Old:

HD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
CPU: AMD FX-4170
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
PSU: Corsair CX V2 600W
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX660 2GB
RAM: Kingston DDR3 HyperX 8GB
Disk Tray: Sony OptiArc
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912

Planning on using 1 monitor initially, but upgrading to 3 later. Do I need to upgrade anything to do so?
Would love advice.

MASSIVE EDIT, MADE UP A NEW BUILD:

HD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3

PSU: Rosewill Capstone 750W

GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N66TOC-2GD Geforce GTX 660

RAM: Kingston DDR3 HyperX 8GB

Disk Tray: Asus DRW

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 240gig

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

Cool Red-LED fans to case: Cooler Master Sickleflow (x2)

Price: 1 250$

12 years ago*

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6.5/10

The Bulldozer is a tad bit of a bottleneck in my opinion. And no, you don't need to upgrade, but I prefer EyeFinity on AMD for multi-monitor displays.

12 years ago
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Would you mind explaining what you mean by Bulldozer?

12 years ago
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I believe he is talking about the CPU.

12 years ago
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Oh, terribly sorry - the AMD FX-4170 processor is part of the Bulldozer family of CPUs. Your rig is pretty well set, but your processor might slow you down just a tad - the price is a tad bit high though, a guy in another thread built one quite a bit faster for about ~200USD more.

Its a perfectly capable rig though, I'll give you that.

12 years ago
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he can still use eyefinity with displayport adaptor (pretty sure)
and i've always been a nvidia fan.

as everyones been saying, if you have the choice, defiantly go with intel instead of AMD, they are just kicking amd's ass in processors.

12 years ago
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yeah im def wrong lol

12 years ago
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honestluy people amd is a best for gaming adn intel is best for making said games if i wanted to make a game i would use my intel machine but to play it i would use my amd (i prefer amd since they use newer technics for their cores while intel uses old unless they stopeed hyperthreading and started hyperlinking)

12 years ago
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You can double that 1TB for about $20 more. I just bought my 3TB drive the other day for 150 from Amazon and I saw 2TB seagate drives for right around $100. More space is never an issue.

12 years ago
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Can't order stuff from Amazon while living in Sweden, which is quite a pain in the bottom.

12 years ago
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Ah, I am sure there are similar prices out there then. Maybe Newegg or Tiger Direct. Don't know anything about shipping to Sweden though.

Edit: Just checked Newegg and the 2TB Barracuda is $109 if they will ship to Sweden.

12 years ago
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Thanks for the tip! Forgot to check Newegg's prices, so hopefully I'll be able to make it even cheaper, and upgrading some of the gear with the extra money.

12 years ago
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not too bad, except for the bulldozer processor - switch it out for a i5, and youve got a decent rig

12 years ago
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It seems like your comment disappeared, so:

Swap the Bulldozer out for an i5 Ivy Bridge, and dont forget to swap the motherboard out with something compatible to the socket!

12 years ago
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Noted, thanks for the tip.

12 years ago
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1020$ seems quite a lot for that build, then again I suppose GTX 660 adds most of the price.

Also I have heard Phenom II X4 (955 or 965) beat the FX series easily at gaming.

12 years ago
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Thanks for the tip, I actually consider getting the 965, unless a cheaper, better variant slaps me in the face.

12 years ago
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I think for that budget Intel is better, you should go with an I5 Instead....

12 years ago
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HD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB- good

CPU: AMD FX-4170- why not intel?

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX660 2GB - gtx 560 TI golden is good too- which games do you wanna play with THAT grafics?:D

RAM: Kingston DDR3 HyperX 8GB- as always

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912- i have the same one, is nice

8/10

12 years ago
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I considered the AMD Phenom X4 965 instead, as I won't need integrated graphics with a separate GPU installed. And the GPU is pending, as I'm having a hard time choosing one that's both in a reasonable pricing, and quality.

12 years ago
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Why the hell do you guys need 3 monitors?Where do you put them,on the wall?

12 years ago
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Large desk, side-by-side. For a full 3D experience, or just for browsing the internet while watching a movie while playing a game.

12 years ago
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bah..too much money for something useless..you can buy a good graphic card with those money...

12 years ago
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AMD Eyefinity / nVidia Surround.

I've used it on my laptop (granted it was only two 27" monitors), it was pretty freaking awesome and immersive.

12 years ago
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Mount them on the wall, and you can watch Porn with class :P

12 years ago
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It all boils down to what you're going to do with it. If you're going for benchmark gaming with titles like Battlefield 3, it will run just fine. I've got a pretty outdated AMD myself (T1055) + MSI 560ti and with it, I can run BF3 with 30-40+ fps on Ultra + 2 AA. Now that your choice of CPU is a generation newer and much faster (4GHz stock vs my OCed to 3.6, whereas my stock is 2.8) and a newer generation graphics card, I don't think you'll have any problems with most games.

While you're at it, get an ASUS Xonar DG. Dirty cheap soundcard that will save you from the terrible Realtek on-board sound.

Otherwise a pretty good budget build.

12 years ago
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Thanks for your tip, going with a better motherboard (Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3). Do you still think I need that soundcard if I won't be using surround initially (but might later)?

12 years ago
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Sounds good. ;)

Depends what your source of audio is right now, whether that being headphones or just regular 2-channel speakers. You won't notice much difference unless you've got audiophile / studio level headphones, so if that's out of the question, you can always drop the soundcard. For me the 20€ alone was worth getting rid of Realtek! :D (And of course the built in headphone amp)

You can always pick it up later if you decide to get some surround going on.

12 years ago
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I haven't good top-notch headphones, so I think I'll just skip it for the moment. (Or untill I pick up a cheap surround system in a yard sale)

12 years ago
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Better, 8/10

12 years ago
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The only thing I would replace will be the CPU and Motherboard, but everything seems to be set.
Also I recommend Micro Center when buying a CPU since they're cheaper than Newegg's price.
As suggested an i5 should be good for your build.

12 years ago
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There's no reason to go AMD if you're building from scratch, as Intel has a CPU that'll best it in every pricepoint and their performance can't be touched. If you must go AMD though, definitely stay away from Bulldozer if you have gaming in mind. Their single threaded performance is pitiful and is even bested by its predecessors, the Phenom's and Thubans. Look up as many benchmarks you'd like. If you're gaming, BD is NOT the way to go.

12 years ago
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Would the AMD Phenom II X4 965 be sufficient for a build like this? Because I feel like it would do fine even without integrated graphics, as I'll use a separate GPU.

12 years ago
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Yes that would be sufficient, and a better performer than the 4170 in gaming. You won't be getting the same performance you would with an Intel CPU depending on the game, but the Phenom 965 is a better choice between the two(965 and 4170). Here's a review of a very CPU intensive game You can see the Phenom is better than the BD, while the Intel destroys the competition. The i3 2100 that out performs any AMD CPU could be had for $20 more than the Phenom 965. Only reason why I wouldn't recommend it is because it only has two physical cores and two hyperthreaded cores. There are only a handful of games out now that support more than 2 cores, but it wouldn't be a good idea to only get a dual core, even if hyperthreaded.

Also, your integrated graphics statement confused me, it seems like you're implying the FX-4170 had some sort of built in GPU, which it doesn't.

12 years ago
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I'm quite confused myself, as it's my first build. It says on Newegg that Intel cards have "Intel HD Graphics X000" (X = random number) as integrated graphics.

12 years ago
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Well yes, the high end Sandy Bridge Intel CPUs have the Intel HD 3000, and the Ivy Bridge have the HD 4000. I have an i5 3570k, but I turned off the integrated graphics on it so I can use my 680.

But you said "Would the AMD Phenom II X4 965 be sufficient for a build like this? Because I feel like it would do fine even without integrated graphics, as I'll use a separate GPU." So it seems like you were talking about AMD. Neither the Phenom 965 or the FX-4170 have an integrated GPU like the Intel does.

12 years ago
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I were talking about skipping intel's integrated graphics, and instead use a AMD Phenom and a GPU. But I don't know what the difference is between the two (except for pricing), sorry for the confusing statement.

12 years ago
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I see. When I was recommending Intel, I wasn't telling you to get an Intel CPU and use the integrated GPU instead of the 660 you want. I was talking about using an Intel CPU and the 660 you intended to get because you will yield higher framerates with an Intel CPU even with the same GPU(the GTX 660). To put it very simply, Intel CPUs are stronger than the AMD CPUs in every way when it comes to gaming. Having an integrated GPU on the Intel CPUs aren't really made for gamers, the 660 totally dwarfs the integrated Intel graphics in performance, and you don't HAVE to use them. Like I said, I have an Intel i5 3570k, but I'm using my 680 and instead of the extremely weaker integrated GPU.

12 years ago
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Okay, now I get it. Thanks for being patient. I'll most likely go for an Intel i5, but it just feels like an overkill that they use integrated graphics while most won't use it. Unless it's a laptop.

12 years ago
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No problem. I can agree with you there, but if for some odd reason your actual graphics cards flies the coupe, you can just use the integrated graphics card on the CPU instead of being blocked out of your system while you wait for a replacement GPU. That's really the only benefit I can see with having an integrated GPU. If you're going with an i5 and don't plan on overclocking you would be fine with an i5 2400/2500. And if you don't plan on SLI'ing(using two 660s at the same time for nearly double the performance) then this mobo should suit you well. It only has one pci-e 3.0 x16 slot so you could only have 1 major GPU in it, so that's why I'm saying it can't SLI. If you want to leave the option open to SLI in the future, then this is a good mobo, and the one that I use.

The price $1020 seems a bit high for what you have in your OP though...a friend of mine just bought an i5 2400/GTX 660ti build with the other parts being similar in price to you and his rig was just above $1,000.

12 years ago
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Heh, Swedish companies... Rebuilt it in Newegg, and it suddenly got a lot cheaper. I upgraded some parts, and got a SSD too. Same price as in the Swedish store, but a lot more bang for my buck.

12 years ago
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Very nice, you mind updating the OP with your new parts? You don't have to if you don't want lol I'm just curious. It was also help people rate your future build better because it'll actually be what you're getting instead of that pos BD :P.

12 years ago
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Done. ^^

12 years ago
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Ok I'm glad you did that. Nice choices, but you kept the AMD motherboard which is NOT compatible with the 2500k. Check my post a few posts up it starts with "No Problem". I linked two motherboards there that'll support the Intel CPU based on your preference. With that 750w PSU which would be overkill for one GPU, but fine for an eventual SLI, I would leave the option of SLI open by getting the Asrock Z77 Extreme4 which supports it.

Also, my personal recommendation. An SSD is more of a leisure, then a necessity. You could ditch the SSD, always add one later, but use the saved money to get a better GPU. A 660ti or 670 if you can afford it after removing the SSD. You'll be getting better gaming performance by getting a stronger GPU instead of using an SSD to cut down some seconds on load times.

12 years ago
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Hey man, would you be up to discuss this on Steam instead? I'd appreciate your help if you did.

12 years ago
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Yea sure, will add ya. I'm "You mean like this?!?" :P

12 years ago
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You should try and get a Amd Radeon HD series vid card. Although its a little bit less faster compare to Nvidia, It uses less power, less heat, and its no where near as loud, if you don't mind the loudness, Nvidia would be better

12 years ago
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Processor is WEAK . Chose Intel ;) Better ! Buy a GTX 570 and a i7 2600k-i5 2500k sandy , coz sandy is better then ivy at gaming.

12 years ago
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Closed 12 years ago by Skogsran.