Importance of Northbridge and Southbridge??? Quality PSU?

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So1dier

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Alright, even though I'm trying to keep up with posts and updates as much as I can there is SOOOO much going on it's almost impossible to keep up. I'll update my final build later, but I'm going to ask a few last questions and hope you can answer it to help me decide what I'm going to get.

Seventeam Quality PSU? If so I can save money and get a modular PSU which is pretty nice.

What's the importance of the Northbridge and the Southbridge?
The motherboard I chose has an AMD 770 Northbridge and an AMD SB710 Southbridge. However, I can upgrade my motherboard to an AMD 870 Northbridge and an AMD SB850 Southbridge for about $40-$50 if its going to be worth it. This upgrade would also give me a USB 3.0 instead of USB 2.0.

This website gave me a formula of how fast your North Bridge should be to keep up with your CPU.
Northbridge Frequency (+/-200) = (CPU-Frequency * 2 ) / 3.15
Overclockers.com

I understand that this ratio is used for overclocking. However this still means if your Northbridge wasn't fast enough your processor would suffer. Is the Motherboard I chose with an AMD 770 Northbridge going to be able to keep up with an AMD Processor 3.4 GHz? Or should I upgrade to the Motherboard with an AMD 870 Northbridge and AMD SB850 Southbridge along with the USB 3.0.


Any recommendations on cases?
I have looked through a lot of cases and I can't choose, whenever I find one I like I read a review saying how much is sucks. I just need a case that will not interfere with my audio, it has enough room to fit all the hardware in, and it has good enough air flow to keep the system cool.


Again, thanks a lot for the help everyone. A few days ago I knew absolutely nothing about computers, and I've come a long way. I ready everyone's comments and have been taking my time to research based on your responses. I hope I'll get my final build up soon and be able to order it by next friday.

Later,
-Josh
 
i wouldnt go with that power supply. a power supply isnt something you want to skimp on... id get a name brand power supply... Antec, corsair, cooler master or silver stone.

and i would recommend any one of these cases:

in order of best to worst:

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Black RC-932-KWN3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...29043&cm_re=antec_1200-_-11-129-043-_-Product
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Also... i would wait for at least a month to build a computer... i joined this forum after i build this computer, i literally kick my self everyday because i didnt join this forum and start reading before i build my computer... now im trying to sell my computer to build my new one...

read, reasrch and ask questions like crazy... wait a month or a while... then build... during this time also save money :)
 
On all systems but the Intel Core i series, the northbridge incorporates the memory controller. This means a faster northbridge will provide faster RAM access to the CPU, allowing for faster RAM reads/writes and less waiting for the next RAM access. This should speed up your system in some games and other RAM intensive applications.

Northbridge also typically incorporates the PCI Express controller, so a faster northbridge may have more PCI Express slots or faster access to the PCI Express bus (meaning potentially better graphics performance). The northbridge's third function is to connect to the southbridge. The southbridge is a multi-function chip typically incorporating a SATA or IDE controller, a USB2.0 controller, a PCI bus controller, an HD Audio or AC'97 connection to the sound chip, and a low-speed connection to a legacy controller. New features like USB3.0 and SATA 6.0gb/s are taken care of by other chips, usually connected to the PCI Express bus on the northbridge. On newer boards, the southbridge usually only has SATA, IDE is provided by a PCI connected IDE controller which may also provide some extra SATA ports.
 
On all systems but the Intel Core i series, the northbridge incorporates the memory controller. This means a faster northbridge will provide faster RAM access to the CPU, allowing for faster RAM reads/writes and less waiting for the next RAM access. This should speed up your system in some games and other RAM intensive applications.

Northbridge also typically incorporates the PCI Express controller, so a faster northbridge may have more PCI Express slots or faster access to the PCI Express bus (meaning potentially better graphics performance). The northbridge's third function is to connect to the southbridge. The southbridge is a multi-function chip typically incorporating a SATA or IDE controller, a USB2.0 controller, a PCI bus controller, an HD Audio or AC'97 connection to the sound chip, and a low-speed connection to a legacy controller. New features like USB3.0 and SATA 6.0gb/s are taken care of by other chips, usually connected to the PCI Express bus on the northbridge. On newer boards, the southbridge usually only has SATA, IDE is provided by a PCI connected IDE controller which may also provide some extra SATA ports.

So is the $40 upgrade from an AMD 770 Northbridge to an AMD 870 Northbridge worth it? Will I see a noticeable difference in performance? Will it be an fps difference?(As small as 1 fps or as big as 15 fps)? Or will it make a computer more smooth, or less spikey?
 
As far as realistic performance I don't know, technically it should be faster, but to see if it is noticeably faster you'll need to look at benchmarks and reviews. See if you can find a review of the motherboard(s) in question as they do show FPS and other important statistics in product reviews. Not having owned any recent AMD products I really can't tell.

As for cases, it's really a personal preference but I do like Antec's cases, I have the Nine Hundred and I think it looks great and is very well built. I also recommend Antec PSU's, but there are many good PSU brands including Corsair, Rosewill, and others. For a budget case I'd recommend Rosewill.
 
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