Build Advice?

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1

Hi there will not be kidding any one this is a pure gaming build but on a budget of £800. Yes I know Cherry Oh and What Knot UK prices suck!

I have 3 options listed below. Any ideas on how I can swap things around to have better FPS and better upgrade options in the future while maintaining the budget.

I have set my mind on the AMD please no Intel suggestions already have my mind set. As for all the rest feel free to suggest changes. All Radeon cards as well but that is not set in stone. On the lower end builds will be opting for CrosfireX as soon as possible.

Another thing, I will be getting 1866mhz in 16GB or 1333 in 8GB with another set to follow of ram won't need more than that as that's the highest the CPU supports in dual channel and quad channel.

So the question is should I go for 8GB (2X4GB) 1333mhz CAS 7 and then slap another set or just go with 16GB (2X8GB) 1866mhz CAS 9 or 10 and not bother in the long run? And how much of a difference CAS is going to make in FPS.

Already have a 1000W 80 plus certified Power Supply, a Gigabyte Case, Windows 8, and will be using a 32 inch HD TV. Which brings me to my next question how much FPS gain will I get from running in 720 as that is the native resolution on the TV.

Build 1:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£133.99 @ Amazon UK)

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£64.97 @ Scan.co.uk) 

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£161.98 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 CAS 7 Memory (£66.24 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£33.59 @ Aria PC)

Video Card: MSI R9 290 4G TWIN FORZ (£334.99 @ Dabs.com)

Total: £795.76

 

Build 2:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£133.99 @ Amazon UK)

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£64.97 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£161.98 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£127.55 @ PC World Business)

Storage: OCZ Petrol 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£30.00 @ Maplin Electronics)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£33.59 @ Aria PC)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card (£239.99 @ Novatech)

Total: £792.07

 

Build 3:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£133.99 @ Amazon UK)

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£64.97 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£102.32 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£55.33 @ CCL Computers)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£33.59 @ Aria PC)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (£419.15 @ Scan.co.uk)

Total: £809.35

 

Thanks !

2

the 290x build, but with a WD Caviar Blue HDD

3

What about the MOBO isn't the ROG Asus better in the long run.

 

4
  • The price-to-performance ratio for AMD CPUs compared to Intel is better, so no arguments there (unless you're using this system for video rendering, then an Intel Xeon may be a better option). 
  • Maybe downgrade the CPU to a 8320 then overclock slightly to get the same performance as the 8350.
  • Even though memory frequency barely improves performance, the difference between 1866 MHz and 1333 MHz according to some benchmarks can be a few frames per second (if you care about that much of a performance difference). 1600 MHz is a good in-between value, but 1333 MHz is a little too low in my opinion. CAS latency I personally like to minimise, but often the real-world performance is negligible.
  • Definitely get an SSD. That will make everything seem more responsive, decrease boot time, produce less heat, etc.
  • A 290 is perfect, a 290X may be overkill. It depends on what resolution you game with. Don't get either if you're gaming at 720p, that is a waste of money. And Crossfire can be unpredictable. A 280X would be able to play most games on maximum settings at 720p with decent frame rates. A 290/290X will increase frame rates, but why would you spend that much more money for an almost negligible performance increase? If you're thinking of moving to 1080p in the furure then stick with a single 290. 1440p? Then a 290X (and Crossfire would become useful in the future for this case).
5

is it a better mobo? yes... do you need it for gaming? no...

It's got a bunch of options that you probably have no idea how to use or implement properly anyways... the pro has big VRM heatsinks that are fully capable of overclocking a 8350... nice power delivery... plenty of features as well... I'm no fan of cheaping out on a mobo, but the Asus PRO model is a very nice board...

In a nutshell, for gaming, you'll get MUCH more out of a 290x than a motherboard you can't/won't use all the features of...

6

Ok so 8GB is enough for now and the near future. But won't adding 8GB in (2x4GB) latter strain the CPU more then just getting 16GB in (2x8GB) straight of the bat?

7

8GB of memory, for gaming, will be plenty for the lifetime of the computer...

8

Build 4:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£133.99 @ Amazon UK)

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£64.97 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£116.99 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory CAS 9 (£54.65 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£33.59 @ Aria PC)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Video Card (£419.15 @ Scan.co.uk)

Total: £823.34

How about the Tooth? I've heard it has some problems with CrossfireX but the reviews are inconsistent?

It is just a little over budget but is it worth it?

9

looks good to me if it weren't for that HDD... Seagate's HDDs are notoriously failure prone

10

Yeah will be swapping for a WD CB this one is just a placement until I can get one on offer or just decide to give the 15 pounds and just cheap out on the mouse and keyboard a little. 

11

Well this is it will be ordering it some time tomorrow.

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (£133.99 @ Amazon UK)

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£64.97 @ Scan.co.uk)

Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£116.99 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£58.99 @ Aria PC)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.73 @ Aria PC)

Video Card: MSI AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB Gaming (£399.99)

Total: £817.66

12

It'll work.  Not sure if you NEED the sabertooth's features, though.

Also, the R9 290 is very close to the 290X, and sometimes beats it in some games.  Take a look at benchmarks.  I would personally go for the 290 as the 290 and 290X are so similar it's not worth the price premium of the 290X.

13

Well price the differance between the KITTEN and the Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 is £14 and between the MSI R9 290X AND MSI R9 290 is £65. Don't know what else to put in for the £79 I save form cheaping out a little. Except for 16Gb ram on 1333mhz CAS 9 cause the CPU doesn't support more natively. Any ideas? And SSD will be the first thing I upgrade a month or two down the line. If I OC the CPU is it worth getting highter speed RAM?

14

get the kitten, the 290, and go ahead and get the SSD....

It's such a pain to reload windows, I'd only want to do it once

15

I'm used to reloading windows especialy 8 it takes like 15 minutes to install from usb stick and about an hour to set up after its the updates that take days. Yeah might be a pain but I wont see any FPS gains from an SSD right? So might as well hold of on the SSD for a month or two and stick with the plan KITTEN, 290, and might get the 16GB RAM cause I tend to use Rhino 5 alot for work and CAD is demanding. Yeah the differance between the 290 and the X is the shaders and abit more speed but not worth the £65 more.

16

One possibility, that I am doing with my build I'm planning, is start out with 8GB of RAM(2X4GB) with a motherboard that supports up to 32GB of ram (4 slots) and later on add more ram if you feel you still need it.

 

I would choose build one, with my change of mobo. But also consider a hybrid drive too.

17

Which MOBO would you choose?

18

If you're not doing video editing or rendering, and are only doing gaming, 1333 is fine.  I personally like 1600, but it really makes no difference in gaming when you're using a CPU + dedicated GPU.

OC the CPU all you want.  As stated before, RAM clock speeds do not matter when you have a dedicated GPU.

You could grab a 120gb or 240gb SSD for around 79 pounds, I suppose.

19

Once you put important programs and your OS onto your SSD, everything just becomes a lot snappier.  I also started out with a HDD and upgraded to an SSD later.  If you can fit it into the budget without really losing any or little performance, go for it.  I was on a budget, and needed a computer to start out with.