Mother Board FSB???

[pc_fanatic]

Okay I'm a little confused about CPU and Mobo bus speeds. I'm gonna build a new rig and the mobo (ASUS M4A88T-M/USB3) has a HT bus speed of 2600mhz which apparently is double data rate and so effectively becomes 5200mhz. The cpu I want (athlon ii x4 645) has a HT of 4000mhz (8000mhz). Does this mean my mobo will limit my cpu? I keep hearing about quad pumping which apparently quadruples the bus speed of the mobo if the cpu chips support it, I'm not sure though. If any1 can clear up the confusion that would be great, thx.

 

[jonnyp11]

they will or should work fine, but i'd get an am3++++++, that way you can upgrade to bulldozer later on, otherwise go for an intel i3 or i5, they will outperform an amd in every single way no matter what.

 

[pc_fanatic]

Are intel cpus worth the extra money even though cpus aren't the most important part of a rig in terms of gaming? As long as I have good gpu the more affordable AMD's should be okay right? Also is paying more for mobos with higher bus speeds worth it for gaming?

 

[StrangleHold]

Okay I'm a little confused about CPU and Mobo bus speeds. I'm gonna build a new rig and the mobo (ASUS M4A88T-M/USB3) has a HT bus speed of 2600mhz which apparently is double data rate and so effectively becomes 5200mhz. The cpu I want (athlon ii x4 645) has a HT of 4000mhz (8000mhz). Does this mean my mobo will limit my cpu? I keep hearing about quad pumping which apparently quadruples the bus speed of the mobo if the cpu chips support it, I'm not sure though. If any1 can clear up the confusion that would be great, thx.

AMD doesnt use a FSB bus anymore. There is a system bus that the Northbridge runs on, which is 200mhz. The CPU runs off the HyperTransport bus, which can run up to 2600/5200mhz. But AMD CPUs just run at 2000/4000mhz. So the HyperTransport has some overhead.

 

[jonnyp11]

an intel cpu will kill any amd cpu within 20 bucks if not more, currently intel OWNSSSS the market, go to anand tech and pick and i series processor v a equivilently priced amd, then compare and see, and for more of a diff, pick any i series followed by 4 numbers, they are the newer ones that are even faster, and even though the cpu isn't the MOSt important, it's more important than you think since it's also running the gpu drivers and the game and os and more at the same time so it needs to be up to par, and sacrificing there can and will screw you over, same with mobo's, cheaper will screw you over.

 

[jonnyp11]

give us your budget or what you want and we'll tell you what to do

 

[pc_fanatic]

give us your budget or what you want and we'll tell you what to do

well I have almost $1800 saved up because I NEVER buy anything. Its about time I treat myself to a gaming pc. I'll spend as much as it takes for me to get the specs I want but leave at least 850 or so bucks (extra savings can come in handy). I found that I can make my dream pc for 700 or less. I want a GFX card that is excellent at AA to compensate for the fact that my monitors resolution only goes up to 1280 x 768. I want High (60 minimum) fps without lag on modern games. I also enjoy multitasking. I was considering the following cpu's: athlon ii x4 645 ($112), i3-2100 SB ($133), pentium g850 SB ($106). On one hand I don't want to pay for more than what I need. One the other it makes sense to future proof my pc for an extra 21 bux. I'm starting to reconsider amd after you post.

 

[pc_fanatic]

Build I considered

The following assembled and tested from computerlx.com a reputable site with excellent pricing.

AMD Athlon II 64 X4 645 Quad-Core 3.1GHz Processor AM3

AMD STANDARD COOLING FAN

Asus M4A78LT-M Socket AM3/ AMD 760G/ A&V&GbE/ MATX Motherboard

SEAGATE / WD 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB CACHE SATA 6.0Gb/s

24X DUAL LAYER DVD-RW W/LIGHTSCRIBE

(ONBOARD) NVIDIA/ATI 256MB PCI-EXPRESS VIDEO

REALTEK 8-CHANNEL DIGITAL SOUND ONBOARD

REALTEK 10/100/1000 Gigabit Network Card (onboard)

Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (2x 120mm fans included)

THERMALTAKE 500 WATT HIGH PERFORMANCE SLI/CROSSFIRE POWER SUPPLY

All for $419

And from tigerdirect:

Geforce GTX 460 1GB

8GB DDR3 1333mhz dual channeled

Both for $195

Grand total: $615

What do you think?

If I go with intel instead (i3-2100 + asus p8h67-m le rev 3.0) the total is $673

 

[CrayonMuncher]

I will update with other parts when I find them but i would suggest if you are looking to go with amd go with the 900 series chipset and the AM3+ socket the same CPU will work but this way you will have a much more future proof system. This board is full atx and also has UEFI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

$99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=ddr3_8GB_ripjaw-_-20-231-314-_-Product

8GB ripjaws 1600Mhz $69.99.

Gtx 460 139.99 after rebate. a little bit more when combine but I dont know what specific ram and gpu you have. These are from reliable companies and this GTX460 Has the 256bit bus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130570

And you'll need a better PSU afaik the thermaltakes are bareable but not that good. The gtx 460 advises at least 450watt and you want some headroom. I forget what amps it needs on the 12v but this will be sufficent, may even want a more powerful one depending on where you want to go with the machine in the future.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020

 

[jonnyp11]

that's about what i'd say, also you'll have to get a case which you can get a nice one with shipping and all for about 50-55, a hdd, i'd say a seagate barracuda or a western digital caviar blue between 500gb and 1tb, they aren't too much and will give you the performance you want, other brands and models will be too much or unreliable, and don't forget you os disk which HAS to be an oem win 7 disk, upgrade disks don't work on a blank hdd

 

[pc_fanatic]

Updated Build

Intel Core i3 Processor i3-2100 3.1GHz 3MB DUAL CORE

INTEL STANDARD PROCESSOR COOLING FAN

Asus P8H67-M LE B3 REV 3.0 LGA1155/ Intel H67/ DDR3/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard

Geforce GTX 460 1GB

8GB Patriot DDR3 1333mhz dual channeled

SEAGATE / WD 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB CACHE SATA 6.0Gb/s

24X DUAL LAYER DVD-RW W/LIGHTSCRIBE

INTEL HD 2000/3000 1GB HDMI/DVI/VGA 1080p PCI-EXPRESS VIDEO (ONBOARD)

REALTEK 8-CHANNEL DIGITAL SOUND ONBOARD

REALTEK 10/100/1000 Gigabit Network Card (onboard)

Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (2x 120mm quiet fans included)

ANTEC 650W HIGH PERFORMANCE SLI/CROSSFIRE POWER SUPPLY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay now I'm thinking that I'll go with this instead. Better PSU (higher W and better brand) also the 1115 socket should have better upgrade path then AM3 right? What do you guys think about the case and cooling?
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Thanks for all the replies so far

 

[jonnyp11]

noooo, lga1155 will not ever get a new processor, although you can get an i5 or i7 later on, not any new ones, only the 2000's, but the am3+ will get you the 8 core bulldozer, but no garentee it will even match the i7 2600k at all, but currently the supposed engeniering sample that was oc'd and benched v an i7 990x which is about as good as the i7 2600k, just 2 more cores but not as good power really, and the bulldozer keeps up with it decent and that's the engeniering sample remember, but we don't know if it's real or an elaborate hoax.

 

[pc_fanatic]

noooo, lga1155 will not ever get a new processor, although you can get an i5 or i7 later on, not any new ones, only the 2000's, but the am3+ will get you the 8 core bulldozer, but no garentee it will even match the i7 2600k at all, but currently the supposed engeniering sample that was oc'd and benched v an i7 990x which is about as good as the i7 2600k, just 2 more cores but not as good power really, and the bulldozer keeps up with it decent and that's the engeniering sample remember, but we don't know if it's real or an elaborate hoax.

I don't care if my cpus is the latest as long as it gets the job done. I like the fact that SB's will be lowered in price as new models like Ivy Bridges get released. Like you said I can go all the way up to i7, Plenty of head room.

 

[jonnyp11]

i guess, but right now new bulldozer info is looking promissing, since it is very similar in essence to sandy bridges hypertheading if you think about it, sb is like 1.3 or so cores, bulldozer is more like a quad with 1.5 cores, so it might be a winner.

 

[pc_fanatic]

i guess, but right now new bulldozer info is looking promissing, since it is very similar in essence to sandy bridges hypertheading if you think about it, sb is like 1.3 or so cores, bulldozer is more like a quad with 1.5 cores, so it might be a winner.

I might go phenom quad instead of SB. AMD is superior in terms of bang for buck. People keep telling me i should am3+ instead of am3, is that a lot better for uprgrade path?

 

[CrayonMuncher]

Yes it is as AMD, the legends they are, have made AM3+ Backwards compatible so you can drop the cpu you've chosen above into it and be able to have newer tech and then if you want upgrade to a more powerful component, making it less likely in a few years time you will need to upgrade many things because you find something you cant do.

And i would go with 1600Mhz ram as it pretty much costs the same as 1333Mhz.

I have noticed you keep going for matx boards is there any reason for this? you seem to be buying a mid tower case, this will fit an ATX board which will have more slots, maybe dual pci ex slots if you wanted and is lessfiddly when adding stuff and trying to ensure a good airflow.

 

[jonnyp11]

although amd has been in the back in performance latly, if you take their already lower prices and put the compatibility part in ther, amd truly does make it worth while, and bd is looking great right now. and btw the full atx boards will be better than micro so like he said.

 

[pc_fanatic]

Yes it is as AMD, the legends they are, have made AM3+ Backwards compatible so you can drop the cpu you've chosen above into it and be able to have newer tech and then if you want upgrade to a more powerful component, making it less likely in a few years time you will need to upgrade many things because you find something you cant do.

And i would go with 1600Mhz ram as it pretty much costs the same as 1333Mhz.

I have noticed you keep going for matx boards is there any reason for this? you seem to be buying a mid tower case, this will fit an ATX board which will have more slots, maybe dual pci ex slots if you wanted and is lessfiddly when adding stuff and trying to ensure a good airflow.

Yeah the site I'm ordering from (www.computerlx.com) has their cheapest ATX board priced at 151. I'm strongly considering intel's SB right now because they destroy AMD in terms of gaming at the same price range. But AMD is better for video editing and what not. Honestly AMD is for budget builds or non gaming intensive.

 

[CrayonMuncher]

Why wouldnt you order from newegg?

www.newegg.com

Prices are excellent. Looks better than that website.

 

[jonnyp11]

truly if you tak into consideration that past 32 fps it looks the same, and above 100 there is no need at all, then amd v intel doesn't matter, at and above 200 bucks for the processor it will all look the same, and with the amd you have upgradeability and multitasking, and for the encoding and that stuff you said idk if that's right, i'd check anandtech's benches section.