ONLY CPU, MOBO, PSU: AMD Gaming cum Office Rig for Resident Evil 6! (Budget 15-35k)

[sidhraj]

Question template:

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')

Ans:
I already have a video editing rig: AMD FX8150, Crosshair V Formula, GTX660 (2GB)
I want to build a new day to day office use cum gaming PC, for which i've created this post.
It should be able to play Resident Evil 6 LAN coop and any other games that come until Dec 2013. atleast on medium settings on 1200x768 with shadows off and AA off
+Office 2013.
No photoshop or No video editing on this office rig.

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.

Ans:
anything above 15000. Maximum 35000.

3. Planning to overclock?

Ans: No.

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?

Ans: Already have Win8 64bit.

5. How much hard drive space is needed?

Ans: If budget allows, 1TB. Else I'm going to use my old harddisk from old office computer. don't need SSD at the moment.

6. Do you want to buy a monitor?

Ans: No need, I already have an LG Flatron.

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?

Ans:
-RAM. I already have spare corsair 8GB chips.
-I already have a graphics Card (GTX 550 ti) I don't fancy ultra high setting gaming on 1080p with 16xAA,
so I think GTX550 ti can easily pull off Resident Evil 6 in 1200x768 mode.
-Cabinet (already have cooler master elite 431)
-DVD Writer.
-network router
-mouse,keyboard, speakers, headphones.

8. When are you planning to buy the system?

Ans: Before the launch of Resident Evil 6 (PC)! that is around 25th March 2013

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

Ans: Myself.

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?

Ans: Online. flipkart, theITwares, primeagbg.

11. Anything else which you would like to say?

I want this office rig to be an AMD system. So whenever I upgrade my other video editing rig, i can use its parts inside this system.
I've shortlisted a few specs, but have confusion:

Confusion in MoBo?
--------------------------
I don't need a 990FX because I already have crosshair V for video editing and SLI. So all the boards costing 10000+ are out of the question. Besides who knows what new goodies will come in 2014!
so I'm confused between ASUS M5A97 vs ASRock 970 Extreme 4.
In terms of price there is not much difference both running around 6800-7000. Both have USB 3.0
but according to internet research:
1. ASRock 970 offers SLI, ASUS doesn't. (but i don't plan to SLI or crossfire on office computer.)
2. Overclocking potential of ASUS is higher because it has more CPU phase or something. (but I don't plan to overclock office computer.)
So which MoBo is good for me? or do you suggest any other?

Confusion in CPU?
------------------------
Option A: Cheapest FX 4100 (just futureproof upto Dec 2013)
-------------------------
I think should work sufficient on all games upto Dec 2013, on 1200x768 between high to medium to low settings.
By then AMD Steamroller would have come, I upgrade my video editing rig, and pull out its 8150 and install on this office rig.
My cheapness knows no bounds when it comes to gaming. I've even played Asssassin's creed Revelations on AMD sampron singlecore 2.7 Ghz on 800x600 low settings

Option B: Medium FX 6100
use FX 6100: same as above. Difference between 4100 and 6100 is around 1000 rupees? we are just futureproofing upto Dec 2013. will 4100 work good until then?
Option C: Most expensive FX8350
Like I said earlier, I already have a 8150+crosshair V. So if I buy 8350, i'll want to install 8350 on crosshair V and use its 8150 on this new office computer. But that'll require cost of thermal paste.
Besides, but 8150 is serving my HD video editing purpose fine at the moment. Should hold on to that upgrade till Dec 2013. By them some better steamroller or may be 8500 would have come? What do you say? Performance difference of just 10-15% between 8150 and 8350.
--------------------
Power Supply unit:
Minimum Rs.3000, Maximum around Rs.5000 on this.

please enlighten me thanks.

 

[harshilsharma63]

Well, for office work and gaming, an i5 would be better suited, which will also have lower power consumption. So, here's an Intel rig:

Option 1:

i3 3220 (7000)
Gigabyte B75M DH3 (4000)
Corsair cx500v2 (3500)

total: 14500

Option 2:

i5 3450 (11000)
Gigabyte B75M DH3 (4000)
Corsair cx500v2 (3500)

total: 18500

Option 3:

FX 8350 (11000)
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 (5500)
Corsair GS500 (4000)

option 1 is a low cost config for gaming, it just does the job. Option 2 is best for gaming out of three IMO; it's 4 cores let modern games scale up, provide power for full on gaming and to run a dozen of softwares together. Option 3 is a powerfull MAD config.

I would suggest and personally go for Option 2 as it is best suited for gaming out of the three options and has justifiable price.

 

[Cilus]

Change the MSI Motherboard with Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3. The MSI G46 has very high VRM failure rate.

 

[harshilsharma63]

Change the MSI Motherboard with Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3. The MSI G46 has very high VRM failure rate.

Done. BTW what do you think is best out of the mentioned options?

 

[Sainatarajan]

@harshilsharma63
Your Option 2 is perfect

 

[sidhraj]

Option 2:

i5 3450 (11000)
Gigabyte B75M DH3 (4000)
Corsair cx500v2 (3500)

total: 18500
.

thanks for this input.
Question: how future proof is this motherboard?
I mean in terms of motherboard's capacity to accommodate some new intel chip that might come after a year or two?
also do i need to buy a separate cooler for this cpu, as I've read in some forum posts that intel's stock coolers are not as good as AMD's?

 

[harshilsharma63]

thanks for this input.
Question: how future proof is this motherboard?
I mean in terms of motherboard's capacity to accommodate some new intel chip that might come after a year or two?
also do i need to buy a separate cooler for this cpu, as I've read in some forum posts that intel's stock coolers are not as good as AMD's?

> It will be outdated once Haswell releases in a couple of months. It can accommodate and Intel 2nd or 3rd gen processor but you cannot overclock on it.

> Hasswell will be using new socket so this motherboard will not be able to accommodate the next gen of Intel's processors.

> An aftermarket cpu cooler is not required for i5 3450 (or for any non k series processor) as the processor is locked and cannot be overclocked. For a non-overclockable processor, the stock cooler is enough; just make good use of cabinet fans.