Intel Motherboards

Wow! I finally get time to sit down and continue writing. Can not wait for the holidays to get over! This is one of the few Saturday's I've had to work and I did not like it one bit. Anyways let's attempt to put the work week behind us shall we? This post I will be talking about the world of Intel motherboards. In line with powerful Intel CPUs, Intel based motherboards also have some really powerful options. As usual I will be mentioning boards that have caught my eye and I feel are good buys. We will start of with LGA1366 then move to LGA1155 finally ending with Intel's newest, LGA2011.

LGA1366


The motherboard, next to the cpu is the most important component of the build as it will determine which and how many video cards will you be putting in your system, how much ram will you be able to install, how many usb ports will you have, how many hard drives/optical drives can you have in your system. Get a good motherboard and it will reward you with stable performance and more enjoyment out of your build. Some good companies to note are Asus, msi, Gigabyte, ASRock and EVGA.

ASRock X58 Extreme 3

The multiple award winning Extreme 3 is a very solid choice for people who want a very good motherboard within a reasonable budget. Currently selling for $169.99, this board supports ATI CrossFireX, 3-Way CrossFireX, Quad CrossFireX, NVIDIA SLI and Quad SLI. You can install a maximum of 24GB Ram in Triple Channel. It has 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, 1 PCI-E x16 slot, 1 PCI-E x1 and two PCI slots. For storage devices it still has a PATA connector which lets you connect 2 IDE devices. On the Sata side it has 6 SATA 3Gb/s connectors which support Raid 0, Raid 1, Raid 10, Raid 5 and Intel Matrix Storage and 2 SATA 6Gb/s connectors which support Raid 0 & 1. It has support for both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Head on over to either the ASRock website link I have proivded or the NewEgg one for complete specifications. If you have any other questions about any Computer products, I will always be glad to help with more detail. One thing I will mention is the size. This is a ATX form factor board with Dimensions of 12.0" x 9.6" inches (304.8mm x 243.84mm.) Knowing the size of the motherboard is very important to ensure that it will fit inside your case.

ASUS Rampage III Formula

ASUS is a company you will become well acquainted with as you dwelve deeper into the world of PC Building. They are a very big player in motherboards and video cards and you cannot go wrong with nearly any ASUS product. The Rampage III is a overclockers dream come true. It is from their ROG (Republic of Gamers) line which uses creates ASUS idea of the best possible products. It also has a SoundBlaster SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built into the motherboard to provide you with amazing sound. Features 3 PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots,  24GB Triple Channel RAM (which can be overclocked to DDR3 2200!), 6 SATA 3Gb/s and 2 SATA 6GB/s. 2 Rear Panel USB 3.0 and 7 USB 2.0/1.1 slots with an additional 2 USB connectors to give you 4 more USB 2.0 ports. One of the best boards you can buy which will let you overclock with ease. Selling for $275.99, it is a ATX form factor with Dimensions of 12.0"x 9.6" inches (304.8mm x 243.84mm.) Asus also has a microATX Rampage III Gene and a Rampage III Black Edition which is an Extended ATX Form Factor (E-ATX.)

Another good option from ASUS is the Sabertooth X58 which has cermaic coating for better cooling and system stability. Selling for $194.99.

Other interesting boards are the Gigabyte G1.Assassin  which is a very good gaming board selling for $379.99, EVGA 141-GT-E770-A1 which is an E-ATX offering from EVGA and also the EVGA X58 FTW3. The 141 GT is selling for $329.99 while the FTW3 comes for $249.99.

For my money I would go with the Rampage III. Asus has the reputation for making some of the best motherboards and they always love to push the envelope with their ROG series. Price wise it falls somewhere in the middle which also a very good thing.




But hey tell me something..... do you have money to burn? I mean lots of money? Then try this motherboard, the EVGA Classified SR-2. Has slots for two (YES TWO!!) Intel Xeon CPUs along with 7 (SEVEN Dude SEVEN!) PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots and up to 48GB of RAM. Selling for $579.99.




I would go on with LGA 1155 and LGA 2011 motherboard but I am very tired from today. I will make sure to complete this post tomorrow at the earliest.

Till then Good Night everybody. (YAWN!.....zzzzz)
Sleepy Kiyoshi signs out.....

CPU Part 2 AMD Lineup

Today I finally find some time to sit down and continue my blog. I apologize for being so slow but with holiday sales season, I am working late hours and then some to get caught up with work. So here I am and now without further delays, let's pick up right where we left off.

My previous post talked about the very powerful Intel lineup and some of the amazing processors they have and with the specs they have you would ask (and rightfully so!) Why go any further? Why? Well it is very simple of course! No discussion about CPUs can be complete without mentioning the wonderful line of AMD CPUs. AMD who have been the king of budget computing for a while now have a very impressive lineup as well. The current AMD family includes the entry level Semprons, Athlon IIs, A-Series APUs which combine both a GPU and a CPU on the same chip, the Phenom IIs and the newly designed FX series.

With my wish to build a gaming pc, the Semprons were knocked out of contention right away being the entry level (budget friendly) cpu for very general computing requirements. It needs a AM3 socket type motherboard and if you want a general use cpu, The fastest Sempron (2.8Ghz Sempron 145 Sargas) is selling for only $39.99.

The Athlon II also drops out of the race for being pretty much a everyday use chip as well. It will run games better then the Sempron mind you but still it's performance leaves much to be desired. One really interesting thing to note, The Athlon II line has Quad-Core CPUs for $99.99 and under! If you want a reliable Quad-Core, you can opt for the AMD Athlon II 640 Propus which is for $99.99

The A-Series is an interesting attempt by AMD. They took a CPU and a GPU and put it onto a single chip. The idea according to AMD being that it will give you more performance in a budget environment without having to resort to buying a discrete GPU. With that in mind the AMD A8-3850 has a 2.9Ghz Quad-core and a  AMD Radeon HD 6550D capable of running DirectX 11. It is selling for $139.99 and requires a socket FM1 motherboard. This too was not in contention for me as it is still not as powerful as my requirements are but if you do not care about playing games in High, Ultra High settings with very high FPS (Frames per Second) then by all means you can go for this chip.

From here on out things though get more interesting.

Phenom II

Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

Stock speed for this little beauty is 3.2Ghz but as it happens to be a Black Edition, Overclocking it is a very simple matter. As long as you have adequate cooling solution it can be overclocked up to 3.8Ghz Stable. Needs a AM3 chipset motherboard. Selling for $124.99.

Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition

This chip starts out at 3.5Ghz and you can take it anywhere from there on! As with any AMD Black Edition, Overclockers are going to be happy with these chips as AMD chips are very very easy to overclock and very stable under overclocking. This one is available for only 139.99


For $169.99, you will get the AMD Phenom II X4 980 which starts at 3.7Ghz and people have been able to overclock to a stable 4.1Ghz with a lot of ease.

Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition

The amazing, awesome Six-Core offering from AMD runs at an equally awesome 3.3Ghz speed. It requires (as usual for AMD) an AM3 motherboard to run. Also being a Black Edition, people have been known to overclock it up to 4.1Ghz with on just the multiplier alone. one of my favorite CPUs which is selling for an awesome $189.99. Yes yes, I used too many awesome but for a sub $200 six core, what other word can you use!?

The Phenom II X6 1090T is also a worthy buy. Another 6-Core offering clocking in at 3.2Ghz and you can buy it for $174.99

FX Series


AMDs newest offering carrying the beloved FX moniker. There was a lot of  hype surrounding the FX series (Code named Bulldozer) and when it was released it set a overclocking world record. The current record stands at 8.58Ghz for this CPU. However reviews and benchmarks gave a different view all together. First it was not the Core i7 beater everyone was hoping it would be (It comes close to Core i5 2500-2500k in terms of performance) and second it was the fact that it took 8-Cores to come close to an Intel 4-Core. In addition, the way AMD has designed the CPU, Current and previous Windows iterations can not handle scheduling efficiently for the cores which results in lower then expected performance. However, all FX chips are unlocked and as with all AMD unlocked cpus, overclocking is easy and works like a charm.

They have released 4 Chips so far.

A 4-Core 3.6Ghz AMD FX-4100 selling for only $119.99
The second is the 6-Core, 3.3Ghz AMD FX-6100 selling for 159.99.


FX-8120

The 8XXX series is AMDs 8-Core offering. Clocking in at an amazing 3.1Ghz, this beast can be overclocked reliably to 3.9Ghz with just air cooling alone and close to 5Ghz with liquid cooling. Needs a AM3+ socket motherboard (According to what I have read, it can run on the AM3 boards as well after a BIOS update.) Selling for $209.99.

FX-8150

AMDs biggest, baddest CPU. Clocking in at 3.6Ghz, this processor jumps to 4.2Ghz when Turbo Boost comes into effect. Selling for $269.99







And there, in a nutshell, you have all of AMDs offerings which I was greatly interested in.

Now all that is left is to tell you which CPU I went with and why...... and the winner is....

The AMD FX-8120.

The options that interested me the most were the i7 2600k, Phenom II 1100T, FX8120 and FX8150. Even with all the disappointment surrounding the FX Series, I ultimately decided on 8120 for the a number of reasons. I was honestly excited about the bulldozer release and even after all the reviews and benchmarks was still interested in it. The current scheduling problems it is running into are similar to what Intel ran into when it first introduced its HT (Hyper Threading : The way Intel offers 2 Threads on a Single Core.) Those problems were taken care of once the newer OS (or patch to the current one, I can not remember which) hit the markets and Intel's woes all but disappeared. In all likelihood this problem will also be taken care of once Windows 8 hits the markets.

The FX series while not being as powerful in alot of benchmarks (and also coming close in some) to i7, it still is powerful enough to play current games on whatever setting you choose. My main choice then was between the 8150 and the 8120 and with the budget I had set for my self, I ended up going for the FX8120.

I will end this blog with some more pictures I took (I apologize that the pictures are not of a better quality, however I will fix that in the near future when I buy my DSLR.... will also blog about that ^_^ ) Also my next blog will talk about the mother board options ( I will list good Intel options as well for all the Intel processors I talked about in my earlier post as well as other AMD motherboards plus the motherboard I ended up with.

Till then,
Adios Amigos.

CPU Part 1 Intel Lineup

Hi everyone,

I would like to apologize for the delay in my update but it is thanksgiving week here which means things are hectic. I have been working long hours and then some just to make sure everything at my work is up to date. But now that my work is done, I am marching on wards with my computer builds and ideas.

I will be discussing Intel CPUs in this post and then following it up with AMD CPUs and finally following it up with what I decided on getting for myself so stay tuned ^_^ .

A.) The CPU


The first and the most crucial part of the build. Which CPU to go with. The choices we have are Intel and AMD in this department. Intel has the powerful Core Family of processors which has three main branches to choose from. Core i3 (The entry level processor), Core i5 (The mid-range processor) and Core i7 (The high-end processor.) My wish to build a gaming PC pretty much ruled out Core i3 for me and left me with Core i5 and Core i7. The processors of interest to me were as follows:

Core i5

Core i5-2500K
The 2500K is a really great processor which runs on the Sandy Bridge architecture. This little beast is amazingly fast and in benchmarks can actually perform better then Core i7-975 Extreme and Core i7-965 Extreme which were the i7's from Intels first generation of the Core i7's. The K in the 2500K denotes that it has an unlocked multiplier which means that you can overclock it with ease. It is  a really great choice and the price is also very competitive. As of the date of this post is priced at $224.99. If you buy this processor please take note you will need a motherboard which has the Socket LGA 1155. Get the wrong socket type and your cpu will not work with it.

Core i7


A lot of options here. From the first Core i7 generation we have

Core i7 980X
An unlocked 6 Core (12 thread) beast of a cpu with the price to match. Currently selling on Amazon (deactivated on Newegg for now so found it on Amazon) for $929.99 (The Amazon price is in fact higher. I am quoting the price I found under the selling as New link.)

Core i7 990X
The ultimate Intel processor on the LGA 1366 socket. Currently selling on for $999.99. Either of these are for a the foreseeable future guaranteed to crush most games (along with a good GPU ofcourse.)








 If you do not want to shell out so much cash you could alternatively go for Core i7 980 which right now is selling for $579.99. Please note that this one has a locked Core which will not allow you to overclock it the way you can OC both the 980X and the 990X. All three listed above are on the LGA 1366 socket type so please choose your motherboard accordingly.

From the 2nd generation (Sandy Bridge) we have


Core i7 2600K
One of my favorite processors. This is an unlocked 4 core processor with hyper threading which basically gives you 8 threads. to work with. It is selling for $319.99. This in my opinion is the best CPU for the value and in benchmarks sits below the 990X, 980X (or above depending on what is being bench marked.)

Core i7 2700K
The latest introduction in the Sandy Bridge lineup, the 2700K has a speed of 3.50Ghz versus the 3.40Ghz of the 2600K. The slightly more brawnier brother of the 2600K is selling for $369.99.







Both CPUs require the LGA 1155 socket motherboards to work with so as always, choose wisely.

The latest addition to all of these processors are the Sandy Bridge Extreme chips which require a motherboard with LGA 2011 socket.

Core i7 3930K
The latest 6Core-12Thread beast which operates at 3.20Ghz. Selling for $599.99. The K as usual denotes an unlocked multiplier for overclocking ease.

Core i7 3960X
The ultimate Intel CPU to date with 6 Cores -12 Threads operating at 3.3Ghz of speed and more L3 Cache than the 3930K. Selling for $1049.99









One main difference to note is that the 2600k and 2700k come with built in Intel HD graphics eliminating the need to buy a separate Video Card whereas the 3930K and 3960X do not have that option. With that being said, if you want to do serious gaming, you are going to need a dedicated GPU for all your visual needs.

My personal thought on which processor to choose are as follows.

If you want to do serious gaming but do not have a big budget, you should choose the i5-2500K. It does not have Hyper Threading which results in 4Cores-4Threads but those 4 Cores with a decent GPU will run just about anything.

If you can spend a little more money you should go for the i7-2600K. It offers some serious computing power and can run through any game with remarkable ease.

Got money to burn? Lots of money to burn? You should choose 3960X. It does everything the 990X does and more. The difference? With 990X you had the option of going with tri-channel ram for some serious performance. The 3960X will give you the option to go with quad-channel ram for ever more potential performance.

Next post I will discuss the world of AMD Processors.

Till then,
Adios--

The PC Build Overview

Hi everyone,

So I just got done with work. Why are Monday's so annoying!? It's the same story every single Monday of your life. You get up and go to work and it always feels like a tornado visited in your absence and decided to re-arrange everything for you!! Deadlines, new things to work on so on and so forth..... 

Okay moving on. Today I will be giving more of an overview about my build list. This will be followed by future posts which will go into each component in more detail. I felt this would give everyone a chance to see what goes inside a computer and also see my motivations for why I decided to acquire certain components over others. 

I wanted to build my computer primarily for gaming but also wanted it to fulfill other functions which include watching and creating high definition video, Listening to high definition music and also editing images. I at some point intend on getting a D-SLR camera and will want to mostly shoot in RAW format and editing those images . 

Okay now for the list.

1. CPU: Two brands to choose from, Intel and AMD. 

2. Motherboard: There are a large number of socket types out there that you can choose from but again they can be broadly divided into again and Intel based motherboard or an AMD based mother board.

3. RAM: The Short term memory of the computer. You have the choice between a DDR2 and DDR3 with DDR3 being the flag-bearer for RAMs. There are various speeds at which they work at as well as Timing values which are of more importance to overclockers then an average everyday user. 

4. GPU: Also known as the video card. If you want to run modern runs at decent or high settings you have to get a modern card preferably the most expensive card you can afford.  There are two main brands when it comes to GPUs. Nvidia and AMD (formerly ATI.) 

5. PSU: The Power Supply Unit which powers everything in your Computer. Your purchase of a PSU in very dependent on how powerful your computer will be. Too little and you might not be able to run things at their full or even intended capacity. Too much and you will have more power then you need and end up under utilizing your PSU. 

6.Sound Card: A lot of people might feel sound cards are not needed. For me though I feel sound cards are important in that no matter what sound card you get, they will make your audio sound much better then any regular on board audio you can find. They also take some load off of your mobo (motherboard) which helps your computer run better. 

7. Hard Drive: These days hard drives are cheap and plentiful. (Though with the recent flooding in Thailand prices have gone up considerably but in general they are cheap.) You have the option of a regular mechanical hard drive, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or Hybrids (which performance wise sit in the middle of HDDs and SSDs.)

8. Optical Drives: DVD players/burners and/or Blu-Ray Drives/Burners. Prices or both are very good these days so you can realistically afford to get both. 

9. Computer Case: You have a lot of options in this category. For now I will list the three main you are likely to encounter namely 1) ATX Full Towers 2) ATX Mid Towers and 3) ATX Mini Towers. 

10. Cooling Options: Most modern computer components put out a lot of heat so you need good cooling options to keep your computer operating at peak efficiency and to prevent them from overheating. A Good case is essential in this regard. You have two popular options in this regard. You can either go for fan based cooling which has the negative of being potentially noisy but is very easy to install or you can opt for liquid cooling which is quieter but sometimes difficult for novice builders to attempt. 

That is everything that goes inside your computer but I am afraid the list is not over yet. For Gaming you will need a good keyboard and mouse setup, either good surround sound or a good headset to communicate with other fellow players. A good monitor is also essential as all the powerful components will be for naught if your monitor cannot display high resolutions. Imagine having a blu-ray player but sitting and watching on a standard definition TV. Also depending on what type of gaming you wish to do you might need other accessories. 

That is all for this post. Next time I promise to include pictures and not just have dry text :). 

Till then

Adios.

Initial Initial Initiation

Hi everyone and a million (heck make that a billion!!) thanks for checking out my blog. I am very new to blogging as my personality tends to make me more of an introvert who is happy just thinking about stuff and not really sharing opinions.

I for lack of a better description am like a magnet without a true north. My curiosity leads me down a multitude of paths when it comes to interests, passions and obsessions. I will be using this blog to record all those paths and hopefully along the way discover my true north.

In the next week or so I will be detailing my current obsession. I am as we speak collecting parts for my very first computer build. It will be an ambitious (for me at least) project for which as I sit and think has no end. My next post will be detailing my initial proposed build followed by what I ended up getting.

With that out of the way I bit you adieu for the while.