System build struggle, unable to chose which one.

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

So my friend recently built his own pc and helped another friend build another and soon will be helping another, I was interested in building a pc as well but he seems to disagree on some parts with me. I am unsure which one I should get?

His build:
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74770k) | £245.21 @ Ebuyer
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z87pro) | £140.94 @ Ebuyer
**Memory** | [Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx24c11t3k28x) | £62.76 @ Amazon UK
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | £59.95 @ Amazon UK
**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd1003fzex) | £57.53 @ Ebuyer
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5) | £250.52 @ Amazon UK
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4tiw) | £82.08 @ Amazon UK
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04) | £11.79 @ Amazon UK
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | £74.75 @ Ebuyer
**Headphones** | [Creative Labs HS-800 Fatal1ty Headset](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/creative-labs-headphones-mz0310aa005) | £40.25 @ Amazon UK
**Other**| Corsair CSM 750w Semi Modular 80+Gold| £79.98
**Other**| AOC I2267FWh 22" IPS Monitor| £118.00
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | £1223.76
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04


Mine:

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core £166.99
Motherboard Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 £140.94
Memory Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 £62.76
Storage Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD £59.95
Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM £57.53
Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB £370.01 or Asus R9290-DC2OC £335.98
Case Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower £64.98
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer £11.79
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) £74.75
Custom Corsair CSM 750w Semi Modular 80+Gold £79.98
AOC I2267FWh 22" IPS Monitor £118.00

Total: £1207.68 or with r9 290 1173.56

So as you can see the parts are very similar however the CPU and graphics card is what we argued on.

Total:£1207.68

 

[Nathan Willis]

You have a better GPU, but he has a better CPU.
I would take the system with the better GPU.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

You have a better GPU, but he has a better CPU.
I would take the system with the better GPU.

That is what I said but he insists that it would be more "future proof" to get a better cpu and multi-tasking will be a lot more faster.

 

[Nathan Willis]

Having a better CPU will last longer, but he will have to upgraded the GPU anyway in time.
The CPUs are so close I would still go with a better GPU.
The problem is that most games can not access more the 2Gb of VRAM.
For right now I would rather have the better GPU.
For the feature I would want a better CPU. Newer GPUs will come out that have more power.
I would suggest a better CPU just because you can use it for more years.
If you want max performance now go with the GPU.
the cards are so close I would get a better CPU.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-780-vs-GeForce-GTX-770

Go with the CPU!

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

Having a better CPU will last longer, but he will have to upgraded the GPU anyway in time.
The CPUs are so close I would still go with a better GPU.
The problem is that most games can not access more the 2Gb of VRAM.
For right now I would rather have the better GPU.
For the feature I would want a better CPU. Newer GPUs will come out that have more power.
I would suggest a better CPU just because you can use it for more years.

Thank you, however he insists that MSI is a bad brand and that I should avoid them, is that true? I haven't heard that much about MSI creating a bad gpu, he also stated the fans are rubbish. What about the AMD choice? is that a better root to since it is cheaper or not? Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

 

[Nathan Willis]

MSi is not a bad brand. They are actually very good. Fans rubbish?
That is how you cool your computer. Both AMD and Intel make very good CPUs.
It is really up to you want you want.

 

[Nathan Willis]

I would go with the better CPU. The GPUs have only a .7% difference.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

MSi is not a bad brand. They are actually very good. Fans rubbish?
That is how you cool your computer. Both AMD and Intel make very good CPUs.
It is really up to you want you want.

Thank you so much, you have been a great help but how good are the MSI fans compared to another brand like Asus and also when I said AMD I meant graphics card. Sorry for being vague and yet again bombarding you with questions.

 

[coastie65]

Hi. Both are good. Unless you absolutely have have Hyperthreading, then by all means the i5 4670k is good. That is pretty much the difference between the two. As for the Graphics cards, The 780 is good, but the 780Ti is much better ( also much pricier ). Personally, I would go with the GTX 770. That thing is a GTX 680 on steroids and I am running a 680 in here and have been very happy with it's performance. Everything else looks good ( I am using the Z87-Pro Motherboard myself). You may want to look at GSkill Ripjaws 2133 Mhz Memory as well. In my opinion, anything over 2133 Mhz, you are spending extra money for little to nothing. That AMD card is good as well.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

Hi. Both are good. Unless you absolutely have have Hyperthreading, then by all means the i5 4670k is good. That is pretty much the difference between the two. As for the Graphics cards, The 780 is good, but the 780Ti is much better ( also much pricier ). Personally, I would go with the GTX 770. That thing is a GTX 680 on steroids and I am running a 680 in here and have been very happy with it's performance. Everything else looks good ( I am using the Z87-Pro Motherboard myself). You may want to look at GSkill Ripjaws 2133 Mhz Memory as well. In my opinion, anything over 2133 Mhz, you are spending extra money for little to nothing. That AMD card is good as well.

Thank you for the answer, but how much faster is multi-tasking with a i7?

 

[Nathan Willis]

Here is the benchmarks.

I7:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4770K+%40+3.50GHz

I5:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-4670K+%40+3.40GHz

Tasking will be a bit faster with the I7. How much depends on the workload.
The better CPU will be able to handle it better though.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

Here is the benchmarks.

I7:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-4770K+%40+3.50GHz

I5:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-4670K+%40+3.40GHz

Tasking will be a bit faster with the I7. How much depends on the workload.
The better CPU will be able to handle it better though.

Thank you, I will maybe chose the i7, depends on the budget.

 

[Nathan Willis]

I would get the better CPU. The GPUs are so close having a good CPU will be better.
Budget always seems to be a problem!

 

[coastie65]

For most apps today, just the plain Quad core of the i5 is plenty enough for multitasking. There are few apps that even take advantage of or written for Hyperthreading. I am running an i7 4770k, but to be honest, an i5 4670k would have done nicely for my usage ( a lot of gaming ).

 

[Nathan Willis]

Because the CPUs are both good get the I7 just for future proof.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

Thanks both of you but has anybody got any idea if the asus r9 290 is as good as the gtx 780's.

 

[Nathan Willis]

The GTX 780 is better.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-780

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

The GTX 780 is better.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-780

I know that with reference card but the Asus version would seem to have "sorted" out some of the issues which could end up giving it the edge.

 

[Nathan Willis]

Well, they all use the same chip, so the score is based off of that.
Having a different card will not make the chip perform any better.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

Well, they all use the same chip, so the score is based off of that.
Having a different card will not make the chip perform any better.

What about the heat, the asus would cool it better which could mean I could get some better performance wouldn't I? Also, I have placed the i7 into my build but currently wondering which graphics card. I was thinking the AMD as it would fit better into the build.

 

[Nathan Willis]

It really comes down to your personal opinion. If you like the AMD get it.
There is nothing wrong with both cards.
If you plan on Crossfire or SLI you will have to have a MOB that supports it.
You can not Crossfire an Nvidia card. Same with no SLI for an AMD card.
I would only get the card that your MOB will support fully.
If your MOB supports Crossfire get the AMD. If SLI go with the GTX.
Some MOBs support both.

 

[Hussein Tuzlaw]

It really comes down to your personal opinion. If you like the AMD get it.
There is nothing wrong with both cards.
If you plan on Crossfire or SLI you will have to have a MOB that supports it.
You can not Crossfire an Nvidia card. Same with no SLI for an AMD card.
I would only get the card that your MOB will support fully.
If your MOB supports Crossfire get the AMD. If SLI go with the GTX.
Some MOBs support both.

Thank you, you have been really great help!

 

[coastie65]

If you are going with that ASUS Z87-Pro, it will support sli / crossfire just fine as long as you hve the room in the case ( should be a problem with a decent mid sized case ).

 

[Nathan Willis]

It really comes down to your personal opinion. If you like the AMD get it.
There is nothing wrong with both cards.
If you plan on Crossfire or SLI you will have to have a MOB that supports it.
You can not Crossfire an Nvidia card. Same with no SLI for an AMD card.
I would only get the card that your MOB will support fully.
If your MOB supports Crossfire get the AMD. If SLI go with the GTX.
Some MOBs support both.

Thank you, you have been really great help!

I'm glad I could be of help.