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Thread: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Hello again good people of hexus. One has been a bit inactive for a while and has adopted a role of a lurker these days.

    Anyway, I want to build a light gaming system for my sister (L4d2, goat simulator, amnesia, skyrim, tf2).
    I have the following spare parts:

    -Athlon x2 5000+ AM3 (never unlocked) @ 3.2 GHz OC
    -400w Silverpower SP-400P2
    -HDD + win 7
    -Radeon HD5770 512MB
    -cheap unbranded case

    So essentially I need a new AM3 MOBO and DDR3 Ram

    EDIT:
    Hmm a thought occurred to me that I could steal her new parts, and give her mine

    M3A78-T (AM2+)
    8GB DDR2

    It wouldn’t be a massive upgrade for me I know. But I plan to do a complete new build for myself around the release of the skylake chips.

    Scan today only:
    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...=82371Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P £47.99
    Any good?


  2. #2
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    That motherboard should be fine with her CPU. Having said that you could get her an Athlon II X4 860K or Pentium G3258 based system??

    Should be able to do one for around £150 with 8GB of DDR3.

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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Thanks as always. The idea was to go with AMD so that when i upgrade next year she can have my Phenom II x4 965
    Any ideas on RAM?


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    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Any decent 8GB set for around £50 to £60 should do I suspect.

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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    I remember reading ages ago that phenom II have problems with certain DDR3 kit speeds
    EDIT: quick google search suggests it should be fine
    Last edited by Iron Sights; 03-11-2014 at 12:48 PM.


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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    AMD's where almost always fine with ddr3, because the memory controller was also designed to cope with the higher voltage ddr2, some times there was issues with 4 sticks of the higher voltage ddr2
    It was intel that had issues with the higher voltage ddr3

    And yes that giagbyte is a solid mother board, the original athlon/phenom am2 where not that good if I remember correctly
    They support ddr3, you need a athlon II or phenom II for ddr3
    that athlon x2 5000+ you listed is am2/am2+ not am3, you need an am2+/am3 cpu for that board, it would work in that M3A78-T (AM2+)

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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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      • Motherboard:
      • GA-970A-UDP3
      • CPU:
      • FX 8350
      • Memory:
      • 8GB DDR3 1600
      • Storage:
      • not enough
      • Graphics card(s):
      • R9 380
      • PSU:
      • XFX 450w
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      • Antec 902
      • Operating System:
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      • Internet:
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    a very interesting read talking about VRM and cooling
    http://www.overclock.net/t/946407/am...-info-database

    Tempting to go for a better board what do you think I could get for around £65
    GA-970A-UD3P http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...roductId=86199

    or

    Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008RPZ5H8/?tag=pcp0f-21

    Do you think its worth investing into the better VRM boards or should I just stick with the original GA-970A-DS3P


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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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      • CPU:
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      • Memory:
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      • Storage:
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    The athlon x2 5000+ was a newer revision, also a bit of a funny chip at release. It was based on the newer 45nm phenom II architecture that "could" unlock to a quad, and so is not to be confused with the older 90nm Brisbane chip


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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Are you sure? there's two on 45nm one on the am2+ Deneb (ddr2 only) and one on the am3 Deneb core (ddr2 or ddr3)
    You need to check the stepping, if it's CACZC AC then it's the am3, if it's CACVC AC then it's the am2+ ddr2 only version.
    My guess is that as these where binned chips the ddr3 controller on the cacvc stepping was probably faulty and masked off at a hardware level.

    However you could get that board and some ddr3 for yourself and pass down your am2+ board and ddr2 ram

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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Pob255 View Post
    Are you sure? there's two on 45nm one on the am2+ Deneb (ddr2 only) and one on the am3 Deneb core (ddr2 or ddr3)
    You need to check the stepping, if it's CACZC AC then it's the am3, if it's CACVC AC then it's the am2+ ddr2 only version.
    My guess is that as these where binned chips the ddr3 controller on the cacvc stepping was probably faulty and masked off at a hardware level.

    However you could get that board and some ddr3 for yourself and pass down your am2+ board and ddr2 ram
    Ah yes. Actually when I come to think of it Pob I think you are right. If memory serves me right I recall mine may have been the am2+ one.


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    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    decided to go with the slightly better GA-970A-UD3P board with hope that it will give me more OC headroom
    Now just need ram


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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Iron Sights View Post
    decided to go with the slightly better GA-970A-UD3P board with hope that it will give me more OC headroom
    Now just need ram
    Was about to recommend the Asus, have been very happy with mine.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/M5A97-EVO-R2.../dp/B008RPZ5H8

    I can't get excited about RAM, someone recently posted a link to this which seems a good deal:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CWR3HVS/

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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by DanceswithUnix View Post
    Was about to recommend the Asus, have been very happy with mine.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/M5A97-EVO-R2.../dp/B008RPZ5H8

    I can't get excited about RAM, someone recently posted a link to this which seems a good deal:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CWR3HVS/
    Yeah ASUS looked good, but the was a few quid more, also is it just me or have ram prices have been pretty static


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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by Iron Sights View Post
    Yeah ASUS looked good, but the was a few quid more, also is it just me or have ram prices have been pretty static
    The Gigabyte board should be fine, their quality seems good I just don't get on with their BIOS and after buying a few Gigabyte boards because they were cheaper have gone back to Asus. The Gigabyte machines still work fine, the Asus just seems a more "slick" experience to me.

    And yes, ram prices are "stubbornly remaining high" for those of us that remember buying 8GB of DDR3 for 35 quid.

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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    There's a guy on ebay selling some manufaturer repaired ASUS board for half price (without backplate or any accessories).
    He had a m5a97 r2.0 (good for overclocking) for only £30 or so.

  17. #16
    Qualified Eye-Tician Iron Sights's Avatar
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    Re: Value Oriented Budget Gaming PC Build

    may need a new cpu cooler http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-CNPS5...dp/B006344OMM/
    Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU

    Any good?


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