# Best amd fx- series to buy? for my build



## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

CPU- I want to spend around 120-180$ for a good CPU.I was looking at the AMD FX-6300 vishera and wanted your thoughts about it and if it's perfect for gaming/burning movies since that's the only thing i will be using this PC for.
-(Might buy an aftermarket heat-sink for better cooling/performance- Cooler Master Hyper 212.)

MOBO- I will be using a Gigabyte Technology GA-990FXA-UD5(might switch it to ud3,if its pointless putting more money into ud5 but i also want to be prepared for the future as well.)

PSU- I'm using a Thermaltake Toughpower 750w ATM(gonna switch it to a XFX ProSeries Core Edition P1550SXXB9 550W, if needed)

RAM- CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

GPU- Geforce GTX 650.

i already have dvd/hdd with HAF 912 case.

just want your say into this before i spend money on it.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

CPU: I'ld go with the FX-4350 quad ($137 shipped @ Newegg). Higher core speed trumps more cores when it comes to gaming.

UD3 vs UD5: UD5 gains you one more PCI-E x16 slot (x8) and 2 SATA ports. Only you can decide if thats worth twenty bucks.

Power supply: You'll be good with the Thermaltake. It'll carry any single gpu system and most dual card systems. Unless, of course, you want to replace it, in which case the XFXis a good choice.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

The FX-6350 is the same price if you buy before 7/4:

Newegg.com - AMD FX-6350 Vishera 3.9GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6350FRHKBOX


gcavan's right about core speed vs number of cores, but at only .3Ghz and with a GTX 650 for the video card you'll never see a difference in games. To be fair, the extra two cores won't feel revolutionary, but the cool thing about the 6350 is that you can actually disable two cores and raise it up to 4.2Ghz and _voilà!_ you have an FX-4350 :grin:

I recommend the FX-6350 on sale.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

What is the Model Number of the TT 750W PSU and how old is it?
The GTX 650 is not a power hungry GPU but most all TT PSU's are poor quality.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

W0117RU id say about 3-5 yrs old


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

i went with the 6350 and i will be buying the UD3.How much memory would you recommend to buy? and you think corsair is a good brand for the 2x4 i was thinking of getting?


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

Corsair and G.Skill are the best brands for RAM right now. 8gb (2x4gb) is perfect.

Good choice on the UD3. Options are great, but there's no need to spend on features you'll never use.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Do not replace a known good working PSU. I would suggest an FX6300 @ 95W.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

ChronoGeek said:


> Do not replace a known good working PSU.


It's always a wise choice to replace any low quality PSU and especially so if it's an older unit nearing or past it's warranty period.



vtech said:


> W0117RU id say about 3-5 yrs old


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Tyree said:


> It's always a wise choice to replace any low quality PSU and especially so if it's an older unit nearing or past it's warranty period.


 

True in most cases :smile: Maybe true in this case as well. Good point.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

ill keep an eye on it, but for sure ill replace it in the near future.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

So i bought my 6350 and was going to buy my UD3 MOBO but then my friend told me he is selling his ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX mobo for $115.

-is there any advantages that the sabertooth has on the UD3?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Nets you a couple more 6Gb/s SATA ports and support for 4 way SLI/Crossfire. Also many overclocking options.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

gcavan said:


> Nets you a couple more 6Gb/s SATA ports and support for 4 way SLI/Crossfire. Also many overclocking options.


The only truly useful option would be the additional 6GB SATA ports.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

"Gigabyte is falling behind in supporting "new" technologies, while Asus is constantly trying to innovate. Gigabyte still doesn't support UEFI " is it true? and is this something i should be worried about in the next 3-7years?


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

vtech said:


> "Gigabyte is falling behind in supporting "new" technologies, while Asus is constantly trying to innovate. Gigabyte still doesn't support UEFI " is it true? and is this something i should be worried about in the next 3-7years?


 
Not true Gigabyte support UEFI, and typically they are just about as good as Asus. Not quite but very close.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

That sounds great.I bought the gigabyte instead of the sabertooth. Now on to the ram, I already decided to buy the CORSAIR 2x4 but found out that a guy is selling his Crucial ballistix DDR3 1600 8gb (2x4) RAM new on Craigslist for cheap. Is that ram good for a gaming pc and my CPU?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Standard Crucial RAM is OK but Ballistix is not without issues.
G.Skill & Corsair are worth the extra money.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

okay i've gotten me 2 sticks of G.skill 2x4 and now im left with 45$, what should i get for it? i was thinking a good cpu heatsink? i know its gonna void my warranty but since i wont be using a headset for my pc, its gonna be loud with the original heatsink.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

would this be sufficient for my build? CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Corsair are not recommended. 
Top quality, sufficient power for a GTX 650 and 5 yr. warranty: XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

Or: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

thanks for the heads up, also when i bought my ud3, does it really come with a 3 year warranty or just the 30days that newegg provides?


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

Another question, does it matter what timing the RAM has?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Newegg offers 30 day replacement warranty. The board has a three year warranty from the manufacturer.

Assuming the same memory clock speed, the DIMM with the tighter timing (lower numbers) will be faster.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

vtech said:


> Another question, does it matter what timing the RAM has?


As noted above, lower Latency will be faster on paper but a small difference, if any, will be seen in real use.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

Gotcha...hard drive question, i have movies/apps stored onto my WD3200bpvt
and i will be cleaning that drive soon and i want to know if i can use it for my local drive when i install fresh windows 7 64bit?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Pass on the Corsair Psu, that series is worse than what you have


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

How old is it and was it always a storage drive?



vtech said:


> Gotcha...hard drive question, i have movies/apps stored onto my WD3200bpvt
> and i will be cleaning that drive soon and i want to know if i can use it for my local drive when i install fresh windows 7 64bit?


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

Rich-M said:


> Pass on the Corsair Psu, that series is worse than what you have


will do. ONLY XFX AND SEASONIC


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

Rich-M said:


> How old is it and was it always a storage drive?


It was from a Acer aspire laptop 7741z-4433, id say about 2-3years old but i also have a couple of 1tb seagate goflex hdd stac1000103, that would be a waste if i used that for a local drive.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I guess a waste if you mean taking the drive out of the enclosure...The WD is a much better drive anyway. I would never trust a system running to a Seagate drive these days.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

ill be buying a XFX Double D FX-785A-CDFC Radeon HD 7850, would it be a problem for my psu?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Most likely but which Psu?


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

the thermaltake i got now


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It is poor quality and I wouldn't use it.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

As posted previously, your PSU is low quality and close to/exceeded it's warranty period. Replacing it with a good quality unit would be a wise choice.
You want a good quality 620W PSU for a 7850 GPU.

SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

is 620w minimum, if not is this 1 good?
SeaSonic S12 II SS-500GB 500W ATX SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

A bit lighter than I like to see in a gaming set but SeaSonic S12 II SS-500GB will carry your system as described. 

I don't agree with most here that your T-T Toughgpower needs to be replaced. No it is not a Seasonic, but that doesn't make it a bad supply.

If you decide to replace it go with your first choice (from post #1) XFX ProSeries Core Edition P1550SXXB9


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

does everything look good? i will be posting a pic under loadtime.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The temps and voltages shown above are fine.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

This is when playing Metro Last Light, is there anything to do for frame drops?

im playing on 1600x900, getting around 40-45 fps, anything to improve that, sometimes it will drop within 30-35.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Monitor the GPU temps while gaming.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

i will and also my ram is set to 1333, im guessing that's default, should i change it to 1600?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 shows 1600MHz RAM as being supported.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

i bought the UD3 MOBO, im pretty sure the mobo supports 1600mhz aswell.I think they put 1333mhz as default for safety.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Just check the Memory Support for whatever Mobo you purchased.


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

I got this message when i tried to switch from 1333mhz to 1600mhz-
manual says - 4×240pin DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Complete Model name of the Mobo and what are the specs of the RAM you installed?


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## vtech (Jul 23, 2006)

GA-990FXA-UD3 AMD 990X/SV950/REV.1.0 AMD3 +/PCI-E2.0X16/ATX 4 DDR3 2-CH-HD AUDIO/1394 GBE LAN/8 SATA 6GB/S/4 USB3.0 { GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AMD Motherboard - Newegg.com }

RAM- CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R { CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R - Newegg.com }


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

That RAM "should" run at it's rated speed, with no OC, with that Mobo. 
You could try contacting Gigabyte to see if there are any issues with that RAM on that Mobo.


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