Advice on new AMD system

[polacos]

Hi, I am building a new system and just wanted to make sure that they are compatible and will work together.

CPU= FX-8120
Motherboard= AsRock 970 Extreme-4
RAM= Kingston KVR 4 GB Single 1333 (two of them)
Video Card= HIS 6770 1GB
Case= Thermaltake Commander MS-III Black
PSU= SHAW Viper-860

Comment on any suggestions. I look to OC FX to around 4 Ghz.
The Case will have all the fans spaces full of fans

Forgot to add that its gonna be my first build by my own hand, and I always used Intel, but heard that AMD is better in performance in FX-8xxx

 

[EarthDog]

So long as that mobo has the P1.40 bios on it so it supports that CPU, should be fine. If you plan on overclocking, you will need a better CPU cooler than stock.

Not sure about the quality of that PSU... 860W is massive overkill, but should be fine regardless.

 

[trents]

I concur with Eathdog's thoughts. Get a a high end air cooler (think Noctua D14) or a good self-contained water kit like the Corsair H100 if you plan to overclock at all. Those 8 core FX CPUs get hot, especially when overclocking. Get some extra case fan for good ventilation which is important to keep temps down. In Australia you get high ambient summer temps so good cooling and ventilation is even more important unless you have AC.

Make sure you get a good name brand PSU made by a reputable company like Corsair, Seasonic, or Antec. Cheap PSUs tend to greatly exaggerate their wattage claims and to produce "noisy" erratic power signals. Not to mention if they fail they can take out motherboards and CPUs along with them.

 

[polacos]

Yeah, I read some bad reputation about shaw, one guy's quote "open the bin, throw the psu in the bin, walk away knowing you made the world a safer place"

And a Antec VP-450P, the Video card needs 450W or more, so it will be enough or spend a few more $$ and get a higher power?

 

[EarthDog]

The video card does NOT need 450W by itself. That is for the entire system is is over rated intentionally.

A 550W PSU would be perfect. Go with Corsair if you have one of those around your neck of the woods. If not, there is a link to a PSU guide we have here. Pick one from that list that is available down under.

 

[trents]

The Corsair TX and HX series are preferrable to the CX builder series.

 

[EarthDog]

True, and the CX will be just fine too... likely MUCH better than what is going on now.

 

[Mjolnir]

Hi, I am building a new system and just wanted to make sure that they are compatible and will work together.

CPU= FX-8120
Motherboard= AsRock 970 Extreme-4
RAM= Kingston KVR 4 GB Single 1333 (two of them)
Video Card= HIS 6770 1GB
Case= Thermaltake Commander MS-III Black
PSU= SHAW Viper-860

Comment on any suggestions. I look to OC FX to around 4 Ghz.
The Case will have all the fans spaces full of fans

Forgot to add that its gonna be my first build by my own hand, and I always used Intel, but heard that AMD is better in performance in FX-8xxx

I hate being the dude that looks like a fanboy.. but in this case... For a gaming system I cannot recommend the fx 8150.. I would definitely pick a 2500k over it. Runs cooler, less power, easier oc, almost guaranteed 4.5ghz with a decent cooler (hyper 212 EVO is all you need) and is frankly a faster CPU for most tasks..

But if your interests lie elsewhere other than just gaming or you're going AMD just cos you can. Stick with it. The fx8150 isn't slow by any means on its own. But by comparison I find bulldozer as a whole very hard to recommend personally.

 

[EarthDog]

Forget Intel/AMD if this is a gaming system...either will be fine. But the GPU is pretty low end for a gamer...

 

[Mjolnir]

Ya I know.. But..

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_CPU_Scaling/20.html

I can't help but recommend the 2500K. I've also become a bit of a nut for lower power draw as well as silence. So for the performance/watt end; I'd still buy the 2500K anyway.

And those benchmarks are at stock.. Where the FX has a higher stock clock and turbo clock.. So.. Ya. I'd still go the 2500K regardless. But that's me. And I'm probably bias as of late for Intel. ><

 

[Zambezi]

Seems Like a nice build , You should get 1600mhz Ram instead of 1333 But im sure that will work nicely

 

[dkizzy]

Ya I know.. But..

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_CPU_Scaling/20.html

I can't help but recommend the 2500K. I've also become a bit of a nut for lower power draw as well as silence. So for the performance/watt end; I'd still buy the 2500K anyway.

And those benchmarks are at stock.. Where the FX has a higher stock clock and turbo clock.. So.. Ya. I'd still go the 2500K regardless. But that's me. And I'm probably bias as of late for Intel. ><

You POV is totally justifiable but the FX CPU's really are not that bad in gaming. Do keep in mind that those marks are before the hotfixes (yeah I know, they add a negligible amount of performance). Maybe this Friday we will have Windows 8 RC, so I would love to see some benches with the scheduler on that just for any amount of improvement. When you stick to the AMD platform I found that a 6870 paired with the 8120 runs extremely smooth. I had zero stuttering in BF3 nor any other games. My 560ti's on the other hand pop up some stuttering here and there, and thats on my 2600k. I'm going to see if adaptive vsync resolves that since it came with the latest driver release.
Now my 2500k box with a 6870 runs great as well, but honestly in gaming I couldn't see a huge difference. The human eye won't either if it is over the 60fps.
If he's planning to OC to a high/max clock then I agree with you about the 2500k. If he's planning to OC as far as he can on stock voltage or just keep it low to mild then the FX 8120 is a competant alternative. It performs quite well in terms of real world performance. Sure, you have to wait longer in single threaded apps for conversions/extracts, but that could be mere seconds or minutes. besides that it's not enough to really feel like a jipped experience.

6770, you might want to slide up to a 6850/70 if you can. They've become pretty cheap, and great price on the forums!

 

[WoodenKiwi]

I hate being the dude that looks like a fanboy.. but in this case... For a gaming system I cannot recommend the fx 8150.. I would definitely pick a 2500k over it. Runs cooler, less power, easier oc, almost guaranteed 4.5ghz with a decent cooler (hyper 212 EVO is all you need) and is frankly a faster CPU for most tasks..

But if your interests lie elsewhere other than just gaming or you're going AMD just cos you can. Stick with it. The fx8150 isn't slow by any means on its own. But by comparison I find bulldozer as a whole very hard to recommend personally.

Hell I pretty much go with AMD exclusively and I agree with Mjolnir, everything I've read say the FX CPUs are cool but not quite there yet. If you wanna go AMD, I say buy a Phenom II and put the money you save into your GPU, or hold onto it until the next set of AMD CPUs come out. If you really need more CPU than a Phenom II and you need it now, then Intel is the way to go IMO.

 

[EarthDog]

You POV is totally justifiable but the FX CPU's really are not that bad in gaming. Do keep in mind that those marks are before the hotfixes (yeah I know, they add a negligible amount of performance). Maybe this Friday we will have Windows 8 RC, so I would love to see some benches with the scheduler on that just for any amount of improvement.

You are turning purple from holding your breath Im afraid. Its been tested already and the improvements are negligible...

 

[buffalowings]

AMD is hopeless at the moment, except for Trinity and APUs, and GPUs, but for desktop boards, Intel is far ahead, performance, price, and power consumption. Brand loyalty is useless if the brand is practically out of the ring.

 

[dkizzy]

You are turning purple from holding your breath Im afraid. Its been tested already and the improvements are negligible...

lol I made sure to note that I realize that it probably won't make any difference but you never know! lol. I own both and I enjoy them equally with gaming. Obviously the SB's are superior but with respect to gaming it was nice to see the AMD platform performing smooth for me with zero stuttering issues.