Which one to go with?

[remlap13]

Which one should I go with? Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that. Budget is definitely less than $1400, trying to bring it down as much as possible to $1200-$1000. Prices in CAD. From what I can tell, there's not a HUGE difference in price between DDR2 and 3. Maybe if I went 3, I'd only get 4GB whereas if I went 2 I might get more. Or just get a slightly better case instead.

Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3R w/ DualDDR2 1200, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E 2.0 x16 - 144.99
Intel Core™2 Quad Processor Q9550 2.83GHz w/ 12MB Cache - 349.99 (on sale till Sunday w/ 25.00 off)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 785.00


Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3R w/ DualDDR2 1200, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E 2.0 x16 - 144.99
Intel Core™2 Quad Processor Q8200 2.33GHz w/ 4MB Cache - 214.99 (on sale till Sunday w/ 15.00 off)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 650.00 (Could possibly sneak an even better card in here because of the savings on the CPU)


Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 w/ TripleDDR3 2100, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E, CrossFireX - 279.99
Intel Core™ i7 Processor 920 2.66GHz w/ 8MB Cache - 374.99
BFG GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB PCI-E DualSlot w/ Dual DVI HDTV-Out - 189.99

Total - 845.00


AMD Phenom™ II X4 940 Quad-Core Black Edition 3.0Ghz w/ Asus M4A78-E Bundle (Mobo and CPU) - 429.99 (on sale for 40.00 off till end of March)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 720.00


So what do ya think? I want to stick with Intel if possible. I can find a decent case for about $70. PSU for about $120 or so. DVD Drive from an old computer at my house. Like I mentioned, RAM for about 120 or so.

EDIT: Got some advice from GameSpot PC Hardware forum. One guy in particular was pretty adamant about going with the i7, and then getting a DX11 card when they come out next year. I guess that will be such a HUGE improvement over any setup with a 775 chipset.

EDIT #2: I have a Sony HDTV (LCD Projection). 42", native 720p resolution. Would I be able to hook up my computer to my TV and play games decently on it? Or at the very least, watch movies on it?

 

[aevm]

The Q8200 should be good enough for what you're doing. There's also the Q6600, very close in performance.
The Phenom II 940 is better and might be worth it if you encode videos often.
The Q9550 is even better.
The i7 is the best but the most expensive because it only works with x58 boards.

If CPU upgradability is important, then it's between Phenom II 940 and i7 920. The other two are based on LGA775 and Intel has already moved on from that standard.

That guy at GameSpot is an idiot. Why would he advise you to buy a DX11 card when nobody knows yet when they will be out, how much they will cost, how fast they will be, and whether games will even support DX11 soon after the cards appear. That sort of advice is based on wishful thinking and fanboyism, not facts.
Also, the i7 is not really that much better in games than the Q9550. It is better at video encoding, and in some games (FSX), but in general it's not a huge difference at all.

If you get the GA-EX58-DS4/i7 920 I'd recommend the ATI card because that board supports two ATI cards (Crossfire) but not two nVidia cards (SLI). Not all x58 boards support SLI, only those that paid the licensing fee to nVidia and got the approval stamp. If you're sure you'll never want two video cards then the GTX 260 is just as good, of course. But in that case you really shouldn't spend $280 on a motherboard, and the Q9550 build makes more sense.

 

[aevm]

EDIT #2: I have a Sony HDTV (LCD Projection). 42", native 720p resolution. Would I be able to hook up my computer to my TV and play games decently on it? Or at the very least, watch movies on it?

Oh yes. 720p means 1280x720. Cards like HD 4870 and GTX 260 are giving decent performance even at 1680x1050, so no worries there at all.

Edit: watching movies is not a demanding thing - even non-gaming cards can do that all right.

 

[remlap13]

Upgrading in the future will be very important to me. That is really the only reason why I'm hesitant to get something based on LGA775. Because I know Intel has moved on from that, so getting 1366 will allow me to pop in a new processor down the road quite easily.

I also don't think I'll ever want to run 2 video cards at once. Let's say I get a 4850. By the time I want to upgrade and get a second 4850, I'll probably just get a new card. I'd really like to NOT spend $280 on a mobo, but that is the cheapest one I could find that works with the i7.

 

[theAnimal]

XFX GTX260 216 for $210AR
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30572&promoid=1066

Antec Earthwatts 500W for $90
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24129&promoid=1066

 

[remlap13]

Oh yes. 720p means 1280x720. Cards like HD 4870 and GTX 260 are giving decent performance even at 1680x1050, so no worries there at all.

Edit: watching movies is not a demanding thing - even non-gaming cards can do that all right.

Yea thats what I figured. Just wanted to make sure. And from what I've seen they all have HDMI ports nowadays.

 

[remlap13]

XFX GTX260 216 for $210AR
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30572&promoid=1066

Antec Earthwatts 500W for $90
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=24129&promoid=1066

OMG on the video card. I will be buying that as soon as I can get home from school. Regardless of the CPU and such that I put in there that card for that price is INSANE!

 

[remlap13]

Would a 500W PSU be enough for that card and CPU?

 

[aevm]

You need "525W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 38A or more*" according to manufacturer recommendations.

That Earthwatts has 500W and 34A. It's below the minimum recommended. Not by much, so it might work, but I still don't like it for this job.

This $105 PC Power & Cooling 610W can do the job nicely with room to spare (it has 49A):
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=21113&vpn=S61EPS&manufacture=PC Power & Cooling

This $101 Corsair 650TX is even better (52A):
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=26414&vpn=CMPSU-650TX&manufacture=Corsair

 

[aevm]

OMG on the video card. I will be buying that as soon as I can get home from school. Regardless of the CPU and such that I put in there that card for that price is INSANE!

They have only 9 left. If you really want it you better order it from wherever you're posting these messages.

 

[maxtoons]

Hey
Will, if upgrade is a big issue, then you must go with i7, or wait for PII next DDR3 mobo, but going LGA 775 is no good.
the Q8200 is not a great CPU, nor does it over clock easlly.
As for the PSU, sence you are going to use ATI 4870, I would say go with a 600W PSU just to be on the safe side.
But if you go with any V-Card that does not need its own power cable, a good name 500W PSU will do

 

[theAnimal]

They have only 9 left. If you really want it you better order it from wherever you're posting these messages.

There's also an EVGA for $220. (37 left)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=36241&promoid=1066

 

[remlap13]

Ok so I have this set-up in my NCIX cart right now..

i7 920
Mobo for the CPU
GTX 260
Corsair XMS3 TW3X4G1333C9DHX 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit

Will that RAM work for my Mobo? It is 99.00 after a $30 MiR.

Total after tax is just over $1000.00. Add another $100 for PSU, 60 for HDD, and $100 for OS. Probably 60 for case. Plus tax.

Grand Total - 1350.00

Should I pull the trigger on the 4 parts from NCIX?

 

[aevm]

I'm not convinced that that RAM works with i7. Let's look for something with Triple Channel and lower voltage.

 

[Helloworld_98]

Have you looked at a 720 BE base?

You could get it with ddr3 for less than the I7 build and by the looks of benchmarks, my guess would be if you unlock the 4th core it will beat the I7 920 for half the price.

 

[aevm]

This one would work.

G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Triple Channel Memory Kit $140
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=34719&vpn=F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ&manufacture=G.Skill
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225&Tpk=F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ //same thing at Newegg USA for extra info

 

[remlap13]

I'm not convinced that that RAM works with i7. Let's look for something with Triple Channel and lower voltage.

For sure.. RAM is probably the thing I have the least knowledge about.. So how do I tell if it's triple channel? And lower voltage? I only need 4GB too.. Unless there's a killer deal on 6

 

[remlap13]

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX22582(ME).aspx

Does this do the trick as well?

 

[aevm]

Basically, you get to choose from this list:
http://www.ncix.com/search/?categoryid=0&q=Triple+Channel

There are some decent products there like 3*1GB for $80 if you want. It's either 3 sticks of 1GB or 3 sticks of 2GB, that's how x58 works best.

 

[aevm]

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX22582(ME).aspx

Does this do the trick as well?

Yes, that would work well too.

I found it at Newegg USA too - only 4 customers reviewed it but they're all happy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220369&Tpk=PVT36G1333ELK

 

[remlap13]

Yes, that would work well too.

I found it at Newegg USA too - only 4 customers reviewed it but they're all happy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220369&Tpk=PVT36G1333ELK

Thank you SO much for your help. That makes it easier on me because I can just go down to the store to pick it up, dont have to throw something else in the order.

 

[remlap13]

If I can snatch up that 209.00 card before someone else does, do you think thats the best route to go for the card for this setup? Or should I maybe go for a different CPU option? I mean, I can definitely spend $1400, I was just hoping to bring it down closer to $1000 so I can use the rest to buy a laptop for school this upcoming fall. But I mean, this would be a KILLER setup no?

 

[Helloworld_98]

If your not set on Intel or I7 then you could easily take it down to $1000 if you go with a P2 940.

Also How much are you wanting to spend on the laptop?

 

[remlap13]

If your not set on Intel or I7 then you could easily take it down to $1000 if you go with a P2 940.

Also How much are you wanting to spend on the laptop?

The laptop would just be something to use to kill time on my breaks at school. I should probably avoid it so I actually pay attention in class haha.

 

[remlap13]

Ok so because I forgot that my credit card bill is taking up all my space, I'm just going to buy that video card. I realized that Memory Express price matches as well, so I can just do the same thing with them as I did with NCIX.