FM2 Build

[Willzzz]

A simple little build for my dad.

I'm currently thinking A10-5800K, I still don't get why Richland costs 15% more.

I don't know much about motherboards, A75 gives you SATA3, A85 gives you what?
Does this look OK?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009M47V1Q/?tag=pcp0f-21

Is the stock cooler adequate? I've heard they are kinda noisy?

[Spreadie]

I think the main differences are A85 supports an extra couple of SATA3 ports and RAID5. I can't see anything else.

[Willzzz]

So does that particular MB look OK? It seems very cheap compared to others.

Thoughts on Trinity vs Richland?
Gains just seem to be miniscule, although some reviews are more positive than others.

[Shirty]

If money's a factor just pick up the Trinity chip - the performance difference is negligible across the board compared to the price hike.

For a cheap build I'd say that board looks absolutely dandy.

[scaryjim]

Is the stock cooler adequate? I've heard they are kinda noisy?

They're borderline specced, and definitely noticable. Problem is, if you get a lower TDP APU you get the lower TDP cooler too - the one that comes with 65W APUs is the same as the one that comes with the 45W Athlon II/Sempron CPUs. It's a decent 45W cooler but a noisy 65W cooler. Likewise, the cooler that comes with the 100W APUs is fine on a 65W CPU but noisy on the 100W APUs. They're not horrendous, but they're definitely noticable. If noise is at all a concern you'll want an aftermarket cooler.

[Willzzz]

Well it'll be in a Define R4 so hopefully that'll help keep the noise down.

If I feel the need to upgrade cooling on my Haswell build I can pass that cooler along.
Depends if I get a lucky chip or not!

[DanceswithUnix]

A cooler with a bigger fan would be nice.

I replaced a Trinity stock cooler with the Coolermaster heatpipe one that came with a Phenom II 965, which seems better under load but actually noiser at idle. They both have quite small fans

Not played with a Richland yet, but I have the old top of the range Llano and Trinity cpus in the house. My daughter plays Minecraft etc on the A10-5800 using the integrated graphics.

The extra 14 quid for Richland gets you faster memory support as well as slightly higher base clocks. If you are overclocking that is probably worth every penny, but I know my dad isn't into overclocking

[Willzzz]

As I understand it Trinity still supports 2133mhz memory, just not 'officially'.
I haven't bought 2133mhz memory, but it might get there with a bit of luck!

[Spreadie]

So does that particular MB look OK? It seems very cheap compared to others.

Thoughts on Trinity vs Richland?
Gains just seem to be miniscule, although some reviews are more positive than others.

I can't see any justification for Richland over Trinity - I would go for the A10-5800K too.

For a budget build, why spend more on a mobo than you need to? Lower end boards don't give the same SATA3 performance as more expensive ones, although the difference experienced by the user will be hard to detect outside of benchmarks.

[scaryjim]

As I understand it Trinity still supports 2133mhz memory ...

It'd be more accurate to say that most A10-5800ks will run with 2133MHz memory. However, it's not a supported memory configuration, so if it doesn't work you can't complain to AMD about it. I know Hexus always struggled to get their 5700 to run with 2133MHz memory, but the 5800k is presumably a better binned silicon, and pretty much every review I've read has run it with 2133MHz RAM without issue. You just need to be aware that it's not guaranteed.

If it was me, I'd be going for the A10 6700, an A55-based motherboard (is your dad really going to notice whether his storage is connected on SATA 2 or SATA 3?) and getting a decent mid-range after market cooler.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

AFAIK,the AM3 coolers will work fine on socket FM2. You could always pick up the 125W TDP AM3 cooler for a few quid:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-AMD-CO...item3382c201ef

Edit!!

Having said that I don't notice the A6 3670K cooler that much in a ATX tower(and old Antec NSK4400). I think in a smaller case it would be noticeable though.

[scaryjim]

AFAIK,the AM3 coolers will work fine on socket FM2.

Yup, they do. I've got the stock cooler from the 3670k on an AM3 board, and an AM3 Zalman cooler on my 3670k The retention clip surround was changed from a one piece ring to two separate clips, but the mounting holes and clip positions are identical.

[Willzzz]

Yeah it's true about the SATA thing, although you also lose USB3 on a55? (teehee a55!)

I think for the sake of £4 they are worth having, the extra sockets may be useful too.

[scaryjim]

I think a lot of board manufacutrers add USB3 back with an external chip, but don't know what that does to the pricing - may be just as easy to get an A75...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Yup, they do. I've got the stock cooler from the 3670k on an AM3 board, and an AM3 Zalman cooler on my 3670k The retention clip surround was changed from a one piece ring to two separate clips, but the mounting holes and clip positions are identical.

The 125W TDP cooler is pretty decent on lower TDP AMD chips. Used one in a build with a 95W TDP Phenom II X4 1045T, in Fractal R3 and it was not that noisy under heavy load,and at least I could not hear it when idling or web browsing.

Regarding the AsRock motherboard in the OP,it only seems to use a 3+1 phase VRM,and AFAIK one of the AsRock FM2 mini-ITX motherboards with a similar arrangement had VRM failures.

[Willzzz]

Hmm, is there another board you would suggest?

I've just bought the CPU, but not the MB yet..