Hello TSF community! I have alot of technical questions for you guys. I do have a rough build but can't select specific components w/o more info. If I need to divide up these questions and make separate posts in Motherboards and Overclocking forums, please let me know.
Nothing I post here is in stone. Everything can be changed. I specifically want the quickest PC possible, not necessarily the fastest. Extremely fast load times for apps and games. What I mean for games isn't loading up the game but loading in a map, scenario, or loading a new area in an MMO.
I will likely buy the components in August.
1. Budget: $1600
2. Brands: AMD, ATI, not set in stone. I am open to Intel and Nvidia but I prefer to pair AMD with ATI and Intel with Nvidia. I want to match graphics brand with mobo chipset as well.
3. Multitasking: Common applications I have open at the same time would be WoW, Firefox, chat program with voice and a media player (avi's, DVD, Blu Ray). This is about all I can do on my old dual core cpu. If I had more cores I would likely have more going on.
4. Gaming: I'll be doing alot of gaming. I don't play FPS's very often. I play World of Warcraft, will buy Starcraft 2 soon and I am looking at a couple other games that I would like to try out with this new system. (Crysis, Far Cry 2, Dragon Age... Something newer that will look amazing)
5. Calculations: Not alot. I may try some encoding in the future but have not made plans yet.
6. Overclocking: It looks alot more user friendly now so I will want to select components that can be overclocked. I am not someone who enjoy's tweaking and experimenting all the time. I would like to do some overclocking/ tweaking after my system is built then never ever mess with the settings again!
7. Storage: My budget is too tight for large storage but I would eventually need more than 2 TB. I found a 5400 RPM 2TB HD for around $110, a very good price! I want to get an SSD or two SSD's in raid for my main HD. 60GB might be too little so I am looking at a pair of 40-64GB in Raid 0. I have been using 7200 RPM boot drives for 10 years. It is time for somethign faster. A 150GB Raptor @ 10,000 RPM is the same price as a low GB SSD so I'd choose an SSD.
I have my heart set on an SSD. The only thing with a higher priority in my build is graphics. I do not want to have to micro or macro manage my SSD or SSD's in raid 0. I am aware I will have to change a few things such as storing browser cache on a regular HDD but I would like to set it up and forget about it. Once again I do not like experimenting or tweaking constantly in order to keep stuff working properly. If this technology is still too new for a set it and forget it mentality, let me know.
8. Legacy Support: None.
9. Operating System: I have Windows 7 Professional ready to install. I will probably go 64 bit.
10. Case: The smaller and quieter the better. I just want to be sure there is plenty of airflow room and can fit a full size graphics card.
11. Accessories: Yes, I have selected a mouse, keyboard. monitor, maybe speakers.
12. Recycled Components: I'll be using my old monitor as a second monitor on the new system. 1680X1050 22" DVI. I might have to use my current 400GB Sata HD if I cannot afford the 2TB storage drive for $120.
13. Monitor: Full HD widescreen.
14. Stores: Newegg.com
15. Location: USA
CPU:$160 Phenom II X4 (or X6 $200)
Mobo:$145 790, 880, 890 North Bridge
RAM:$120 2X2GB, 4GB total
GPU:$425 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB
Display:$189 23.6" 1080p
Kb&Ms:$68 Logitech, both wired
Case:$80
PSU:$90
Blu Ray$80
Speakers$140
Sub Total: $1497
SSD X2 $ 280
Total: $1773 + shipping
CPU Q's
I am looking at AMD's Phenom II X6 1055T. The 1055T is 2.8Ghz and I read on another post here that gaming is all about the Ghz not cores. If I am only using three or fewer cores they will be clocked to 3.3Ghz. This CPU isn't a Black Edition so it is not unlocked.
Will my multitasking use more than three cores, causing the CPU to clock down to 2.8Ghz? Should I go with a four core Black Edition Deneb instead of a six core?
Can it still be overclocked? How would this overclocking compare to the options for an unlocked Black Edition(1090T) or four core unlocked Deneb? Does a mobo with core unlocker unlock non Black Edition CPU's?
The six core Phenom II CPU's have an onboard memory controller? Would this CPU be using the Mobo's Northbridge or the IMC? The IMC shows that it supports DDR3 1066 and 1333. Is this overclockable?
Mobo & RAM Q's
I am looking at AMD Northbridge and socket AM3. The mobo is the hardest component to select because I am unsure what ratio of DDR3 and FSB speeds I need in order to overclock it. My mistake on my last build, five years ago, was the mobo's RAM voltage capabilities. I had to get mediocre RAM because my budget mobo couldn't power the faster dimms. Overlooking one tiny spec that isn't even listed on retail sites caused two RMA's and added weeks to the completion time of my system build.
Once I have a mobo selected I can look on the manufacturers site for which RAM is compatible. However, do I need to purchase RAM with specs that have room to overclock or buy RAM with heat spreaders etc...?
Do I need to know how much overclocking I will do before I buy the components? For example a mobo that supports DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/ 1333/1066. Do I need to decide how much I will overclock it, say, to 1800 and be sure I buy the DDR3 1800? If I did overclock the mobo (fsb?) to 1800 and use 1800 RAM would I need to overclock a part of the CPU for it all to work together?
Thank you for taking the time to go through this long post! I appreciate it
