# [SOLVED] New AMD Build opinions



## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

Hey, 

I have been researching for a few months and think i have finally settled on the components i will purchase for my upcoming build. This will be my first computer build and first new computer when it is done. Up to this point i have had "franken-systems" composed of "better" replacement parts from other peoples old computers. The computers i have now have reached the end of their practical life even if i were to try to upgrade them further.

With that in mind, the goals for this build are two-fold:
1.) To have a computer future proof because i will probably not be replacing it for a while
2.) Have something easy to upgrade individual items on (cheap) as long as i am able.

The main purpose for this build is school use, but will also be used for gaming, audio/video editing, and maybe even some light CAD design. My uses are sure to advance as i will now have a system that i can do more advanced tasks on. 

Here is what i have in mind

Chassis:
Cooler Master Storm Series Trooper 
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER CM Storm Series Trooper (SGC-5000-KKN1) Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

PSU:
Cooler Master Silent Pro RS850, 850W 80+ BRONZE Certified Modular
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RS850-AMBAJ3-US 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Motherboard:
ASUS Crosshair V Formula 990FX AM3+, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, ROG Connect
Newegg.com - ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard with 3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support and UEFI BIOS

CPU:
AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz 8-core
Newegg.com - AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8150FRGUBOX

CPU Cooler: (I do plan to do some overclocking)
CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

RAM:
G.Skill Sniper series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR

GPU:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560(fermi) 1GB
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1460-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Optical Drive:
SONY Optiarc CD/DVD Burner w/Lightscribe support
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7261S-0B LightScribe Support - CD / DVD Burners

OS:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Now storage:
I hope to eventually have a RAID 10 array, but do not wish to spend the cash now for the extra drives.

Specs on windows 7 64-bit require 20GB HD space to install so i am getting one SSD to put my OS on and one HDD to put my other programs on. I am further getting an additional SSD to hopefully make a fresh system image of both System drives and store for safe keeping in the event something bad happens. I chose the additional SSD for that so i can utilize the X-dock my chassis has and eliminate the need to go into my case to install second SSD and to eliminate having to keep it hooked up to my system. (what good would a backup be if it can be corrupted IMO)

My choices

HHD:
HITACHI 500GB 7200rpm internal
Newegg.com - HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

SSD: (x2)
OCZ Onyx Series 2.5" 32GB SATA II MLC

That is what i have and any input is appreciated.
Thanks


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

SSD's are not a good value at this time and offer little more than faster boot times.
If you have a need for aftermarket CPU cooling use air. Liquid offers no advantages for the normal user and there is always the concern for leakage.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I have looked at different air coolers for my build but had more questions/or concerns about them then answers... maybe you can help me. I read or heard somewhere that having an air cooling unit on your mobo causes more stress due to its weight vs. What the corsair system has, is this really a big deal?

Second question is due to being a noob. I've looked on newegg and found no specific mention of a air cooler for an AM3+ socket. Ive heard AM3 processors will work so I assume a fan listing AM3 will be comparable but I'm not 100% sure. Is that so?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I have never encountered a weight using using an aftermarket CPU cooler. 
Personally, I don't see any need for OC'ing a 3.6GHz 8 Core CPU. I seriously doubt you will see any performance increase other than doing Benchmark testing.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

The reason I wish to overclock is more educational than a necessity. I would like to learn more about computers and from what I hear the ASUS mobo features make it easy for a noob to do.

Is there a cooler in particular you would recommended for my needs?


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



galbrecht71 said:


> The reason I wish to overclock is more educational than a necessity.


Then do it with an old/cheap computer , something you don't really care for. ESPECIALLY if your just starting.

Overclocking is really more a hobby then a true functional tool. The cpu you chose is already new and fast.

Overclocking is what you do to old hardware that you don't care about frying , just to see what speeds it can achieve.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I'm also going to agree with the ssd statement , they simply are not a good investment currently. They are too small and not fast enough to ever justify the price.

Also , don't use hitachi drives , they actually have a very high failure rate. Stick with western digital.

Your motherboard is also overly expensive simply because it has 4 pci-e slots , which is pretty useless as history has proven 1 gpu is always a better investment then several. Bring the motherboard back down to earth some.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Well as long as we are commenting, I am not thrilled with Cooler Master psu's and recommended here are Seasonic, Xfx and Corsair other than CX and TS series.
I love Cooler Master cases but would never spend more than half what you are for that case though. I don't see what extra you are getting for the money there frankly.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



emosun said:


> Then do it with an old/cheap computer , something you don't really care for. ESPECIALLY if your just starting.
> 
> Overclocking is really more a hobby then a true functional tool. The cpu you chose is already new and fast.
> 
> Overclocking is what you do to old hardware that you don't care about frying , just to see what speeds it can achieve.


Thanks for the suggestion, perfect way to send out my old system.



emosun said:


> I'm also going to agree with the ssd statement , they simply are not a good investment currently. They are too small and not fast enough to ever justify the price.
> 
> Also , don't use hitachi drives , they actually have a very high failure rate. Stick with western digital.
> 
> Your motherboard is also overly expensive simply because it has 4 pci-e slots , which is pretty useless as history has proven 1 gpu is always a better investment then several. Bring the motherboard back down to earth some.


 SSD's are pricy i agree there, with Tyree pointing out my only gain is in boot up and you now saying the same thing i'm willing to ditch them. I realize what I had in mind is due to my unlearned perspective and that I don't know all of my options. To me it seems that something internally mounted and apart of the system or an external hard drive used all the time would not make a good backup drive because it could be easily corrupted? I had planned on using one SSD for a fresh system image after my build in case of trouble simply because I can connect it with no trouble. Apart from an SSD, is there anything else on the market more reasonably priced i could use instead for my X-Dock. What do you suggest I do for backup?


Thanks for the warning about HITACHI drives i will look for something else. What are your opinions on Seagate brands?


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



Rich-M said:


> Well as long as we are commenting, I am not thrilled with Cooler Master psu's and recommended here are Seasonic, Xfx and Corsair other than CX and TS series.
> I love Cooler Master cases but would never spend more than half what you are for that case though. I don't see what extra you are getting for the money there frankly.


I'll look into those other PSU options thanks.

If i were going to be replacing this build in a year or two i would definitely get a cheaper case but i plan on having this as long as i can make it last. I know there are other nice cases that will function as well but to be honest, it is as much looks as it is functionality for me. I like that it has allot of room and allot of internal options for build configuration so it seems i can make it last for several builds down the road with no real problem.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Ok re-shopping a few items what do you suggest?

PSU:

I am stuck between a Corsair HX850 80+silver Certified
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 

or the 

XFX PRO850W 80+ Silver Certified
Newegg.com - XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

HDD's i'll take out the SDD internal (still not sure about the external, waiting on options) and replace the HITACHI 500GB with a Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB. 

Any other thoughts?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Either psu is just fine and good idea with the WD replacement.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

For reliable backup alternatives, you can partition the Hdd designating a partition only for backup or use an external Hdd.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

This is where my ignorance is coming through. Say a year or so down the road I am online and manage to get a virus. If I have a backup partition is it possible that that could become corrupted too?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Yes it could happen and that is why making frequent image files, you have more options to return to.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

The partition idea is good , or you could simply just get two of the same drive if you physically just want a backup or the original.

I'm going to go ahead and say again to bring the motherboard back down to earth as you simply do not need four pci-e slots for any reason.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

The idea of putting a backup on another partition while it is better than nothing, isn't much better than nothing because when a drive goes down, and the quality of hard drives today has really sunk, you have no recourse so I think it really always pays to have a second drive to safeguard against just that.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



emosun said:


> Your motherboard is also overly expensive simply because it has 4 pci-e slots , which is pretty useless as history has proven 1 gpu is always a better investment then several. Bring the motherboard back down to earth some.





emosun said:


> I'm going to go ahead and say again to bring the motherboard back down to earth as you simply do not need four pci-e slots for any reason.


I hear what you are saying. Although I could not tell you the difference between a PCI or a PCIe slot much less the pros or cons of either, I do believe you when you say that extra PCIe slots are both unneccessary and are raising the price of the board. In this build price is less of a concern to me as building a quality machine i like that is solid without going over the top. Well at least too far :angel: That is why I've changed what I have so far psu (junk), HHD (junk), SSD (not enough bang for buck), and CPU cooler when I can find one.

The chassis is something brought up already and IMO the processor is probably in the same "overkill" category for what ill be using it for currently. In the research I have done I have come to believe that this mobo/CPU combo is tops now (in quality and technologically) and from my perspective will last me a very long time. I want to stay in the ASUS brand. I want to stick with this processor... it may be insane now but years later still will be competitive IMO. My next step down to the sabertooth would save me $40, this mobo has features and reviews that have made me willing to spend the extra.

I do want to learn and I do value all your input, I hope you don't think me too stubborn to continue to give it.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Is it possible (and easy enough for a noob) to add a partition to an external hard drive? That may serve as a good second place for an image backup.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

You can make partitions during the Windows install very easily. I use a 3rd party app to make a recovery partition on every retail unit I sell and have yet to have any infections get into that partition as long as it is used only for recovery data.
As mentioned above, an external Hdd is the most reliable.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Do I have to have the external hard drive plugged into my computer when I install windows the first time so I can partition it then? Will my BIOS recognize it without windows? Last but not least... will adding a partition completely wipe my external of data and is there a way around that?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Install Windows with no external peripherals plugged in.
Do you already have an external Hdd with data on it?


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I'm starting school this week and with the funding I have will be buying a laptop in February and then this desktop in March. Transferring media/documents from my old computers to my laptop/desktop will require having an external and most likely will have data. Nothing I couldn't be removed but definately more convenient not to have to.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Making partitions will not destroy data but it is possible it might damage it so I would suggest making partitions with no data on the drive to be safe.
This is a reliable free app for partitioning. 
Free Partition Magic alternative. Best Free Partition Manager Freeware for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 32 bit & 64 bit - EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Thanks for the tip. Ill look into it?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a CPU cooler to use instead of the Corsair H60?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I seldom use anything but the stock Intel or Amd coolers.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

OK, easy enough. 

This is unrelated and may be a dumb question, but in the forum view there are different colored folders next to different threads... what do they signify?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Scroll to the bottom of the page (in forum view). Legend is on the left though I am unsure what designates a theard as 'hot'.


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Here is my revised list after making my changes, any additional thoughts?

*Chassis:
Cooler Master Storm Series Trooper *
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER CM Storm Series Trooper (SGC-5000-KKN1) Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

*PSU:
XFX PRO850W XXX edition 850W 80+ SILVER*
Newegg.com - XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

*Motherboard:
ASUS Crosshair V Formula **990FX AM3+, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, ROG Connect*
Newegg.com - ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard with 3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support and UEFI BIOS

*CPU:
AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz 8-core*
Newegg.com - AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8150FRGUBOX

*RAM:
G.Skill Sniper series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)*
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR

*GPU:
EVGA GeForce GTX 560(fermi) 1GB*
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1460-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

*Optical Drive:
SONY Optiarc CD/DVD Burner w/Lightscribe support*
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7261S-0B LightScribe Support - CD / DVD Burners

*OS:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit*

*HHD:*
*Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7,200rpm SATA 6.0Gb/s*
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Looks like a keeper to me.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Wow awesome rig!


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Partitioning a drive ia all good, but a bad idea to have your backup on your main drive. What if the drive fails, you lose all partitions then. I always backup to my externals and my critical files are all on dvd's in case my external fails.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



galbrecht71 said:


> In this build price is less of a concern to me as building a quality machine i like that is solid without going over the top. .


The problem is your not paying 230$ because the board is quality , your paying an extra 130$ for 3 pci-e slots and sli/crossfire compatibility that your not going to use.

All asus board are good quality , not just the expensive ones. The following support the fx series cpu's

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Motherboards, AMD Motherboards, ASUS, FX / Phenom II / Athlon II / Sempron 100 Series


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



emosun said:


> The problem is your not paying 230$ because the board is quality , your paying an extra 130$ for 3 pci-e slots and sli/crossfire compatibility that your not going to use.
> 
> All asus board are good quality , not just the expensive ones. The following support the fx series cpu's


I have absolutely no disagreement with what you are saying... I do know there were other ASUS AM3+ socket boards and even three others with the new 900 chipset. Here is a link to a very good video where JJ from ASUS gives an overview of each of the four AM3+ boards featuring the a 900 series socket. It is very long (32 min) and i'm not saying to watch it, but in my research i have... several times. Newegg TV: ASUS AMD AM3+ 900-series Chipset Motherboards - YouTube

This doesn't make me an expert by any stretch, but it does eleminate in my mind the desire to settle for either the M5A97EVO and the M5A99X mobo leaving the Sabertooth and Crosshair V Formula. I have no doubt the lower two are perfectly fine boards, but i don't have a very tight budget so i want to get the best i can afford. 

The Crosshair V Formula comes with features that are either better (eg. more SATA and USB 3.0 ports Intel Gigabit LAN vs. Realtek Gigabit LAN) or things that are just plain nice but honestly make no difference (eg. matching color scheme, ROG Connect, ROG CPU-Z). "But Wait, there's More!" lol... not to mention a decent load of extra software included. To me these extras make up for the extra $40 ($130 if considering the boards I personally am not considering for this build)


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

IMHO, at your price range, you don't have much reason to go with the FX-8150.

it actually loses to the much cheaper i5 2500k in most areas, including gaming, and only comes out ahead with a small lead in heavy multithreading applications.

with heavy overclocking, the 8150 can beat a stock 2500k. but the 2500k has a lower TDP *and* is very overclockable itself.

the 2500k also comes with built-in hd 3000 graphics, which you can reserve as a backup if your video card starts giving you problems.

absolutely nothing bad can be said about the 2500k and if that's your price range then freaking buy it.

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

put it on this motherboard

Newegg.com - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

and you've got everything you need.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

Nice Board and cpu combination, I actually have both on order!


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*

I agree the 2500K is a wiser choice; there is no software that can max a quad so what in hades are the other 4 cores going to do? 

there is only so much "multi tasking" a human can do the computer hardware industry is stuck in a precarious position of trying to market newer and newer technology which are generations ahead of the software titles available to us!

smart money is build a system which is on the curve today; dont spend money "future proofing" instead plan on building a new system in 2.5 years

*future proofing is a term that really means "I am trying to justify spending too much money on technology I cant use for another generation of system evolution"*


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## galbrecht71 (Jan 7, 2012)

*Re: New AMD Build opinions*



linderman said:


> I agree the 2500K is a wiser choice; there is no software that can max a quad so what in hades are the other 4 cores going to do?
> 
> there is only so much "multi tasking" a human can do the computer hardware industry is stuck in a precarious position of trying to market newer and newer technology which are generations ahead of the software titles available to us!
> 
> ...


lol I'll have to remember that definition. I agree with what you are saying. I am however trying to guarantee a system that i could hold off that long if i needed to. No particular reason other than avoiding the temptation in a few years of doing a total rebuild. RAM and storage space are cheap and easy to replace or add to and i have plenty of room to do so comfortably if need be. My processor is overkill for current uses but in a short time it will be necessary. and if my video starts to lag i can always upgrade a single card or turn to SLI. 

The system i have currently is, i believe, a pentium III maybe a IV with 512Mb RAM. It has been aound for awhile and works, but not for anything current or practical. They are manufacturers models so not much i can modernize and it has become worthwile to upgrade. 

Who knows, i may enjoy this build so much i might want to keep doing it... I just wont need to do it for myself :wink:


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