What CPU and MOBO for HD 5770?

New to building a rig, and it seems like the variables are so many that I can't just do a quick 'crash-course' to figure out matching the right GPU/CPU/PSU/MOBO on my own (w/o missing something important).

I've decided to go with a single HD 5770 1gb for now, and then a 2nd 5770, Crossfired, in the future.

For now I'd like to be able to run games like CoDMW2 and FarCry2 and Left4Dead2 and BatmanAA and DragonAge at 1920x1080 at max'd settings (AA & AF not necessarily needed, though), v-synched at 60fps. From reading a bunch of performance reviews, I'm confident the 5770 can handle this.

In the near-ish future I'd like to get a 2nd 5770 for Battlefield Bad Company 2, the upcoming Medal of Honor (Afghanistan), AvP, and Crysis, all at 1920x1080 at high settings (no AA/AF needed, though) at 50+fps. From performance reviews on TechSpot, this seems very reasonable.

So what is an 'appropriate' CPU for a single 5770 now AND factoring the power-potential of the future 2nd 5770? I'm trying to go budget, but not penny-pinch.

And what'd be the right MOBO for them?

Thanks!

Here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_2_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product-Phenom 2 955

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366&cm_re=am3_motherboard-_-13-131-366-_-Product- Motherboard with CF

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=650w_corsair-_-17-139-005-_-Product- Corsair 650w Psu

what's your budget? if you want a future proof platform avoid the intel 1156 platform as there are no 6 core cpus planned for it. if money is no object the core i7 is the way to go but a phenom 2 system is much cheaper and will offer more than enough performance for any of those games. most games only use 2-3 cores so a highend quad is a waste. phenom 2 x3s are great value for gaming and there are the athlon 2 x4s which perform almost identically to the phenoms in gaming and are dirt cheap. imprezawrx500

Trying to stay as cheap as possible, but not in extreme penny-pinching mode.

From what I read, I think you're exactly right about the Phenom II x3. Apparently the 4th core is easily unlockable and the 720 2.8 is easily overclocked to 3.4 Newegg has it OEM for $105 (+$20 cooler).

If I go 5770 (and future crossfiring) and this Phen2 x3 720, what is the least-expensive MOBO for it, considering size/slots/PSU/etc.?

Here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_2_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product-Phenom 2 955

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366&cm_re=am3_motherboard-_-13-131-366-_-Product- Motherboard with CF

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=650w_corsair-_-17-139-005-_-Product- Corsair 650w Psu

04dcarraher

Aren't those all a little 'high-end' for me?

Would this MOBO be OK for me:

http://tinyurl.com/ylsggva

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

Here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_2_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product-Phenom 2 955

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366&cm_re=am3_motherboard-_-13-131-366-_-Product- Motherboard with CF

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=650w_corsair-_-17-139-005-_-Product- Corsair 650w Psu

CMChotmail

Aren't those all a little 'high-end' for me?

Would this MOBO be OK for me:

http://tinyurl.com/ylsggva

AsRock 770 AM3 mobosmc91352

Right on! $60 and free shipping - that's great! Anyone see any problems with this one?

[QUOTE="CMChotmail"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

Here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=phenom_2_955-_-19-103-808-_-Product-Phenom 2 955

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366&cm_re=am3_motherboard-_-13-131-366-_-Product- Motherboard with CF

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=650w_corsair-_-17-139-005-_-Product- Corsair 650w Psu

04dcarraher

Aren't those all a little 'high-end' for me?

Would this MOBO be OK for me:

http://tinyurl.com/ylsggva

But do I really want/need a $115 MOBO vs. the $60 MOBO? (See other posting on this thread for which one it is.)

its got bad reviews though. this one is cheaper and has good reviews :)smc91352

I would reccommend to steal money from your neighbor or sve a bit more if your not in an urge! and get a 5850 or a 5830 at least... cause eventhough 5770 is good... your not going to change it as fast and youll get more when you (if you) Xfire them... Also if you plan on moving to 1080pits going to be better...

my 2 cents...

[QUOTE="smc91352"]its got bad reviews though. this one is cheaper and has good reviews :)04dcarraher

Aha - OK thanks - that's exactly the kind of advice I need since I'm ignorant of those details.

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M

ravenguard90

So, since I want to Xfire, is my 2nd PCIe2.0 16x slot going to actually run at 16x? Most say the first 16x slot is running at 16x, and the 2nd slot is running at 8x or 4x. If it's a choice between 8x or 4x, is the difference of $40 worth it?

[QUOTE="ravenguard90"]

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M

So, since I want to Xfire, is my 2nd PCIe2.0 16x slot going to actually run at 16x? Most say the first 16x slot is running at 16x, and the 2nd slot is running at 8x or 4x. If it's a choice between 8x or 4x, is the difference of $40 worth it?

Well, in order to get full fledged 16x/16x crossfire, you're going to need to buy a 790FX motherboard, which is a lot more costly than what we picked. As for the $40 difference between 16/4x and 8x/8x crossfire, it's highly debatable as to if the extra cost is justifiable, but let's just say as video cards get more powerful, the the 4x PCI-e bottleneck would become more apparent.

Well, in order to get full fledged 16x/16x crossfire, you're going to need to buy a 790FX motherboard, which is a lot more costly than what we picked. As for the $40 difference between 16/4x and 8x/8x crossfire, it's highly debatable as to if the extra cost is justifiable, but let's just say as video cards get more powerful, the the 4x PCI-e bottleneck would become more apparent.

ravenguard90

OK. Thanks guys - I really appreciate the guidance. DAMN there are SO MANY variables w/ every single component when it comes to building a rig. Wow. Kind of fun learning it, but kind of stressful since it feels like I could EASILY end up getting a component wrong when I finally order it all. Sheesh. These forums are saving my life, in that sense.

my specs are below.