Phenom II 1055 - Crosshair 890fx- what else to get

S

sethbest

Posts: 77   +3
I decided after much debate to get a AMD Phenom II 1055t processor, with the Asus Crosshair IV 890fx motherboard, and I'm already drooling thinking about it. That is around $400 for those components and I want to keep the build under $900.

I now need to decide on PSU, Memory, Vid card and case.

I don't need anything fancy in a case, I'm just looking for something functional, maybe mildly pretty, so I'm thinking around $50ish range. Likewise with PSU, it doesn't need to glow blue or anything, just needs the required wattage.

So I guess approximately $400ish for memory and vid card. I don't need 16 gig off the bat, am thinking around 4 gig.

Video card I'm thinking either something real cheap so it won't matter that much when I pull it out to upgrade in the future, or somethign i can crossfire in the future.

Any tips are appreciated.
 
That PSU is kinda weak. I'd at least go 800w. 650w just doesn't leave too much room to play with, with that configuration. especially if you want to add a 2nd card in sli/crossfire. Picking out a case is a personal thing man, just get on Newegg and pick something you like.
 
Thx for the tips, all good suggestions.

I only listed case in here cause looking at them online is daunting, like 50 of them look exactly the same and cost the same.
 
Don't forget the gtx 470 either, I'm not sure what the pricing is like in America but in the UK it is the same price as the 5850.
 
It depends. If you really want SLI in the future then change you system so that it will be compatible in the future. GTX 460 in SLI is a really popular thing at the moment of you over-clock both cards.( which is their good point). An SLI or crossfire board can be had for £65 in the UK. As for the PSU 650 or 700 should be fine. Id go for the 700watts for added security though. If you do get a GTX 460 get the 1gb version but you need to over clock it to get the full value from the card.
 
Oh! I forgot that the Crosshair IV Formula does not support SLI. I suggest moving ahead with the HD 5850 then.
 
Ah, I'm glad I asked. I'll look into 5850's, probably get one and then if I need to crossfire later on I'll get more.
 
hellokitty[hk] said:
I disagree...
Click to expand...

Under full load a single GTX 460 1gb can peak at 307w

Advertised GeForce GTX 460 TDP = 150W (768MB) 160W (1024MB)
System in IDLE = 178W
System Wattage with GPU in FULL Stress = 307W
Difference (GPU load) = 129 W
Add average IDLE wattage ~ 25W
Subjective obtained GPU power consumption = ~ 154 Watts

650w psu's are only the bare minimum required for a 460 in sli.

Add a 2nd card in there in sli with both running full load and you're pushing it.
Consider the Phenom II x6 is 140w, plus mb and peripherals, and any overclocking that may be done to the cards/processor, and 650w is just not enough to really play with. Granted, the 307w figure is worst case scenario, and not what will be seen during normal usage, though I consistently fold on gpugrid and folding@home with 100% load to my GTX 460's.

edit: Correct me if I am wrong in my thinking here please.
 
Wendig0 said:
Under full load a single GTX 460 1gb can peak at 307w

Advertised GeForce GTX 460 TDP = 150W (768MB) 160W (1024MB)
System in IDLE = 178W
System Wattage with GPU in FULL Stress = 307W
Difference (GPU load) = 129 W
Add average IDLE wattage ~ 25W
Subjective obtained GPU power consumption = ~ 154 Watts

650w psu's are only the bare minimum required for a 460 in sli.

Add a 2nd card in there in sli with both running full load and you're pushing it.
Consider the Phenom II x6 is 140w, plus mb and peripherals, and any overclocking that may be done to the cards/processor, and 650w is just not enough to really play with. Granted, the 307w figure is worst case scenario, and not what will be seen during normal usage, though I consistently fold on gpugrid and folding@home with 100% load to my GTX 460's.

edit: Correct me if I am wrong in my thinking here please.
Click to expand...


I have to agree, he's talking about a 5850 and a possible crossfire in the future. 650 is on the low side. But I wouldnt get anything larger than 750-800 watts. Leave a little room for full load usages imo.
 
The PSU is where in the past I have always cheaped out, but I figure with buying this much expensive hardware I'd hate to have a bad PSU fry it all. Here's what I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
Unless I dont understand, and the promo discount is already factored into the price, its $70 after rebate.

So 750watts should be enough for two 5850s in crossfire?

I am a bit confused about crossfire, do the cards have to be identical in chipset and brand? or can u crossfire cards that are identical chipsets and different brands?

The only real big question left is which 5850 to get, the differences I see in cost seem to be based on the cooling that they use, is this an easily overclocked card? or would I be better off leaving it untouched and getting a cheap brand?
 
sethbest said:
The PSU is where in the past I have always cheaped out, but I figure with buying this much expensive hardware I'd hate to have a bad PSU fry it all. Here's what I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
Unless I dont understand, and the promo discount is already factored into the price, its $70 after rebate.

Yes and that is an excellent price for a Corsair 750

So 750watts should be enough for two 5850s in crossfire?

Yep again, 750 should be plenty to power 2 5850's along with the rest of your rig

I am a bit confused about crossfire, do the cards have to be identical in chipset and brand? or can u crossfire cards that are identical chipsets and different brands?

It is preferable to have two of the same cards but you can mix brands if you'd like. Just know that if one card is clocked higher than the other from the factory, it will default to the speed of the slower card. They must be the same chipset though (ie 2 5850's or 2 5770's).

The only real big question left is which 5850 to get, the differences I see in cost seem to be based on the cooling that they use, is this an easily overclocked card? or would I be better off leaving it untouched and getting a cheap brand?

If you don't mind spending the money, the ASUS is very popular because it allows you to overvolt it and reach higher overclocks. My Powercolor 5850 has treated me well but they used a cheaper voltage regulator and it doesn't allow overvolting. It also seems to use more power than the reference design due to leakage. I'd say do your research because many of these brands change things like this that you may not notice before you buy it. XFX, Sapphire, and HIS are also pretty popular for what it's worth........but again, the ASUS seems to be the most popular of the bunch.
Click to expand...
 
I have the Asus EAH 5850's CU with Votage Tweak and have them clocked to 915/1205 @ 1.196v so the OC is great, but they are not the coolest running cards, so you need to have good ventilation to OC them.
BTW the load draw is 180W at stock settings you can add another 25- 40w for OC'ing
 
You may also consider http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121068&cm_re=kingwin_1000w-_-17-121-068-_-Product. It isn't Gold certified like the Seasonic x-650, but it is fully modular, and has all the room you would need for future upgrades. The Corsair 750TX is an excellent supply, and there are rarely any bad things said about them, but for myself I chose the Kingwin and I couldn't be happier. The price was also just right for me.

Choosing the right power supply for your applications can be a headache, but both the Corsair 750TX and the Kingwin LZ-1000 are excellent, and either will get the job done.
 
Ah thanks, answered all of my questions Breech.

So then I'm looking at the asus for $261 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...121375&cm_re=asus_5850-_-14-121-375-_-Product

or the HIS for $255 with no rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161330&cm_re=5850-_-14-161-330-_-Product

I doubt I will be overclocking it off the bat, but good to have the option later on, so I'm probably leaning towards the Asus if it has the edge there.

Now I'm just looking at cases, Obviously need a full size with this setup and the cpu cooler, trying to choose between cheaper generic brands and more well known ones. Anyone have an "Azza" case? How are they?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517004
---
Thx for the voltage details Red, I'm looking at large breezy cases so I think ventillation will be fine. I likely won't overclock it until I start running into lag down the road, you know to conserve electricity and all.

Wendig, very pretty PSU, and the 1k watt is attractive, but I've never had modular and don't really get the point, and this machine is already over budget, so i'll probably stay on the cheaper route.
 
sethbest said:
Wendig, very pretty PSU, and the 1k watt is attractive, but I've never had modular and don't really get the point, and this machine is already over budget, so i'll probably stay on the cheaper route.
Click to expand...

No problem. Modular supplies are great for cable management, where you only need to plug in cables as you need them (aside from the main rails). I have seen guys without modular supplies do some very impressive cable management as well though.
 
Ah that makes sense, also makes sense as to why I didn't see the point being as I think a mess of cables going every which way is prettier than an orderly setup. Gives a machine more of an organic feel, like some sort of bio-android or something. Of course this has infuriated any woman who ever lived with me, wires running all over the house and all.
 
hellokitty[hk] said:
Wait what, thats not a quote!

I'd prefer Saphire, but meh they're all the same card. Cheapest one is best IMO.


No...
Click to expand...

Sorry, I posted that response too quickly. The 2 cards do need to be of the same family but don't have to be the exact same model. So yes you could use two different 5 series cards but not a 5 and a 4 series.

Your statement that they are all the same card HK is completely incorrect unless you're speaking specifically of reference designs. As I pointed out in my earlier post, my specific card uses a cheaper voltage regulator than the reference design and some of the custom PCB's do. As a result you cannot control voltage manually and it suffers from power leakage resulting in more power usage. There are also different cooling solutions to choose from. I'd hardly say the cheapest is the best. It all depends on what you intend to do with them.
 
sethbest said:
Ah thanks, answered all of my questions Breech.
Click to expand...

My pleasure but please do see the correction about crossfire that HK pointed out in my earlier post.

On a side note, I have a low end Azza Case and it's terrible. Airflow isn't very good and the metal is super thin. I'd recommend this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194 A good friend of mine has the Sniper and it is a great case, albeit a large one for a mid tower. Right now you can get it for an additional $30 off at Newegg bringing it down to $110 with free shipping. That's a great deal for a really good gaming case.
 
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