help needed > a BF3 rig (needs to run atleast medium quality)

Draconia2

Draconia2

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Hey guys


Im on the prowl for a good am3 cpu that doesnt break the bank, one that will play BF3 mainly .

Its for my dad as he needs the upgrade from 4400+ ( i looled )

how about these?

http://www.wootware.co.za/amd-athlon-ii-x4-640-3-0ghz-45nm-socket-am3.html

http://www.wootware.co.za/amd-phenom-ii-x2-565-be-3-4ghz-45nmsocket-am3.html

http://tinyurl.com/68hazme (x4 645 3.1GHZ)

or the

AMD ® Phenom II X4 965 (3400MHZ), 8MB Cache 125W


high clock speed and cache memory is the main need for gaming (well thats what i know ? )

for now he just wants a cpu upgrade, looking at Xmas for a graphics card. (5750 / 5770)

His other specs are atm :

9800gt XFX 512mb
2.5 gig ddr2 800 ram
thermaltake 400w
not sure what Asus motherboard he has but it can run x4 and x6 P II's (tested)
OFC he would need to upgrade his PSU when he gets a gfx card.

it needs to run medium settings , without hbao or ssao , without intensive AF , without crazy AA.
(atleast x2 AA and x6 AF)


Max budget : R2000 (cpu + ram ) so it needs to be mid range !

native resolution is 1920x1080.
 
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shovenose said:
http://www.wootware.co.za/amd-phenom-ii-x2-555-black-edition-3-2ghz-am3-2-80w-dual-core-retail.html
Ill take this one and unlock its 2 cores.

But if you can afford the 965 go for it even the 955be. But that will leave you less for your gpu and psu. Gpu is the one that really matters.

What's your native resolution?
Click to expand...


haha that cpu is rocking :D i got mine for R400 because the guy didnt know how to unlock it properly !!! that was like just when it came out.

anyways ive added the native resolution in the post, its 1920x1080.
 
shovenose said:
Is the 2000 for the cpu, gpu, ram and psu cause that thermaltake psu is crap
Click to expand...

ya its per month that can be spent on pc parts.

yeah its like 5 years old almost :)

I have suggested that he get a psu + gpu upgrade xmas , that way everything is covered.
 
The gpu alone go for over 1k the cpu another 1k.
Whats your native resolution? You know that 9800Gt is still a good card and will do the job at 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900 and even 1680 x 1050 although you¡¯ll most likely have to lower details in some games right? Otherwise the only decent upgrade from that gpu is the 6870. Paying over 1K for that little performance increase for a 6770 ain't worth it. See if you can the 6870 if you got a native of 1680/1980 (1080p).

A phenom X4 645 cpu will do the job fine. All you need to do is tap it up with a little oc to 3:6GHZ and youll be fine. Remember the phenom x4 645 and the higher numbers are basically the same cpu all you pay for is around 100mhz for R100 approximately with its stock speed. They just factory oc it a 100mhz more and ask more for it. But you can always OC it self to that speeds and beyond and save yourself plus 200 to R300.
 
You should look at getting atleast 4GB's of RAM : Samsung DDR2-800 for R225 each Get two of that, or one, and take out the 512MB, depending on what you've got right now.

And try and get atleast a 3.2GHz Quadcore, or the Phenom X6 1075T, R1742.

So thats R2000, for a 3GHz hex-core (turbo to 3.5GHz), and 2GB's RAM (assuming you already have a 2GB stick in there)

If you really want to save, then go for the Phenom X2 565BE [R1150] ,as mentioned by yourself, and others before, and unlock the other two cores.

Then use the leftover budget for next month to get a HD6790 and a good PSU. An HD6870 would be ideal, but it costs around R2k alone. The HD6790 goes for about R1600, and is a good compromise, as it is just one step down on the performance ladder.
 
shovenose said:
The gpu alone go for over 1k the cpu another 1k.
Whats your native resolution? You know that 9800Gt is still a good card and will do the job at 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900 and even 1680 x 1050 although you¡¯ll most likely have to lower details in some games right? Otherwise the only decent upgrade from that gpu is the 6870. Paying over 1K for that little performance increase for a 6770 ain't worth it. See if you can the 6870 if you got a native of 1680/1980 (1080p).

A phenom X4 645 cpu will do the job fine. All you need to do is tap it up with a little oc to 3:6GHZ and youll be fine. Remember the phenom x4 645 and the higher numbers are basically the same cpu all you pay for is around 100mhz for R100 approximately with its stock speed. They just factory oc it a 100mhz more and ask more for it. But you can always OC it self to that speeds and beyond and save yourself plus 200 to R300.
Click to expand...

my native is 1920x1080 (but we dont need to worry bout my pc lol)

the 9800gt is a nice card as it still beats alot of newer versions from ati and nvidia which have come out.

you would be looking at 1.5k for a decent card atleast.

i will have to speak to him, perhaps he can upgrade heavily on one part per month, by end december bf3 should be stable enough with better drivers etc.

i just phoned him now and even though there is some lag he is playing :D oh dear lol
 
X-Gamer said:
You should look at getting atleast 4GB's of RAM : Samsung DDR2-800 for R225 each Get two of that, or one, and take out the 512MB, depending on what you've got right now.

And try and get atleast a 3.2GHz Quadcore, or the Phenom X6 1075T, R1742.

So thats R2000, for a 3GHz hex-core (turbo to 3.5GHz), and 2GB's RAM (assuming you already have a 2GB stick in there)

If you really want to save, then go for the Phenom X2 565BE [R1150] ,as mentioned by yourself, and others before, and unlock the other two cores.

Then use the leftover budget for next month to get a HD6790 and a good PSU. An HD6870 would be ideal, but it costs around R2k alone. The HD6790 goes for about R1600, and is a good compromise, as it is just one step down on the performance ladder.
Click to expand...

a lot of good choices (i forgot takealot actually sold pc parts sigh thanks for the heads up)

he did mention he wants to add more ram as well, thanks for that !

so it will be adding another 2gb + 565BE , depending if he is throwing a tar driveway or tiling a new floor i think he might just upgrade the psu in the same month lol or do the whole lot at once.

Corsair psu's are top notch :> atleast a 600w or a 550w
 
Why get the 1060T when you can get the 960T which is cheaper and is from the same piece of silicon. And yes it unlocks to a Tuban for way cheaper.
But the 955be or the 965 is still a better choice as the Tuban as 4 faster cores beat 6 slower cores and the B3 955 do 4GHZ easily. 6 cores is only good when applications can make use of it. That's with video editing applications mostly
 
Draconia2 said:
a lot of good choices (i forgot takealot actually sold pc parts sigh thanks for the heads up)

he did mention he wants to add more ram as well, thanks for that !

so it will be adding another 2gb + 565BE , depending if he is throwing a tar driveway or tiling a new floor i think he might just upgrade the psu in the same month lol or do the whole lot at once.

Corsair psu's are top notch :> atleast a 600w or a 550w
Click to expand...

what gpu will you be getting that will determine your psu size. Go for Antec they're cheaper and most their psus get made by Seasonic which make some of Corsairs psu's as well.

Go here and have a look. This is the best chart I've seen for recommended size
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Now on that same page if you look on the left hand side click on psu review database. Thats a huge database containing all the psu models their manufacturers ,models, how many connectors and links to a respected site for a review of the psu. I just use the Hardocp.com, hardwaresecrets.com and johnnyguru links as they basically give the best reviews. Never trust tomshardware for a review they got lifted for giving good ratings for crap Coolermaster psus. Coolermaster build a psu testing station and a hot chamber for them and all must do is give them good ratings. But if you visit the database go check out that Thermaltake 400w review. It should be a hardwaresecret link. It failed miserably
 
shovenose said:
what gpu will you be getting that will determine your psu size. Go for Antec they're cheaper and most their psus get made by Seasonic which make some of Corsairs psu's as well.

Go here and have a look. This is the best chart I've seen for recommended size
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Now on that same page if you look on the left hand side click on psu review database. Thats a huge database containing all the psu models their manufacturers ,models, how many connectors and links to a respected site for a review of the psu. I just use the Hardocp.com, hardwaresecrets.com and johnnyguru links as they basically give the best reviews. Never trust tomshardware for a review they got lifted for giving good ratings for crap Coolermaster psus. Coolermaster build a psu testing station and a hot chamber for them and all must do is give them good ratings. But if you visit the database go check out that Thermaltake 400w review. It should be a hardwaresecret link. It failed miserably
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links ill try check them out once I get onto the pc... Using a crapberry atm which is the wifes. Its really strange though that the thermaltake is lasting so long. Most probably because the load is so light... But ja ill definitely have at those links once she stops playing sims 3 lol
 
@shovenose - unlocks are never gauranteed, dont punt them as such. Also, there is a reason chips are binned, so the low end phenoms are not gauranteed to achieve the higher clocks via OC.

@OP - Your best bet is a AM3 Phenom quad of some kind. Athlons should be avoided unless you have serious budget issues (which you do not)
 
Archer said:
@shovenose - unlocks are never gauranteed, dont punt them as such. Also, there is a reason chips are binned, so the low end phenoms are not gauranteed to achieve the higher clocks via OC.

@OP - Your best bet is a AM3 Phenom quad of some kind. Athlons should be avoided unless you have serious budget issues (which you do not)
Click to expand...

the unlock rate WAS around 70% , not sure what it is now. Even a strong dual core will be fine for bf3, 3.4 ghz + 7mb cache is more than enough (ive experimented with my gfx card and my cpu put to dual mode) it runs medium/high just fine on 1920x1080.

but for more longevity its best for a phenom quad etc etc etc.
 
Archer said:
@shovenose - unlocks are never gauranteed, dont punt them as such. Also, there is a reason chips are binned, so the low end phenoms are not gauranteed to achieve the higher clocks via OC.

@OP - Your best bet is a AM3 Phenom quad of some kind. Athlons should be avoided unless you have serious budget issues (which you do not)
Click to expand...

never had a problem with a unlock. At least you get 1 and a half extra cores for cheap!
 
oi !

thanks for that psu site .... im still going through the lists !!?!?! this is too cool lol
 
Draconia2 said:
oi !

thanks for that psu site .... im still going through the lists !!?!?! this is too cool lol
Click to expand...
enjoy they give you the amount of connectors the works on that site
nvidia%20high%201920.png

nvidia%20low%201680.png

nvidia%20low%201920.png


amd%20high%201680.png

amd%20high%201920.png
 
which psu do you recommend for a amd x6 + 6990 ? im torn between Antec HCG ( High Current Gamer ) 520w ( 12v : 480w ) and then the Corsair GS600
 
500W is cutting it mighty close with a HD6990

CPU: 125
GPU: 300+
Other: 75-100

I'd suggest 600W min, 650W for a safer amount of headroom
 
Archer said:
500W is cutting it mighty close with a HD6990

CPU: 125
GPU: 300+
Other: 75-100

I'd suggest 600W min, 650W for a safer amount of headroom
Click to expand...


ok ill look around for a 600. that card is mighty :o

im doing this for a friend , btw , my pc is fine as it is lol
 
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