Some quick questions

[RJ_Matt]

This isn't a generic 'what system should I buy thread'.
The aim is the same though, in a couple of weeks max I should have my new system, so I'm trying to understand some things here before I step into Nehru Place.

1. Considering I get the HD 5850 - Why should I get an extra PSU? Don't coolermaster cabinets come with a 500W PSU inbuilt? Isn't a 500W cabinet PSU enough to support an i series CPU, HD 5850 etc?
2. Considering I get an i3 or i5 CPU - How much am I looking to spend on a decent mobo? Single PCI E slot, and I'm guessing it'll be a 1156 pin mobo for the i series cpu? Also, do these mobo's support DDR3 Ram? Is this what is known as an AM3 mobo? I'm trying to keep my costs minimum BUT with an i-series processor. I've heard they're fun to OC.

3. Is 4GB DD3 Ram enough? - Will that do for now? How many RAM slots are on these new mobos? Could I buy another 2GB stick later? Jeez I'm so lost guys

4. I'm guessing the 5850 is about 15k. How much is the mobo? minimum to support the specs mentioned above?

Apart from those questions, I'll update the thread as and when I need to ask more. Thanks in advance and please bare with a noob
Also, I'll be around these forums for a while, the only reason I haven't got an Avi and signature is cause I'm in office.

Thanks again
Peace

 

[damn]

1. Considering I get the HD 5850 - Why should I get an extra PSU? Don't coolermaster cabinets come with a 500W PSU inbuilt? Isn't a 500W cabinet PSU enough to support an i series CPU, HD 5850 etc?

Cooler Master currently markets its power supplies under "extreme power" series, the "Real power" series and the "Gaming X" series, the latter isnt even available yet, so the question of it being the OEM with the cabinet is out of question. The extreme power series are non 80+ and are not rated for their true output, the real power series are active pfc, 80+ and rated at their proper output. If you are getting a 500W "Real power" power supply, you are good to go, else your money is better spent on getting a third party power supply. Corsair, Seasonic, Antec are good power supply makers. Plan your config including the fans, usb devices, pci devices and check how much of power you need. Get an appropriate PSU with some headroom.

2. Considering I get an i3 or i5 CPU - How much am I looking to spend on a decent mobo? Single PCI slot, and I'm guessing it'll be a 1156 pin mobo for the i series cpu? Also, do these mobo's support DDR3 Ram? Is this what is known as an AM3 mobo? I'm trying to keep my costs minimum BUT with an i-series processor. I've heard they're fun to OC.

The i3 and i5 are both Intel processors, the i3 is the range of entry level duals and the i5 is the mid range quads. They both and a few quads marketed under the i7 are made for the socket 1156. They support dual channel DDR3. The i3s are amazing overclockers from what I heard too, they apparently they do ~3.8 on stock voltages which is pretty impressive. They are made on a 32nm process, so they have a low TDP. But if you are on a low budget, you could prolly frame an AMD config that would outperform the i3 setup at the given budget. I'd suggest going for Intel only if you are planning to get an i5.
The AM3 is AMD socket, totally irrelevant to Intel.

3. Is 4GB DD3 Ram enough? - Will that do for now? How many RAM slots are on these new mobos? Could I buy another 2GB stick later? Jeez I'm so lost guys

More than sufficient. Four slots, so sure you can although unnecessary for the foreseeable future.

 

[DarkAngel]

Intel Core i3 530 - 5.7k
Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H - 6.8k
4GB(2*2) 1333MHz DDR3 GSkill/ Corsair RAM - 5.8k
Sapphire HD 5850 - 15.8k
Corsair VX450 - 3.8k --> Highly recommend PSU and min. for the H/W you are looking to buy. Stay away from CM Extreme Power series.
These are the pricing for stuff you are looking for.

This isn't a generic 'what system should I buy thread'.Apart from those questions, I'll update the thread as and when I need to ask more. Thanks in advance and please bare with a noob

Eventhough you are now seeking answers for the questions it would be better to give ppl of a fair idea of existing config, budget, needs etc... so that they can help you zero in on components for your needs.

 

[harryneopotter]

Cooler Master currently markets its power supplies under "extreme power" series, the "Real power" series and the "Gaming X" series, the latter isnt even available yet, so the question of it being the OEM with the cabinet is out of question.

The Gaming X series is available as Cooler Master GX series, both online as well as at retails shops.

GX 550 -- 4500/-
GX 650 -- 5500/-
GX 750 -- 6500/-

 

[RJ_Matt]

Cooler Master currently markets its power supplies under "extreme power" series, the "Real power" series and the "Gaming X" series, the latter isnt even available yet, so the question of it being the OEM with the cabinet is out of question. The extreme power series are non 80+ and are not rated for their true output, the real power series are active pfc, 80+ and rated at their proper output. If you are getting a 500W "Real power" power supply, you are good to go, else your money is better spent on getting a third party power supply. Corsair, Seasonic, Antec are good power supply makers. Plan your config including the fans, usb devices, pci devices and check how much of power you need. Get an appropriate PSU with some headroom.The i3 and i5 are both Intel processors, the i3 is the range of entry level duals and the i5 is the mid range quads. They both and a few quads marketed under the i7 are made for the socket 1156. They support dual channel DDR3. The i3s are amazing overclockers from what I heard too, they apparently they do ~3.8 on stock voltages which is pretty impressive. They are made on a 32nm process, so they have a low TDP. But if you are on a low budget, you could prolly frame an AMD config that would outperform the i3 setup at the given budget. I'd suggest going for Intel only if you are planning to get an i5.
The AM3 is AMD socket, totally irrelevant to Intel.
More than sufficient. Four slots, so sure you can although unnecessary for the foreseeable future.

Thanks for that man, excellent explanation.
Also, from what you said about going for AMD - From what I've read on Tom's hardware dot com, the i3 was even better than the E8400, which is a superb chip to OC. So at about 5.5k which is the price of an E7500, wouldn't you suggest an i3 instead? It's got that turbo option too which again, is extremely good for gaming. I know the AMD is cheaper, but it's just the comfort level I have with AMD's since I've never ever used one.

Intel Core i3 530 - 5.7k
Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H - 6.8k
4GB(2*2) 1333MHz DDR3 GSkill/ Corsair RAM - 5.8k
Sapphire HD 5850 - 15.8k
Corsair VX450 - 3.8k --> Highly recommend PSU and min. for the H/W you are looking to buy. Stay away from CM Extreme Power series.
These are the pricing for stuff you are looking for.

Eventhough you are now seeking answers for the questions it would be better to give ppl of a fair idea of existing config, budget, needs etc... so that they can help you zero in on components for your needs.

Is that the cheapest mobo I can go for with an i3 and 4GB of DDR3 RAM?
My other question would be, can I go for kingston instead and save some money on the RAM?

To answer the second part of your query, I don't have a PC now. I'm on a lappy. 2Ghz C2D, 2GB RAM, Nvidia 8600M GS (256M dedicated), the rest is standard, got it for about 600 Pounds when I was in the UK 3 years ago.

What I'm looking for now: Decent gaming setup with a good processor and GPU. These are the main things. I've finalized on a 24 inch HD LCD, brand i'll decide when I go to NP. 4GB Ram for sure. The rest, i.e CPU, GPU, PSU, Mobo, Cabinet is all depending on you tech wizards. I want bang for buck as most people who earn their living. I don't want to spend on extravagant brands. I'm looking for functionality. If OC'ing gives me more performance, I'll read guides and do it. If I really don't have the cash, then I'll get a 5770HD instead of the 5850HD and OC it too. So keeping all that in mind (I'm sorry if I bored you all), I want a recommended setup.

To summarize -

1. Value for money CPU, tried and tested OC'er. If you guys know enough about AMD and recommend it, tell me what I should do

2. Cheapest performance mobo to support the processor and DDR3 RAM

3. MUST HAVES - 24" HD LCD, 5 Series ATI GPU. (If I have to get the 5770 1GB DDR5 to bring down costs now, its fine by me, I'll have enough money to buy a new one later).

4. BUDGET - Preferably below 45k, maybe 40k, fingers crossed between 35-40k. Again, if it can be even less I'm not hesitating. It just needs to have the essentials (See point 3.)
I don't need a mouse, mouse pad, keyboard, speakers. The rest are all standard which i know about, 500GB HDD, Optical drive etc, i just advice on the hardcore stuff. And oh yes, I'm an avid gamer. If you guys know about SKOAR! magazine, I've written reviews for them before.

Wow, I really gotta stop typing now. Hit me back guys. Ty again, and thanks for the input HNP

 

[DarkAngel]

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor AMD Phenom II X2 555BE(3.2Ghz, 2 cores, 6MB L3 Cache) 10500(combo)

Motherboard MSI 785G-E53

RAM 4(2*2GB) 1333MHz Kingston DDRIII RAM 5200

HDD 500 GB WD Blue 2350

GPU Sapphire HD5770 1GB GDDR5 9800

Monitor Benq G2420HD 10500

Cabinet CM Elite 310 1550

PSU/SMPS Corsair VX450 3800

Key Board Logitech MMKB 400

Mouse Gigabyte GM6880 Laser Mouse 900

ODD L.G. GH22NS30 /Samsung SH-S22F SATA DVD-Writer 1100

Speakers Altec Lansing 2.1 BXR1121 1100

Total 46100

A 24" monitor really pushes your costs up. Get a Benq G2220HD ~ 7.7k if on a tight budget.

The PhenomII 555BE is a good VFM option because the initial batches have a high % of successful unlocking and you may get a PhenomII X4 955BE by unlocking 2 Extra cores worth 3k free instantly. Even if it doesn't unlock it is a decent VFM proccy at 5k~ It is a black edition processor with unlocked multiplier. It cant O.C as much as the i-3 though.

The i-3 is a OC's well but decent mobos for it costs 6.5k+. You can only find Intel mobos for 5.5k-6k~ which are pretty useless as it doesn't let you OC much as it lacks many options.

You have to spend 2-3k more on the proccy mobo then. But a unlocked PhenomII X2 555BE easily beats the i-3 530. Check the CPU mobo corner for user experiences of unlocking PhenomII X2's 550BE and 555BE.

 

[damn]

Also, from what you said about going for AMD - From what I've read on Tom's hardware dot com, the i3 was even better than the E8400, which is a superb chip to OC. So at about 5.5k which is the price of an E7500, wouldn't you suggest an i3 instead? It's got that turbo option too which again, is extremely good for gaming. I know the AMD is cheaper, but it's just the comfort level I have with AMD's since I've never ever used one.

The cheapest of the i3 family costs 5,700 and its a dual core. A decent board to overclock it would cost about 8,000. Like DarkAngel explained, nearly every Phenom II has a chance of being a quad and the boards are cheaper too.

Your theory of i3 > E8400 is true, however applications and games are increasingly being optimized for a multiple cores. While higher/faster clock cycles give better performance with most games released thus far, this may not be the case after a few months down the line(if not already so).

If you are uncomfortable with risking AMD over the possibility of unlocking the 2 extra cores, get a Phenom II X3 720 BE.

 

[RJ_Matt]

Interesting article with respect to unlocking AMD CPU's

Two motherboard makers told us at the show that AMD's new processors are safe when unlocking disabled cores. In fact, one motherboard maker even told us that when you unlock the disabled cores, they run at slower frequencies than the normal cores.

This is of course all incorrect, and it is indeed not a safe guarantee when you unlock the disabled cores. The reason for this is that the disabled cores are turned off for a reason: they failed factory tests. Cores can fail for any number of reasons, including defects in the silicon, problems running at full frequency, or a bug introduced during manufacturing.

Both AMD and Intel disable CPU cores for this very reason.

When you unlock the disabled cores, they will run at full processor frequency, since you cannot run each core at different speeds. While you may see initial gains and benefits from turning a dual-core CPU into a quad-core CPU, you may introduce instability into your system. Things may corrupt, calculate incorrectly or even crash.

Despite what we were told, we still recommend that if you're going to unlock disabled cores, do so with caution in mind--there is always a risk that something will go wrong.

That was just for some general reading with an open mind.

DarkAngel - I've decided to go AMD finally, Possibly an X3 Athlon 435/440 or one of the phenoms. The main decision I've made is to go crossfire. I'm going to go for twin HD 5770 1GB DDR5's. Can anyone give me a decent cheap mobo with two PCI-E slots that supports crossfire? I'm going to run the system on 1 5770 first, then get the 2nd one when the prices drop.

What do you guys think? Again, I'm looking for a cheap AMD cpu, DD3 memory compatible, twin pci-e (CF) mobo price.

Thanks again