Need advise on CPU-GPU-Mobo relationship

[Jeux]

I'm currently building another mid-high end PC for a friend. He already has the case, Gskill 4gb 1600 ram, GTX 560 Ti, aaaand the rest like disk drive and an old 80GB IDE HDD with an IDE-to-SATA adapter.

 

So all he needs is the CPU and motherboard. I was bent on getting him an i5 2500k (I love how this thing overclocks) along with a decent $130 mobo with some useful features. I would be spending around $330. But he then tells me he only has around $190 to spare. He asks me "can I make it work for around the same performance"...ugh. Seriously?

 

But anyway, I realized I was going to have to dumb down the CPU power...Or maybe not. I hadn't thought of going with an AMD build, the cheaper alternative. So I went on Newegg and looked at some CPU/Mobo combos. Didn't see anything spectacular. I then went to Microcenter and found this page:

 

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html

 

Awesome. So I'll be going to my local MicroCenter when I get the chance. Now to pick one. Here's where my questions come in:

 

1.) I could go with the 1100T, given its reputation of being the AMD equivalent of the 2500k for gamers, but the price range would already bump me up to $190. Aside from the second ASUS micro ATX motherboard, all 5 of the mobos listed as free don't support DDR3 1600. So I thought of going with the X4 965. Good choice? Seems like it can overclock to around 3.8 GHz or so.

 

2.) Most of these motherboards are kind of crappy IMO. Which is expected, given the price. But he's got a GTX 560 Ti. That's a very good video card if you ask me. So would getting any of these motherboards or the X4 965 kind of "dumb down" or limit the performance of the GPU? Or does it not work like that?

 

3.) Do I run the risk of spoiling some of the components by buying these cheap mobos? I don't know, its just looks strange visually when I picture the 560 Ti on top of a cheap micro ATX.

 

I was going to go with the MSI 880G-E45, which is a $20 step up. That's $150 (tax included). It supports DDR3 1600 memory speeds (I think) and looks decent overall. But I want to hear what you guys have to say.

 

 

As something to keep in mind, he plans to play some graphically demanding games like GTA4 with the gorgeous icEnhancer mod, crysis+mods, and a VERY heavily modded Fallout NV. Can the system withstand the demands of these games?

[Dan3345]

Im not sure I am understanding this right, but it sounds like what you want to do is get the most bang for your friends buck, and have it all play nice together?

 

In that case I can vouch for the 1100T myself as I have it installed now.. The thing is total beast.. Honestly I don't really know why you would want to buy an intel when you get this for cheaper and get more performance then most i5's at standard clocks. Mine is at standard clock and I have no problems in any games to date. I am using a simple gigabyte mobo. Which btw IMO they are the best. They have all the essential features, they are very reliable, and they play very nicely with AMD components.

 

This may be too late, but if he has the chance to take back the video card I would.. Nvidia cards in my expierience play badly with AMD CPU's... They don't seem to like each other, and one will either out-due the other or under perform by comparison even when they should work fine together. I had a GTX 460 a while ago paired with AMD 840 and while the CPU worked fine the card would cause blue screens and freeze ups and when searching the error codes I found that AMD claims their components are sort of incompatible with nVidia parts. This could just be a marketing thing to get people with AMD parts to buy all AMD parts. Who knows..

 

If he has the money he should buy a new video card to go with the CPU. I recommend the 6870. Or if you want to spend more the 6950 2gb is incredibly powerful.

 

Thats all.. Hope this is the answer you were looking for...

[ginnyfizz]

I endorse what Dan3345 has said as regards the Phenom II X6 1100T and the ATI Radeon 6950 2GB, as I have both of those in my set up. Processor for some reason auto overclocked self to something insane - indeed why pay more for the Intel option.

[Nysba]

Im not sure I am understanding this right, but it sounds like what you want to do is get the most bang for your friends buck, and have it all play nice together?

 

In that case I can vouch for the 1100T myself as I have it installed now.. The thing is total beast.. Honestly I don't really know why you would want to buy an intel when you get this for cheaper and get more performance then most i5's at standard clocks. Mine is at standard clock and I have no problems in any games to date. I am using a simple gigabyte mobo. Which btw IMO they are the best. They have all the essential features, they are very reliable, and they play very nicely with AMD components.

Yeah, no reason to get something like the i5 2400 or 2500 over the 1100t... except that they're both better than the 1100T, especially in gaming which doesn't take much advantage (if at all) from 6 cores. Even when doing something that DOES take advantage of multiple cores (video/music editing etc.etc.) the 2500(k) usually beats the 1100T

And since your friend already has the Nvidia GTX 560, it's even more recommendable to go with the Intel, if Nvidia GPU/AMD CPU combinations have problems.

And the Intel CPUs are actually cheaper than the 1100T, at least for me, so it would be an obvious choice. I assume they're priced fairly similarly elsewhere too...

Though I'd still recommend the 2500k over the 2400 since the 2400 can't be overclocked. But not everyone wants to do that.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Nysba

[Jeux]

I'm sorry if the original post didn't do the thread any justice. My apologies. I was just trying to get all the info in at once.

 

Did you guys look at the chart on the MicroCenter page in the link? That's what I'm going by. Those are the only Mobos I can go for. Also thanks for the reminder about Nvidia GPU+AMD CPU = weird results, I'll keep that in mind. (Though it really shouldn't matter if its a single card setup). Understand that he CANNOT return the GPU and memory. This is what I'm limited by here, the reason I'm posting about this (aside from the $$$ limitations).

 

The difficulty with selecting a good mobo from the chart is the fact that he has 1600 DDR3 memory and most of them don't support that. Also, most simply have the AM3 socket instead of the AM3+, so he wouldn't be able to upgrade to bulldozer later on.

 

Yes yes yes, I understand how outstanding the 1100t is. But like I said before, that would already put me at $190. This is why I thought of going with the X4 965 as an alternative...I get "almost" the performance of the 1100t at a fraction of the price.

 

So, ultimately, just help me select the best CPU+Mobo combo from the chart based on the following factors:

 

-Price (Budget is $190, but would perferably stay lower than that)

-The large, power-draining GPU he already has

-The G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 he already has (1600 is the issue)

-AM3 vs AM3+ socket type

-Form factor

 

Thanks again, everyone. Responses are greatly appreciated.

[Fonger]

but won't your small IDE HD hamstring your performance

[Jeux]

yes, but its only temporary till he gets enough cash for a quality SATA 3 or hybrid drive.

[Dan3345]

Im not sure I am understanding this right, but it sounds like what you want to do is get the most bang for your friends buck, and have it all play nice together?

 

In that case I can vouch for the 1100T myself as I have it installed now.. The thing is total beast.. Honestly I don't really know why you would want to buy an intel when you get this for cheaper and get more performance then most i5's at standard clocks. Mine is at standard clock and I have no problems in any games to date. I am using a simple gigabyte mobo. Which btw IMO they are the best. They have all the essential features, they are very reliable, and they play very nicely with AMD components.

Yeah, no reason to get something like the i5 2400 or 2500 over the 1100t... except that they're both better than the 1100T, especially in gaming which doesn't take much advantage (if at all) from 6 cores. Even when doing something that DOES take advantage of multiple cores (video/music editing etc.etc.) the 2500(k) usually beats the 1100T

And since your friend already has the Nvidia GTX 560, it's even more recommendable to go with the Intel, if Nvidia GPU/AMD CPU combinations have problems.

And the Intel CPUs are actually cheaper than the 1100T, at least for me, so it would be an obvious choice. I assume they're priced fairly similarly elsewhere too...

Though I'd still recommend the 2500k over the 2400 since the 2400 can't be overclocked. But not everyone wants to do that.

 

But intel CPU's (the good ones) are twice as much as the 1100T and don't offer much more power. The i5's for example are only dual and quad cores at 3.2ghz and some are 32nm architecture. So they run cooler.. Big deal, liquid cooling makes everything run cooler, and you can buy a closed loop CPU only system for $80. Not to mention most game engines and games that come out today are built on AMD systems and optimized for AMD chipsets. Not all but a good bunch. They play nicer then intel with games, which while they are marketed for gamers because they do a good job. The vast majority of intel chips are meant to be sold to data warehouses and offices. My dad worked with intel for 12 years, and thats what all of their sales planning was secretly devoted too. Gamers are just a small side bit for intel. AMD focuses a lot more attention to the needs of gamers is what I am saying.'

 

 

But as stated, since your friend already bought an overpriced video card at some point from nVidia he should go for an intel CPU. Though all it means is he just flushed $300 down the toilet. Now you need a motherboard as well. $500 for all. That is if your mobo is any good.

[Jeux]

I decided to go with the intel i3-2100. It's only $100 at MicroCenter. He'll upgrade to the 2500k when he has the cash.

 

Currently looking for a stable 1155 socket motherboard that goes for $50-80. Most are H61 micro-ATX. Don't mind...as long as the video card fits and works ok...this is a weird build.

 

Thanks everyone for your input! Helped a bunch. Once I find the mobo it'll be done.

[Erik005]

You should not get a cheap motherboard like that, you will regret it later.

 

You should have a look at these boards.

 

Asrock P67 Pro3

Asus P8P67 LE (3.0)

Edited August 31, 2011 by Erik005