What to choose? opinions on new build please..Intel or AMD?

[MindProbe]

Hello there Anandtech!

My budget is hopefully around 600-700 dollars. I could go closer to $1000.00, but prefer not to unless there is a major advantage.

I removed video card from budget



OK.....here goes. I haven't built a system since my Athlon 2500 - A7N8X Deluxe

I have purchased a laptop since then, but I am back in the hunt for a new build.

I don't do a lot of gaming on PC's, but I do use my pc for:

Audio editing

Browser....running 10 to 15 multiple tabs all the time and download quite a bit

I will also be running some virtual machines on the new system and will probably set this up as a server for testing diff OS scenarios.


Can someone with experience please lend me a hand with some recommendations?

I think I have decided on Intel

Remember...this will be a new build (New RAM, CPU, Video card, Motherboard, and possibly a new Power supply). I have a power supply, but it is only a 400w. You think this will be ok? Dual video cards will not be used for a while.

******AMD machine removed*****

WITH INTEL.............

I had to place a hold on this build, but now I do need to build a new machine. The machine is no longer going to be used for video editing, but it will be used as a virtual server running several different Operating systems.

So...video doesn't matter at this point

OC doesn't matter at this point.

This is what i have in my cart so far:

Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price


Update

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #6T Deluxe V2
Item #:N82E16813131365
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$289.99 -$10.00 Instant $279.99


Update

ASUS EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready ... - Retail
Model #:EAH4350SL/DI/512M LP
Item #:N82E16814121310
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
Out Of Stock
Mail in Rebate Card
Auto-Notify
Note (Add)
$39.99 -$2.00 Instant $37.99


Update

Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
Model #:TP-750
Item #:N82E16817371025
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$159.95 -$50.00 Instant $109.95


Update

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Model #:BX80601920
Item #:N82E16819115202
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$288.99 $288.99


Update

CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
Model #:HX3X12G1600C9 G
Item #:N82E16820145235
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$359.99 -$20.00 Instant $339.99


Update

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Model #:AS5-3.5G
Item #:N82E16835100007
Return Policy:Consumable Item Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$9.99 $9.99


Update

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ... - Retail
Model #:RR-B10-212P-G1
Item #:N82E16835103065
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Note (Add)
$29.99 $29.99
Subtotal: $1,096.89


If i could lower the price, it would be great. Any new suggestions?


Should i go with a cheaper motherboard and memory? suggestions?

 

[MindProbe]

Any other suggestions?

 

[lopri]

Hello, and welcome to AnandTech Forums. We have many experienced and knowledgeable members around here and I am sure you will get all the help you need.

In my opinion, a system based on i5-750 or i7-860 would suit your need very well. Core 2 system is really not an option for a brand new build these days, and neither is AM2+ system since you're not planning to reuse DDR2. AM3 CPUs are great and have a very mature platform support, but they can't compete at the high-end build your budget allows.

P.S. I'd also like to kindly request you double-check your post's format in the feature. I edited out quite a few empty spaces.

 

[MindProbe]

Thank you for the input and i will def check my editing before i post.

Thanks again

 

[lopri]

Check out the following.

http://forums.anandtech.com/te...861&filtmsgid=31836736

http://forums.anandtech.com/te...861&filtmsgid=31845680

Originally from this thread.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2340861&enterthread=y

Oh, do you intend to overclock? Forgot to ask. It could be a quite relevant factor between AM3 platform and i5 platform.

 

[MindProbe]

I might possibly OC in the future, but i just need something stable and stock for the most part.

 

[SmCaudata]

The new Athlon II X4 quad cores look like a great budget CPU for what you want to do. Should be able to game relatively well for occasional gaming and the quad core will be nice for video/audio editing/encoding. They aren't quite up to par with the 955 or i5 but they are $99. If you have a microcenter near your house you can pick up an i5 for $150 and pair it with a $110 mobo for great gaming and productivity/media capabilities.

 

[deimos3428]

Originally posted by: MindProbe
My budget is hopefully around 600-700 dollars.

I will also be running some virtual machines on the new system.

Ok, since we don't have a lot of details on that, I'll assume you need a quad core, and I'll assume we're looking at AMD at this point. (775 is effectively a dead end; i5/i7 won't fit easily into your budget.)

this will be a new build (New RAM, CPU, Video card, Motherboard, and possibly a new Power supply). I have a power supply, but it is only a 400w. You think this will be ok? Dual video cards will not be used for a while.

It might barely be ok with a 4870, depending on the quality of the PSU. I'll include a new one in my recommendation anyway.

Recommendation will include pricing via Newegg, as that seems to be your source. I'll also try to leave a little room in the budget for something you may have forgotten.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition ($190)
Motherboard: ASRock M3A785GXH/128M ($95)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH ($95)
Video: XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB ($145)
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W - Retail ($110)

Total: $635 before tax/shipping.

Notes:

1. I've upgraded the video card you listed to a 1GB card from a reputable company for about the same amount. If you really wanted the 512MB Power color, it's dropped in price to $125.
2. You don't need this big of a power supply yet, but it's one of the best bang/buck PSUs out there, very reliable, and has the power and connectors for crossfired 4870s in the future.
3. This mid-range motherboard is affordable, will allow for dual crossfire @ x8/x8, or single card at x16, has a spare PCIe 2.0 for a peripheral, and has a decent IGP as a backup should your discrete card fail.
4. This PC may well be overkill for what you're trying to do. Scale the components back if you'd like to save some money.

 

[v8envy]

The biggest question: do you have a Microcenter nearby? If so, i5 750. If not, the best bang for the buck in your budget range is the PII. The above build is massive overkill on the PSU, high end RAM and video (but so was your original 4870), but the board and CPU are excellent choices. You also forgot hard drive, case, optical, cooling...

Running a modern CPU + 4870 off a 400 watt PSU from an Athlon XP era will not work at best. I don't even want to think about "at worst."

Without a Microcenter nearby a PII 955 BE is the sweet spot for a budget machine. With access to a Microcenter nothing beats the $150 i5.

 

[SmCaudata]

The 955 BE is $30 less than the i5 at Newegg and the $100 i5 mobos are loaded with I/O. On top of that the i5 destroys the 955 in gaming, anything single threaded and even a lot of multithreaded/multicore stuff. The 955 is faster in 2 bechmarks in the tests here at Anandtech. I think the 955 BE is overpriced personally. There are other, much better priced AMD processors.

 

[lopri]

At stock configuration, 955BE may be somewhat faster than i5-750 but you won't likely notice the difference. If overclocking isn't a factor, AM3 platform is not a bad choice at all especially given its price tags. Once you go to the next bin, the picture changes and i7-860 becomes more compelling.

I think the following article will give you an idea where these performance-oriented CPUs are standing today.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3639

 

[MindProbe]

Originally posted by: deimos3428

Originally posted by: MindProbe
My budget is hopefully around 600-700 dollars.

I will also be running some virtual machines on the new system.

Ok, since we don't have a lot of details on that, I'll assume you need a quad core, and I'll assume we're looking at AMD at this point. (775 is effectively a dead end; i5/i7 won't fit easily into your budget.)

this will be a new build (New RAM, CPU, Video card, Motherboard, and possibly a new Power supply). I have a power supply, but it is only a 400w. You think this will be ok? Dual video cards will not be used for a while.

It might barely be ok with a 4870, depending on the quality of the PSU. I'll include a new one in my recommendation anyway.

Recommendation will include pricing via Newegg, as that seems to be your source. I'll also try to leave a little room in the budget for something you may have forgotten.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition ($190)
Motherboard: ASRock M3A785GXH/128M ($95)
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH ($95)
Video: XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB ($145)
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W - Retail ($110)

Total: $635 before tax/shipping.

Notes:

1. I've upgraded the video card you listed to a 1GB card from a reputable company for about the same amount. If you really wanted the 512MB Power color, it's dropped in price to $125.
2. You don't need this big of a power supply yet, but it's one of the best bang/buck PSUs out there, very reliable, and has the power and connectors for crossfired 4870s in the future.
3. This mid-range motherboard is affordable, will allow for dual crossfire @ x8/x8, or single card at x16, has a spare PCIe 2.0 for a peripheral, and has a decent IGP as a backup should your discrete card fail.
4. This PC may well be overkill for what you're trying to do. Scale the components back if you'd like to save some money.

yea.......i just have an older 400 watt power supply. No Microcenter close. The best I have is Newegg online.

If i go with AMD and DDR2....i will prob want to go 8gb mem

if i go with Intel...i7 or AMD AM3 ....i will of course want to go 6gb mem


any other thoughts on this?

Is the i7 too much at this point?

 

[MindProbe]

Originally posted by: SmCaudata
The 955 BE is $30 less than the i5 at Newegg and the $100 i5 mobos are loaded with I/O. On top of that the i5 destroys the 955 in gaming, anything single threaded and even a lot of multithreaded/multicore stuff. The 955 is faster in 2 bechmarks in the tests here at Anandtech. I think the 955 BE is overpriced personally. There are other, much better priced AMD processors.

recommendations? and thank you for replying

 

[MindProbe]

Originally posted by: v8envy
The biggest question: do you have a Microcenter nearby? If so, i5 750. If not, the best bang for the buck in your budget range is the PII. The above build is massive overkill on the PSU, high end RAM and video (but so was your original 4870), but the board and CPU are excellent choices. You also forgot hard drive, case, optical, cooling...

Running a modern CPU + 4870 off a 400 watt PSU from an Athlon XP era will not work at best. I don't even want to think about "at worst."

Without a Microcenter nearby a PII 955 BE is the sweet spot for a budget machine. With access to a Microcenter nothing beats the $150 i5.

Heh....i keep hearing about a Microcenter, but the city i live in does not have one. I WISH bc it sounds like this place is very cool.

 

[MindProbe]

Originally posted by: lopri
At stock configuration, 955BE may be somewhat faster than i5-750 but you won't likely notice the difference. If overclocking isn't a factor, AM3 platform is not a bad choice at all especially given its price tags. Once you go to the next bin, the picture changes and i7-860 becomes more compelling.

I think the following article will give you an idea where these performance-oriented CPUs are standing today.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3639

So...i have to ask this:

I already have a case, hdd's, 400 w power supply.

If you had a budget of 600-700 dollars, what would you buy?

 

[MindProbe]

So...i have to ask this:

I already have a case, hdd's, 400 w power supply.

If you had a budget of 600-700 dollars, what would you buy? I am trying to keep in mind usb 3.0ports, etc are coming out soon.

Should i wait or is there a particular system you would build w this budget?

i still can't decide....AMD or Intel?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Is it a quality 400W power supply? What is the make and model?

What do you mean by "I am trying to keep in mind usb 3.0ports, etc are coming out soon."? Are you planning to upgrade the motherboard whenever this becomes available, or are you just going to stick a PCI-e expansion card(s) into your system?

Also do you already own the Visiontek HD4870 512MB? $149 seems a bit expensive for the 512MB version; I think you can get the 1GB version for about the same price or less.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3: $125 ($110 AR)

Phenom II X4 945 AM3 95w: $166

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $80

Antec EarthWatts 650w: $80
($63 With Promo Code EMCMLNL52 valid till 10/26)


That's $451 or $419 after promo/rebates.


Suck it up and buy a Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB for $260 on October 23 (be aware they may show up on the 22nd and sell out by the 23rd ... those rascals at the Egg --- LOL)


At ABC (AMD base clock) 240MHz with the Phenom 945 you will not be 'destroyed' by an i5 --- you will be The Destroyah

:laugh:

Make that the The Green Destroyah when C&Q kicks in ....

 

[lopri]

• I have moved the same thread from Motherboard Forum and forgot to clean it up. Sorry about the inconvenience. And OP, cross-posting is not allowed. Thank you for understanding.
  
  AnandTech Moderator
  lopri

 

[MindProbe]

well....i totally looked past the i5, but based on some on your reviews it looks like that might be an option as well.

So I guess i am looking at one of these:

AM3 setup

i5 setup

i7 setup

I haven't bought any parts yet so I am open to ALLLL suggestions.

I am still looking for suggestions if anyone can spare some time.

Thanks guys!

 

[cusideabelincoln]

So exactly what components do you need to buy? Or in other words, what exact components do you currently have?


If you don't need a case or PSU or hard drive or optical drive, then you should be able to fit a Core i5/i7 in your price range. If you need all or some of these things, you might have to settle for a cheaper AMD setup.

From what I've gathered, you're going to at least need a new motherboard, RAM, PSU (and old 400W PSU is not going to be adequate for new stuff), CPU, and video card. Is this correct? What about hard drives? What kind of hard drive do you have now (SATA or IDE)? Optical drive (SATA or IDE)? Case (Mid Tower ATX, micro ATX, or etc)?

 

[MindProbe]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
So exactly what components do you need to buy? Or in other words, what exact components do you currently have?


If you don't need a case or PSU or hard drive or optical drive, then you should be able to fit a Core i5/i7 in your price range. If you need all or some of these things, you might have to settle for a cheaper AMD setup.

From what I've gathered, you're going to at least need a new motherboard, RAM, PSU (and old 400W PSU is not going to be adequate for new stuff), CPU, and video card. Is this correct? What about hard drives? What kind of hard drive do you have now (SATA or IDE)? Optical drive (SATA or IDE)? Case (Mid Tower ATX, micro ATX, or etc)?

Well....I have an older case for this build unless I move my file server parts into the older case and do some swapping. The case is fine. It is just from the dual 733 P3 system i once ran . Should be fine though.

I have a 400 w Thermaltake Power supply in there I was thinking about trying to use. I was going to see if this might work, but if i have to get a new one....so be it.


I have plenty of hdd's around. SATA and IDE, but it will be allll SATA down the road.

I basically need CPU, MB, MEM, Video Card. (possibly need power supply, heat sink and a cheap DVD Burner).

I don't really want to OC unless I know someone who has the same build and has perfected the settings.

I don't want to drop 300 to 500 bucks on the latest GPU. I think the 512 or 1Gb some people mentioned would prob be a good fit.

Thanks

 

[evolucion8]

Originally posted by: SmCaudata
The 955 BE is $30 less than the i5 at Newegg and the $100 i5 mobos are loaded with I/O. On top of that the i5 destroys the 955 in gaming, anything single threaded and even a lot of multithreaded/multicore stuff. The 955 is faster in 2 bechmarks in the tests here at Anandtech. I think the 955 BE is overpriced personally. There are other, much better priced AMD processors.

The fastest Core i7 doesn't offer a significant advantage over the fastest Core 2 Quad in gaming performance, a slight advantage can be seen when Crossfire/SLI is used and the Phenom II can offer the same gaming performance as the Core 2 Quad.

 

[lopri]

Yeah but he's building from a scratch. Would you buy a new C2Q, a new LGA775 board, and (quite likely) new DDR2 memory sticks over AM3/i5/i7 today when the budget is same?

To OP: A good 400W PSU should be capable of handling a single GPU system. I run my AMD system on a 450W and it's got 4 memory sticks and 6 HDDs. But I may be pushing it.. I don't know. In any case, investing in a quality 600W-ish is not a bad idea. A PSU often tends to outlive other parts inside a computer. (unless something happens to it) And overall, i7-860 may be a good fit for your usage. If you're not big on gaming, honestly HD 4870 is an overkill and will simply add more heat to the system (and in your room).

 

[evolucion8]

Originally posted by: lopri
Yeah but he's building from a scratch. Would you buy a new C2Q, a new LGA775 board, and (quite likely) new DDR2 memory sticks over AM3/i5/i7 today when the budget is same?

To OP: A good 400W PSU should be capable of handling a single GPU system. I run my AMD system on a 450W and it's got 4 memory sticks and 6 HDDs. But I may be pushing it.. I don't know. In any case, investing in a quality 600W-ish is not a bad idea. A PSU often tends to outlive other parts inside a computer. (unless something happens to it) And overall, i7-860 may be a good fit for your usage. If you're not big on gaming, honestly HD 4870 is an overkill and will simply add more heat to the system (and in your room).

You are right, if the OP just care about good gaming performance with a budget, the Phenom II is the way to go. Otherwise, an i5 or i7 will nicely do.