New PC advice please

Agreed.

Amd socket AM3 ( AM2/AM2+ backward compatiable ) Phenom2 x4 , Quad-core 965 ( 3.4Ghz ) Black edition , unlocked clock multiplier ; 4X128k L1 + 2mb - 4x 512k L2 + 1x shared 6mb L3 ; 45nm , 125w , 4000mhz HT3.0 HT3.0 , with PVT - box cpu ( with fan )
 
Reliability and Stability are paramount!

The issue with "cheap" boards does not come down as much to cost as to reliability and stability in operation.
There is nothing wrong with getting an entry level board from a reputable manufacturer, as long as it suits your requirements.
The same applies to the PSU - just stick with a reputable brand. It does not have to be the top of the range, just stay away from those 1000W no-name brand fire hazards. Do your calculations based on what you are going to be running now and then add 100W and round it UP to the closest power rating available. This will give you a fair amount of headroom for future expansion. Any more than that is over-capitalisation.
 
I see you plan to get the M4A785TD EVO... Very nice board, that was my board before I upgraded my AMD to my Intel i5-760 system. Now running the P7H55-M/USB3.

I tend to only buy hardware that is branded, so my GPU and MOBO is pretty much always ASUS. Chassis and PSU is always CoolerMaster, processor can be either. DVD drive is NEVER Samsung (very bad experience), hard drive is Seagate (although have had lots of reliable Samsungs in between)

Just remember if the brand is not well-known, you may not get the same quality.
 
stroebs said:
PSU is always CoolerMaster
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Used to be the same, using more CM Extreme Power PSUs than anything, but now Corsair CX Builder Series PSUs are cheaper and much better. In fact Corsair have a better option at almost every segment of the PSU market. I bet they are giving the other manufacturers a hard time after the rep they've built up of basically being the best.
 
PostmanPot said:
Used to be the same, using more CM Extreme Power PSUs than anything, but now Corsair CX Builder Series PSUs are cheaper and much better. In fact Corsair have a better option at almost every segment of the PSU market. I bet they are giving the other manufacturers a hard time after the rep they've built up of basically being the best.
Click to expand...

This I have noticed. Recently purchased a few Corsair CX's for a client. Great value for money.

Forgot to mention my RAM is always Corsair, but tend to get OCZ every few builds I do.
 
Ok. I have ordered my goods :)

1 x AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 6-Core AM3 3.2GHz Black Edition Boxed Pro R2246.76
1 x Asus M4N75TD 750a AM3 Dual-Channel DDR3 SLI R995.77
1 x Coolermaster RS750-ACAAE3 GX 750w R991.80
1 x Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1333C9 XMS3 4x2GB DDR3-1333 R1081.72

I realize I could've gone with the 965 cpu but I had extra cash so I decided to just get the x6 and futureproof it. I saw a review where they compared the 1090 to the i7-980, and after overclocking the 1090 it almost reached the same results as the i7 (wrt to gaming, definitely not number crunching). Although without the overclocking, the 965 was on par with the 1090 or sometimes a few frames ahead as you guys mentioned, so I think I'll consider overclocking it.

Also the ram I got 8gb cos of the extra cash and to futureproof a bit.

One thing I noticed is that the ram comes in 4x2gb instead of 2x4gb. In the manual for the mobo it says that if all 4 slots are used then there must be 'sufficient' cooling. I've got 2 smallish fans on the side of the case and a large one at the back, does that qualify as sufficient cooling? I've never had a pc with all 4 slots used before.

And also, if I do decide to get another gtx460 in the future and use sli, do you think the psu will suffice?
 
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stevovo said:
Ok. I have ordered my goods :)

1 x AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 6-Core AM3 3.2GHz Black Edition Boxed Pro R2246.76
1 x Asus M4N75TD 750a AM3 Dual-Channel DDR3 SLI R995.77
1 x Coolermaster RS750-ACAAE3 GX 750w R991.80
1 x Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1333C9 XMS3 4x2GB DDR3-1333 R1081.72

I realize I could've gone with the 965 cpu but I had extra cash so I decided to just get the x6 and futureproof it. I saw a review where they compared the 1090 to the i7-980, and after overclocking the 1090 it almost reached the same results as the i7. Although without the overclocking, the 965 was on par with the 1090 or sometimes a few frames ahead as you guys mentioned, so I think I'll consider overclocking it.

Also the ram I got 8gb cos of the extra cash and to futureproof a bit.

One thing I noticed is that the ram comes in 4x2gb instead of 2x4gb. In the manual for the mobo it says that if all 4 slots are used then there must be 'sufficient' cooling. I've got 2 smallish fans on the side of the case and a large one at the back, does that qualify as sufficient cooling? I've never had a pc with all 4 slots used before.

And also, if I do decide to get another gtx460 in the future and use sli, do you think the psu will suffice?
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Quad core is future proof and will be faster for you. Did we not explain this? A 965 is faster per core than the 1090. Most of your applications/games won't even use 4 cores... No point getting 6 unless you are a programmer/CAD work/designer/heavy graphics/video/data compression/ripping/etc. that can make use of more than 4 cores, in which case only then will it be faster overall.

That PSU is complete overkill as well, unless you plan on running a dual mid-high end graphics card setup?

You asked for advice and we gave it...
 
Oh well. I do sometimes transcode my movies so I don't think it's a complete waste. I wanted to get the psu so that I don't have to keep thinking about it every time I want to put something in like another hard drive or new components.
 
stevovo said:
Oh well. I do sometimes transcode my movies so I don't think it's a complete waste. I wanted to get the psu so that I don't have to keep thinking about it every time I want to put something in like another hard drive or new components.
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A HDD uses about 8watts of power.

New components are most likely going to be more efficient.

Anyway. You know best. :)
 
PostmanPot said:
A HDD uses about 8watts of power.

New components are most likely going to be more efficient.

Anyway. You know best. :)
Click to expand...

I admit I should have probably asked some more questions regarding the reviews that I saw, but please don't get me wrong, I'm in no way implying that I know better.
 
stevovo said:
and I do appreciate it. maybe I'm just stubborn.

Back to the psu, I'm assuming if you say it's overkill that I can easily put in another graphics card for sli?
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Advice is just that - advice. Go what you're happy with, since in the end of the day, you're the one using the PC. I think a 6 core cpu is a good investment anyway; never know what the future holds :p
 
stevovo said:
and I do appreciate it. maybe I'm just stubborn.

Back to the psu, I'm assuming if you say it's overkill that I can easily put in another graphics card for sli?
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Yeah, it's overkill for any single gfx card setup. If you want dual card setup - more noise, heat, and power consumption - by all means go for the bigger PSU.

If you intend on a single GTX460 or even more, a Corsair CX500 is enough, and only costs R600.
 
dal2000 said:
Advice is just that - advice. Go what you're happy with, since in the end of the day, you're the one using the PC. I think a 6 core cpu is a good investment anyway; never know what the future holds :p
Click to expand...

So basically take a performance knock now, in assumption that the future holds 6-core utilising multi-threaded applications and games.

Doubt it, 90% of games still run better on faster dual core CPUs...
 
PostmanPot said:
Yeah, it's overkill for any single gfx card setup. If you want dual card setup - more noise, heat, and power consumption - by all means go for the bigger PSU.

If you intend on a single GTX460 or even more, a Corsair CX500 is enough, and only costs R600.
Click to expand...

As it just so happens I received this in the mail:

Dear Customer,

This is a system generated email, which you are receiving because there has been a change in the status of one of your products. We are still waiting for this product, from your order:

Coolermaster RS750-ACAAE3 GX 750w ( 12v: 720w ) , ATX 12V V2.31, - ( A3_CM-GX750W )

Your product has received a new ETA. The new ETA for your product is:
2011-03-31 - please add a few days for processing.
Click to expand...

So I guess I'll be taking a smaller psu anyway :)
 
stevovo said:
As it just so happens I received this in the mail:



So I guess I'll be taking a smaller psu anyway :)
Click to expand...

Hehe. Well go for the Corsair CX500, in stock at the suppliers AFAIK.

Corsair CX500 , Eps12V , ATX 12V V2.3 - 500w ( 12v : 408w ) , 24pin ( 4pin detachable ) , with active-PFC , 2x8pin (2+6) PCI-E power , 1x 120mm thermal controled fan , 5x SATA - 3 years warranty - no power cord
 
There is no such a thing as overkill, more especially if it doesn't break the bank.

PSUs and cases (even RAM) are IMO components you can use for donkeys years.
 
Fuma said:
There is no such a thing as overkill, more especially if it doesn't break the bank.

PSUs and cases (even RAM) are IMO components you can use for donkeys years.
Click to expand...

+1 I agree whole-heartedly. I had my CoolerMaster CPU and case for 3 different builds before I changed over to the Blue Team
 
Fuma said:
There is no such a thing as overkill, more especially if it doesn't break the bank.
Click to expand...

Agreed 100% on the latter. Of course it's overkill paying more if you only ever intend on running single gfx card setups.
 
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