Building a Gaming PC: Intel-Based vs AMD-Based

[AlphaBeta234]

I am building a new Gaming PC, and I want to know whether to use an AMD or an Intel based system. I am going to be using this PC to play a game which will be HEAVILY MODDED: Grand Theft Auto IV: LCPDFR.

The specs to the systems are below, please tell me what I should use out of the two PC's.

AMD-Based System:

[CASE] Thermaltake Chaser A71
[CPU] AMD FX-9590, 8 Cores, 8 Threads @4.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 5.0 GHz
[GPU] EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked Edition
[RAM] 32GB(4x8GB) G.Skill. Ripjaws 4, DDR3-1866 MHz
[LIQUID COOLING] Corsair Hydro H60 Liquid Cooler, ARC Dual Silent High-Performance Fans
[COOLING FANS] Improved Airflow Silent Fans (Unknown Brand)
[MOTHERBOARD] ASUS Crosshair V Formula
[POWER SUPPLY(PSU)] Corsair RM1000 1000 Watt PSU
[OS HDD] 2x 120GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, Raid 0
[DATA HDD] 2x 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black, 7200 RPM
[OS] Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit


Intel-Based System:

[CASE] Thermaltake Chaser A71
[CPU] Intel Core i7-5820K @3.3 GHz, Turbo up to 3.5 GHz (6 cores, 6 threads, Hyperthreaded)
[GPU] EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked Edition
[RAM] 32GB(4x8GB) G.Skill Ripjaws 4, DDR4-2400 MHz
[LIQUID COOLING] Corsair Hydro H60 Liquid Cooler, ARC Dual Silent High-Performance Fans
[COOLING FANS] Improved Airflow Silent Fans (Unknown Brand)
[MOTHERBOARD] MSI X99S Gaming 7, 4x PCI-e, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0
[POWER SUPPLY(PSU)] Corsair RM1000 1000 Watt PSU
[OS HDD] 2x 120 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD, Raid 0
[DATA HDD] 2x 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black, 7200 RPM
[OS] Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

 

[Dunlop0078]

If you guys have even looked at the build he makes, obviously money is exactly an issue, so I don't understand why waste the time and effort and go backwards so he'd have to upgrade once again when he could've finished it all in one shot.

Because we dont want him to waste money when he doesn't have too. By the time games actually can utilize more than 8gb of ram it will probably be time for a full upgrade anyways.

It's not wasting money, it's saving time and effort when you have the resources right here and now and prepare for the future and not get stuck with the current event and the past.

You cannot build a system for the future, only now. Very select parts (case, power supply, fans) are even somewhat future proof. 32GB of RAM is only used in low end servers. Once again I state, most games are 32-bit, very, very few (maybe 8 in the history of PC gaming) are 64-bit and can address more than 4GB of RAM. GTA IV is not one of them, not matter what mods he has it is limited to working with 4GB, hence the 8GB average.

And...can you predict GTA IV is the only game he'll ever play and what future games he might play that will be 64 bit? What if he needs them then, then here we go back to the beginning thanks to low components on a high end build.

I can. The developers including crytek, the main entrapenuar of 64-bit engines are not seeing a reason to expand it as the games an systems have shown to not need more then 512MB of system. That said you may argue the GPU needs more, as it is free of the games engine for memory control. Eve. Still the card only uses between 35 to 40% of its own capacity (4GB will use about 1.8 at most) to communicate with the CPU. Ski and Crossfire do not affect this ratio. The only other system memory the game takes up are for direct x controls and for 11 that peaks at just above 1GB.Windows generally only uses up to 2GB. That totals at 6GB used and because AI and control schemes for the game they won't be seriously consider 64-bit engines for games for at least another decade.

You forgot about 4k as it is rising slower behind your back. If he ever decides to go up to 4k, he's SOL because 8GB won't cut it for the newer games.

Yes it will 4k res will only use more vram not system ram.

 

[Xibyth]

If you guys have even looked at the build he makes, obviously money is exactly an issue, so I don't understand why waste the time and effort and go backwards so he'd have to upgrade once again when he could've finished it all in one shot.

Because we dont want him to waste money when he doesn't have too. By the time games actually can utilize more than 8gb of ram it will probably be time for a full upgrade anyways.

It's not wasting money, it's saving time and effort when you have the resources right here and now and prepare for the future and not get stuck with the current event and the past.

You cannot build a system for the future, only now. Very select parts (case, power supply, fans) are even somewhat future proof. 32GB of RAM is only used in low end servers. Once again I state, most games are 32-bit, very, very few (maybe 8 in the history of PC gaming) are 64-bit and can address more than 4GB of RAM. GTA IV is not one of them, not matter what mods he has it is limited to working with 4GB, hence the 8GB average.

And...can you predict GTA IV is the only game he'll ever play and what future games he might play that will be 64 bit? What if he needs them then, then here we go back to the beginning thanks to low components on a high end build.

I can. The developers including crytek, the main entrapenuar of 64-bit engines are not seeing a reason to expand it as the games an systems have shown to not need more then 512MB of system. That said you may argue the GPU needs more, as it is free of the games engine for memory control. Eve. Still the card only uses between 35 to 40% of its own capacity (4GB will use about 1.8 at most) to communicate with the CPU. Ski and Crossfire do not affect this ratio. The only other system memory the game takes up are for direct x controls and for 11 that peaks at just above 1GB.Windows generally only uses up to 2GB. That totals at 6GB used and because AI and control schemes for the game they won't be seriously consider 64-bit engines for games for at least another decade.

You forgot about 4k as it is rising slower behind your back. If he ever decides to go up to 4k, he's SOL because 8GB won't cut it for the newer games.

You forget that only affects the GPU. Not how much system ram is used. Even with newer cards using above 4GB VRAM his card would only use 7.5 GB to operate everything. The amount of VRAM needed is dropping as GPU cores become more efficient at handling it, and S texture compression improves. We already dealt with this for those who went from 480 to 1080. Irrelivent to that, 1440 displays are far more affordable and achievable. And unless you have a display above 70" a 1440 display with a 144hz and high DPI will trump a 2650p display. 4K is for artists, video editors, and will likely be betamaxed. The tech is just not prelavent for the next half decade.

 

[-Lone-]

While you were taking your sweet time, I was in a BF4 match, with just that running 4k at ultra, 8.1 GB of RAM was used. If you really want to stick close to the breaking point, go right ahead when he has all the resources he needs for 16, 32, or 64GB.

 

[-Lone-]

And you have never answered is $80 really worth saving when that is extremely insignificant for such a budget. And yes you can prepare for the future by getting more than you need, not so close that it'll break. Since when is more than what you need is a bad thing when the money difference is so insignificant.

This is not 1930s, this is 2015, $100 is not gonna matter like $1,000,00 to you.

 

[Xibyth]

Most folks can't spend $6000 on a rig. This leads me to believe you need to provide a screenshot of your resource usage and list of services running in the background.

 

[chenw]

Whether or not saving $80 on RAM is almost inconsequential, because:

1. If s/he opts to buy the extra RAM and finds that s/he doesn't need it right now, at least it'll be there when s/he needs it. And it is a small drop in the budget bucket to make sure RAM size isn't a bottleneck

2. If s/he opts to save the money on RAM, and finds out s/he needs it later, it's fine; RAM is literally the easiest part of the system to upgrade (even more so than HDD because there are no cables or screws).

Either way s/he cannot go very wrong, it's not like choosing the right platform or PSU where upgrading it would be a PITA.

 

[Xibyth]

Whether or not saving $80 on RAM is almost inconsequential, because:

1. If s/he opts to buy the extra RAM and finds that s/he doesn't need it right now, at least it'll be there when s/he needs it. And it is a small drop in the budget bucket to make sure RAM size isn't a bottleneck

2. If s/he opts to save the money on RAM, and finds out s/he needs it later, it's fine; RAM is literally the easiest part of the system to upgrade (even more so than HDD because there are no cables or screws).

Either way s/he cannot go very wrong, it's not like choosing the right platform or PSU where upgrading it would be a PITA.

I did suggest 16GB. 32GB just has higher latency which will reduce performance.

 

[-Lone-]

Working on it

 

[-Lone-]

I had to create an account since I never take pics of my PC. I have nothing on except for BF4 and that monitor program and of course background programs that will always be on.

http://i.imgur.com/WgPGzgy.jpg

 

[-Lone-]

My settings, won't let me take a full screen shot.

http://i.imgur.com/yaGaVzq.png

 

[Dunlop0078]

I had to create an account since I never take pics of my PC. I have nothing on except for BF4 and that monitor program and of course background programs that will always be on.

http://i.imgur.com/WgPGzgy.jpg

Show a picture of the processes tab in task manager.

 

[-Lone-]

Everything it is doing.

Top half: http://i.imgur.com/W4Y6Lfz.jpg

Bottom half: http://i.imgur.com/kUtF2E3.jpg

 

[qubits]

i have pushed over 7gb in games before so i have no hesitation to recommend 16gb for a high budget system with a i7

 

[-Lone-]

i have pushed over 7gb in games before so i have no hesitation to recommend 16gb for a high budget system with a i7

That's what I have been trying to say this whole time...

 

[AlphaBeta234]

• 
  

I'd go with Intel for less power consumption and heat, but I'd change the parts a bit, I'll make one right now, what's your max budget?

Also, are you planning to go beyond 2 GPUs?

Budget is about $3200, and dual GPU's are completely unnecessary, due to GTA 4 being non-supportive of SLI/CrossFire
I will not go with the X99 chipset, due to the many answers saying I shouldn't. Also, Would a 4770K or a 4790K do the trick, I'm hesitant
If you can go on pcpartpicker and build a PC for me, and send me the link that would be appreciated

 

[-Lone-]

• 
  

I'd go with Intel for less power consumption and heat, but I'd change the parts a bit, I'll make one right now, what's your max budget?

Also, are you planning to go beyond 2 GPUs?

Budget is about $3200, and dual GPU's are completely unnecessary, due to GTA 4 being non-supportive of SLI/CrossFire
I will not go with the X99 chipset, due to the many answers saying I shouldn't. Also, Would a 4770K or a 4790K do the trick, I'm hesitant
If you can go on pcpartpicker and build a PC for me, and send me the link that would be appreciated

Here you go, plenty of money to spare. You can even get a Asus Swift if you feel you want the best of the best monitor.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LGpdt6

 

[AlphaBeta234]

I will go with the RM1000 by Corsair for the PSU, and the case will be the Thermal take Chaser A71.

Thanks,and if anymore PC's pop into your mind, be sure to reply to this post with them.

 

[qubits]

windows 7 be so old school.. 8 is friend to newer games and cpu's with a lot of threads

 

[-Lone-]

I will go with the RM1000 by Corsair for the PSU, and the case will be the Thermal take Chaser A71.

Thanks,and if anymore PC's pop into your mind, be sure to reply to this post with them.

If you're going to stick 1 GPU, then I don't think it's a good idea to go with a 1000w PSU since you won't need all that power, plus Corsair rips you off with paying more money when others have the same performance. You can change the case if you wish, that's more personal anyways.

 

[chenw]

windows 7 be so old school.. 8 is friend to newer games and cpu's with a lot of threads

Except there are games out there that don't run on win 8 at all, I reverted to win 7 for that very reason

 

[AlphaBeta234]

Well, I just don't want an undervoltage, and GTA 4 can be pretty demanding, so isn't it better to have extra wattage so you never run out?
And, I feel Corsair is a more reliable brand than those other PSU's on the market.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Everything it is doing.

Top half: http://i.imgur.com/W4Y6Lfz.jpg

Bottom half: http://i.imgur.com/kUtF2E3.jpg

Bf4 is using 4gb or memory with a max of 5gb its the other crap on your pc thats making you use more than 8gb. So like i said 8gb or system ram is fine for a gaming pc at any res.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Well, I just don't want an undervoltage, and GTA 4 can be pretty demanding, so isn't it better to have extra wattage so you never run out?
And, I feel Corsair is a more reliable brand than those other PSU's on the market.

No corsairs are not the most reliable on the market there not even built by corsair most are channel well some are seasonic, i would take that evga supply he posted over almost any cosair besides maybe one of there ax platinum psu's.

 

[-Lone-]

Everything it is doing.

Top half: http://i.imgur.com/W4Y6Lfz.jpg

Bottom half: http://i.imgur.com/kUtF2E3.jpg

Bf4 is using 4gb or memory with a max of 5gb its the other crap on your pc thats making you use more than 8gb. So like i said 8gb or system ram is fine for a gaming pc at any res.

Yeah, the other "crap" is background programs that needs to run and some other programs like Origin to even start BF4. So you're saying you don't have your own crap "Absolutely at all" for your PC?

 

[Dunlop0078]

Everything it is doing.

Top half: http://i.imgur.com/W4Y6Lfz.jpg

Bottom half: http://i.imgur.com/kUtF2E3.jpg

Bf4 is using 4gb or memory with a max of 5gb its the other crap on your pc thats making you use more than 8gb. So like i said 8gb or system ram is fine for a gaming pc at any res.

Yeah, the other "crap" is background programs that needs to run and some other programs like Origin to even start BF4. So you're saying you don't have your own crap "Absolutely at all" for your PC?

No i do not. I have never come close to using all my ram but then again i make sure i dont have useless programs running that eat up all my ram. BBf4 uses 4.5gb's of ram at 4k and its a 64bit app therefore 8gb of system ram is more than enogh for 4k gaming.