Long Overdue New Build and I can't decide

[harpener]

I'm finally building a new desktop since mine was originally created in 2008 its pretty old and can't do what I need it to do though many parts have been changed since it was originally built.
I play some games but its not the basis of the computer I want to build. I will mostly be using it to edit videos and re-encode videos in HandBrake but i'd like to be able to play a game every once in a while. Some lightroom and Photoshop
Here's where I'm stuck I can't decide between Intel and AMD. All my previous computers have been AMD since I started building my own computers back in 1998. Nowadays I know the Intel Processors are leading the way in gaming but I don't know if they are really worth the price especially for the upper models.
I've narrowed it down to three processors and I hope you guys can give me your honest opinion.

All systems I would like to install in the case I bought last year a CM 680 II, with a Antec 520Watt PSU, Corsair Force GT3 120GB SSD
If the power supply isn't powerful enough I can upgrade. I will do some overclocking but within reason

System 1
AMD 8350
16GB DDR3 unsure which brand
ATI 7950
CPU water cooler corsair H100i
2X 3TB Barracuda
Blu-ray Burner
Motherboard I have no idea but i would like thunderbolt port if they have it

System 2
Intel i7 3770K
16GB DDR3 unsure which brand
ATI 7950
CPU water cooler corsair H100i
2X 3TB Barracuda
Blu-ray Burner
Motherboard I have no idea but i would like thunderbolt port if they have it

System 3
intel i7 3820 ( just because of LGA 2011 motherboards for future upgrades)
16GB DDR3 unsure which brand
GTX 660 ti 2GB
CPU water cooler corsair H100i
2X 3TB Barracuda
Blu-ray Burner
Motherboard sabertooth x79

Which of these systems would be the best for my needs and do I even need video cards that powerful.

 

[kenny3105]

for future proofing i would go for system 3 as you have mentioned that you don't need such a powerful gpu you could always drop the gpu down to a non ti card and what you are saving add a bigger ssd for good measure.

You would also benefit more for video editing having more cpu cores with hyper threading totals 8 cores and the cpu is a beast

 

[jitpublisher]

Well, my advice is go Intel. I was AMD only for over 10 years, but I finally did an i7 with Intel and I have never looked back. However, I could not advise on any of the systems you have listed above.
The Sabertooth motherboard is too expensive for no good reason, water cooling you simply do not need, it is a hassle to deal with and not worth the trouble, at all. Just get a good aircooler and you will live to be much happier with your new system.
You don't want RAID either. Get an SSD. If you need storage, get a couple of large drives, but an SSD is 10 times faster than RAID. Any new PC would be a mistake to not include one as at least your OS drive.
The video cards are well matched to these systems.
Once you buy one a system similar to what you have listed, and hopefully with my suggestions considered, future upgrades will become less important. These systems will last for years, modern hardware is fast enough to outlast its actual useful age and by the time you are ready to upgrade, pretty much everything about the system will be so outdated you will want to go from scratch again, if you EVER feel you will need to upgrade. Honest.

 

[harpener]

Hey guys thanks for the responses. I was planning to use my spare 120gb SSD as the main system disk. I believe 120 should be big enough because all movies music and photos are stored on the two internal 3tb drives. Which motherboard would you recommend instead of the sabertooth? And how much impact does the video card actually have movie encoding? Would I be able to use my older 1gb video card ? I think it's about 1.5 years old.

 

[kyle382]

yeah 1st, I don't see any reason not to buy intel except that they are releasing socket 1150 soon, which will make upgrading a bit weird. I also agree the sabertooth as an absurd buy. Why get that when you can get mini itx motherboards that can overclock just as well? If you need more than one gpu for some reason then at most get a matx gigabyte sniper or asus ROG motherboard.

My advice about watercooling is, if you really want to invest in it then make your own loop. I have used corsair's H80 and its great, but eventually ended up making my own WC systems for better cooling and more customization. People buy enclosed prebuilt systems often because they think they will never have problems with leaks. I have seen more than one thread about people that have received leaking h100's.

You can get a 240gb ssd for as low as $140 ish. Find one, toms has a lot of good reviews.

Your power supply is pushing it, but depends what gpu card you end up buying. Use newegg's power supply calculator when you figure out your build so that you can estimate the wattage required. GL

 

[kyle382]

forget what i said about the SSD, what your doing sounds good. Depends what 1gb card your talking about. I dont know anything about vid encoding.

 

[harpener]

forget what i said about the SSD, what your doing sounds good. Depends what 1gb card your talking about. I dont know anything about vid encoding.

I have a card similar to this one
EVGA 01G-P3-N988-TR GeForce 9800 GT HDMI 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130534

Only difference is no hdmi and I have 2 dvi ports. If its still good for gaming I might keep it for now

I'll check out the motherboards you suggested

 

[dansgas1000]

AMD is useless load of crap, always go with intel. Nvidia grahpics cards usually have better drivers.

I wold go for system 3.

 

[kyle382]

I used to run a 9800 GTX so can give you some idea of what your vid card can handle. Source games run really well, if your into halflife 2, portal and the millions of mods, thats great. You can run battlefield 3 surprisingly well for how ancient that card is. Thats low settings, but it runs at good FPS. So thats kind of the whole spectrum there. Bf3 is really demanding and the source engine is very forgiving for how good it looks. This is all assuming you match the card with a decent modern processor. Get a i3 if yer low on cash or i5 k series if u got a few extra monies. Strongly endorse the i5 if u can swing it. Tech has changed significantly since you bought the 9800, keep in mind a $100 investment in a vid card will go a LONG way if your gaming, but that doesnt seem to be your focus really. Photoshop and encoding are likely more processor and memory dependent. Cheers