people come through this forum with issues trying to get them to run correctly on an Fx chip.

If you are only gaming on the rig you may want to just keep the Fx 6300 and stick it on the Sabertooth board. You will probably not see any difference between the 8350 and the 6300 for gaming, you also will not have to deal with the heat of the 8350.

 

[Wipeout]

Thanks for the insight. Believe it or not I have Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 Rev 1.1 that has worked like a champ. Definitely not a overclockers dream board, but the 8 power phases seem to help. I'm sure the 6300 @ 95 watt is a bigger help. Maybe a new board for my 6300 is the ticket for now. I have this ram atm. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Will I get better gaming performance oc using the fsb ? If that's the case I will look at some FX guides.

I have always been a AMD guy, but maybe waiting on Intel Broadwell is a better choice. The Haswell refresh does not impress me as much as waiting 3 to 4 months for Broadwell. Just throwing that idea out there.

 

[RGone]

That ram does not see to have tall heat spreaders either. The 1866 GSkill like "mandrake" was referring to is one of the kits I have and use all the time clocked to about DDR3-1980. Still with the CAS 9 so I do get the benefit of ram nearing the DDR3-2K sweet spot for many FX IMCs.

If I were speccing a rig for a bud that would use it a year or so, I would certainly suggest the ram that 'mandrake' referred to. I just helped tweak a Sabertooth and FX-8350 to about 4.8Ghz with the ram running DDR3-1980, believe it was. Yes it was the GSkill "mandrake" referred to and was a dream to sort out to run that nearly DDR3-2K.

BUT if you are heavy breathing about Broadwell. I might keep the ram you have for use and only upgrade the mobo to the Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 and adjust it all out and see what you decide to do in a few months and you will not have put an arm and a leg into getting a more reliable overclock of your FX-6300 by only going with a mobo upgrade now.
RGone...ster.

 

[Wipeout]

Thanks guys. The G.Skill Ares 1866 seems to be the ticket. I'm really itching to build now, so I will pull the trigger on a 8350. I can wait a year on a Intel build. Nobody can predict the future, but at least I can let the public work out the kinks on new boards, problems ect...

Here's my frame of thinking. I hate running a strictly gaming pc 24/7, so I think I will use the 63OO, as my 24/7 pc. Then build a 8350 around gaming. Should I stick with the ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 or go with a ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z. I think those would be me best 2 choices for a hungry FX 8 core. What would you choose ? I will be ordering parts in the next 2 weeks. Waiting on a check...... I will use this time to study on overclocking using the fsb. I will definitely need your experience to tune it in, so to speak. I will try to do the leg work before asking for help.

 

[RGone]

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745793
project. FX 8350 << by poco242. That thread has a good spread shett showing his results and
Vcore etc used. One of the most informative threads I think I have ever seen.

Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 is plenty. No need for CHV-z unless you are going into super-cold. Honestly.

I will say this one time and not again. I am more than ever convinced that for pure gaming the
FX-6350 might be the real ticket. All 8 cores are not needed and you do not need to deal with the
extra heat of 8 cores. End of statement.

Again that recommended Ares DDR3-1866 ram is a sort of a dream to deal with. As said earlier, just
helped poco242 tweak his board to what should know on the morrow is a 2 plus hour stable run of
P95 Blend at 4.8Ghz. Only took about 45 mins by phone. So the board and ram with some water-cooling
like he has made the task pretty darn painless and far less than rocket science.

Best of good fortune to you man.
RGone...ster.

 

[Johan45]

As RGone says go for the Sabertooth and save a bit of coin I have both boards and they both work great. The extra cash for the CHV_z isn't going to pay off for you.

 

[caddi daddi]

the sabertooth is the way for you, the chv is for those of us that go extreme.
for a game rig the coin should be spent on the gpu and cooling so we have a quiet rig.

 

[Mandrake4565]

I'm a bit confused, which is normal but what is the difference between a 24/7 system and a gaming system? The Fx 6300 if running the same Gpu as the 8350 will play nearly any game you throw at it the same. I doubt any game out there is going to take advantage of the extra 2 cores of the 8350 to warrent purchasing it over the 6300. That said if you're just building something for the sake of wanting a new toy then, by all means grab a 8350 and a Sabertooth, but don't expect it to be any better in games clock for clock, where everything else, component wise is equal.

 

[caddi daddi]

Manny take from me, an 8350 on 6 core is better than a 6300 an all cores, the 6300 or 6350 is just a bit less to have to cool.
it's just a better cpu.
gpu will make more either way.

 

[Wipeout]

I'm a bit confused, which is normal but what is the difference between a 24/7 system and a gaming system? The Fx 6300 if running the same Gpu as the 8350 will play nearly any game you throw at it the same. I doubt any game out there is going to take advantage of the extra 2 cores of the 8350 to warrent purchasing it over the 6300. That said if you're just building something for the sake of wanting a new toy then, by all means grab a 8350 and a Sabertooth, but don't expect it to be any better in games clock for clock, where everything else, component wise is equal.

I use my main pc for everything 24/7. Gaming, server, encoding ext... Atm I have a GTX 560Ti in this system. I took GTX 760 out for the moment. I hate having a gaming video card running 24/7 in my system, when I dont game 24/7. I will go through periods were I dont game at all for a month. I figure why run a high end motherboard and video card to do basic tasks 24/7. I have enough parts lying around to build 2 general pc's. On a gaming standpoint. I need a motherboard, ram and cpu. I appreciate the advice given. I know RGone, Johan45, caddi daddi, and yourself have alot of experience overclocking and testing motherboards to offer sound advice.



Sabertooth 990FX R2.0- I'll buy this board. I just hope I never have to use Asus customer service.


Ares DDR3-1866 Ram- From the advice given, it should play nice with my system.


Last note- I have been around here long enough to know when RGone gives advice about something one time, he means it. I never considerd the 6350 because it's 125 watts. I'm guessing not having the 2 extra cores with good after market cooling will take care of any heat problems.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Manny take from me, an 8350 on 6 core is better than a 6300 an all cores, the 6300 or 6350 is just a bit less to have to cool.
it's just a better cpu.
gpu will make more either way.

Really, I wonder why?

I use my main pc for everything 24/7. Gaming, server, encoding ext... Atm I have a GTX 560Ti in this system. I took GTX 760 out for the moment. I hate having a gaming video card running 24/7 in my system, when I dont game 24/7. I will go through periods were I dont game at all for a month. I figure why run a high end motherboard and video card to do basic tasks 24/7. I have enough parts lying around to build 2 general pc's. On a gaming standpoint. I need a motherboard, ram and cpu. I appreciate the advice given. I know RGone, Johan45, caddi daddi, and yourself have alot of experience overclocking and testing motherboards to offer sound advice.

Got ya wipeout and I totally understand, was just looking to save you some loot and heat. I'm not one to talk considering the amount of parts I have lying around.

 

[RGone]

I am not going to suggest the FX-6350 again since I said I would not. Heat and how good that one of "johan's" will run has sort of given me a complex about heat and the fast cpu speeds it would run on up to. CPU Mhz and GPU are still the king in gaming.

Now let me reflect on something that has been bandied about outside the forum view. It is entirely possible that an FX-8350 "is" better silicon for clocking and can turn two cores OFF to lower heat and perhaps that is a better proposition.

And now you top all that off with is "Hiligh's" FX-9370 seeming golden piece of silicon. Many of us spend hours trying to ensure that what we suggest is about as good as it gets for using off the shelf parts at a given point in time. We should do so without brand bias. We do about 98% of the time. I have never been an Asus fan boy, but when it comes time to suggest a good 990FX board, throw the bias out the window and Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 is a golden choice.

I had no idea we would ever see an FX-9370 like "Hilight" seems to now have. Never expected to see such in the wild. But there is one. AMD has given us the shaft about new discrete processor and now throws curves with an FX-9370 like that. Hard to stay fully on top of things if AMD is maturing their AM3+ FAB that much.
RGone...sterzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Wipeout]

Its nice to bounce Ideas on the forum. My GF would be happy if I threw all pc stuff out the window, and just kept a lap top. From my stand point, anything pc related will be the last thing to hit the window. I'm not married yet, so its all subject to change.

I love my 6300, until I here comments like, It was a 8 core that couldn't cut it. I guess to some extent its subjective. Based on the fact, you know what your talking about. The more I learn, the less I know. I should have been more specific on my questions. The bleeding edge of ultra settings for all games is not my top priority. I have some decisions to make on which cpu to get. As pointed out, CPU Mhz and GPU are still the king in gaming. I will hear comments from people that have AMD and Intel systems. Intel doesn't seem to suffer from frame rate dips where there is alot of stuff happening at once, or just a smoother ride, so to speak. I will adjust my settings based on the game. Having (1) monitor and one video card makes it easier. Honestly, I love gaming with amd cpu's. Then again, I never built a Intel rig.

One other point. My Full Tower Antec DF85 is a great case for cooling. I also have a Corsair 500R. Both are packed up atm. It seems like anything that's 8350 or above needs a fan on the back of the motherboard to improve socket temps. This is based on overclocking. Not a everyday pc. My Antec DF85 has limited room on the left side, so a fan on the back of motherboard could be a problem. God Bless the people with the 9xxxx fx cpus. Cooling is a huge priority.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

Then again, I never built a Intel rig.

Perhaps it's time.... A 4670K will game very well with an AMD video card or two.

When AMD stopped producing offerings to upgrade from Phenom II (FX is hardly an upgrade unless you buy 8 cores..) Had gone the route in my sig. Got a great deal at micro center (in store only) and found to be pretty darn happy with the i7.

On AMD's side, you do get the pleasure of OCing the entire system with reference clock and many FX IMCs can do about 1100mhz effective Cas 9 with the right ram sticks. I've had little trouble with AMD or Intel getting 1200mhz effective for benchmarking.

But ya, this FX technology is 3 generations behind Intel now, hopefully your not considering this as a serious (upgrade)

 

[Wipeout]

Perhaps it's time.... A 4670K will game very well with an AMD video card or two.

But ya, this FX technology is 3 generations behind Intel now, hopefully your not considering this as a serious (upgrade)

Point taken. I have considered Intel. At this point in time, with the Hasewell refresh coming soon, and Broadwell right around the corner, its not in my best interest. I have a AMD 965 collecting dust. I think I will pop that in my main pc, and upgrade the motherboard, ram for my gaming pc. A 6300 @ 4.5g oc and my GTX 760 should work for the short term.

I guess patience is truly a virtue.

 

[RGone]

Sounds entirely like a workable plan. If one thinks they need to be in the top 10 in the world on HWBot then upgrade and upgrade is the norm. Otherwise in the long run there is not a lot of difference in a three year old platform and a brand new platform except the majority ot the time in benches. As long as the Video card is up to snuff.
RGone...ster.

Point taken. I have considered Intel. At this point in time, with the Hasewell refresh coming soon, and Broadwell right around the corner, its not in my best interest. I have a AMD 965 collecting dust. I think I will pop that in my main pc, and upgrade the motherboard, ram for my gaming pc. A 6300 @ 4.5g oc and my GTX 760 should work for the short term.

I guess patience is truly a virtue.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

Sounds entirely like a workable plan. If one thinks they need to be in the top 10 in the world on HWBot then upgrade and upgrade is the norm. Otherwise in the long run there is not a lot of difference in a three year old platform and a brand new platform except the majority ot the time in benches. As long as the Video card is up to snuff.
RGone...ster.

Aside from being on HWBot and your not edit: currently active*..... FX is already pushing 3 years old... a dead platform as it sat last year.

I have a AMD 965 collecting dust. I think I will pop that in my main pc, and upgrade the motherboard, ram for my gaming pc. A 6300 @ 4.5g oc and my GTX 760 should work for the short term.

Not from HWBot rankingings but in general computing, the 965BE at only 4ghz would game better than 4.5ghz and 6 FX cores. Basically speaking most games aren't going to utilize much more than 4 cores on anything less than crossfire and SLI. Dual 780's would get bottle necked on AMD platform.

EDIT: I'd look for a used Phenom II x6 125w.

As far as HWBot and benching goes, well my 4300 at 7ghz does a decent Pimod I suppose....

This would be 7.2ghz AMD FX (not top ten) vs intel 4.4ghz 3770K (very average chip)

 

[Mandrake4565]

Wipeout, just food for thought, I have played BF4 on ultra settings at 1080p with my GTX 780 on all 4 of my rigs. They are as follows, 955 Be at 4.1, 2500k at 4.5, 8350 in sig at 4.7 and my 4770k at 4.4. I do not have any issue playing BF4 nor do I find that I'm having frame drops during heavy action. Now this may be because BF4 is more Gpu bound then Cpu, it may also be because I'm not playing at high resolutions. I have never measured my FPS going from rig to rig but I can say visually my game play doesn't seem any different on any of the rigs. I'm sure if I actually did a test I may see an improvement in FPS going from my AMD rigs to the Intel but for what I'm doing it doesn't make a difference what rig I'm on. If one was playing a heavy Cpu bound game I would bet the Intel rigs would outperform the AMD's especially during heavy action. I guess it all depends on what games will be played.

 

[trents]

Haven't their been a lot of bios related problems with the R.2 version of the 990FX?