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280x or 7950; Intel or AMD?

P

psurg

Member
I need some help deciding which processor, motherboard, and graphics card to get.

The 280x is out & I'm considering replacing the 7950 with that for $110 more. It's a rebranded 7970Ghz for only $300, but is it worth $110 more than a 7950? I would definitely get the 7950 over the 270x because it's $10 cheaper, a bit faster, and has 3GB of vRAM.

I'm indecisive about the motherboard and processor. I'm looking for the lowest possible $ CPU & motherboard that could run a mildly OC'd 280x or 7950 while playing something as CPU intensive as Battlefield 4 multiplier.


l7FKDv8.png


The CPUs & motherboards are at Microcenter.






1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming & I need an upgrade from my existing one for general tasks.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$700-800

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
US

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.
∅

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
None, but leaning towards AMD since next gen consoles are using AMD.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
60gb SSD

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
If I have to in order to use the GPU to its fullest, then yes. Preferably not though.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
As soon as I decide what to buy.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No.
 
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On your budget, the 280X is technically possible but I would prefer a $200 card in order to not compromise on other components. Overclocked, the 7950 is pretty close to 280X performance. Also, newegg doesn't show any game bundle deals for the new cards.

As for Intel vs AMD; Intel, no contest.

4670K + Asrock Z87 Pro3 $302 (after $10 gift card)
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB 1600 1.35V $38 x2 = $76
Sapphire 7950 $210 ($190 AR)
Seagate ST1000DM003 + Samsung DVD-RW $83
Corsair TX650 $70 AP ($50 AR)
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 $70 AP ($60 AR)

= $811 ($761 AR)
 
lehtv said:
On your budget, the 280X is technically possible but I would prefer a $200 card in order to not compromise on other components. Overclocked, the 7950 is pretty close to 280X performance. Also, newegg doesn't show any game bundle deals for the new cards.
Click to expand...

That's correct, AMD is not offering a game bundle on the R7/R9s right now. They're keeping the bundle on the 7000 series in order to clear it out faster.

I agree that the 7950 makes more sense for an $800 build, but I'll also make a general comment about the R9 280X versus the 7970: the 280X isn't worth it while you can still get a 7970 for $300. The 7970 has a higher base clock (950 MHz vs 850 MHz, obviously factory overclocked versions of both exist) and has a game bundle.
 
Thanks everyone.

You've got me to go with the 7950. However, I'm still not sure on the CPU and motherboard. I want to be able to add a 2nd 7950 in so I can play something as intensive as BF4 with 4xAA at 1920x1080.

I've heard that the FX 6300 is better than the 8320 for gaming because most games don't use 8 cores and I can OC the FX 6300 higher because it runs cooler, giving you more performance in games. (at least that's what I'm hearing).

I'm aware that there's an issue with the FX 6300 in the BF4 beta, so I'd be counting on that being fixed before the game is released.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1836338/low-fps-battlefield-good-rig.html

Apparently that guy^ upgraded to an 8350 and saw no performance gain. Not sure what he upgraded from, but he's only getting 60% CPU usage with an 8350 @ 4.6GHz.

But looking at several gaming benchmarks, I don't see a reason to get the 8320 over the 6300.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6985/choosing-a-gaming-cpu-at-1440p-adding-in-haswell-
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/fx-8350-8320-6300-4300_6.html#sect0

In conclusion, the FX 6300 has to be fine for 2 7950s because the performance difference between itself and the 8320 is marginal in gaming.

Here's my build. Later, I'll add the 7950 and a 212 EVO to overclock. And as I mentioned, I already have a 60gb SSD.

WG8f8KR.png



Here are the benchmarks of the 8350, which sits right next to the x6 1100T in gaming performance. There's no FX 6300 benchmark though. I can't find any for dual 7950s or something similar with the 6300. But the FX6300 is the newer 6 core & I plan on overclocking it, too. The benchmarks are at 1440p & not 1920x1080 like I have. However, I don't think it will make a huge difference, especially when maxing graphics settings on BF4 & newer, more graphically intensive games.

N0jgxgV.png
 
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psurg said:
Thanks everyone.

You've got me to go with the 7950. However, I'm still not sure on the CPU and motherboard. I want to be able to add a 2nd 7950 in so I can play something as intensive as BF4 with 4xAA at 1920x1080.

I've heard that the FX 6300 is better than the 8320 for gaming because most games don't use 8 cores and I can OC the FX 6300 higher because it runs cooler, giving you more performance in games. (at least that's what I'm hearing).
Click to expand...

In principle, the idea of having support for dual GPUs is not bad. It is after all a viable upgrade path if the current single card doesn't satisfy and there are no reasonable single card upgrades to make; or if you decide to go for a higher resolution monitor and your framerates can't keep up.

However, the idea of downgrading to an FX-6300 in order to have the budget for Crossfire compatible motherboard and PSU is frankly terrible. Even a single 7950 can be badly bottlenecked by an FX-6300 in CPU heavy games, especially if you don't overclock the CPU. Adding another 7950 would only make the system even more imbalanced than it already was.

If the equation of Intel+7950+Crossfire compatibility is too expensive, then Crossfire compatibility is definitely the first to go. 1080p gaming generally does not require more than a single card for highly playable, highly good looking settings, which translates to Crossfire/SLI compatibility being a waste of money for the vast majority of 1080p gamers who pay for it.

I'd also point out that the difference between FXAA and 4x MSAA is not worth $200. It's maybe worth $10? I dunno, just my gut feeling.

I'm aware that there's an issue with the FX 6300 in the BF4 beta, so I'd be counting on that being fixed before the game is released.
Click to expand...

As per the above, whether it is fixed is irrelevant: you should still go with Intel. Just to give you an idea of the staggering difference in performance between the 4670K and the FX-6300: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/837?vs=699

Here's my build. Later, I'll add the 7950 and a 212 EVO to overclock. And as I mentioned, I already have a 60gb SSD.

*image*
Click to expand...

Wait, you're actually close to Microcenter? The CPUs and their combo deals are only for in-store pickup. If so, you can grab a 4670K combo from there.

The RAM you've chosen has rather tall heat spreaders. Avoid those because they can interfere with large CPU cooler heatsinks in case you ever get one (which I would definitely recommend in the event that you go Crossfire, because you'll want to OC the CPU in order to minimize bottlenecking).

This is my recommendation for a Crossfire-capable Intel setup:

4670K + Asrock Z87 Extreme4 $315 @ MC
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB 1600 1.35V $38 x2 = $76
Sapphire 7950 $210 ($190 AR)
Seagate ST1000DM003 + Samsung DVD-RW $83
EVGA SuperNova NEX 750 B $80 ($60 AR)
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 $70 AP ($60 AR)

= $834 ($784 AR)
 
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lehtv said:
In principle, the idea of having support for dual GPUs is not bad. It is after all a viable upgrade path if the current single card doesn't satisfy and there are no reasonable single card upgrades to make; or if you decide to go for a higher resolution monitor and your framerates can't keep up.

However, the idea of downgrading to an FX-6300 in order to have the budget for Crossfire compatible motherboard and PSU is frankly terrible. Even a single 7950 can be badly bottlenecked by an FX-6300 in CPU heavy games, especially if you don't overclock the CPU. Adding another 7950 would only make the system even more imbalanced than it already was.

If the equation of Intel+7950+Crossfire compatibility is too expensive, then Crossfire compatibility is definitely the first to go. 1080p gaming generally does not require more than a single card for highly playable, highly good looking settings, which translates to Crossfire/SLI compatibility being a waste of money for the vast majority of 1080p gamers who pay for it.

I'd also point out that the difference between FXAA and 4x MSAA is not worth $200. It's maybe worth $10? I dunno, just my gut feeling.



As per the above, whether it is fixed is irrelevant: you should still go with Intel. Just to give you an idea of the staggering difference in performance between the 4670K and the FX-6300: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/837?vs=699



Wait, you're actually close to Microcenter? The CPUs and their combo deals are only for in-store pickup. If so, you can grab a 4670K combo from there.

The RAM you've chosen has rather tall heat spreaders. Avoid those because they can interfere with large CPU cooler heatsinks in case you ever get one (which I would definitely recommend in the event that you go Crossfire, because you'll want to OC the CPU in order to minimize bottlenecking).

This is my recommendation for a Crossfire-capable Intel setup:

4670K + Asrock Z87 Extreme4 $315 @ MC
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB 1600 1.35V $38 x2 = $76
Sapphire 7950 $210 ($190 AR)
Seagate ST1000DM003 + Samsung DVD-RW $83
EVGA SuperNova NEX 750 B $80 ($60 AR)
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 $70 AP ($60 AR)

= $834 ($784 AR)
Click to expand...


Yeah, microcenter is a 20 minute drive. And I suppose you're right. A single 7950 is probably the way to go for me. Would it really be a bad idea to stick with the FX 6300 + ASrock970 + 212 EVO though? I plan on overclocking that to 4.3-4.5Ghz and the 7950 to 1100MHz. I know that the i5 beats the fx 6300 in things other than games , but I don't need to do anything else other than school work & games on this PC.


I'll probably go with the case and RAM you suggested.
FX 6300 @ 4.3-4.5Ghz + 7950 @ 1100MHz = okay for BF4?

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The hexacore is more for encoding, while a i5 is the sweet spot for what you want to do, although it may be a higher price. FX-6300 isn't a bad idea, but the i5 combo is too good to pass up.
 
While it may be that you won't get much bottle necking with the FX-6300, I don't recommend it because you will absolutely have to upgrade the CPU when you decide to upgrade your graphics setup. Most likely that will mean switching to Intel. But if you buy a 4670K now, you have enough CPU power to handle a graphics card upgrade in 1-2 years, which will postpone the need for a new CPU by another similar length of time.

Not only that, but the 4670K consumes less power, and you'll have an IGP to fall back on in case something happens to your graphics card. The IGP can also be used to drive a secondary monitor.

If you want to save a bit of money in the short term, get the 4670K with MSI Z87 G41 for $265. I do agree with RayTheKing though, the Z87 Extreme4 combo is too good. That board is just superb, it has 12-phase CPU power for decent overclockability, Intel LAN and Realtek ALC1150 which is among the best integrated audio chips available. It is by far the better long term solution than an FX-6300, as long as you're able to pay for it
 
lehtv said:
While it may be that you won't get much bottle necking with the FX-6300, I don't recommend it because you will absolutely have to upgrade the CPU when you decide to upgrade your graphics setup. Most likely that will mean switching to Intel. But if you buy a 4670K now, you have enough CPU power to handle a graphics card upgrade in 1-2 years, which will postpone the need for a new CPU by another similar length of time.

Not only that, but the 4670K consumes less power, and you'll have an IGP to fall back on in case something happens to your graphics card. The IGP can also be used to drive a secondary monitor.

If you want to save a bit of money in the short term, get the 4670K with MSI Z87 G41 for $265. I do agree with RayTheKing though, the Z87 Extreme4 combo is too good. That board is just superb, it has 12-phase CPU power for decent overclockability, Intel LAN and Realtek ALC1150 which is among the best integrated audio chips available. It is by far the better long term solution than an FX-6300, as long as you're able to pay for it
Click to expand...

Well, you're really convincing me to get the 4670k. I'm having problems with my secondary monitor on my current set up. I will most likely upgrade the GPU in a couple years & It's pretty much guaranteed to work well in BF4.

The cost of the 4670k with the msi g41 is $290 after tax.
If I replace the Fractal arc mini atx case with an nzxt 210, I'll save $28. Might spring for the Fractal arc MIDI (atx) since it's $70 ap and 60 ar & free shipping.


Ready to buy:
-Sapphire 7950 - $190 AR + free shipping
-Fractal arc midi - $60 AR & AP + free shipping
-i5 4570k & msi g41 z87 - $290 after taxes + local pick up
-samsung dvd burner - $15 AP + free shipping
-2x4gb 1866mhz ram -$75 AP + free shipping

Total: $630

Already owned/purchased:
-250gb hdd - got it free from bro
-60gb ssd - from current computer
-seasonic m12ii 620w - $60 AP + free shipping


Might add a 212 EVO when I need to overclock.

Probably going to pull the trigger on these parts right now since promos expire tomorrow:

wtNSkEr.png
 
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You are catching the tail end of 28nm. If you want more performance 2 years from now, your best bet would be to buy a 20nm card, rather than a 2nd 7950 for CF.
 
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