New cpu and mobo

[lgs7]

Hi,i havent log in for a long time because of school etc.

So,the problem.My hd5770 lasts very well but my cpu bottlenecks(pentium d 3.0GHz)So i think of buying an amd opteron 2350 or 2354 with a used mobo for socket F(these processors use socket f or am2+ ??).These CPUs run ddr2 memory 667mhz?

I am playing metro 2033,crysis,borderlands and alien swarm.With the following system i will be able to max out these games?(without AA)

CPU:Amd Opteron 2350/2354(whats the difference? 2350 costs 62 euros and 2354 costs 200 euros.)

MOBO:???(suggest me one)

RAM:3gb ram 667mhz(upgrade to 6 if motherboard supports it)

GPU:HD5770 flex

HDD:Seagate Barracuda 500gb

SSD:OCZ Vertex 2 Series 50gb

PSU:Corsair Builder Series CX500 (500watt)

please help!!

Thanks in advance

[Illiad86]

Operton processors are server processors. They are nice....but I would get a regular desktop processor over those. Opertons, yeah, they use Socket F. As far as the motherboard, they are incredibly expensive, and would not support the current RAM you have. You have to get special ECC RAM for those types of boards...which is also quite expensive.

 

How much are you willing to spend on a motherboard and processor? I'm here to tell you, I spent less than $200 for both and it's GODLY :P The motherboard is just a simple Gigabyte 770 board (damn jerks came out with a USB 3.0 board WEEKS after I got this one) and a Phenom II X2 555

 

The thing with the Phenom II I got is it can unlock to a quad core :D It worked on this motherboard, it does not work on all. Just a few simple changes in the BIOS and ya got yourself a quad core. Overclocks nice too...got mine to 4.0Ghz...many people have gotten it up to 4.5GHz. Nothing like saving nearly $150 on a processor eh? :)

 

Only problem is you have DDR2 667. You would have to get DDR3 RAM. It's pretty cheap now...you can get 4GB for $50-60 :)

Edited April 5, 2011 by Illiad86

[lgs7]

Thanks for the reply,if am thinking of these:

CPU:AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz(future overclock to 4-4.2GHz)

PSU:Corsair Builder Series CX500 500watt

MOTHERBOARD:MSI 890FXA-GD70

RAM:Corsair 4GB 1333MHz

What do you think of those?

[Illiad86]

You might want to get a 600W PSU just in case ;) I only use a 450W with all my stuff and it works fine...but for future upgrades, it's always a good idea.

 

Not too bad...I wouldn't spend $200 on a motherboard though...I find it a bad investment to buy expensive computer components. They depreciate so fast, it's best to save some money. The only reason I'd ever find to use that motherboard is if you want to go Crossfire (IMO, that's a bad investment too) or if you're going to overclock the living crap out of the processor so bad that you need LN to cool it. The more expensive ones look nice..but are meant for hardcore overclocking. My friend bought a Crosshair IV or some crazy expensive motherboard and doesn't even know how to overclock, so it was pointless for him to spend $200 on just a motherboard. I overclock, but the cheaper ones do just as well.

 

I'm not a cheapskate....I just try to find the best bang for the buck. Spending around $100ish on a motherboard will keep you going for awhile. $100 ones support 140W processors (think mine uses 125W overclocked @ 4.0Ghz), overclock fine, not full of crazy BIOS features that a lot of people don't understand, and well, a good price :P

 

The CPU is nice :) I've been enjoying my quad core very much...but it didn't cost me $200 :P There's an option on many motherboards called Advanced Clock Calibration. Mine has it, not all do. You pretty much turn that on and it unlocks the cores and turns a dual core into a quad core (the dual core has to be a Black Edition like the one I linked)

 

RAM is good, if you can find 1600 at a good price, get that. Mine's 1600...got it overclocked to 1607 :P Probably could go a little higher, but I don't wanna mess with it too much.

 

Read some reviews on motherboards...like between a $100 one and a $200 one...there's not much difference. Places like tomshardware, techpowerup, anandtech are good places to look. :)

[urbex]

A 500w PSU should be fine with that build. Getting a 650 for SLI headroom is an option,

[lgs7]

illiad86,thanks for your recommendations :) .I readed that phenoms dont run 1600mhz ram but only 1333mhz.I also readed that some people here on Greece that had phenoms II X2 4.0GHz runed into some problems(crashes etc after 2-3 months) when they where turned into quad core.urbex i dont think i need a 600watt psu(i dont crossfire).i run with a 450watt no-name psu 3-4 years old(LOL) the following pc:

Intel Pentium D925 3.0GHz

3gb ram

hf5770

2hdds

3-4 fans(CoolerMaster HAF932)

Thanks and sorry for my bad english

[Illiad86]

I've had mine unlocked as a quad core and overclocked since December 24th...never had a single issue. Most of those people probably did not set their voltages correctly or they are using a cheap motherboard that has Advanced Clock Calibration.

 

As for the RAM...they don't "SUPPORT" 1600Mhz RAM, you have to do a little thing in the BIOS and turn the RAM speed to that. I bought 1600 and it works fine.

 

I'm running all this gear on a 450W PSU as well :) The newer graphics cards turn down their memory and core clock when you aren't playing a full screen game, so they use a heck of a lot less power. Even at full load a 5770 uses barely nothing.

 

I'd still get a new PSU if it's some off brand...make sure they have 2 or 3 high amperage 12V rails. Thermaltake and Antec are some good brands :) FSP makes some crazy PSUs, they only have one 12V rail but they are like 20-30 amps.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Illiad86

[_frost_]

A decent psu is an important investment.

Brands are as Illiad86 said a possibility to get a good psu, but it shouldn't be the only criterion.

 

Even companies like Samsung, Asus, LG, Sony have crappy stuff in their assortment from time to time.

And it's of course the same with psu-manufacturer.

 

I'm using this here cause of good reviews although it's not well known - even here in Germany (their low-cost-section is not really good lol).

http://www.lc-power.de/index.php?id=251&L=1

 

Regarding DDR3-1600&Phenom. You can have phenome... well.. nice ;) results with that combination.

 

HAF 932 is a nice case, well the only point of criticism is that cheesy card-holder-thing.

BUT - it's quite ok, even if you have a large gpu or much stuff installed.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/8963/caser.jpg

 

better quality=> http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5812/cased.jpg

At the bottom is my previous gpu as size comparison - good old HD5770 :).

 

 

_frost_

Edited April 12, 2011 by _frost_