Final config of my PC.. Pls. choose for me !

karthik316_1999

In the zone
Hello, probably some of you might have seen my other thread..(it got too cluttered) but this would be the final one where-in I need last minute opinions on this mid-range rig that im about to set up..

Budget: 13k (Stretched to 15k if really really worth the penny)

CPU:
Help me choose between Athlon II x3 460 3.4 Ghz / Athlon II x4 645 3.1 Ghz / Phenom II x4 840 3.2 Ghz

The confusion: I Hear people saying Phenom II x4 840 is the same as Athlon II x4 645 since it lacks the l3 cache anyway.
P.S: Once CPU is finalised, should I be paying any attention to the core of the CPU as there was some info's that I could see about variations like the native deneb core and the modified zosma core..?

Mobo:
Help me choose between the Asus M4A78LT-M LE / M4A78LT-M (both nvidia chipsets) / M4N68T-M V2 / M4N68T-M LE V2 (both AMD chipsets)

The confusion: What's with the LE models as I dont seem to find any differences ? Although the M4A78LT-M V2 (Not the LE) seems to be superior, I dont find this one at all in our country atleast.
P.S: I have chosen the lowest of the AM2 socket mobo's from ASUS since I wont be using the onboard GPU anyways. So, are there any other specific mobo features that I should be paying attention to or that I might lose by not opting for those higher onboard GPU models?

GPU:
Help me choosen between Theitdepot - XFX Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR3 ATI PCI E Graphic Cards (HD-667X-ZHF3) /
Theitdepot - XFX Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR5 ATI PCI E Graphic Cards (HD-677X-ZNLC) /
Theitdepot - Asus Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR5 ATI PCI E Graphic Cards (EAH6770 DC-2DI-1GD5)

The confusion: Should I paying attention to the ddr3 / ddr5 memory standards of the GPU at all ? This is keeping in mind that the mobo's that I'm going to use support ddr3 standards only.. I'm afraid the 1GB 6770 ddr5 one's might not fit my budget & the 512MB one's would not be enough :(
P.S: What would be an equal bet from the Geforce series?

RAM:
Nothing decided yet.. Pls suggest me a good 2GB ddr3 brand / model
P.S: Would two 1 GB sticks do any good over a single 2 GB stick ?

PSU:
Help me make-up my mind that my current Zebronics 500w Platinum PSU delivering 22A @ +12v should be enough for the above setup !

The confusion: There have been terrible controversies all over where someone says, go ahead.. that'll be enough and some others say, it does not stand a chance.. pls. go for something that delivers atleast 40A @ +12v !
P.S: Someone suggested the budget FSP Saga II 400w @ about 2k that I guess delivers 17A on +12v1 & 17A on +12v2 = total 34A.
Upgrading the PSU will again hit my budget and at the same time I dont want to take a risk too on getting the components fried ! So, please tell me if this upgrade is really really essential.. or not.

Thanks to all those people who have helped me terribly over this weekend ! :)

-------------------------------

Oh..! Almost forgot the template as told by ico..

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A: Everyday multi-tasking, viewing HD/blu-ray videos, gaming.. yes, that would be the primary reason im upgrading. Although I'm not the person who would spend 30k on a GPU.

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: Yes ! But no Intel based rigs please !

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: 13 k - max.15 k (depends)

4. Planning to overclock?
A: mm... No

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Win xp / win 7 dual-boot

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: Re-using my present 500GB SATA

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A: Currently running 17" CRT @ 1024x768. Might upgrade to an 19" LCD in the near future.

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 5

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: Assembler. Strictly

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: Immediately once my friends @ digit approve a good config !

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Yes ! (Atleast 4 yrs) - not too very greedy due to the budget

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: I would be re-using the cabinet (if that's okay), HDD, DVD-RW, PSU & other usual components. Upgrading only the CPU, Mobo, GPU, RAM. (PSU if suggested very strictly)

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Chennai. Will buy here only.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: None, thanks !
 
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Tenida

Gadget Freak
AMD Athlon II X4 635|4000
Asus M4A78LT-M LE|2600
Gskill 2GB DDR3 1333MHz|750
Corsair CX430V2|2800
MSI R6670-MD1GD5(1GB DDR5)|5500
Total|Rs16050/-
 
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OP
K

karthik316_1999

In the zone
AMD Athlon II X4 635|4000
Asus M4A78LT-M LE|2600
Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333MHz|900
Corsair CX430|2200
MSI R6670-MD1GD5(1GB DDR5)|5500
Total|Rs15500/-


Hi Tenida, thanks a lot for helping ! Can you pls. clarify the below as well for me ?


Any specific reason for not choosing the Athlon II x4 645 3.1 Ghz over the AMD Athlon II X4 635 ? n those queries on the CPU core that I had asked .. any ideas...

I'm perfectly fine with the mobo that you have chosen but any info on those normal M and the LE chipsets ?

The MSI R6670-MD1GD5(1GB DDR5) costs me almost as much as the 1GB ddr3 6770 card. Is there going to be much difference with the ddr5 as against ddr3 on my ddr3 mobo ? I guess you had suggested this keeping the blu-ray movies in mind but its okay.. they would come next to gaming.. can I get a better card suggested pls? n.. + an equal bet from the Geforce series?

The Corsair CX430 only gives out 28A @ +12v but the FSU was much cheaper with 36A output? + my present PSU good for nothing then ? cuz.. I could 2k to invest on a even powerful GPU..!
 
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saswat23

Human Spambot
As i have clearly metioned in your prev. thread, just sell off your current rig and other old parts. You might get aroung 5k for this. So, just use that 5k with 13k and go for a better config. So, for 13k:
* CPU: AthlonII X4 640/645 -- 4k
* MoBo: Gigabyte GA-785GMT-UD2H -- 3.5k
* RAM: Corsair 2GB DDR3 -- 1k
* PSU: FSP SAGAII 500W/400W -- 1.8k/2k
* GPU: MSi/Sapphire HD 5770 -- 7k
Total -- 17.5k


1. Processor:
Go for any of the above proccys which ever is available for 4k, as the diff. Between 640 n 645 is just 0.1GHz so paying more than 4k is not justified at all.
PhenomII X4 840 is also a good choice but it would cross your budget.

2. Motherboard:
Check for this board. Its a 785 chipset board and has better graphics than the boards you have mentioned. Moreover this board has 4 RAM slots making it easier for future upgradation.

3. PSU:
Though i think your PSU might just be sufficient for this rig, but still to be on the safer side go for FSP SAGAII series. The is the most VFM PSU at this price range unlike zeb. Plat. series which has many burning issues.

4. GPU:
The Radeon 6 series are actually no better than the 5 series. Its only that they are 3D enabled, but the performance is more or less the same. But you wont really notice the difference as you have a CRT monitor.
So, the best choice for GPU would be:
HD 5670 512MB DDR5 -- 4.2k
HD 5670 1GB DDR5 -- 4.7k
HD 5770 1GB DDR5 -- 7k

And at this price range AMD is the best VFM card. No NVIDIA card at this budget is comparable to these cards. And moreover using AMD GPU with AMD CPU is the best combination :D.
 
OP
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karthik316_1999

In the zone
Hi Saswat,

- Your budget did not include the RAM ?! So, it then becomes 17.5 k !!

- If the only diff. bt the 2 boards is the onboard graphics, then I prefer the Asus one itself since the onboard is of no use to me anyway. plus I would not be needing additional RAM slots too.. dont think I would go beyond a 2+2GB scenario !

- The GPU..... can you clarify my doubts on the ddr3 / ddr5 memory front ? Will the gddr5 really have a performance boost ? my mobo is limited to ddr3 support. will this not affect things ?

n can I not go for the 6770 as against the 5770 ?

Lastly, GPU brands - palit, XFX, MSI, Zotac, Asus. How would be order / rate them performance wise ?
 

saswat23

Human Spambot
BTW dont go for CX-430 anyway. FSP SAGAII 400W is much better than it and is also cheaper than. If you find CX-400 or CX-430v2 you can go for them too, but avoid CX-430..

Ooops, you left out SAPPHIRE..
I would rank them as:

1. MSi
2. SAPPHIRE
3. ASUS
4. XFX
5. Palit
6. Zotac

Yes, it upto you now. Opt any mobo then.
Coming to GDDR5, as its newer so definitely its better than GDDR3. But when you get GDDR5 GPU at affordable price, then why not go for it instead of GDDR3.

You can go for HD 6770 but it would actually increase your budget without any major increase in performance. You can only get to know the diff. if you have a HD 3D display..
 
OP
K

karthik316_1999

In the zone
hmm.. okay..

This seems to be a very good deal for me @ 5.4k !

Theitdepot - XFX Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR3 ATI PCI E Graphic Cards (HD-667X-ZHF3)

Although its the ddr3 version, I see that the 6770 has opengl 4.1 support as against 5770's opengl 3.2 support

Radeon HD 5770 vs Radeon HD 6770 1GB – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

Coming to GDDR5, as its newer so definitely its better than GDDR3. But when you get GDDR5 GPU at affordable price, then why not go for it instead of GDDR3.

You can go for HD 6770 but it would actually increase your budget without any major increase in performance. You can only get to know the diff. if you have a HD 3D display..

So, even though my mobo supports only ddr3, the GPU acts separately and I will see a considerable performance boost by opting a ddr5 as against ddr3 GPU ?
Sorry, if thats a very silly one.. but i really dont know !
 
OP
K

karthik316_1999

In the zone
Got it..! But will my mobo (supporting upto only ddr3) be a limiting factor for a ddr5 gpu ?!

Also, are G Skill 2gb RAM's any good then 2gb corsair as I see a lotta ppl mentioning g.skill on the forum..
Any good model with nice latency timings ?
 

saswat23

Human Spambot
Your mobo supports DDR3 RAM. So, it wont be a limiting factor as RAM and GPU are totally independent upon each other. GDDR5 means that the GPU has twice the bandwidth of GDDR3 model of the same card. So, it doesnt depend upon RAM in any way. So, getting HD 5770 at 7k is the sweetest deal.
Yes, GSkill RAMs are equally as good as Corsair's. If you get GSkill RipJaws DDR3 1333MHz for 1k, then grab it. This series has good heat sink as compared to Corsairs Value RAM at this price. But the only reason for suggesting Corsair is that Corsair Value RAMs require only 1.5V where as GSkill RipJaws requires 1.65V. Though this wont be an issue for you, so selecting anyone is a good option. But GSkill will be a better option IMO.

The lower the latency the better it is. But IMO you wont notice the difference with slightly higher latencies.
 

MegaMind

Human Spambot
BTW dont go for CX-430 anyway. FSP SAGAII 400W is much better than it and is also cheaper than. If you find CX-400 or CX-430v2 you can go for them too, but avoid CX-430..

Actually FSP Saga ii 500 = CX400 = CX430v2 > CX430 > FSP saga ii 400...
 

MegaMind

Human Spambot
So, getting HD 5770 at 7k is the sweetest deal.

This series has good heat sink as compared to Corsairs Value RAM at this price. But the only reason for suggesting Corsair is that Corsair Value RAMs require only 1.5V where as GSkill RipJaws requires 1.65V. Though this wont be an issue for you, so selecting anyone is a good option. But GSkill will be a better option IMO.

6770 > 5770 at almost same price, so getting a 6770 is a better idea..

As for RAM get the cheapest between corsair & Gskill... Heatsink are not needed unless u OC a lot...

Lastly, is the downgraded OpenGL 3.2 in 5770 vs OpenGL 4.1 in 6770 not important ?

OpenGL matters in 3D...
 

Tenida

Gadget Freak
MSI 6670 1GB DDR5 @5.5K is best deal :)
Gskill 2GB DDR3 1333 MHZ @ Rs 750/- only

AMD Athlon II X4 635|4000
Asus M4A78LT-M LE|2600
Gskill 2GB DDR3 1333MHz|750
Corsair CX430V2|2800
MSI R6670-MD1GD5(1GB DDR5)|5500
Total|Rs16050/-

@Megamind- Is this config. looks good?
 
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OP
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karthik316_1999

In the zone
Asus Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR5 ATI PCI E - 8825
Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB DDR5 Vapor-X 8590
XFX Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR5 ATI PCI E - 8290

Just dont understand how manufacturers like MSI can give such an attractive / unbelievable deal at almost 3 k less ???? There has got to be some catch somewhere ! anybody disagrees ?

6770 > 5770 at almost same price, so getting a 6770 is a better idea..

I guess there is a difference of 1k ? Most of the 6770's retail @ not less than 8.3k
Guess that's the reason saswat did not suggest me that card ;) as I'm on a strict budget ..!
 

Tenida

Gadget Freak
@OP-Arey you have given the price of 6770 whereas i have given MSI 6670.6770 is out of your budget.
 
OP
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karthik316_1999

In the zone
@OP-Arey you have given the price of 6770 whereas i have given MSI 6670.6770 is out of your budget.

:D :D :D.. after 48 hrs of extensive research.. I have lost my visual ability ! means only 1 thing.. My eyes are tired & I need some rest ! :)

So, I guess i'll freeze the 5770 1gb ddr5 !
Too bad... :( I could have gone for the 6770 1gb ddr5 if only my stupid zebronics 5oow could supply power to this new rig :(
 
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