Budget i7 Build-- 1336 or 1156?

[thescarecrow]

Hey all.

So I am building a computer for my parents to replace their 8 year old Dell pentium-based rig (which is falling apart)...but I'm on a pretty tight budget (I'm trying to get it in the low to mid $800's range...if I can go lower than that EVEN BETTER). This rig won't be doing much if any gaming, but photography editing is pretty essential.

But my biggest question is: which processor? I can get an i7 920 at Microcenter for $200. Is there a huge difference, besides the socket type, between 920 (or 930) and the 860 line? In terms of the over-all build, which would keep my costs down but retain solid performance for a few years?

My current items (suggestions to bring my costs down or retain performance/reliability are SO welcome):

Intel i7 920 $200

Asrock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 $160

Super Talent 3GB DDR3 1333 Triple Channel $85

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM $90

SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB $70

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W $61 w/rebate +shipping

Lite-on DVD drive $27

Antec 300 $50

 

[andy5174]

@TheScarecrow:

IMO, it is an extremely imbalanced configuration.

The rest parts are too crappy compared to CPU. I suggest you get your parents an i3 plus 4GB RAM and better gfx.

 

[shravankale]

My suggestion LGA 1366 socket and instead of getting Radeon HD 4670 get HD 5770 or 5750....both are DX 11 capable

 

[shravankale]

YOU won't need an i7, you can do good with an i5 setup or Phenom II setup...

 

[lordszone]

Hey all.

So I am building a computer for my parents to replace their 8 year old Dell pentium-based rig (which is falling apart)...but I'm on a pretty tight budget (I'm trying to get it in the low to mid $800's range...if I can go lower than that EVEN BETTER). This rig won't be doing much if any gaming, but photography editing is pretty essential.

But my biggest question is: which processor? I can get an i7 920 at Microcenter for $200. Is there a huge difference, besides the socket type, between 920 (or 930) and the 860 line? In terms of the over-all build, which would keep my costs down but retain solid performance for a few years?

My current items (suggestions to bring my costs down or retain performance/reliability are SO welcome):

Intel i7 920 $200

Asrock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 $160

Super Talent 3GB DDR3 1333 Triple Channel $85

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM $90

SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB $70

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W $61 w/rebate +shipping

Lite-on DVD drive $27

Antec 300 $50

Hi
what i say is that if u want cheap but fast system then go for amd, it will be cheap but good. but if u want to go for the intel side then i suggest go for socket 1156 because it is cheaper and currently faster than core i7 930. the motherboard is also cheaper than the x58 ones. personally i will go for socket 1366 even though i know it is slower and expensive but i dont know y but i will go for it. in your case the best price/performance system will be going for p55, if u want to go for intel. think about it. and also try to fit in amd's 5000 series vga card. it will support the latest technology and will game decently. hope i helped

 

[ButterFinger74]

If you are not planning to use multiple video cards in a Crossfire / SLI fashion and / or planning to use a 6 Cores CPU (which doesn't seems like you are), go with socket 1156. Otherwise, go with socket 1366.

 

[requiemsallure]

i5 750 $200 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5-_-19-115-215-_-Product
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 $124 USB3.0 SATA III free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412
HD 5670 $109 6.98 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121362&cm_re=5670-_-14-121-362-_-Product
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $90 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433&Tpk=seagate%207200.12%201%20tb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition $65 after rebate and promotion code free shipping (this case is amazing for its price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&Tpk=Thermaltake%20V9%20Black%20Edition
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W $39 after rebate free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&Tpk=psu%20400w
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 $96 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150
Sony Optiarc Black DVD drive $24 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030
total $749 after rebates and promotional codes

total with shipping $756 after rebates and promotional codes

 

[kdibaba]

@ Requiemsallure

Excellent build man.. well thought out and nice.

@TheScarecrow

Like one other user suggested before, leaving all the fanboy crap aside, AMD is the way to go for a budget build that will performs well at stock speeds. Given what your parents use the PC for and the fact that they are coming from a Pentium 4 i presume. Building an i7 or even an i5 system is major overkill.

If you insist on getting them the best even if they wont make full use of it right now then the i5 system that Requiemsallure built above is the hands down the way to go. a 1366 system should not be in your list cause the premium you are paying for will never come into play especially on the motherboard.

QmA

P.S. If you have access to microcenter (like I do) then the i5 750 is $180 there.. Take off an additional $20 from Requiemsallure's build.

 

[Raidur]

+1 i5 750 (unless the i7 is only $20 more at MC) or i3

Tbh i3 is probably your best bet due to low power usage/heat and its still plenty of power for everyday tasks and games.

If you need to save money then AMD is fine. Just know you get what you pay for (not saying the quality will be worse, just the performance, but your parents probably wouldn't notice with their uses). Price/performance on all of these cpus (amd/intel) is pretty good if you can take advantage of the power.

 

[andy5174]

i3 + better gfx(HD5750 or HD5770) will definitely give you better gaming performance than i5-750+HD5670

 

[requiemsallure]

i3 540 $139 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115221&cm_re=i3-_-19-115-221-_-Product
P7P55D-E $139 USB3.0 SATA III free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620
XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 $154.99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $90 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433&Tpk=seagate%207200.12%201%20tb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition $65 after rebate and promotion code free shipping (this case is amazing for its price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&Tpk=Thermaltake%20V9%20Black%20Edition&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W $69 after mail in rebate, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 $96 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150
Sony Optiarc Black DVD drive $24 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

~$777

but if you are considering dropping down to the i3 for graphics power you might as well get an AMD setup.

however at the same time you said you didnt need nor want to play games on this pc, and there fore i still recommend my first setup to you, over this.

 

[andy5174]

i3 540 $139 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115221&cm_re=i3-_-19-115-221-_-Product
P7P55D-E $139 USB3.0 SATA III free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620
XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 $154.99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $90 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433&Tpk=seagate%207200.12%201%20tb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition $65 after rebate and promotion code free shipping (this case is amazing for its price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&Tpk=Thermaltake%20V9%20Black%20Edition&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W $69 after mail in rebate, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 $96 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150
Sony Optiarc Black DVD drive $24 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

~$777

Because you also choose more expensive MB, PSU, GFX and case for this setup!

 

[requiemsallure]

because a PC that is meant not for gaming, should have nice motherboard features, and the power supply is a good one. for cheap, although i did just find one better one. there is no cheaper motherboard for the features however.

i3 540 $139 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115221&cm_re=i3-_-19-115-221-_-Product
P7P55D-E $139 USB3.0 SATA III free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620
XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 $154.99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $90 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433&Tpk=seagate%207200.12%201%20tb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition $65 after rebate and promotion code free shipping (this case is amazing for its price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&Tpk=Thermaltake%20V9%20Black%20Edition&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W $50 after rebate, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 $96 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150
Sony Optiarc Black DVD drive $24 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

~$757

and for the features that is pretty much the cheapest it can get, correct me if I'm wrong of course.

I still recommend the i5 750 setup, not because of the price but because gaming is not an intended feature, the graphics card on the i7 setup is mainly for videos and whatnot.

 

[andy5174]

because a PC that is meant not for gaming, should have nice motherboard features, and the power supply is a good one.

Why do you suggest worse MB and PSU for i5-750 setup then?

i3 540 $139 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115221&cm_re=i3-_-19-115-221-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 $124 USB3.0 SATA III free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 $154.99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Seagate 7200.12 1 TB $90 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433&Tpk=seagate%207200.12%201%20tb&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition $65 after rebate and promotion code free shipping (this case is amazing for its price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&Tpk=Thermaltake%20V9%20Black%20Edition&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 $96 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=
Sony Optiarc Black DVD drive $24 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

TOTAL: $742

 

[requiemsallure]

that motherboard does not work with the i3, that is why i changed it

 

[requiemsallure]

This rig won't be doing much if any gaming, but photography editing is pretty essential.

there is really no need for the 5770.

@thescarecrow

i recommend the i5 setup

 

[andy5174]

that motherboard does not work with the i3, that is why i changed it

All P55 MB support i3!

Check the CPU support list from its official site:
http://www.giga-byte.com/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=3242&ver=#anchor_os

 

[requiemsallure]

i see, they must have added it in with a bios update.

in anycase the whole arguement is kinda pointless based on the fact that the 5770 is beyond what he needs and he will get more out of a good processor, for what he wants to do with the computer, than he will with a better graphics card.

 

[andy5174]

Either processor is overkill for his need, so I suggest a much better GFX that will help not only in game but in HD media as well.

 

[requiemsallure]

he isnt playing games....

 

[andy5174]

he isnt playing games....

This is also the reason why he doesn't need i5-750 too.

In addition, better GFX will help not only in game but in HD media as well.

 

[andy5174]

i3 can be easily OCed to 4.8GHz thanks to its 32nm architecture and will be more than enough for his need.

 

[requiemsallure]

to be honest it is really up to him, we built two great systems, and i prefer the better processing power of the i5 while you prefer the better graphics capability of the 5770. either way he is going to get a great system can we not leave it at that?

 

[andy5174]

Agree.

 

[andy5174]

Ask him about a AMD processor. Go for a good CPU, his parents are not going to game.

I will say it again.

GFX helps not only in game but in photo editing and HD media as well