I5 with 5970 or i7 920 with 5870?

blu3flannel

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Jan 25, 2010
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Hey, I'm debating whether I should go with an i5 with a Radeon HD 5970 or the i7 920 with a Radeon HD 5870? I have the two builds as wishlists on Newegg so you can compare the two.

**Note** I do not need a HDD or and OS, that's why they're not included. My budget is $1400, so please keep that in mind as well.

Core i5 with 5970:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13732346

Core i7 920 with 5870:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13732366
 
Solution
Ok this build give you a CPU with HT that will be better for ( Photoshop and some rendering, as well as video editing and 3D rendering ) the other stuff you like to do besides gaming, and will allow for a 2nd HD 5870 down the road if you like and OCing

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel...

irule9000

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Jan 3, 2010
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if your gonna game definately go with the i5 5970 build. This would be amazingly future proof in terms of graphics. If your work requires you to do some programs that require a shitload of processing go with the i7. Id also suggest looking to see which combos you could get. My motto is "ABUSE THE COMBOS"
 

blu3flannel

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Jan 25, 2010
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I would go with the i5 750 and the 5970 but the 5970 is out of stock everywhere! Does anyone know about the stocking of them, when they get in, or if there are even any available? Thanks.
 
Sure don't know about the stocking, But if your on a rez of 1920x1200 the HD 5870 would be a grate GPU also it would max out all games but Crysis @ very high setting.

Take a look at some reviews

HD 5970 http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3679

HD 5870 http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3643&p=1

That is if you want to save some money.

I would go with a better mobo that has xfire and latter if your not happy with the HD 5870 add a 2nd

I do like that you at least Know where to spend your money on a gaming system, I seen a lot of will a i7 920 with a GTS 250 @ 1920x1080 be good for gaming
 
Tough choice.....

The 5970 gives you more GFX longevity but will they still be around when / if you want a second one ?

Adding a 2nd 5870 will give you significantly better performance once you add it in but will the price / performance over the 5970 hold thru then ?

OTOH, the 1366 socket gives you more CPU upgrade ability and hexacores should be at 920 proces 2 years from now. With SATA III capable boards now, will the compliant HD's and SSD's make the extra bandwidth for RAID and other MoBo plug in hardware worth having with X58 ?

I generally do a GFX and CPU upgrade after two years so, for me anyway, the 1366 seems the better fit.....if you fit a different mold, then go the way that fits your past or likely future practice
 
Ok this build give you a CPU with HT that will be better for ( Photoshop and some rendering, as well as video editing and 3D rendering ) the other stuff you like to do besides gaming, and will allow for a 2nd HD 5870 down the road if you like and OCing

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119197
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$109.98
$99.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102856
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $39.99
• 2 year: $79.99
$409.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102856

CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139011
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$199.99
$179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231321
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131621
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
$189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115214
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$289.99
$279.99
1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214
Intel Gift - INTEL LYNNFIELD KIT - OEM
Item #: N82E16800995081
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$39.99 Saving
$39.99
$0.00


COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16835103065
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
Subtotal: $1,334.91


You could even get away with this PSU with 2 HD 5870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 the other is nice with add on cables for a cleaner build but not a must
 
Solution

blu3flannel

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Jan 25, 2010
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Okay, so that's good and all, but I really just want to game; Photoshopping, rendering, video editing and 3D rendering are backseat here. I only so those occasionally. Would that change anything in terms of the build?
 
Its really up to you a i5 750 or a i7 860 both will be good for gaming but the i7 860 will be better for the other stuff as well as gaming its up to you if its worth the 80 bucks more.

If it was only a gaming PC i would go i5 750

But maybe the time you save when doing the other stuff dont really bother you
 
I have never upgraded my CPU on any platform i have had, I will keep my system 3 to 4 years and buy i new mobo cpu GPU and RAM if needed. If you think you will need 6 cores in a year or 2 for gaming when only a hand full of games out now use 4 cores then maybe a X58 platform is for you.

Only you can answer that
 

blu3flannel

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So basically, if I want to upgrade every 1 or 2 years (which I can't afford), go for the socket 1366, but if I want something that will last a long time while still delivering I, go socket 1156?
 


I think that would be a grate system, If in 2 years games get more demanding that your GPU wont let you run it @ very high setting you can drop in another GPU, and if you need a little more CPU power you can always oc it to 3.4 3.6