Spiral Knights - Building a computer

Building a computer

7 replies [Last post]

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 05:56

Mohandar

Hi fellow knights. I'm building a gaming rig, something I've not done before, and I'm looking for commentary on my build from the DIY savvy. Basically, I want to know if my components will play nice with each other (my main concern is the PSU, pretty sure the other parts fit) and whether there are components that I can get a better version of at minimal additional cost (or less), or components I can get for much cheaper while sacrificing minimal power (or none at all). My target is a modest gaming computer that can handle modern games smoothly on medium-high settings, but not necessarily ultra, and I'm budgeting about $600-700 for these parts. The whole thing will come in around the 1-1.5k range including dual monitors and other necessary stuff.

The core components are:
CPU: AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8350FRHKBOX
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
GFX: GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
PSU: CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Compatible ...
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 06:47

Nicotheguy

Hmmm

You can save some money by choosing a cheaper motherboard, That 990FX chipset is usually for people that use Crossfire or SLI (2 video cards) or you can invest the money you'd save on a better GPU.

That PSU says it's Crossfire ready, It should hold the computer quite fine since you have only one GPU, My brother's computer is running on Crossfire and he's using just a 700w Corsair PSU.

And what about the Hard Drive ? Which one will you be using ?

And let me give you a tip, If you are going to use AMD CPUs, Don't use the stock fan, it's noisy and doesn't cool the CPU properly, get a custom CPU fan, Cooler Master ones are pretty good.

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 09:26

Mohandar

Would you recommend moving down to a 6 core 3.5GHz CPU in the same series as well, or is the extra clock speed and two cores really worth the extra $100? Also, do you have any reliable motherboard recs? I basically sorted the results by compatibility and then number of reviews, and then checked how the reviews fell in addition to pricing; that mobo was the one that came up with the most reviews, better overall rating, and lower price point.

My plan is to get a small SSD and a 1TB Seagate Barracuda (I think I got a similar drive a few years back and it's running just fine). I'll probably add a custom CPU fan to my list, do you have any recs there as well?

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 11:32

Nicotheguy

Well...

That extra can make some difference, The FX-8350 Vishera is actually the top of the FX-8XXX series, If you want to lower the price, Try getting a FX-8150, it's probably cheaper, but if you want to further save money the FX-6XXX series isn't bad, You won't be losing like 50% performance, but there is still quite a difference between 6 and 8 cores, The 8 cores really shine when multi tasking or using programs/games that allow the use of all 8 cores.

Asus is a pretty good reliable manufacter of motherboards, Here I use ASRock motherbards and they work fine, Just remember you need an AM3+ motherboard that has support for a 125w CPU.

The Hard Drive looks nice, SSDs are fast so you can put your games in there or footage if you plan on recording.

As I said, The Cooler Master CPU fans are pretty reliable, They are big so they don't have to spin alot to keep the CPU's temperature in check, but you need a case with a good size, In fact for these gaming rigs you need a case that will fit everything.

If you want to spend the money you're saving in some parts somewhere, Taking your GPU up a notch isn't a bad idea, I heard the GTX 760 is a really cheap GPU and it's pretty good, It can run new games with a good balance between frames/quality.

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 12:32

Mohandar

Yes, I am getting a full-size tower (Rosewill Thor V2). I'll definitely take a look at the ASRock mobos, and look into bumping up the GPU.

You mentioned the more expensive mobo is for taking advantage of Crossfire/SLI. Are there similar considerations when talking about the CPU? I don't want to do the equivalent of putting racing slicks on a jalopy- no sense in having one or more components that won't be able to operate at or near potential.

Thanks for the helpful info!

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 12:41

Nicotheguy

Nah

That's why I told you to get a 125w Mobo, Without it either the CPU won't work or will be limited, It'll work fine, I got a basic ASRock Mobo here for my brother's Phenom II X6 and it does the job well, If you want to be extra sure get an Asus Motherboard.

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 06:02

Mohandar

I mistyped/read, meant to say Asus. Which spec tells me that it is 125W capable? Or do I just have to check that it supports the FX series?

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 06:28

Nicotheguy

Just gotta check

You just need to check the description and it'll say if it supports 125w CPUs, If you found a CPU and isn't sure if it supports or not, Send me the link and i'll take a look.

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Building a computer