Another AMD Budget Build

[Zelx]

Hello everyone, I've build a fair amount of intel machines but usually they were for me and with an also fair budget so this is my first time working for someone with a bit tight budget.

I've never used AMD as cpu so I wanted to confirm that I got everything right around that and I'm not messing up anything

Here's the link:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xQWrnQ

 

Is there anything I can change? (I'm using the dollar version to make it easier for the most of the people here, I'm on europe so no newegg or any cool promos that I can get)

Thank you everyone.

[RevoltTrain]

It looks good! I love my 8350

[Zelx]

It looks good! I love my 8350

 

Thanks, I was more concerned about the cpu + cooler + motherboard being 4+2 phase

Also I hate budget cases in general so I usually can't decide, and I have a so small choice around here

[Suffokation]

Looks good.

[Lotus]

Does it have to be AMD? I know you said you're used to intel, but right now in this price range Intel is the optimal choice. I can't think of a single time where I would pick an FX CPU over Intel in this price range.

 

Also, your motherboard selection doesn't work. An FX 8 core CPU uses a ton of power, and so motherboards need really good power delivery. The GA-970A-UD3P is the cheapest board I'd consider for an FX-8 core build. It's a 970 chipset board with VRM design right off the 990FX version of the board (8+2 VRMs).

 

You can get an R9 290 for $5 more than that R9 280x:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-912v308002

[91wow]

Go for a 990FX motherboard if you're looking into overclocking, they have a better power delivery system and usually more stability. 

[WinNut]

It looks good but go for 990FX if your friend is into overclocking.

[Zelx]

Does it have to be AMD? You could do SO much better.

 

It does not have to be strictly AMD, what would you change then?

 

 

Go for a 990FX motherboard if you're looking into overclocking, they have a better power delivery system and usually more stability. 

 

I would need to break the budget too much with it, it will likely stay at 4.0 as long as that mobo doesn't leave

[Clear17Mud]

Here you go

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($159.88 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($25.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme6 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($106.87 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.79 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card  ($239.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  ($55.98 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Micro Center) 

Total: $718.46

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-07 21:18 EST-0500

[Lotus]

Depends. If you just want to game at 1080p, then this is what I'd do (option for putting a second R9 290 if you'd like):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.69 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($92.90 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $787.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-07 21:20 EST-0500

 

 

If you want a dual purpose gaming/workstation machine (because the FX-8 core IS really good in multi-threaded workloads) then I'd do this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($237.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $789.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-07 21:22 EST-0500

 

Both builds are only $10 more than your build.

[Zelx]

snip

 

snip

 

I can't get nowhere close to those deals nearby  

Clearmud, the psu and rams are way more expensive here then that list.

Lotus, I would go 90€ above the  budget and I can't really break it there.

[dizmo]

Not bad, but an Intel system really wouldn't be much more. Maybe an extra $40.

Might definitely be worth considering.

Here's an example:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.69 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $809.62

 

 

Either way, I'd upgrade to an R9 290. I'd also look at different PSU's. EVGA G2 for example, as these usually last several builds.

Also, an SSD might be a better bet to start off with, then upgrading to a 2 drive system when he gets the money. $50 isn't a lot to save up.

 

 

 

Here you go

-snip-

 

Please us BBCode when quoting PCPartPicker. It's a lot cleaner.

[dizmo]

I can't get nowhere close to those deals nearby  

Clearmud, the psu and rams are way more expensive here then that list.

Lotus, I would go 90€ above the  budget and I can't really break it there.

We can't work around things you don't tell us. At no point did you state you don't live in the US.

You really should have added that to your OP

[Lotus]

I can't get nowhere close to those deals nearby  

Clearmud, the psu and rams are way more expensive here then that list.

Lotus, I would go 90€ above the  budget and I can't really break it there.

Wait, where are you located? Should I use de.pcpartpicker.com?

[Zelx]

Not bad, but an Intel system really wouldn't be much more. Maybe an extra $40.

Might definitely be worth considering.

Here's an example:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.69 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($269.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  ($75.98 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $809.62

 

 

Either way, I'd upgrade to an R9 290. I'd also look at different PSU's. EVGA G2 for example, as these usually last several builds.

Also, an SSD might be a better bet to start off with, then upgrading to a 2 drive system when he gets the money. $50 isn't a lot to save up.

 

 

Please us BBCode when quoting PCPartPicker. It's a lot cleaner.

 

He's going to change the machine again around the end of the year for a z97 (or join the x99 master race if everything goes well) and a i5/i7.

Yes he will be wasting around 200€ with that change later, but he need the machine up asap

[Zelx]

We can't work around things you don't tell us. At no point did you state you don't live in the US.

You really should have added that to your OP

 

Hello everyone, I've build a fair amount of intel machines but usually they were for me and with an also fair budget so this is my first time working for someone with a bit tight budget.

I've never used AMD as cpu so I wanted to confirm that I got everything right around that and I'm not messing up anything

Here's the link:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xQWrnQ

 

Is there anything I can change? (I'm using the dollar version to make it easier for the most of the people here, I'm on europe so no newegg or any cool promos that I can get)

Thank you everyone.

 

There..

 

 

 

Wait, where are you located? Should I use de.pcpartpicker.com?

 

Portugal, pcpartpicker doesn't get here eheh

[Lotus]

Okay, then try this build, written in generics:

 

i5-4440

cheapest h81 board you can find

a single 8GB ram stick (1600/9 is preferable, but any will work)

Seagate Barracuda 1TB or WD Blue 1TB, whichever is cheapest

NZXT Source 210, Zalman Z3+, Fractal Design Core 2300, whichever is cheapest

Cheapest 550W+ PSU that has a good review on JohnnyGuru or any other site that legitimately tests PSUs (SuperFlower units might be available in your area, and those are usually excellent) (remember, efficiency isn't important here. What is important is voltage stability, ripple supression, and power-on-spike prevention)

Whatever is left of the budget goes to GPU, R9 280, R9 280x, or R9 290, whichever you can afford.

 

That should definitely fit in your budget with no need to upgrade anything later.

 

This is an example for germany, which should give you a good idea:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€174.90 @ Caseking)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€46.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (€70.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€55.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card  (€229.90 @ Caseking)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  (€45.49 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Super Flower Golden Green HX 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (€69.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €692.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-08 03:40 CET+0100

Edited February 8, 2015 by Lotus

[Zelx]

Okay, then try this build, written in generics:

 

i5-4440

cheapest h81 board you can find

a single 8GB ram stick (1600/9 is preferable, but any will work)

Seagate Barracuda 1TB or WD Blue 1TB, whichever is cheapest

NZXT Source 210, Zalman Z3+, Fractal Design Core 2300, whichever is cheapest

Cheapest 550W+ PSU that has a good review on JohnnyGuru or any other site that legitimately tests PSUs (SuperFlower units might be available in your area, and those are usually excellent) (remember, efficiency isn't important here. What is important is voltage stability, ripple supression, and power-on-spike prevention)

Whatever is left of the budget goes to GPU, R9 280, R9 280x, or R9 290, whichever you can afford.

 

That should definitely fit in your budget with no need to upgrade anything later.

 

This is an example for germany, which should give you a good idea:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€174.90 @ Caseking)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€46.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Memory: Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (€70.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€55.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card  (€229.90 @ Caseking)

Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  (€45.49 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Power Supply: Super Flower Golden Green HX 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (€69.90 @ Caseking)

Total: €692.98

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-08 03:40 CET+0100

 

I'm working around with this and I had this as an "alternate", but is the i5 non K at 3.2 going to beat the fx8350 in any way?

[Lotus]

I'm working around with this and I had this as an "alternate", but is the i5 non K at 3.2 going to beat the fx8350 in any way?

It destroys it in gaming. It does not beat it in workstation tasks like editing and rendering. Remember, the point of overclocking is better performance. However locked i5s already have sufficient performance to max out current games with no problems, so that extra performance isn't needed in a pure budget gaming build unless you want to start doing ridiculous things like push 144fps for a 144hz monitor.

 

edit: if you want something that destroys the FX in every way including in productivity/workstation tasks, you can do this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€253.65 @ Home of Hardware DE)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€75.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (€69.90 @ Caseking)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€55.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card  (€229.90 @ Caseking)

Case: Zalman Z3 Plus White ATX Mid Tower Case  (€45.49 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Power Supply: Super Flower Golden Green HX 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (€69.90 @ Caseking)

Total: €799.73

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-08 03:47 CET+0100

Edited February 8, 2015 by Lotus

[Zelx]

It destroys it in gaming. It does not beat it in workstation tasks like editing and rendering. Remember, the point of overclocking is better performance. However locked i5s already have sufficient performance to max out current games with no problems, so that extra performance isn't needed in a pure budget gaming build unless you want to start doing ridiculous things like push 144fps for a 144hz monitor.

I'm quite a noob about cpu's and amd vs intel so I will ask, what are the gains on gaming vs rendering? He will be using it as a soft work station.

[Lotus]

Okay, so the basic underlying principle here is single-threaded performance versus multi-threaded performance. Multi-threaded performance is the total sum of all the computation capability of ALL cores of the CPU. Single-threaded performance is the best performance that a single thread (usually 1 thread per core) can do. The problem with gaming is that games are thread limited. Most games use 2-3, maybe 4 threads tops. The FX-8 core CPUs have 8 cores, meaning half (or even sometimes 7/8ths) of the CPU is completely wasted when gaming. Intel CPUs have very strong cores. Much better than AMD, so they have MUCH better single-threaded performance. Since games really only make use or 4 cores max these days, an Intel i5 with its 4 cores is perfectly suited for gaming, and can max everything out. Workstation tasks like rendering, encoding/decoding, etc that are very computationally intensive can make use of all the cores, which is where the FX CPU shines. Still, even though it has twice the cores of the Intel CPU, because the Intel i5's cores are so much faster, even in workstation tasks an FX-8320 is still only like 25% better than the locked i5, and the i5 will completely outperform the FX in games.

 

Remember, not all GHz are equal. Architecture is the real key. Intel CPUs have higher IPC, or instructions per clock. They do more with each clock cycle.

 

I also edited my last post to include another build alternative that beats the FX in both gaming and workstation tasks. The Xeon E3 1231 V3 has better single and multithreaded performance than the FX-8350.

[Zelx]

Okay, so the basic underlying principle here is single-threaded performance versus multi-threaded performance. Multi-threaded performance is the total sum of all the computation capability of ALL cores of the CPU. Single-threaded performance is the best performance that a single thread (usually 1 thread per core) can do. The problem with gaming is that games are thread limited. Most games use 2-3, maybe 4 threads tops. The FX-8 core CPUs have 8 cores, meaning half (or even sometimes 7/8ths) of the CPU is completely wasted when gaming. Intel CPUs have very strong cores. Much better than AMD, so they have MUCH better single-threaded performance. Since games really only make use or 4 cores max these days, an Intel i5 with its 4 cores is perfectly suited for gaming, and can max everything out. Workstation tasks like rendering, encoding/decoding, etc that are very computationally intensive can make use of all the cores, which is where the FX CPU shines. Still, even though it has twice the cores of the Intel CPU, because the Intel i5's cores are so much faster, even in workstation tasks an FX-8320 is still only like 25% better than the locked i5, and the i5 will completely outperform the FX in games.

 

Remember, not all GHz are equal. Architecture is the real key. Intel CPUs have higher IPC, or instructions per clock. They do more with each clock cycle.

 

I also edited my last post to include another build alternative that beats the FX in both gaming and workstation tasks. The Xeon E3 1231 V3 has better single and multithreaded performance than the FX-8350.

 

 

Hm I got it, any reason for a H97 instead of the H81 mobo? If I stick there a H81 I can fit the xeon in the build.

[Lotus]

Hm I got it, any reason for a H97 instead of the H81 mobo? If I stick there a H81 I can fit the xeon in the build.

There are two kinds of CPUs that fit in the LGA1150 socket. Haswell, and haswell refresh. Haswell CPUs will work fine in any 1150 board, but haswell refresh CPUs only work natively in 90 series board (h97, z97). 80 series boards (h81, z87, b85) need a bios update prior to working with a haswell refresh CPU. The problem is you need a working CPU to update the bios to make your CPU work, so you're stuck in a catch-22.

 

The Xeon E3 1231 V3 is a haswell refresh CPU and so needs to go into a 90 series motherboard, unless you know for certain that your 80 series motherboard has already had the bios update. The Xeon E3 1230 V3 is the same CPU (the original haswell version) and it can go into an 80 series motherboard, so if you want to go h81 with the Xeon, you want the E3 1230 V3 CPU. The reason I went to the h97 motherboard was because at this price point I usually prefer to have the extra memory slots for more ram if needed in the future and extra expansion slots. After all, the only reason to get the Xeon over the i5 is for workstation tasks, as the i5 is plenty sufficient for everything else.