So, I'm upgrading my PC (Or, rather, winging this one out the window and starting fresh) and am having trouble deciding on a new CPU. I'm going with -ASUS Crosshair V AM3+ mobo, -2x HIS ICEq Radeon HD 7970's in Crossfire -4x4gb Ripjaw G.Skill DDR3 1600 RAM -Raidmax 1kw modular PSU I'm going to also pick up a corsair h100 watercooler most likely, so OCing is possible. I can't decide between a Phenom II 4 or 6 core processor, or the Zambezi 8150 8 core. The Zambezi is the current flagship, and is definately appealing; but I hear that it lags in certain applications and doesn't handle multiple GPUs well. Anyone out there have some knowledge?
Are you dead set on getting an AMD system? Because, to be honest, I'd go with Intel. Ivy bridge is leaps and bounds ahead of anything else out there right now. ASRock makes some phenomenal boards if you want to take a look at them. Z77 is the current go-to chipset, but z68 or p67 would suit you perfectly fine. The Ivy bridges run a little warm when overclocked, but they'll do perfectly fine on water, or just grab a 2500k like I did and do silly things to the multiplier.
Yes; I'd prefer AMD. I've used Intels in the past and never liked them. AMDs are slower; but not by much. They are also tons cheaper, which is a plus considering I'm about to throw $1,000 on video cards.
Ivy Bridge is not an upgrade on Sandy, so stop recommending it just because it's new. The i5 2500k is the best CPU for the money 1.5 years running. If you're going with AMD because it's cheaper, don't bother with Bulldozer. You can get a Phenom II 975 for $150 and the same or better performance. Time #352890 I have to tell people this: you're spending a bajillion dollars on a high end system, but you want a shitty PSU that will be loud and have a huge drop in efficiency in a few years. Get a Seasonic or a rebranded Seasonic or the the best 1kW PSU out there.
Does he really need so many wattsons? I know he's got dual gpus, but 1000 wattsons seems like a lot of wattsons. I've never heard of Seasonic before.
Nope! I used one of those wattage calculators and with the system he's planning (including water cooling) and it doesn't break 700W. 750 would be optimal, but 800/850's ok for down the line when the efficiency is lower. 1000W is always overkill unless you're running servers or a large number of 12V devices (or... quad SLI? but nobody's that stupid).