€7-800 Gaming Build

Komsomolitz

Hi Guys and Gals!

Looking to build a new gaming desktop within the next week or two, would appreciate any advice at all from all you PC guru's!

CPU wise I noticed the AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core seems to be the most bang for your buck at the moment? GFX cards I'm flexible but I've always had a preference for MSI cooling wise back in the day, unless their reputation has changed since? I've always had a thing for Nvidia when it comes to driver support as well. But again it's been a good few years since i was last "in the game" so I'm probably ignorant there again!



1. What is your budget?

[€7-800]


2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?

[Gaming, BF4, EvE, Skyrim, ArmA 3, DayZ]


3. Do you need a copy of Windows?

[No, have a copy of Windows 8]


4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?

[I have a 250GB G-Skill Titan SSD with a copy of windows 8 on it thankfully!]


5a. Do you need a monitor?

[No, I have a 26" iiyama ProLite E2607WS ]


5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?

[1920 x 1200 I probably won't upgrade again in the near future, all depends really. If there's enough incentive I might? ]


6. Do you need any of these peripherals?

[No, I have a keyboard, mouse, speakers, headset, usb wifi dongle]


7. Are you willing to try overclocking?

[Yes, I've experimented with overclocking in the past when trying to get more juice out of an old rig, but if I'm buying a brand new build then I'd rather not have to]


8. How can you pay?

[Bank Transfer/Visa Debit Card]


9. When are you purchasing?

[In a week or two]


10. If you need help building it, where are you based?

[I should be ok building it myself, will be a first time building one but I'd imagine the learning experience should be good for me, based in Dublin]

Komsomolitz

Bump

SterlingArcher

First things first going to be using hardwareversand for parts buying.

Second familiarise yourself with Geizhals.de discount site. searching for a part use fx CPU you suggested. Then select hardwareversand from the list of shops.

Komsomolitz

Thanks bud! I'm flexible on the parts, It's just from my own brief research that CPU seemed to be the most bang for your buck. But i've no idea whether it will be cost effective if i have to get a particular motherboard for it as well that might be expensive, or whether i'd then have to buy a particular case to fit it and so forth. Or maybe it could be a waste for gaming if most games only use single cores? I'd like to take advantage of Mantle for BF4 as well.

I dont need a monitor, OS or SSD so I'm hoping with the budget i'd be able to hopefully get close to top of the range on the CPU and GFX card!

Cant seem to find a English language option for http://geizhals.de either, just a EU option, makes it tricky familiarizing yourself. I've no idea what a good motherboard would be either, besides it has to match the socket type for the CPU. I have a fair idea what i'd want for a case/heatsink, coolermaster seems to be pretty popular, saw a few nice ones that had sound absorption layers.

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Thanks bud! I'm flexible on the parts, It's just from my own brief research that CPU seemed to be the most bang for your buck. But i've no idea whether it will be cost effective if i have to get a particular motherboard for it as well that might be expensive, or whether i'd then have to buy a particular case to fit it and so forth. Or maybe it could be a waste for gaming if most games only use single cores? I'd like to take advantage of Mantle for BF4 as well.

I dont need a monitor, OS or SSD so I'm hoping with the budget i'd be able to hopefully get close to top of the range on the CPU and GFX card!

Cant seem to find a English language option for http://geizhals.de either, just a EU option, makes it tricky familiarizing yourself. I've no idea what a good motherboard would be either, besides it has to match the socket type for the CPU. I have a fair idea what i'd want for a case/heatsink, coolermaster seems to be pretty popular, saw a few nice ones that had sound absorption layers.

Haha I can almost feel your eyeball pain from looking at benchmarks.

With no os, ssd, or monitor in the budget should be aiming for r9 290 territory. (ultra game settings on 1080p resolution)

yimrsg

With your big resolution monitor a good 280x or 290 would be needed in games like BF4 if you wanted to max everything though if mantle works like it's meant to a lesser card like a 270 could be fine. I'd try get the 290 as the 280x's aren't the best value for money at the moment.

yawhat!

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site. You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

SterlingArcher

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

This is a good build. I didn't post one due to stock problems with r9 which is the main expense. but this would be the way to go.

You will knock about 20 euro off using discount site , will cover delivery.

You may need to put build on hold just for now. if you do decided r9 290 is the way to go.

Komsomolitz

Is there any way to post a build like below a bit easier? I just copied from another post and manually edited the html but it was a bit of a pain copy and pasting the entries :P

This is what I have so far, went way beyond initial budget.... would love to snip it down a bit but it was hard finding suitable parts that matched everything and I'm sure i made a few mistakes there, please do inform me! I'm sure there's some incompatible components or overpriced parts where i could do better. I could possibly save up an extra week or two for the below assuming its all compatible/practical but I'd rather save the cash if possible!

If any of you can think of better/similar/cheaper builds please do share! Comments, suggestions, additional builds are much appreciated!

Item|Price
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€127.07
ASRock 990FX Extreme4, AM3+, ATX|€121.15
MSI R9 290 4GD5, AMD Radeon R9 290, 4GB DDR5|€341.04
16GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9|€112.43
WD Green 1TB, SATA 6Gb/s (WD10EZRX)|€47.20
Thermalright HR-02 Macho PCGH-Edition|€41.88
Aerocool Mechatron Midi-Tower - schwarz Window|€71.39
Cooler Master B700, 700 Watt|€58.34
Samsung SH-224DB silber|€14.15
Shipping|€6.99
Total|€941.64

yawhat!

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Is there any way to post a build like below a bit easier? I just copied from another post and manually edited the html but it was a bit of a pain copy and pasting the entries :P

This is what I have so far, went way beyond initial budget.... would love to snip it down a bit but it was hard finding suitable parts that matched everything and I'm sure i made a few mistakes there, please do inform me! I'm sure there's some incompatible components or overpriced parts where i could do better. I could possibly save up an extra week or two for the below assuming its all compatible/practical but I'd rather save the cash if possible!

If any of you can think of better/similar/cheaper builds please do share! Comments, suggestions, additional builds are much appreciated!

Item|Price
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€127.07
ASRock 990FX Extreme4, AM3+, ATX|€121.15
MSI R9 290 4GD5, AMD Radeon R9 290, 4GB DDR5|€341.04
16GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9|€112.43
WD Green 1TB, SATA 6Gb/s (WD10EZRX)|€47.20
Thermalright HR-02 Macho PCGH-Edition|€41.88
Aerocool Mechatron Midi-Tower - schwarz Window|€71.39
Cooler Master B700, 700 Watt|€58.34
Samsung SH-224DB silber|€14.15
Shipping|€6.99
Total|€941.64

You don't need 16GB of ram for gaming, 8 is plenty. Also don't need the extreme4 unless you are planning on adding three graphics card to the machine. 600 Watt is fine for a single card system . 850 Watt if you want to add two R9 290's as they are power hungry. I don't know if you got a chance to look at my previous build.

Komsomolitz

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site. You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

Thanks a million! That looks pretty good, much cheaper motherboard than what I had. On the CPU heatsink, you reckon it's only really necessary if i plan to OC? The one that comes with the CPU should be fine otherwise?

Also on the R9 290 are Gigabyte cards alright? I've always heard good things about MSI but looks like theres stock issues with them at the moment.

RAM wise i was thinking of 16GB to future proof it but i take it it's a bit unnecessary at the moment?

SterlingArcher wrote: »

This is a good build. I didn't post one due to stock problems with r9 which is the main expense. but this would be the way to go.

You will knock about 20 euro off using discount site , will cover delivery.

You may need to put build on hold just for now. if you do decided r9 290 is the way to go.

Will ordering via http://geizhals.de/ give me that discount? or is there a specific code i need to use?

Yeah I won't be ordering for another week or so, prices might change until then but its great to get a good idea of what I should be aiming for.


Also guys CPU wise i'm flexible, if you think my choice could be a better one feel free to comment, its just what i've read about it so far on performance comparison sites, only reason i mentioned it.

john the one

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site. You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

The 212 is currently out of stock on hardwares and. I'm waiting on it to come back in, then doing my first build

Mind you maplins have it in stock but its 40 euro, not nearly as cheap!

yimrsg

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Is there any way to post a build like below a bit easier? I just copied from another post and manually edited the html but it was a bit of a pain copy and pasting the entries :P

This is what I have so far, went way beyond initial budget.... would love to snip it down a bit but it was hard finding suitable parts that matched everything and I'm sure i made a few mistakes there, please do inform me! I'm sure there's some incompatible components or overpriced parts where i could do better. I could possibly save up an extra week or two for the below assuming its all compatible/practical but I'd rather save the cash if possible!

If any of you can think of better/similar/cheaper builds please do share! Comments, suggestions, additional builds are much appreciated!

Item|Price
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€127.07
ASRock 990FX Extreme4, AM3+, ATX|€121.15
MSI R9 290 4GD5, AMD Radeon R9 290, 4GB DDR5|€341.04
16GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9|€112.43
WD Green 1TB, SATA 6Gb/s (WD10EZRX)|€47.20
Thermalright HR-02 Macho PCGH-Edition|€41.88
Aerocool Mechatron Midi-Tower - schwarz Window|€71.39
Cooler Master B700, 700 Watt|€58.34
Samsung SH-224DB silber|€14.15
Shipping|€6.99
Total|€941.64

Change the 290 as it's got a stock cooler, look for one that's got an after market one as they tend to be better.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/4096+MB/153419/Gigabyte+Radeon+R9+290+WindForce+3X%2C+4GB+GDDR5%2C+2x+DVI%2C+HDMI%2C+DisplayPort.article

Also do you need 16gb of ram, 8 is sufficient for most, so you can save a little there.

SterlingArcher

john the one wrote: »

The 212 is currently out of stock on hardwares and. I'm waiting on it to come back in, then doing my first build

Mind you maplins have it in stock but its 40 euro, not nearly as cheap!

Ment to say to you john might have a spare monitor there if you need to knock 100 your budget. is not 1080p but I played arma3 on it still looked good. Anyway will tide you over.

john the one

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Ment to say to you john might have a sparw

?

Komsomolitz

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site. You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

Will the 212 Evo Cooler fit in that case as well? I noticed the cooler is 159mm and the space for it in the case is 160mm, would that be cutting it a bit close?

Also with the direction the fan is facing on the heatsink, any case i get like the one above would definitely need airholes on the side of it yeah?

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Will the 212 Evo Cooler fit in that case as well? I noticed the cooler is 159mm and the space for it in the case is 160mm, would that be cutting it a bit close?

Also with the direction the fan is facing on the heatsink, any case i get like the one above would definitely need airholes on the side of it yeah?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6515/corsair-carbide-200r-case-review-how-low-can-you-go/4

Komsomolitz

SterlingArcher wrote: »

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6515/corsair-carbide-200r-case-review-how-low-can-you-go/4

Makes more sense, I had the fan facing a completely different direction in my head :P

Komsomolitz

yawhat! wrote: »

You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

Wouldn't I be better off with the extra two cores of the FX-8320? Plus its black edition so easier to OC?

Though i notice the FX 6300 has a max turbo speed of 4.1Ghz, is that just another way of saying it can be OC'd that far? Is it worth the price drop?

Redfox25

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Wouldn't I be better off with the extra two cores of the FX-8320? Plus its black edition so easier to OC?

Though i notice the FX 6300 has a max turbo speed of 4.1Ghz, is that just another way of saying it can be OC'd that far? Is it worth the price drop?

i have my fx6300 up to 4.4 and its fine. Just depends on your board and airflow for temp. I don't think too many games need the extra cores of the more expensive cpu just yet.

Komsomolitz

Redfox25 wrote: »

i have my fx6300 up to 4.4 and its fine. Just depends on your board and airflow for temp. I don't think too many games need the extra cores of the more expensive cpu just yet.

I think I might be better off with the extra cores then just to future proof it a bit. Upgrading the CPU later on can often mean changing the motherboard as well which I wouldn't be too fond of!

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

I think I might be better off with the extra cores then just to future proof it a bit. Upgrading the CPU later on can often mean changing the motherboard as well which I wouldn't be too fond of!

Wouldn't need mobo change but 25 euro extra now might as well. Hardly a huge saving.

Redfox25

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Wouldn't need mobo change but 25 euro extra now might as well. Hardly a huge saving.

if its only 25 its well worth it. Its more power hungry and runs hotter too but its not a problem

Komsomolitz

yawhat! wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€49.04
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24|€66.36
WD Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€372.90
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€132.33
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€57.67
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€64.55
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€812.70

Prices can be lowered using that giezehls site. You could also go with the FX 6300 which has two less cores.

When you do plan on overclocking get the 212 evo cooler.

Just noticed the RAM you have posted there is PC3-10667U and not 1600, I admit i don't quite understand whats a good speed or not, just that the lower the timings the better. Whats the advantage of 1066 memory or was that a mistake?

SterlingArcher

Corsair vengeance low profile 8 gigs 1600

70 euro with Geizhals.

Swap them in , sorted. Is no biggie .4 yo yo difference.

Komsomolitz

Hi Guys and Gals, I was just about to order the below but all of a sudden my motherboard is now out of stock Can you review the below and make sure i'm getting everything i need and is there any chance someone can suggest a replacement motherboard that's in stock? I've no idea whats decent and compatible.

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€43.24
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz PC3-12800U CL9|€68.52
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€374.37
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€125.43
ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€54.27
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€60.64
Shipping|€11.99
Total|€789.32

Komsomolitz

Would this do? €12 more unfortunately ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€66.25

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Would this do? €12 more unfortunately ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€66.25

No it won't do. Will feel a lot less likely to break in your hand , and probably have better components.

Komsomolitz

SterlingArcher wrote: »

No it won't do. Will feel a lot less likely to break in your hand , and probably have better components.

Do you mean the previous mobo thats out of stock is more reliable/better components?

SterlingArcher

No komo , I was being sarcastic. Apologies.

Asus is a good quality make. It is a fine substitute.

Komsomolitz

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€43.24
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz PC3-12800U CL9|€68.52
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€374.37
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€125.43
ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€60.54
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€60.64
LG GH24NS bare schwarz|€13.63
Shipping|€11.99
Total|€809.22

This is what i went with in the end, quick question that just came to mind, are you sure that R9 290 will work with only a 600W PSU? On the Gigabyte website it says it needs 600W! If thats a minimum then I wont have enough power for the CPU and other components surely? Or are they just covering their asses saying 600W on the website and it actually runs on a much lower voltage? I'm a bit worried as my AMD CPU is a bit power hungry as well.

Edit: Nevermind, this article cleared it up for me! Seems it only really uses a max of close to 300W under max load

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

Item|Price
Corsair Carbide Series 200R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€43.24
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz PC3-12800U CL9|€68.52
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€50.86
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 WindForce 3X, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort|€374.37
AMD FX-8320 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€125.43
ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€60.54
Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M, 600W|€60.64
LG GH24NS bare schwarz|€13.63
Shipping|€11.99
Total|€809.22

This is what i went with in the end, quick question that just came to mind, are you sure that R9 290 will work with only a 600W PSU? On the Gigabyte website it says it needs 600W! If thats a minimum then I wont have enough power for the CPU and other components surely? Or are they just covering their asses saying 600W on the website and it actually runs on a much lower voltage? I'm a bit worried as my AMD CPU is a bit power hungry as well.

Edit: Nevermind, this article cleared it up for me! Seems it only really uses a max of close to 300W under max load

Yep you will be ok with the 600. Your build looks solid , maybe a cooler but its a good build non the less.

BloodBath

600w is pushing it tight if you plan on overclocking and you're going to be using a fair whack of power with poor efficiency meaning you will actually be drawing over 600w of power from the wall.

An overclocked 8320 can use over 200w alone. An overclocked 290 can use 300w. Rest of the system maybe 50w.

Komsomolitz

BloodBath wrote: »

600w is pushing it tight if you plan on overclocking and you're going to be using a fair whack of power with poor efficiency meaning you will actually be drawing over 600w of power from the wall.

An overclocked 8320 can use over 200w alone. An overclocked 290 can use 300w. Rest of the system maybe 50w.

Some good points there, I wont be overclocking until i really need to, so until some future games come out that start to really test my current build. If that ever happens I'll probably take advantage of the motherboard I chose and go crossfire with another r9 290, which in turn means getting a new PSU, which should also solve any issues OC'ing the CPU as well.

Edit: I'll be getting that evo cooler as well, its just out of stock at the moment on hwvs, will probably pick one up from maplins or komplett.

Briannnn

DUDE USE GEIZHALS.DE AND ENTER THOSE PARTS IN AND THERE'S GOOD DISCOUNTS!
Sorry that I shouted, but I had to. If I had done that when buying my PC for €1.3k a year ago, I would have gotten around 5% (€65) - 10% (130) off and that could have gotten me a better case, cooler, GPU etc
the r9 290 with the discount is 350 instead of 370 man

props to bloodbath for pointing out that geizhals.de thing to me.

Komsomolitz

Briannnn wrote: »

DUDE USE GEIZHALS.DE AND ENTER THOSE PARTS IN AND THERE'S GOOD DISCOUNTS!
Sorry that I shouted, but I had to. If I had done that when buying my PC for €1.3k a year ago, I would have gotten around 5% (€65) - 10% (130) off and that could have gotten me a better case, cooler, GPU etc
the r9 290 with the discount is 350 instead of 370 man

props to bloodbath for pointing out that geizhals.de thing to me.

Did that already with most parts but at the time i was ordering the r9 290 wasn't listing on the geizhals site so i had to choose it manually via hwvs. Can't remember exactly, maybe there was simply a price change. Anyways its ordered already.

Briannnn

Alright, nice

Terry Gilliam Beard

Quick question re. the power supply - if you go for a larger PSU, will it use more energy to run the same system with a smaller PSU? I'm concerned about energy efficiency.

On a related note, am I right to turn my nose up at the AMD quad- and six-core CPUs, as they are very energy inefficient?

BloodBath

It's down to the energy efficiency rating of the psu and what % of it's capacity it reaches under load. Ideally your load power consumption should be in the 40-60% range of it's capacity.

So for example an 80+ rated psu running at 90% of it's capacity would only have an efficiency rating of around 80% meaning the psu would be drawing 20% more from the wall than the psu is actually using on parts.

An 80+ plat rated psu running at 50% of it's capacity would have an efficiency rating of around 95% only drawing 5% more than it uses from the wall.

It's not a big deal with low power consumption pc's but when you're using 500w+ you should really be going for at least a gold rated psu that isn't being pushed much higher than 60% of it's capacity.

The FX range of cpus are a fair bit more power hungry than their Intel equivalents. If you're not overclocking it's not much higher but if you are it can be way higher. An overclocked 8320 can use over 200w of power alone at full load.

The stock power consumption of the 6300 is only 95w though which is only a little higher than an i5/i7. Still if you are worried about power consumption i'd go with an intel.

Komsomolitz

Terry Gilliam Beard wrote: »

Quick question re. the power supply - if you go for a larger PSU, will it use more energy to run the same system with a smaller PSU? I'm concerned about energy efficiency.

On a related note, am I right to turn my nose up at the AMD quad- and six-core CPUs, as they are very energy inefficient?

I'm not sure on the PSU question, i'd assume it would only use what it needs depending on your system so having a large PSU doesn't necessarily mean it will be using all of what it's capable of.

On the AMD CPU question yes they are known for using more power than intel but personally i think the difference doesn't really matter, you're talking an extra €40 per year in ESB bills I'd imagine (someone correct me if im wrong here, but i read some figures before of about 60 dollars a year difference). Not a massive difference to what you save buying cheaper amd cards short term at least.

Terry Gilliam Beard

Great answer BB, thanks for that.

SterlingArcher

Komsomolitz wrote: »

I'm not sure on the PSU question, i'd assume it would only use what it needs depending on your system so having a large PSU doesn't necessarily mean it will be using all of what it's capable of.

On the AMD CPU question yes they are known for using more power than intel but personally i think the difference doesn't really matter, you're talking an extra €40 per year in ESB bills I'd imagine (someone correct me if im wrong here, but i read some figures before of about 60 dollars a year difference). Not a massive difference to what you save buying cheaper amd cards short term at least.

This would be accurate only for the time being. There is a reason everything is going much more energy efficiency... energy prices are not static. And sure as **** not going down. If you don't get what I'm saying. Get an ESB bill from 2012 and now 2014. there is a considerable difference.

So that 40 euro this year could be 60 next and so on.

Komsomolitz

"Your payment conclusion via Prepayment was confirmed us"

3 hours later..

"The goods were dispatched"

not bad, not bad at all! Would it be too optimistic in thinking i'll have it by monday? Delivering fairly close to the city centre of Dublin.

bassey

Komsomolitz wrote: »

"Your payment conclusion via Prepayment was confirmed us"

3 hours later..

"The goods were dispatched"

not bad, not bad at all! Would it be too optimistic in thinking i'll have it by monday? Delivering fairly close to the city centre of Dublin.

If it makes it to Tamworth by Friday morning I'd say you're in with a shout

Komsomolitz

bassey wrote: »

If it makes it to Tamworth by Friday morning I'd say you're in with a shout

"Arrived - Tamworth, United Kingdom, Thursday, 03/20/2014"



Could even get to me by tomorrow then? whatcha reckon?

bassey

Tomorrow would be a miracle, I'd say you're looking at Monday

john the one

Komsomolitz wrote: »

"Your payment conclusion via Prepayment was confirmed us"

3 hours later..

"The goods were dispatched"

not bad, not bad at all! Would it be too optimistic in thinking i'll have it by monday? Delivering fairly close to the city centre of Dublin.

Kidding me??? my prepayment was confirmed us on Tuesday and still nothing!

Komsomolitz

bassey wrote: »

Tomorrow would be a miracle, I'd say you're looking at Monday

Probably for the best, got a lot to do over the weekend!

john the one wrote: »

Kidding me??? my prepayment was confirmed us on Tuesday and still nothing!

Ouchy I had officially ordered since the friday night before the bank holiday weekend though, so maybe they had all the parts reserved and ready for shipping by the time the payment went through completely.

john the one

Ordered mine Friday afternoon. If it hasn't arrived by next Friday I will be thick as! Won't be able to set it up til the Friday after as I'm having minor surgery so need to build before then!

Probably won't come at all, or if it does, it will be the T2000 in a box looking to kill me

Komsomolitz

"Tamworth, United Kingdom 21/03/2014 5:47 Departure Scan"

Oh dear, I won't be at home until after 6pm today! wonder would it make it that far.

bassey

I fear it may end up sitting somewhere over the weekend