Advice on my build

[Tbrown37]

* CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1090T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+90]
* HDD: 640GB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+15] (Single Hard Drive)
* MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4A87TD EVO AMD 870 Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3 ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 3 PCI [+8]
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [-94] (Corsair Dominator [+47])
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+120] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)

Cooling: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan
PSU: Corsair 750 Watts CMPSU-750TX - Quad SLI Ready
Speakers: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
Thermal Display: NZXT Sentry-2 Fan Touch Screen Fan Control & Temperature Display
Surge protector: OPTI-UPS SBAH1210EXR
OS: Win 7 premium

Or should I get the AMD Phenom™II X6 1055T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology and the ATI Radeon HD 5870 2GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card instead?

And should I get A-data series or Dominator memory?

 

[Tbrown37]

Bump! Please help me out here i'm making a purchase today sometime.

 

[MK2]

Hi,

I myself always have used Intel processors so I don't know much about the AMD
ones but here's a nice review about the ones you want to choose from:
AMD's Six-Core Phenom II X6 1090T & 1055T Reviewed - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

And as far as i know of 2gb on a video card is atm only of use if you use a multiple monitor setup.
But maybe there's someone here who knows more about it and will correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[Tbrown37]

thanks for reply

I know Intel is for sure better but when I create an Intel machine with identical specs it exceeds my budget. I have one old dead AMD(first computer), an older Intel, and my computer which is the newest and is AMD. I have posted my thread on multiple sites for the widest range of opinions and someone said the same thing about the GPU. Stick with the 1GB unless i'm playing on multiple moniters or very very high resolutions. After reading the gaming benchmarks though in that post you gave (thank you!!) I think I will wait and save some more money to fit an Intel CPU in my machine. Now what i'm looking for is some more threads on gaming benchmarks for CPUs.

 

[MK2]

Here's another review from Anandtech that might be helpful: Intel's Core i7 870 & i5 750, Lynnfield: Harder, Better, Faster Stronger - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

I still like the i7 920 that i'm using very much, exactly because of the reasons
described on the conclusion page.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Any particular reason you are going with liquid cooling? It is a complication that is typically reserved for extreme overclockers and you haven't said you have overclocking experience.

I'd beware of any computer speaker system advertised as "600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers".

Why do you think you need a 750 watt power supply? Corsair is a good brand, but what about the 750 watts?

 

[Bill2]

Depending on your particular requirements, you can explore Win7 pro or ultimate instead of Home Premium. Heres a comparison of all editions.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/14422-compare-windows-7-editions.html

 

[Tbrown37]

No particular reason for liquid cooling it was a free upgrade but I heard from someone on another site that RMAs are not issued for water leaks from liquid cooling so I am going to get a higher end air cooling fan and pay a bit extra to make sure my 3 year warranty doesn't go void from a leak. Why would you beware of that speaker system?

I need at least 700 watt PSU to run a 5870 card and the smallest watt from corsair is 750 so some extra room doesn't hurt for PSU anyway.

 

[Colonel Travis]

I'm getting a Phenom II X6 1055T, just because I don't need the marginal boost from the 1090 with what I do. I know the six-core Intels are killer, but for the money and what it does, you absolutely cannot beat what AMD's got.

Two things:

Thing #1 - what are you using this machine for? If it's gaming, I would not get the AMD 6-core.

Thing #2 - I'm with ignatzatsonic on the 600W speakers, although I believe that number is just for the subwoofer. Ever stick your face in front of a Fender Twin guitar amp at full blast? That's 85W and you will need to see an ear surgeon. If you are getting true, 600W speakers (not subwoofer) simply for your personal use, you will never run them at max volume in your room. Your walls will crack, your ears will bleed and you won't be able to hear the cops banging on your doors after being called by everyone in your neighborhood. A 600W subwoofer is overkill for me, but not overkill for audiophiles, as long as you buy something reputable.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

No particular reason for liquid cooling it was a free upgrade but I heard from someone on another site that RMAs are not issued for water leaks from liquid cooling so I am going to get a higher end air cooling fan and pay a bit extra to make sure my 3 year warranty doesn't go void from a leak. Why would you beware of that speaker system?

I need at least 700 watt PSU to run a 5870 card and the smallest watt from corsair is 750 so some extra room doesn't hurt for PSU anyway.

I just looked at Anantech's review of that video card:

Total system power, idle: 141 watts

Total system power, load: 401 watts.

Make of that what you will.

I would shy away from "600 watts PMPO" speakers because that is the only info you have on it. No brand name, no detailed specifications, etc. It is being marketed to you on the basis of watts alone, signifying nothing about sound quality or build quality. After 40 years of dealing with audio equipment, I can recognize huckster marketing when I see it--a rank wattage claim and nothing else. No frequency response data, no distortion data, no dB data, etc. And even if it was supplied, you should be highly skeptical of it. The seller is hoping you are dim enough to be impressed by "600 watts PMPO" and will bite. I'd buy the thing without speakers if I could and then buy separate speakers in the aftermarket where I could do a proper evaluation without marketing hype.

If all you want to do is create loud noises, I'm sure the speakers will be fine. Maybe in gaming that is all that is needed.

 

[xarden]

Also from an audiophile background, I'm warey of PC speakers claiming to be more than 100Watts.
As Ignatzatsonic previously stated, which I concur with, marketeers generally provide two pieces of misleading information: 1. the Max/peak rating instead of RMS; 2. Overall rating instead of rating per channel.

Example such as, the amp that is rated at 600W.
Lets assume it it a 5.1 system, therefore each channel is only 100Watts.
So each channel at 100W, lets assume they stated the max/peak power. So divide by 3 would make the RMS of the output to be around 30-35watts RMS.
For max/peak ratings on speakers, you'll divide by 2 for the RMS.

The divide by 3 (for amps) and 2 (for speakers) are not scientifically correct but it is a commonly acceptable guideline to stay within the safezones of your system.

So if all you want to do is make loud noises, this should be fine while sitting at your desk. Probably not so much for your home theatre.

 

[Tbrown37]

I decided to get the 1090t over the 965BE mainly because I was using these benchmarks PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End but the post you showed me from Toms is quite convincing that 6 core AMD isn't the way to go. Because this rig is for gaming strictly. As for the speakers I knew that they were going to be cheap but i've been using some horrible stock speakers I got with my first computer ever which was 7 years ago. So just about anything that produces sound will be an upgrade. I can tell their marketing is cheap and that's how it is with their power supplies they offer that aren't the 'premium brand' so I went with the cheapest premium brand.


"I just looked at Anantech's review of that video card:

Total system power, idle: 141 watts

Total system power, load: 401 watts.

Make of that what you will."

I'll have more than enough wattage for the card and the rest of the computer components?


Since I originally made this post some things changed and I had to postpone buying my machine until September. Because I am moving and want to settle into my new address before I make the purchase to avoid any confusion. But with that being the case I am HIGHLY considering making an Intel machine instead for the extra performance I would get.


Also, Colonol Travis regarding the reviews once more the results they got from switching GPUs (specifically the 5850/5870) the almost minimal amount of performance benefits displayed is making me think I should save myself the 135~ extra bucks and get myself a 5850 in the machine. Since I am not an overclocker, don't plan to tweak anything, and will only be running on one moniter at 1280x1024 res most likely.


If I go AMD 965BE for sure and a 5850.

If I choose Intel then an i7 930 (I could pay for 20% overclocking)

I will also probably just choose some lower end logitech speakers without a subwoofer.


I appreciate all the help so far.