AMD PC Builds December 2012

Obit’s AMD Gaming PC Builds – December 2012

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$500 AMD PC Build NovemberAMD <$500 Build December 2012

Gaming PC Build Recipe:

All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try   Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA)  Scorptec.com.au(AUS)  pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.

 

Several changes this month with the introduction of the FX-6100 (instead of the FX-4170), cheaper motherboard & memory. Benchmark results can be seen below or @http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/3248994 .

 

Processor: AMD FX 6100 3.3 GHz Hex Core  $113.63.

The FX-4170 CPU used last month has risen to $119.88 this month & it just so happens the FX-6100 is cheaper. The FX-4170 CPU does out perform this CPU in some benchmarks but the FX-6100 outperforms it in others.

 

 

 

Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 $74.99.

Chosen over the motherboard used last month due to price & the fact this has pretty much all the features the previous motherboard has.

 

 

 

 

Graphics:  XFX Double D Radeon HD7770 Black Edition $139.99.

This is a very quiet card, so those who want an ultra-silent gaming pc, this is the graphics card for you. This card is also energy efficient; hence, this build has a 500w PSU.

 

 

 

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 MHz $29.50.

All the RAM you could possibly need with the option to throw more in this build.

 

 

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB $54.99.

This drive should provide plenty of space for your storage needs.

 

 

 

 

PSU:  Corsair CX500W PSU $47.99.

I opted for this PSU because it is 80 plus certified and it has 500w, enough to run this rig to its full potential.

 

 

Case: Dynapower CS-NH3A-SB $20.57.

This case was chosen because of the fact it is $20 and it has plenty of room for all the components in this build.

 

 

 

Optical: ASUS Internal 24x DVD-RW $20.07.

I am throwing this in again, because, like I said last month, I have had no problems with my one I use currently.

 

 

 

 


Total: $501.73



$1000 AMD PC Build November

AMD $1000 Build December 2012

Gaming PC Build Recipe:

All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try   Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA)  Scorptec.com.au(AUS)  pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.

This month has seen minor changes with the motherboard & graphics card changing making way for a better case. Benchmark results can be seen below or @ http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/5047424 .

Processor: AMD FX-8320 $169.99.

Again I’ve gone for the 8320. This CPU has shown to be cooler than the 8150 which has slightly higher clock speeds. Benchmarks seen here show a slight rise in performance but nothing major.

 

 

 

Motherboard:  MSI 990FXA-GD65 $118.99.

This month I have decided to change motherboards. Mainly due to price, but this motherboard does include pretty much all the features shown on the Gigabyte GA-990FX-UD3.

 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz $67.99.

I choose this kit again because of its price and it leaves 2 spare slots for future upgrades. In the long run, it saves you having to buy 4 modules later down the track. The kit has had a minor price drop from last month.

 

Graphics Card: Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7970 OC 3GB $399.99.

After viewing this , I’ve decided to throw a 7970 rather than a 680, mainly due to the price difference between each card.

 

 

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB $54.45.

Again I was unable to fit a 1tb drive in, but 500GB should be enough for your storage needs.

 

 

PSU: Corsair CX Series CX750 $84.99.

Same PSU as last month, but with a slight price drop. 750w will be enough to run this rig to its full potential plus its 80 plus certified.

 

 

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower Computer Case $99.99.

This case has very good airflow, and has room for full length Graphics cards and in my opinion, it looks nice.

 

Optical: ASUS Internal 24x DVD-RW $19.98.

I am throwing this in again, because, like I said last month, I have had no problems with my one I use currently.

 


Total:  $1016.37



$1500 AMD PC Build November

 AMD $1500 Build December 2012

Gaming PC Build Recipe:

All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try   Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA)  Scorptec.com.au(AUS)  pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.

Not much change this month, only really the case & GPU. Benchmark results can be seen below or @http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/5004191 . Bear in mind the benchmarks show the 680 with 2GB VRAM rather than the 4GB VRAM in this builds 680.

Processor: AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz $199.99.

Yet again, this CPU is included in this build. This CPU has shown to be cooler than the 8150 which was used two months ago, and this CPU provides much better performance.

 

 

 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler $29.36.

Tests have shown that air cooling is just as effective as water cooling so this month, like last month, I’ve decided to include an air cooler rather than a water cooler.

 

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 $185.90.

I choose this motherboard again over the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 because of it possessing the majority of features on the UD7 and being much cheaper.

 

 

Ram: Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz $67.99.

I choose this kit again because of its price and it leaves 2 spare slots for future upgrades. In the long run, it saves you having to buy 4 modules later down the track. The kit has had a minor price drop from last month.

 

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 OC 4GB $559.99.

Changed 680’s this month as the one used last month has seen a massive price rise.

 

SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB $82.99.

For optimum boot speeds, you need an SDD. This SSD is perfect size for OS and any games to be quickly loaded. I’ve decided to change the SSD to a slightly smaller one due to budget constraints.

 

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 3 TB $124.99.

I choose this because it provides you with plenty of storage for all the essentials, and you shouldn’t run out anytime soon. And because I saved approximately $20 on the SSD, I managed to get a 3TB hard drive in the build.

 

 

PSU:  Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 850M $130.32.

This PSU has enough power to run everything with power to spare, if need be you could throw the 1200W Corsair professional Series PSU in but you shouldn’t need that much power. And it is modular.

 

 

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower Computer Case $99.99.

This case has very good airflow, and has room for full length Graphics cards and in my opinion, it looks nice.

 

 

Optical: Asus 24xDVD-RW $19.98.

I am throwing this in again, because, like I said last month, I have had no problems with my one I use currently.

 


Total: $1501.50


December 2012’s AMD PC Builds Hardware Overview Video

 

Comments 8

  1. Thanks guys! A lot really.. 😀
    Yeah I know the Phenoms are a dying breed and my question was purely for a gaming rig I would like to build probably save a few bucks here and there.. 😉
    A know for a fact that the new FX processors would build a better rounded machine in terms of general computing capabilities..
    I am not a big fan of overclocking so I would probably stick with the current $1000 dollar build.. It more than fulfills my desire to game at 1080p without stuttering in BF3.. 😀

  2. Hey Obit! Nice work once again with these AMD builds!! They are awesome.. 😀
    But I’ve a doubt.. If most games aren’t optimized for multi-core CPUs (read 8 cores).. What if I paired a GTX 680 or an HD7970 with a previous generation Phenom processor, perhaps with the fastest previous generation processor? Or would that cause too much of a bottleneck for these new cards? Just a thought I had..

    1. The phenom CPU’s will work in these builds. http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/amd_fx_8150fx_8120fx_6100_and_fx_4170,6.html . that may help you in your decision. it shows how some of the higher end phenom CPU’s compare to the newer CPU’s. this article http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/video-cards/52666-upgrading-gtx-680-phenomii-worth.html says that Phenoms will bottleneck 680’s. And looking at this article, http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181-21.html , a phenom II 1100t would out perform previous generation FX-8150. Unless you had a phenom II 1100t, which are fairly rare, you will notice a bottleneck from what i can read

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      Hey Aedan,

      The consensus it seems with the article Obit has posted are that you may or may not have a bottleneck… In my personal opinion, if you wanted to get a previous generation Phenom right now for a gaming build, right now may be a great time because of prices (You can grab a Phenom 965 X4 for $99!) That means getting a GTX 680 could be warranted most definitely if you factor it into the overall price. Could it cause a bottleneck? Probably, but you will still get top notch performance on a high end graphics game at higher resolutions (1920×1080 and over) and can even out the bottleneck easily by overclocking to 4Ghz.

      How about the multi core versus the quad Phenoms? Well this is another fuzzy corner, as technically games are not optimized for more than 4 cores max yet. Although looking at benchmarks such as these ( http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-14.html ) The AMD 8350 Vishera is not quite as competative as the Intel i5’s, but it is within AMD’s world (still beating AMD Phenom X4 980); albeit not by a ton but still.

      So all in all going for a Phenom may be a great choice, although they are running out, which makes it hard to make a generalized recommendation. Either way, you’ll be good.

  3. Hey there,

    Thanks so much for taking the time to put these together, I’ve been reading for a while and am going to build your 1000 build this month. I just had 1 concern. The MSI motherboard this month has a gen2 slot for the video card, and I believe the 7970 is a gen3. Correct me if I’m wrong on this, I believe that cold inhibit the video cards performance, albeit by a few percent but still. Am i missing something? And if I’m right would going to the previous months motherboard be a better idea? Thanks again for your great work Obit.

    -Caleb

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