Rate These Four Gaming Rigs From Best To Worst

[oldsoulrevival]

NOTE: THE FIRST TWO CAME FROM THE "RECOMMENDED BUILDS BY USAGE" THREAD

I want to use the computer mainly for Gaming but also I need great sound quality and video quality (I watch all my movies as blue ray 1080p, and most of my music is in FLAC)

$1,102.89
* CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
* MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
* RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO - Retail
* HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail
* HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
* PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
* GPU: XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
* DVD: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM
* Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
* Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM



$1,398.89
* CPU: Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
* MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s - Retail
* RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO - Retail
* HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail
* HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
* PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
* GPU: XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
* DVD: SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
* Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
* Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM



$1,400.00
* AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGMBOX
* GIGABYTE GA-790XTA-UD4 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
* COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
* OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
* Corsair CMFSSD-64GBG2D 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
* COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long
* G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO
* SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
* LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support



$1320.00
* AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz
* ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
* XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
* Crucial Ballistix Tracer 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
* COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
* Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
* CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready
* LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 24X DVD-R SATA Black 24X DVD Writer
* ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro

 

[ares1214]

well, i would say the goodness goes in order of price...the intel cpus beat the amd, but the amd has an ssd, and other better components, but the 1320$ one comes in last, change that up, 1400 tie with 1398.89, then the 1102.89, then the 1320.

 

[tecmo34]

Ranking:
■1) i5 750 - Best Price to Performance
■2) 965 BE $1,400 - Similar cost to the i7 860 with a SSD (Given the cost includes the ATI 5870 even though it isn't listed)
■3) i7 860 - Best CPU in the group
■4) 965 BE $1,300 - Not worth the cost compared to the other three

 

[lunyone]

Well if you keep the basic parts all of the same (DVD/HD/RAM/PSU/Case/CPU HSF) you will have a bit of price disparity. The AMD will be the cheapest of the 4. Especially if you get the 955 instead of the 965. IMHO the 955 is the best buy right now for any AMD based system. The 965 "might" OC better, but for the price difference (~$30) I don't think it's worth it. The ~$30 difference can be used for other upgrades and still keep the cost down.

So if you keep these parts similar:
* Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
* PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready
* GPU - XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card ... - Retail
* RAM - G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO
* HD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
* DVD - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM
* CPU HSF - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long

Now if you keep those above for all builds, the only difference that your going to see money-wise is the price of the CPU and the Mobo. Personally the i5 750 with the above parts would probably be the best performance buy, but AMD 955 BE CPU with an $78 mobo would be the best bang for the buck, IMHO. The price difference would be about $65 between the i5 750 and the AMD 955 BE system. Not a whole lot of difference, but enough that you could use all of the $65 difference for an additional HD (SSD). Now with this in mind, you can decide what works best for you. I'm just trying to point out options to consider so you can make an informed decision.

 

[oldsoulrevival]

Thank you guys for the input!

I think I have decided on a rip though, let me know what you think.

-Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860
-ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
-OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3X1600R2LV6GK
-XFX HD-587A-ZND9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB XXX Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
-(2)SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
-OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
-COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler
-COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower
-LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 24X DVD-R SATA Black 24X DVD Writer LightScribe Support

For a total of $1460.00 (shipping included)...however, there are 55$ in rebates, bringing the grand total to a very doable:

$1405.00

 

[lunyone]

If you want 6 gb's in Triple channel configuration, your going to want to go with a s1366 based system (i7 920). Otherwise 4 or 8 gb's of RAM would probably work best on a s1156 based mobo.

 

[oldsoulrevival]

If you want 6 gb's in Triple channel configuration, your going to want to go with a s1366 based system (i7 920). Otherwise 4 or 8 gb's of RAM would probably work best on a s1156 based mobo.

I can do that too. I am buying most of these as combos, and there was one with 4gb.

Other than that, what do you think of the system? yay/nay? suggestions?

 

[lunyone]

Well here is my concern with your last build:

* I don't know if the OCZ RAM is a good fit and I'm not sure of their quality at this time.
* I don't like the PSU selected. I would rather have an Antec/PCP&C/Seasonic/Corsair PSU, but that is just my opinion.
* I honestly think you are spending WAY too much for a s1156 based mobo. Something in the $120-140 price range will do just fine, IMHO.
* I think the i5 750 is a better selection and it's ~$80 cheaper. Under normal circumstances you aren't going to see any difference between the 750 and 860, IMHO.
* The case selection is interesting. I'd rather have a Cooler Master 690, because it has pretty much everything that I'd want and it only costs ~$70-90 on most days. Cases are a personal selection, so if you like it and don't mind spending the $ for it, than get it.
* The CPU HSF has had some pretty good reviews, so that is a good selection, especially if your going to OC the CPU.

If you take my suggestions/concerns and use the extra $ saved, you could get an SSD HD! This would make the system pop much faster than it you didn't have one. I believe that an SSD in this kind of system would make it run faster. Now I don't think SSD's are quite at the right price yet, but they are coming down slowly.

Proposed savings:
~$80 on the CPU (750 vs. 860)
~$100 on the Mobo (Yours vs. a $140 Mobo)
~$70 on the Case (932 vs. 690)
~$60 on the RAM (6 gb's vs. 4 gb's)


Total possible savings ~$310!! Now you could use that savings for upgrades on the HD (SSD) or maybe even on the RAM (4 to 8 gb's) or on whatever you like. Or you could just pocket the extra $ and use on something else.

Well I think I rambled on quite a bit, but I thought I'd let you know what I thought about the last build that you proposed.

 

[oldsoulrevival]

Well I think I rambled on quite a bit, but I thought I'd let you know what I thought about the last build that you proposed.

I really appreciate it! I was also looking at going to a i7-920, which would give me a 1366 board.

Although I have been reading mixed reviews saying that the i5-750 is better than the 920 for gaming, but the 920 wins everywhere else.... but there are SO many opinions, I don't even know what to believe haha.

What are your thoughts?

 

[lunyone]

Well the s1366 is going to be around longer and the 6 core CPU is only going to be for s1366. If you go with the i7 920 than you will be spending about $170-250 for a mobo and ~$280 for the CPU. With a s1366 based system you will also have the performance advantage of about 5-20% with Crossfire/SLI. Mainly this would be on big resolutions. The s1156 based systems (i5 750/860) are best suited for single GPU solutions. Not that you can't X-fire/SLI them, but if you sticking with a single GPU solution (I recommend this) than the s1156 system will suit you just fine.

If you are hardcore on the encoding/CPU intensive programs, than the i7 920 might be better for you. I think the i5 750/AMD 955 are very close to each other performance-wise, and are therefore a better buy over the i7 920 system. It all depends on what you plan to do with your build and where your going to go with it. If you just going to rebuild in 18-24 months from now, you might be better off spending less now and save the extra $ for the rebuild later.

 

[jitpublisher]

I am not really sure how the AMD builds came in so close in price to the i7, but for the prices shown, the i7 hands down I would say. I would however think that the AMD builds (and for that matter, the i5 as well) could be done for much, much less, without sacrificing 1 iota performance. I am not sure exactly, and I am not going to spend a lot of time on it trying to figure it out, but the pricing on these 4 systems simply does not make sense.

 

[ares1214]

the phenom one is the only one with a 200$ ssd...for gaming i would rather have a 965 with a ssd than a 920 with a hdd.

 

[oldsoulrevival]

Best answer selected by oldsoulrevival.